The key to a good simulation game is attention to detail, authentic mechanics and a solid world in which art can be allowed to closely imitate life. Having enjoyed “gateway” sims such as the Gran Turismo series, having a penchant for the min/max management style of the Sim City and Civilization games and even enjoying the anorak-trappings of the many flight simulators that have followed on from Microsoft’s original titles, I thought I would be able to appreciate a title many would consider too dry. Farming Simulator 2011 certainly won’t win any awards for its original setting, blistering action or heart-wrenching plot but that’s not the point. We’re here to farm and farm well.
Placing a thousand acres and $12,000 in your fresh, pink, city-folk hands, it’s up to you to save your recently acquired farm from the auction block (presumably after which it will be bulldozed to make way for a new Tesco or cricket green for spoiled boarding school children). You do this by planting your various grains, tending to your herd for milk and delivering your wares to the local townspeople.
With a wide range of real life machinery available (for a price), the experience does indeed look authentic (this, I must point out, is coming from someone who hasn’t seen a pig or a horse in over five years). Sadly, one aspect that doesn’t effectively translate is the amount of hard work that farming requires. Whereas waking up early to plough, sow and harvest for most of the year must be a hugely satisfying and rewarding experience, as is any hard day’s work, when you’re sat behind a keyboard watching it happen on screen, it’s just boring.
