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{{Short description|2003 video game}}
<!-- begin WikiProject Computer and Video Games infobox-->{| cellpadding=2 cellspacing=2 align=right width=256px style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; padding: 6px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; font-size: 10px; background-color: #f7f8ff; border:1px solid #8888aa;"
{{Redirect|Big Rigs||Big Rig (disambiguation)}}
|- style=background:#ccccff
{{Good article}}
| align=center colspan=2|<font size="2">'''''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'''''</font>
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
|-
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
| align=center colspan=2|[[Image:Big-Rigs-Over-the-Road.jpg|180px|center|The box for ''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'']]
{{Infobox video game
|- style=background:#ccccff
| title = Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing
| style=width:80px|[[Video game developer|Developer]]:
| image = Big Rigs Over the Road Racing.jpg
|Stellar Stone LLC
| developer = Stellar Stone
|-
|[[Video game publisher|Publisher]]:
| publisher = GameMill Publishing
| platforms = [[Windows]]
|[[Activision]] ([[2003]]),<br />GameMill Publishing ([[2004]])
| released = {{Video game release|NA|November 20, 2003}}
|- style=background:#ccccff
| genre = [[Racing video game|Racing]]
|Release date:
| modes = [[Single-player]]
|[[November 20]], [[2003]]
| producer = Sergey Titov<ref name="Big Rigs: Credits" />
|-
| designer = Artem Mironovsky<ref name="Big Rigs: Credits" />
|[[Computer and video game genres|Genre]]:
| programmer = {{Unbulleted list|Denis Julitov|Sergey Titov<ref name="Big Rigs: Credits" />}}
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
| artist = {{Unbulleted list|Yaroslav Kulov|Svetlana Slavinskaya|Peter Jameson|Tim Maletsky<ref name="Big Rigs: Credits" />}}
|- style=background:#ccccff
| composer = Alex Burton<ref name="Big Rigs: Credits" />
|Game modes:
}}
|[[Single player]]
|-
|[[ESRB]] rating:
|Everyone (E)
|- style=background:#ccccff
|Platform:
|[[Personal Computer|PC]]
|-
|Media:
|[[Compact Disc|CD]]
|}


'''''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing''''' is a 2003 [[racing video game]] developed by Stellar Stone and published by GameMill Publishing. The player controls a [[semi-trailer truck]] (a "big rig") and races a stationary opponent through [[Checkpoint (video gaming)|checkpoints]] on US [[truck routes]]. Stellar Stone, based in California, [[Outsourcing|outsourced]] the game's development to Ukraine, and the game was released in an unfinished state on November 20, 2003. Due to a multitude of [[Software bug|bugs]] and lack of proper gameplay, ''Big Rigs'' was critically panned, became the worst-rated game on [[review aggregator]] websites [[Metacritic]] and [[GameRankings]], and has frequently been cited as one of the [[worst video games of all time]] by gaming publications.
'''''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing''''' is an interactive [[Computer and video games|computer game]] that is noted for [[Surrealism|surreal]] gameplay and the unusually harsh negative reviews it attracted. The premise of ''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'' is that the player races a [[semi-trailer]] truck against one controlled by the game, avoiding obstacles such as police traps and treacherous roads. The game as played, however, involves none of these things; the box for the game even stated how great it was, only for [[GameSpot]] to consider the box facts "horrible, horrible lies". The box said: "Race trucks across the country, with [[police|cops]] chasing you" yet there were no cops in the game.


== Gameplay ==
Because none of the computer-controlled opponents move, there is in fact no actual race. One simply guides the truck towards the checkpoints and on to the finish, and winning is virtually guaranteed. There are also no true obstacles, as the truck may freely be driven on and off roads, over the most vertical hills and through the structures (like houses and lampposts), and into the sky without consequence. The truck falls through bridges as if they didn't exist, but the truck is able to drive on top of the water without loss of speed or acceleration. This is not a special or secret mode of the game, the [[Physical law|behavior]] of heavy vehicles in the real world is simply ignored. The player may travel at virtually infinite speeds (when going reverse and letting the down arrow key loose, the truck stops instantly, no matter what speed you have), turning the truck even while stationary. Upon completing the race, the player is presented with a large on-screen [[trophy]] cup with the text "YOU'RE WINNER!" overlaid, provided that all checkpoints have been passed. Newer editions of the game simly state "YOU WIN!" when you pass all the checkpoints.
[[File:Big Rigs Over the Road Racing screenshot.jpg|thumb|left|A big rig climbing a steep mountain]]
''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'' is a [[racing video game]].<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" /><ref name="GameZone: Worst" /> Although the game's [[Video game packaging|packaging]] states the objective as racing over US [[truck routes]] to be the first to deliver cargo and avoid arrest by the police, the game features no law enforcement. The player chooses from four playable [[semi-trailer truck]]s ("big rigs") and five truck routes, although selecting the fourth route will cause the game to [[Crash (computing)|crash]]. Once selected, the player navigates their truck through [[Checkpoint (video gaming)|checkpoints]] using the [[arrow keys]]. Driving in reverse allows the truck to accelerate indefinitely, while releasing the associated key will instantly halt it.<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" /><ref name="GameSpot: Review" />


There is no time limit to complete a race, and the opponent does not move.{{efn|With a "1.0" [[Patch (computing)|patch]] dated November 2003, the opponent starts driving along the road but stops before the finish line.<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" /><ref name="Stellar Stone: Support" />}} The player's truck can pass through the opponent and all objects placed on the route due to a lack of [[collision detection]]. [[Off-roading]] bears no traction penalty, hills can be ascended and descended without affecting the truck's speed, and traversal is possible in the void outside the [[Level (video games)|game map]]. Completing a race rewards the player with an image of a trophy bearing the grammatically incorrect phrase {{sic|"You're winner !"}}.<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" /><ref name="GameSpot: Review" />{{Clear|left}}
[[Stellar Stone LLC]], developers of the game, released a patch that alters the behavior of the computer-controlled truck. With the patch applied, the opponent does participate in the race, but stops before it reaches the finish line.


== Development and release ==
==Reviews==
The development of ''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'' was commissioned by Stellar Stone, a company based in [[Santa Monica, California]], and founded in late 2000 that [[Outsourcing|outsourced]] game development to [[Eastern Europe]]an countries like Russia.<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" /><ref name="Stellar Stone: Company" /> Sergey Titov, the [[chief executive officer]] of TS Group Entertainment, licensed his Eternity [[game engine]] to Stellar Stone in exchange for a "large chunk of the company".<ref name="yourewinner.com: Interview" /><ref name="TS Group: Eternity" /> According to him, ''Big Rigs'' was developed by a team in Ukraine.<ref name="yourewinner.com: Interview" /> Although Titov is credited as the producer and co-programmer of the game, he claimed that he had neither much input on the development, nor the possibility to halt the game's release.<ref name="Big Rigs: Credits" /><ref name="yourewinner.com: Interview" /> He stated that publisher GameMill Publishing initially sought to release one racing game [[stock keeping unit]] but later decided to split it in two—''Big Rigs'' and ''Midnight Race Club''—and shipped ''Big Rigs'' in what Titov believed was a [[pre-alpha]] state.<ref name="yourewinner.com: Interview" /> The game was released on November 20, 2003, for [[Windows]] and distributed exclusively through [[Wal-Mart]] stores.<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" /><ref name="GameSpot: Release" /><ref name="GameSpot: 1 out of 10" /> Titov later offered to replace the game with any [[Activision Value]] title for buyers sending him their game copy, sales receipt, and registration card, which twenty people did.<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" />


== Reception ==
Cheat Code Central's correspondent wrote, "Imagine a racing game without a race. There is no time limit to beat and there is no one to race against. So what's the point?" and assigned 0.5 out of five points to its overall evaluation. The Thunderbolt Games reviewer concurred, stating "I wish I could think of some redeeming factors for the game, but there simply aren&#8217;t any" and awarding one out of ten points.
{{Video game reviews
| MC = 8/100<ref name="Metacritic" />
| GSpot = 1/10<ref name="GameSpot: Review" />
}}


''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'' received "overwhelming dislike", according to the [[review aggregator]] website [[Metacritic]].<ref name="Metacritic" /> Based on five critic reviews, the site calculated a [[weighted average]] rating of 8/100, its lowest ever.<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" /><ref name="Metacritic" /> The game also stood as the all-time worst game on [[GameRankings]].<ref name="GameSpot: Broken Games" /> ''Big Rigs'' has been cited as one of the [[worst video games of all time]] by ''[[GameSpot]]'' (2004),<ref name="GameSpot: Flat-Out Worst" /> ''[[PC Gamer]]'' (2010 and 2019),<ref name="PC Gamer: Worst 2010" /><ref name="PC Gamer: Worst 2019" /> ''[[Kotaku]]'' (2012 and 2015),<ref name="Kotaku: The War Z" /><ref name="Kotaku: AGDQ" /> ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' (2013),<ref name="CVG: Worst" /> ''Hardcore Gamer'' (2014),<ref name="Hardcore Gamer: Worst" /> ''[[The Guardian]]'' (2015),<ref name="The Guardian: Worst" /> and ''[[GamesRadar+]]'' (2017).<ref name="GamesRadar+: Worst" /> On ''[[X-Play]]''{{'}}s March 2004 "Games You Should Never Buy" segment, co-host [[Morgan Webb]] described ''Big Rigs'' as "the worst game ever made" and refused to score it, as the program's rating system did not allow for a zero score.<ref name="G4: Never Buy" /><ref name="G4: Nugget" /> Steve Haske of ''GameZone'' regarded it as the "most abysmal" racing game in 2011.<ref name="GameZone: Worst" />
According to the review published by [[GameSpot]], ''Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing'' is "so astoundingly bad that it manages to transcend nearly every boundary put forth by some of gaming's absolute worst of the worst and easily makes it into that dubiously extraordinary category of being one of the most atrocious games ever published." It rated the product 1.0/10 ("abysmal"), the lowest score given to any game in the history of that website. It was also given that site's well-known dubious award of "Flat-out Worst Game of 2004".


Alex Navarro reviewed ''Big Rigs'' for ''GameSpot'' in January 2004 and criticized the game's high number of [[Software bug|bugs]] (including the absence of collision detection, enemy movement, and [[game physics]]), lack of proper gameplay, and poor truck controls.<ref name="GameSpot: Review" /> Additionally, he labeled the game as "easily one of the worst-looking [[PC game]]s released in years" and "almost completely broken and blatantly unfinished in nearly every way", declaring that ''Big Rigs'' was "as bad as your mind will allow you to comprehend".<ref name="GameSpot: Review" /> Navarro rated the game a 1/10 (described as "abysmal"), the lowest score ''GameSpot'' allowed and had up to that point.<ref name="GameSpot: Review" /><ref name="GameSpot: Frightfully Bad" /> He later argued that ''GameSpot'' should have introduced a 0/10 rating for ''Big Rigs''.<ref name="GameSpot: Frightfully Bad" /> The game remained the only one to have received a 1/10 rating from ''GameSpot'' until 2013's ''[[Ride to Hell: Retribution]]''.<ref name="GameSpot: 1 out of 10" /> In the site's 2004 year-end accolades, ''Big Rigs'' was named the "Flat-Out Worst Game" and the editors stated that they would henceforth use the game's winning trophy to represent the award.<ref name="GameSpot: Flat-Out Worst" />
Until recently, Big Rigs was also the only game in [[GameFAQs]] history to have all "1/10" for its reviews page. However, on [[May 16]], [[2005]] the user "thelistman," whose current username is "wschindler111" posted a review of the game giving it a "2/10" rating, along with the 10/10 ratings that were removed by "the man" (also known as Sailor Bacon) so that no one would know the true greatness of riggism. While the 10/10 reviews were ultimately rejected, the 2/10 review, for some reason, managed to stay.


In 2014, Alex Carlson of ''Hardcore Gamer'' remarked that, because ''Big Rigs'' lacked a challenge, incentive to play, and ability to lose, it could not be accurately described as a game.<ref name="Hardcore Gamer: Worst" /> According to Steven Strom of ''[[Ars Technica]]'', "''Big Rigs'' isn't just a failure of programming (thanks to numerous bugs and crashes). It's a failure of creativity."<ref name="Ars Technica: Metacritic" /> ''[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]''{{'}}s Paul Chenevert was torn between calling ''Big Rigs'' "hilariously campy or just shamefully terrible".<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" />
==External links==
*[http://www.stellarstone.com/ Stellar Stone LLC] - developers of the game (mouseover buttons do not lead anywhere)
*[http://www.stellarstone.com/support.html direct link] to their support page, including the patch.
*[http://www.gamemillpublishing.com GameMill Publishing] - distributors of Big Rigs and other former Activision Value titles
*[http://www.lakemarionstorage.com Lake Marion Storage] - parent company of GameMill Publishing
*Alex Navarro (2004). [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/driving/bigrigsotrr/review.html Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing Review]. ''GameSpot''. Includes a video demonstration of the game.
*[[Netjak]] (2004) [http://www.netjak.com/review.php/537 Review of Big Rigs.] Currently the only game to receive a 0.0/10 rating.
*evilchao2 (2004). [http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/game/919220.html Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing General FAQ]
*Matt Waldleigh. [http://www.thunderboltgames.com/reviews/viewreview.php?rid=381 Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing]. ''Thunderbolt Games''.
*[http://platinum.cheatcc.com/free/pcreviews/bigrigsrev.html PC Review: Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing]. ''Cheat Code Central Platinum''.
*[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/bigrigsovertheroadracing/ Metacritic review summary]
*[http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=919220 Big Rigs Board] GameFaqs BROTRR's Board...


== Legacy ==
[[Category:2003 computer and video games]]
[[Jason Schreier]], writing for ''Kotaku'' in 2012, opined that the humorous video accompanying Navarro's ''Big Rigs'' review "immortalized" the game.<ref name="Kotaku: The War Z" /> A satirical review on ''[[Angry Video Game Nerd]]'' significantly contributed to the game's popularity.<ref name="CD-Action: Matura" /> ''Big Rigs'' has attracted a [[cult following]], with ''yourewinner.com'' forming a dedicated [[fansite]].<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101" /> David Houghton of ''GamesRadar'' attributed the game's notoriety to its bugs, saying that, otherwise, "''Big Rigs'' would simply be an unremarkable, long-forgotten racing also-ran, rather than the festival of hilarity it currently stands as".<ref name="GamesRadar+: Glitches" /> Titov went on to work for [[Riot Games]] on ''[[League of Legends]]'' before releasing ''[[The War Z]]'' in December 2012.<ref name="Kotaku: The War Z" /> In September 2008, he stated that he was still in possession of the [[source code]] for ''Big Rigs'' and Eternity, but could not release the former because the game was still owned by Stellar Stone and GameMill.<ref name="yourewinner.com: Interview" />

The [[NYU Game Center]] exhibited ''Big Rigs'' as part of its ''Bad Is Beautiful: An Exhibition Exploring Fascinatingly Bad Games at the NYU Game Center'' in April 2012.<ref name="Kotaku: Exhibition" /> In January 2015, Navarro performed a [[speedrun]] of the game for the [[Awesome Games Done Quick]] charity event.<ref name="Kotaku: AGDQ" /><ref name="Giant Bomb: AGDQ" /> The English test of the 2022 Polish ''[[Matura]]'' featured an excerpt from a ''Big Rigs'' review.<ref name="CD-Action: Matura" />

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="Ars Technica: Metacritic">{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/08/what-i-learned-playing-metacritics-all-time-worst-scoring-pc-games/ |title=What I learned playing Metacritic's all-time worst-scoring PC games |first=Steven |last=Strom |date=August 7, 2016 |website=[[Ars Technica]] |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=September 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911010402/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/08/what-i-learned-playing-metacritics-all-time-worst-scoring-pc-games/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Big Rigs: Credits">{{cite video game |title=Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing |developer=Stellar Stone |publisher=GameMill Publishing |date=November 20, 2003 |platform=[[Windows]] |scene=Credits}}</ref>

<ref name="CD-Action: Matura">{{cite web |url=https://cdaction.pl/newsy/matura-2022-big-rigs-jedna-z-najgorszych-gier-wszech-czasow-na-egzaminie-z-angielskiego |title=Matura 2022: Big Rigs, jedna z najgorszych gier wszech czasów, na egzaminie z angielskiego |language=pl |trans-title=Matura 2022: Big Rigs, one of the worst games of all time, on the English exam |first=Jakub |last=Gańko |date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[CD-Action]] |access-date=October 7, 2022 |archive-date=October 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007144956/https://cdaction.pl/newsy/matura-2022-big-rigs-jedna-z-najgorszych-gier-wszech-czasow-na-egzaminie-z-angielskiego |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="CVG: Worst">{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/407232/features/the-12-worst-games-of-all-time/ |title=The 21 worst games of all time |first=Iain |last=Wilson |date=May 25, 2013 |website=[[Computer and Video Games]] |archive-date=May 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526192941/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/407232/features/the-12-worst-games-of-all-time/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="G4: Never Buy">{{cite web |url=http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/484/Games_You_Should_Never_Buy.html |title=Games You Should Never Buy |first=Shane |last=Satterfield |date=March 23, 2004 |website=[[G4 (American TV network)|G4]] |archive-date=April 6, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050406001445/http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/484/Games_You_Should_Never_Buy.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="G4: Nugget">{{cite web |url=http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/680762/nugget-from-the-net/ |title=Nugget From The Net |first=Stephen |last=Johnson |date=November 12, 2007 |website=[[G4 (American TV network)|G4]] |archive-date=January 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130110220145/http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/680762/nugget-from-the-net/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot: 1 out of 10">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.gamespot.com/videos/1-out-of-10-the-worst-games-ever-reviewed-on-games/2300-6423361/ |title=1 out of 10: The Worst Games Ever Reviewed on GameSpot |first1=Jeff |last1=Gerstmann |author-link1=Jeff Gerstmann |first2=Danny |last2=O'Dwyer |author-link2=Danny O'Dwyer |first3=Kevin |last3=VanOrd |first4=Chris |last4=Watters |first5=Dan |last5=Mihoerck |first6=Erick |last6=Tay |first7=Mary |last7=Kish |first8=Josh |last8=Shaw |date=February 11, 2015 |website=[[GameSpot]] |time=2:24–5:03 |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=March 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311234032/http://www.gamespot.com/videos/1-out-of-10-the-worst-games-ever-reviewed-on-games/2300-6423361/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot: Broken Games">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-gist-5-broken-games-that-launched-anyway/2300-6422458/ |title=The Gist – 5 Broken Games That Launched Anyway |first1=Jess |last1=McDonell |first2=Edmond |last2=Tran |date=November 24, 2014 |website=[[GameSpot]] |time=3:18–4:32 |access-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726212213/https://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-gist-5-broken-games-that-launched-anyway/2300-6422458/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot: Flat-Out Worst">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2004/day3w_12.html |title=Flat-Out Worst Game |year=2004 |website=[[GameSpot]] |archive-date=December 29, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041229015748/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2004/day3w_12.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot: Frightfully Bad">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.gamespot.com/videos/frightfully-bad-games/2300-6111952/ |title=Frightfully Bad Games |first=Alex |last=Navarro |date=November 1, 2004 |website=[[GameSpot]] |time=3:02–3:35 |access-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726212300/https://www.gamespot.com/videos/frightfully-bad-games/2300-6111952/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot: Release">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/newthisweek/title/20031116.html |title=Week of 11/16/2003 |website=[[GameSpot]] |archive-date=December 4, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031204060326/http://www.gamespot.com/newthisweek/title/20031116.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="GameSpot: Review">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/big-rigs-over-the-road-racing-review/1900-6086528/ |title=Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing Review |first=Alex |last=Navarro |date=January 14, 2004 |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=October 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027151931/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/big-rigs-over-the-road-racing-review/1900-6086528/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="GamesRadar+: Glitches">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/good-glitches-bad-glitches-and-why-online-patches-are-really-gamers-enemy/ |title=Good glitches, bad glitches, and why patches are really the gamer's enemy |first=David |last=Houghton |date=September 6, 2011 |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |access-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=February 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208154915/http://www.gamesradar.com/good-glitches-bad-glitches-and-why-online-patches-are-really-gamers-enemy/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="GamesRadar+: Worst">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/worst-games-all-time/5/ |title=The 50 worst games of all time: Page 5 |date=August 9, 2017 |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |access-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608093744/https://www.gamesradar.com/worst-games-all-time/5/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="GameZone: Worst">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamezone.com/editorials/the_most_abysmal_racing_games_ever |title=The Most Abysmal Racing Games Ever |first=Steve |last=Haske |date=November 16, 2010 |website=GameZone |archive-date=November 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115012226/http://www.gamezone.com/editorials/the_most_abysmal_racing_games_ever |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="Giant Bomb: AGDQ">{{cite web |url=https://www.giantbomb.com/articles/alex-did-a-speedrun-of-big-rigs-for-charity/1100-5167/ |title=Alex Did a 'Speedrun' of Big Rigs for Charity |first=Alex |last=Navarro |date=January 8, 2015 |website=[[Giant Bomb]] |access-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-date=March 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311234027/http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/alex-did-a-speedrun-of-big-rigs-for-charity/1100-5167/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Hardcore Gamer: Worst">{{cite web |url=https://hardcoregamer.com/2014/01/02/how-the-worst-game-of-2013-is-actually-better-than-big-rigs/68223/ |title=How the Worst Game of 2013 Is Actually Better Than Big Rigs |first=Alex |last=Carlson |date=January 2, 2014 |website=Hardcore Gamer |access-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726212225/https://hardcoregamer.com/2014/01/02/how-the-worst-game-of-2013-is-actually-better-than-big-rigs/68223/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="Hardcore Gaming 101">{{cite web |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/big-rigs-over-the-road-racing-2/ |title=Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing |first=Paul |last=Chenevert |date=April 30, 2009 |website=[[Hardcore Gaming 101]] |access-date=July 22, 2021 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127080630/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/big-rigs-over-the-road-racing-2/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Kotaku: AGDQ">{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/watch-someone-beat-one-of-the-worst-games-ever-made-in-1678344317 |title=Watch Someone Beat One Of The Worst Games Ever Made In Three Minutes |first=Patrick |last=Klepek |date=January 9, 2015 |website=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726212219/https://kotaku.com/watch-someone-beat-one-of-the-worst-games-ever-made-in-1678344317 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Kotaku: Exhibition">{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/why-it-s-okay-that-goldeneye-totally-sucks-5901345 |title=Why It's Okay That ''GoldenEye'' Totally Sucks |first=Owen |last=McLean |date=April 12, 2012 |website=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=October 16, 2019 |archive-date=October 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005233048/https://kotaku.com/why-it-s-okay-that-goldeneye-totally-sucks-5901345 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Kotaku: The War Z">{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/the-war-z-mess-every-crazy-detail-we-know-so-far-upda-5969784 |title=The ''War Z'' Mess: Every Crazy Detail We Know So Far [UPDATE] |first=Jason |last=Schreier |author-link=Jason Schreier |date=December 19, 2012 |website=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20191006021404/https://kotaku.com/the-war-z-mess-every-crazy-detail-we-know-so-far-upda-5969784 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Metacritic">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/big-rigs-over-the-road-racing/ |title=Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914131043/https://www.metacritic.com/game/big-rigs-over-the-road-racing/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="PC Gamer: Worst 2010">{{cite web |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-15-worst-pc-games-of-all-time/3/ |title=The 15 worst PC games of all time |first=Richard |last=Cobbett |date=September 30, 2010 |website=[[PC Gamer]] |page=3 |access-date=June 6, 2022 |archive-date=June 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605035734/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-15-worst-pc-games-of-all-time/3/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="PC Gamer: Worst 2019">{{cite web |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-22-worst-pc-games-of-all-time/ |title=22 of the worst PC games of all time |first1=Andy |last1=Kelly |first2=Tom |last2=Senior |date=June 25, 2019 |website=[[PC Gamer]] |access-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726212231/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-22-worst-pc-games-of-all-time/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="Stellar Stone: Company">{{cite web |url=http://www.stellarstone.com/company.html |title=Company |publisher=Stellar Stone |archive-date=December 6, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031206041951/http://www.stellarstone.com/company.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="Stellar Stone: Support">{{cite web |url=http://www.stellarstone.com/support.html |title=Support |year=2003 |publisher=Stellar Stone |archive-date=December 6, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031206043753/http://www.stellarstone.com/support.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="The Guardian: Worst">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/15/30-worst-video-games-of-all-time-part-one |title=The 30 worst video games of all time – part one |first1=Keith |last1=Stuart |first2=Andy |last2=Kelly |first3=Simon |last3=Parkin |author3-link=Simon Parkin |date=October 15, 2015 |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=October 7, 2022 |archive-date=October 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007145130/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/15/30-worst-video-games-of-all-time-part-one |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="TS Group: Eternity">{{cite web |url=http://www.tsgroup-inc.com/Eternity/Index.htm |title=Eternity 3D Engine |first=Sergey |last=Titov |date=March 3, 2000 |publisher=TS Group Entertainment |archive-date=December 3, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031203183150/http://www.tsgroup-inc.com/Eternity/Index.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="yourewinner.com: Interview">{{cite web |url=https://www.yourewinner.com/index.php?action=stitovinterview |title=Q and A with Sergey Titov, CEO of TS Group |date=September 21, 2008 |website=yourewinner.com |access-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729115252/https://www.yourewinner.com/index.php?action=stitovinterview |url-status=live}}</ref>

}}

{{Trucking industry in the United States}}

[[Category:2003 video games]]
[[Category:GameMill Entertainment games]]
[[Category:North America-exclusive video games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Truck racing video games]]
[[Category:Video game memes]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Video games set in the United States]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Windows-only games]]

Revision as of 17:49, 24 December 2024

"Big Rigs" redirects here. For other uses, see Big Rig (disambiguation).

Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing
Developer(s)Stellar Stone
Publisher(s)GameMill Publishing
Producer(s)Sergey Titov[1]
Designer(s)Artem Mironovsky[1]
Programmer(s)
  • Denis Julitov
  • Sergey Titov[1]
Artist(s)
  • Yaroslav Kulov
  • Svetlana Slavinskaya
  • Peter Jameson
  • Tim Maletsky[1]
Composer(s)Alex Burton[1]
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • NA: November 20, 2003
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player

Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing is a 2003 racing video game developed by Stellar Stone and published by GameMill Publishing. The player controls a semi-trailer truck (a "big rig") and races a stationary opponent through checkpoints on US truck routes. Stellar Stone, based in California, outsourced the game's development to Ukraine, and the game was released in an unfinished state on November 20, 2003. Due to a multitude of bugs and lack of proper gameplay, Big Rigs was critically panned, became the worst-rated game on review aggregator websites Metacritic and GameRankings, and has frequently been cited as one of the worst video games of all time by gaming publications.

Gameplay

A big rig climbing a steep mountain

Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing is a racing video game.[2][3] Although the game's packaging states the objective as racing over US truck routes to be the first to deliver cargo and avoid arrest by the police, the game features no law enforcement. The player chooses from four playable semi-trailer trucks ("big rigs") and five truck routes, although selecting the fourth route will cause the game to crash. Once selected, the player navigates their truck through checkpoints using the arrow keys. Driving in reverse allows the truck to accelerate indefinitely, while releasing the associated key will instantly halt it.[2][4]

There is no time limit to complete a race, and the opponent does not move.[a] The player's truck can pass through the opponent and all objects placed on the route due to a lack of collision detection. Off-roading bears no traction penalty, hills can be ascended and descended without affecting the truck's speed, and traversal is possible in the void outside the game map. Completing a race rewards the player with an image of a trophy bearing the grammatically incorrect phrase "You're winner !" [sic].[2][4]

Development and release

The development of Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing was commissioned by Stellar Stone, a company based in Santa Monica, California, and founded in late 2000 that outsourced game development to Eastern European countries like Russia.[2][6] Sergey Titov, the chief executive officer of TS Group Entertainment, licensed his Eternity game engine to Stellar Stone in exchange for a "large chunk of the company".[7][8] According to him, Big Rigs was developed by a team in Ukraine.[7] Although Titov is credited as the producer and co-programmer of the game, he claimed that he had neither much input on the development, nor the possibility to halt the game's release.[1][7] He stated that publisher GameMill Publishing initially sought to release one racing game stock keeping unit but later decided to split it in two—Big Rigs and Midnight Race Club—and shipped Big Rigs in what Titov believed was a pre-alpha state.[7] The game was released on November 20, 2003, for Windows and distributed exclusively through Wal-Mart stores.[2][9][10] Titov later offered to replace the game with any Activision Value title for buyers sending him their game copy, sales receipt, and registration card, which twenty people did.[2]

Reception

Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing received "overwhelming dislike", according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[11] Based on five critic reviews, the site calculated a weighted average rating of 8/100, its lowest ever.[2][11] The game also stood as the all-time worst game on GameRankings.[12] Big Rigs has been cited as one of the worst video games of all time by GameSpot (2004),[13] PC Gamer (2010 and 2019),[14][15] Kotaku (2012 and 2015),[16][17] Computer and Video Games (2013),[18] Hardcore Gamer (2014),[19] The Guardian (2015),[20] and GamesRadar+ (2017).[21] On X-Play's March 2004 "Games You Should Never Buy" segment, co-host Morgan Webb described Big Rigs as "the worst game ever made" and refused to score it, as the program's rating system did not allow for a zero score.[22][23] Steve Haske of GameZone regarded it as the "most abysmal" racing game in 2011.[3]

Alex Navarro reviewed Big Rigs for GameSpot in January 2004 and criticized the game's high number of bugs (including the absence of collision detection, enemy movement, and game physics), lack of proper gameplay, and poor truck controls.[4] Additionally, he labeled the game as "easily one of the worst-looking PC games released in years" and "almost completely broken and blatantly unfinished in nearly every way", declaring that Big Rigs was "as bad as your mind will allow you to comprehend".[4] Navarro rated the game a 1/10 (described as "abysmal"), the lowest score GameSpot allowed and had up to that point.[4][24] He later argued that GameSpot should have introduced a 0/10 rating for Big Rigs.[24] The game remained the only one to have received a 1/10 rating from GameSpot until 2013's Ride to Hell: Retribution.[10] In the site's 2004 year-end accolades, Big Rigs was named the "Flat-Out Worst Game" and the editors stated that they would henceforth use the game's winning trophy to represent the award.[13]

In 2014, Alex Carlson of Hardcore Gamer remarked that, because Big Rigs lacked a challenge, incentive to play, and ability to lose, it could not be accurately described as a game.[19] According to Steven Strom of Ars Technica, "Big Rigs isn't just a failure of programming (thanks to numerous bugs and crashes). It's a failure of creativity."[25] Hardcore Gaming 101's Paul Chenevert was torn between calling Big Rigs "hilariously campy or just shamefully terrible".[2]

Legacy

Jason Schreier, writing for Kotaku in 2012, opined that the humorous video accompanying Navarro's Big Rigs review "immortalized" the game.[16] A satirical review on Angry Video Game Nerd significantly contributed to the game's popularity.[26] Big Rigs has attracted a cult following, with yourewinner.com forming a dedicated fansite.[2] David Houghton of GamesRadar attributed the game's notoriety to its bugs, saying that, otherwise, "Big Rigs would simply be an unremarkable, long-forgotten racing also-ran, rather than the festival of hilarity it currently stands as".[27] Titov went on to work for Riot Games on League of Legends before releasing The War Z in December 2012.[16] In September 2008, he stated that he was still in possession of the source code for Big Rigs and Eternity, but could not release the former because the game was still owned by Stellar Stone and GameMill.[7]

The NYU Game Center exhibited Big Rigs as part of its Bad Is Beautiful: An Exhibition Exploring Fascinatingly Bad Games at the NYU Game Center in April 2012.[28] In January 2015, Navarro performed a speedrun of the game for the Awesome Games Done Quick charity event.[17][29] The English test of the 2022 Polish Matura featured an excerpt from a Big Rigs review.[26]

Notes

  1. ^ With a "1.0" patch dated November 2003, the opponent starts driving along the road but stops before the finish line.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Stellar Stone (November 20, 2003). Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing (Windows). GameMill Publishing. Scene: Credits.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Chenevert, Paul (April 30, 2009). "Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Haske, Steve (November 16, 2010). "The Most Abysmal Racing Games Ever". GameZone. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Navarro, Alex (January 14, 2004). "Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 27, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  5. ^ "Support". Stellar Stone. 2003. Archived from the original on December 6, 2003.
  6. ^ "Company". Stellar Stone. Archived from the original on December 6, 2003.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Q and A with Sergey Titov, CEO of TS Group". yourewinner.com. September 21, 2008. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  8. ^ Titov, Sergey (March 3, 2000). "Eternity 3D Engine". TS Group Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 3, 2003.
  9. ^ "Week of 11/16/2003". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003.
  10. ^ a b Gerstmann, Jeff; O'Dwyer, Danny; VanOrd, Kevin; Watters, Chris; Mihoerck, Dan; Tay, Erick; Kish, Mary; Shaw, Josh (February 11, 2015). 1 out of 10: The Worst Games Ever Reviewed on GameSpot. GameSpot. Event occurs at 2:24–5:03. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  11. ^ a b c "Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  12. ^ McDonell, Jess; Tran, Edmond (November 24, 2014). The Gist – 5 Broken Games That Launched Anyway. GameSpot. Event occurs at 3:18–4:32. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Flat-Out Worst Game". GameSpot. 2004. Archived from the original on December 29, 2004.
  14. ^ Cobbett, Richard (September 30, 2010). "The 15 worst PC games of all time". PC Gamer. p. 3. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  15. ^ Kelly, Andy; Senior, Tom (June 25, 2019). "22 of the worst PC games of all time". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Schreier, Jason (December 19, 2012). "The War Z Mess: Every Crazy Detail We Know So Far [UPDATE]". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Klepek, Patrick (January 9, 2015). "Watch Someone Beat One Of The Worst Games Ever Made In Three Minutes". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  18. ^ Wilson, Iain (May 25, 2013). "The 21 worst games of all time". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on May 26, 2013.
  19. ^ a b Carlson, Alex (January 2, 2014). "How the Worst Game of 2013 Is Actually Better Than Big Rigs". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  20. ^ Stuart, Keith; Kelly, Andy; Parkin, Simon (October 15, 2015). "The 30 worst video games of all time – part one". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  21. ^ "The 50 worst games of all time: Page 5". GamesRadar+. August 9, 2017. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  22. ^ Satterfield, Shane (March 23, 2004). "Games You Should Never Buy". G4. Archived from the original on April 6, 2005.
  23. ^ Johnson, Stephen (November 12, 2007). "Nugget From The Net". G4. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013.
  24. ^ a b Navarro, Alex (November 1, 2004). Frightfully Bad Games. GameSpot. Event occurs at 3:02–3:35. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  25. ^ Strom, Steven (August 7, 2016). "What I learned playing Metacritic's all-time worst-scoring PC games". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  26. ^ a b Gańko, Jakub (May 9, 2022). "Matura 2022: Big Rigs, jedna z najgorszych gier wszech czasów, na egzaminie z angielskiego" [Matura 2022: Big Rigs, one of the worst games of all time, on the English exam]. CD-Action (in Polish). Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  27. ^ Houghton, David (September 6, 2011). "Good glitches, bad glitches, and why patches are really the gamer's enemy". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  28. ^ McLean, Owen (April 12, 2012). "Why It's Okay That GoldenEye Totally Sucks". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  29. ^ Navarro, Alex (January 8, 2015). "Alex Did a 'Speedrun' of Big Rigs for Charity". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
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