If you are unfamiliar with Farming Simulator then basically it is a simulation game about farming. If you like games that contain no goals, missions or any kind of objectives at all then this is the game for you. Farming Simulator is basically about planting seeds and harvesting crops with all of the adventure ending there.
Farming Simulator starts out with a brief tutorial that will teach you how to harvest and make money from your farm alongside the basics of driving the game's vehicles. The tutorial doesn't really give enough information to teach you everything to get started and basically leaves you to learn on the fly. Learning how to produce a successful harvest and running an efficient business will take time and loads of patience. Don't worry though because in Farming Simulator there is no end―which means you can drudge through the misery for a long, long time―since you will basically produce, sell and reinvest in a continuous loop.
If you ever wanted to play a straight-up simulation game to fulfill your lifelong dream of being a virtual farmer then Farming Simulator may not be for you. The game is geared toward a very, very small niche which means that it will not be for everybody. And when we say it may not be for everybody we mean that maybe a handful of people might actually play it.
The biggest downfall of Farming Simulator is the boring routine of driving up and down your farm to either plant or harvest your crops. And yes, you literally just drive up and down the field for most of the game. The next part of the game is the simplistic approach of selling your produce which doesn't involve any type of trade or marketing system. It is almost like you are the only place in town selling produce and there just isn't much fun to that.
While the still screenshots for Farming Simulator make the game look decent enough, the actual product is far from visually appealing. The game's environments are boring and uninspiring with most everything in Farming Simulator looking outdated besides the amount of detail that went into the vehicles. The game's physics could use some work as well since vehicles move rather stiffly with the tiniest obstacle throwing you into the air while other times people and cars can go right through you. The sound in Farming Simulator is rather stale since it only involves listening to animals, the roar of your tractor and the clanking of your tools. However, one redeeming moment for the game is the responsive controls which have been nicely ported over from the PC's complex version on keyboard. On the PlayStation 3, players can look and move around with the right and left sticks, while using the face and shoulder buttons for interactions and vehicle use. When it comes to being a simulation game, Farming Simulator fails miserably. Farming Simulator features a stereotypical American farm but forgets to focus on the actual hard work and detail that goes into farming. Farming is way more complex than driving up and down in straight lines with a trailer of Legos to only throw it on the corner where anyone will buy it.
There is no real motivation to play Farming Simulator and even the options of completing odd-jobs doesn't add as much replayability as it should. I mean most players don't get too excited to mow grass or deliver items which creates a very unrealistic story and gameplay overall. The equipment used on a real farm would retail for upwards to $150,000 or more a piece and the last thing you would be doing to pay the bills is delivering a package on the side. A real farmer would in fact spend their time more efficiently since you would have to bring in a substantial amount of income to cover all of the overhead of the farm such as hiring additional workers. And what is the point in playing a game that has you earning more money for doing small odd-jobs on the side in a few minutes than all of the time you spend farming?! Another big aspect of farming is the weather which can affect your crops immensely, while Farming Simulator features weather and day cycles, they have little impact on your actual crops.
CLOSING COMMENTS
In the end, Farming Simulator is a terrible game that we can not recommend to anyone. We firmly believe that playing Farmville may be a better alternative than stepping into the monotonous world of Farming Simulator. The game features subpar graphics and sound alongside repetitively boring gameplay. Basically, if you want to experience a farming simulation then you be better off going on a hayride while looking at photos of farms than playing Farming Simulator.
Farming Simulator is now available for purchase from most major retailers for the MSRP of $29.99 for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PS Vita. Farming Simulator is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is generally suitable for all ages. For more information on the game, check out the official Farming Simulator website.
Game Features:
- Single Player
- DLC Support
- Trophy/Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: Giants Software
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Available for PC, Xbox 360, PS3 (reviewed), PS Vita
Release Date: November 19, 2013
Score: 1 out of 10
Pros:
- Successful porting of controls from PC to console
- Terrible graphics, sound and gameplay
- Extreme Repetitiveness