New trucking game adds the one thing American Truck Simulator was missing: human drama

gamesradar.com:

Finally, Truck Driver: The American Dream is here to bring us the one thing that American Truck Simulator was missing: a robust story campaign filled with human drama.

I'm a big fan of SCS Software's popular truck sims, so I didn't think too much of it when one of my colleagues forwarded me the launch trailer for Truck Driver: The American Dream. But folks, nothing in the world could have prepared me for this trailer to open with the words "I was five when I lost my father," going on to outline a tale of a family torn apart by one man's need to drive a big rig. There's also a bit where he appears to be hauling a pirate ship. 

Okay, that might actually make it sound a bit more exciting than it really is. There's a 20 minute gameplay demonstration video for The American Dream, and mostly it seems like we're following protagonist Nathan through a period of increasing emotional distance between him and his wife, which… look, man, I play trucking games to chill out, and I'm not sure I can deal with driving those country miles with the weight of a questionably voice-acted man's marriage on my shoulders.

"Join Nathan as your adventure becomes an emotional rollercoaster where career milestones intertwine with personal growth," the devs say in the demo, so at least there's some hope in the story. The devs say a lot in that demo, too, including a few lines which I can barely believe were approved even as marketing fluff. Like this: "Powered by the cutting-edge Unreal Engine 5, we've created the most detailed open world on consoles to date." Yes, folks: forget Skyrim, Elden Ring, Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3, and even Red Dead Redemption 2. This is the most detailed open world on consoles.

Truck Driver: The American Dream just