Filled with more Southern stereotypes than an episode of the Dukes of Hazzard, Big Mutha Truckers 2 embraces its hick heritage with wide-open arms and a toothless grin. As in the original Truckers, players are strapped inside an 18-wheeler to make some fast cash by hauling commodities purchased at one town and unloading them at another for a profit. The overall goal is to spring Ma Jackson, a tank of a woman with a face only Stevie Wonder could love, from the local penitentiary by paying off a colorful cast of six jurors. Players can choose from the four remaining members of the Jackson family (sadly, no Michael, Latoya, or Tito) as they set out on the road--again.

Life’s a Hitch

The character you select is more a personal preference of which country bumpkin you want to hear during the dialogue sequences than anything else. The cab’s color and logos also vary depending on the character, but there are no discernable differences in a truck’s speed or handling. Gameplay in Big Mutha Truckers 2 can be broken down into three phases: first, purchase cargo at a town’s store; second, select a pre-defined route from an overhead map; and third, drive until you reach the selected destination. There are some features designed to add variety, like card games and side missions to earn extra cash, but the basic course of play involves repeating the same thing over and over again, which can easily wear on the nerves.

Overhaulin’

Part of the problem is the game design. There are only six main towns, and nearly all of the routes can be reached within 90 seconds (most within a minute), so you are not on the road for long. This is an issue because, last time we’ve checked, people expect to spend time racing in a racing game. Another problem is the vehicle controls slightly better than a bathtub on roller skates, which may explain the short routes. While players can swing the trailer independently of steering by nudging the right analog stick (to smash nearby cars or signs for cash bonuses), it’s not fun when the whole process feels about as responsive as a sloth swimming in a tar pit.

Smash, Stash, and Cash

Besides, it’s more important--monetarily anyway--to reach your destination within the designated time limit than to worry about smashing into things that can cause you to miss a hairpin turn or to slow down. There are three types of bonuses earned by finishing your route before time expires, so it’s best to keep your pedal to the metal. Unfortunately, driving an 18-wheeler is not entertaining in this game, so the developers incorporated some random-style events (bikers, cops, and UFOs) to keep you from falling asleep at the wheel. Yet all can be avoided using the same method--flailing left and right like a snake with belly itch. This will shake off bikers trying to climb on your trailer, interrupt a UFO’s tractor beam, and let you swerve past any meddling police. Each “event” is over within 10 seconds.

Southern Discomfort

Once you reach your destination, you have an option to park if you want even more bonus cash, which involves steering around pylons and other objects. From that point on, you’ll have to endure a painful number of load sequences as you visit the store, bar, and try to leave town. Why this interface couldn’t have been simplified into one screen is a mystery for the ages, because there is no “interaction” at these venues other than listening to the shopkeeper or bartender’s canned (and corny) dialogue. The bar also lets you play blackjack, poker, hi-lo, or three other card games that are arguably more fun than the main game itself. The 10 side missions, which also appear at bars, are basically all the same: race around trying to hit X number of checkpoints before time expires. Should you want to play them again, the missions can be accessed in a mode apart from the main game.

You Might Be a Redneck…

Big Mutha Truckers 2 is an average-looking game with a number of above-average ideas that ultimately fail to elicit the sense of excitement you should have while playing. Instead of mimicking the big-rig intensity found in films like Duel or The Road Warrior, the game delivers a tepid experience that BJ and the Bear would snicker at. Unless your idea of fun is to run the same short routes over and over again until you have enough money to pay off six jurors (and you can only pay them off--there’s no option to take them out back and make them squeal like a pig), Big Mutha Truckers 2 is best enjoyed as the punch line to a future Jeff Foxworthy joke.