American Truck Simulator Washington DLC Review
ACS Software
Game developers ACS Software have been on a real tear as of late, with their burgeoning title, American Truck Simulator, and all of its DLC releases. Thankfully, being a native of the West Coast, they began their series in my home state of California and blossomed their DLC out as far south as Arizona and as far north as Oregon.
I’ve been seriously wondering where they’d stretch out from there—would they tackle the arduous task of replicating the gigantic state of Texas next? Or, would they take on Washington State, which is a state that is no slouch when it comes to size, either. As an appreciator and former resident of both of these states, I didn’t really mind which one they picked.
Turns out, Washington was next in line to be featured in this blissfully relaxing driving simulator. As a kid, my family mainly stuck to Seattle, although I had visited Tacoma and a few other places nearby Washington’s coastal metropolises.
However, I’d never been way up north along the ubiquitous Interstate Highway 5 (which spans the entire length of the West Coast), nor out east into the state’s more rural environs. Therefore, I was really excited to do some exploring of these areas, at least in a virtual sense, through this highly detailed game. American Truck Simulator hasn’t disappointed me yet.
I began my trucker adventures at a port in Seattle and immediately noticed how intricately detailed everything was. I looked at the big storage containers, gigantic dockyards, and bustling daytime cargo carrying traffic and thought: “All that’s missing here is the smell of the sea and lots of seagull turd droppings.”
I drove north out of Seattle on the Interstate 5 since my new garage was in located Bellingham, which is not too far from the border with British Columbia in good ol’ Canuck Country. On my drive out of city, I got to drive through the neighborhoods of Capitol Hill, Green Lack, and Northgate, admiring the attention to detail that the developers brought to the digital table.
I rumbled through the beautiful port city of Everett, on up to the plains-town of Burlington, which marks the halfway point between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. Finally, I arrived at the coastal city of Bellingham, which sits on the picturesque (and fittingly named) Bellingham Bay. Bellingham is the type of place that seems like a small town although it’s classified as a city; it has that cozy, leisurely appeal.
I wanted to see if Bellingham had all of the landmarks that I’d wished I’d seen in real life. Sure enough, near the city center were several must-see attractions, including the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention and the Whatcom Museum which showcases art, nature and regional history across 3 separate sites.
After reaching my garage, I drove south to my first delivery which was located over the eastern mountain range in a town called Wenatchee. I had to travel south back down the 5 but didn’t mind at all. As night set in I admired the little lights of the quaint coastal hamlets as I rolled past them. Meeting up with Highway 2, I struck east and began my ascent through the mountainous Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
Just as I came out on the other side and began my descent, the first light of dawn draped the lush valley below and it was then that I realized how green Washington state really is (and I thought Oregon was as green as you could get).
I soon realized why Wenatchee is known as the “Apple Capital of the World” because I must have driven through dozens of beautiful apple orchards. The town of Wenatchee itself is an idyllic place that rests on a river valley at the foot of the mountains. Wenatchee was such a gorgeous melding of civilization and nature that the two seemed to blend into each other seamlessly. Let’s just say that I risked getting my delivery in on time because I had to take my truck for a spin around the town a few times (okay, actually more like eleven or twelve).
The American Truck Simulator Washington DLC has to be the best addition the game’s state roster yet. It captures the essence of the Pacific Northwest perfectly and renders just about everything with a sense of authenticity that is rare in gaming, at least these days. Much recommended.
SCORE: 85%
The American Truck Simulator Washington DLC features some pretty nice looking graphics that make its trucking gameplay truly shine. However, you want to have a pretty beefy gaming PC or gaming laptop in order to play it at a decent framerate. So, you may just want to invest in a decent gaming rig:
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