Due to mounting pressure from the nice people at More To The Game I am reviewing a game. Yes, I know that I do films, and that as someone going into game development, reviewing games would be the smart thing to do, but hey, I’m not that smart. So as an introduction to reviewing I thought I’d do something nice and easy, so here it is, the sequel to last years best farming simulation game, Farmer-Simulator 2008, that’s right, I give you Farming-Simulator 2009.
Before we begin, I will admit something. I didn’t shell out the £25-ish retail price and buy the game. I downloaded the demo version from the website. It seemed like the right thing to do as that meant I only had to do two “missions” before I could claim to be done.
The missions in question with this demo are to drive around an obstacle course, with questionable merit with regards to actual farming, and to collect so hay and turn it into bales. Neither are well placed to convince you of the games merit. The promised “lots” of missions are tantalisingly shown with the inevitable “not available” on them, and the “career” mode is shown as well. But this game isn’t all about the farming.
Sure if you want to make a career as a farmer, or pit your skills against the clock and earn all those pretty gold medals, then you can. It’s all there, this is farming simulator after all, but there is so much more.
Now, I believe, it’s time for the inevitable screen shots. Everyone seems to get excited by graphics, so here we go. Here is a publicity shot that the makers, GIANTS Software, have on the game’s site.
The dramatic effect of a tractor in the moonlight is wonderful, who doesn’t feel the need to buy this game and sit, in their tractor, with cars driving past, the moon shining down, and the shadow of a church on the skyline.
Now, let me show you one of the pictures I took in-game, mainly just to prove that yes, I did really play this game.
Yes, that is me, in a tractor, with a car squashing me. Usually this would kill the driver inside, but I was still able to drive, and with a quick left turn remove the car from my tractor and drive on my way.
The “island” that the game takes place on may not feature many monkeys, but there is AI traffic, wind turbines, and even a docks area. I didn’t quite cover all 4 KM² of it, but I did encounter the church from that publicity shot, I visited the docks and even caused a bit of trouble, as was evidenced by the shot above… and this one below.
OK, so the crash physics with the cars aren’t brilliant. They do self right from every position but belly up. There’s no flames, no cracking glass, the cars just fade away like a dead Jedi.
The game sold 100,000 copies in the first five weeks in its German form, it entered at number one in the charts, but the five million dollar question, or £25 in this economic climate, is whether the game is any good.
As with Farmer-Simulator 2008 there is room for mods, new tractors and machinery to be added to your game. There is the expansive island, the opportunity to crash into other people and, of course, with the day/night cycle, you can even re-create that brilliant publicity shot.
However the handling isn’t that realistic, the scenery isn’t exactly thrilling, the game play leaves a lot to be desired, the crashes are only mildly fulfilling and above all it’s an island clearly from “Mainland Europe” so all the cars drive on the wrong side of the road.
So, my final verdict? Whilst I am driving my brand new combine harvester through your haystack I will not be that upset I saved the £25 and put it towards the heavy machinery that now allows me to serenade you.
If you do want to purchase this game though in training for a future career, you can find it on Play or Amazon UK, sorry American friends, not out with you.
I guess you all want some sort of rating now? Stars? Percentage? Out of Ten? Well tough.
MTFBWY
Filed under: Gaming | Tagged: Farming-Simulator 2009, Game, Game Review, Games, Video Game, Video Games
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Thanks, that made my day