This was unexpected. In an era where gaming seems to be all about the biff, the bang and the booyah, along comes a (very) slow-paced simulation title with zero advance hype.
Farming Simulator
For: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
From: Giants Software
Three and a half stars (out of five)
Farming Simulator is, well, exactly what it claims to be. It's a simulator. A farming simulator.
It simulates farming.
We've had flying simulators and railway simulators and the like.
But this, for me at least, was a first taste of a simulator based on the noble profession of farming.
And for this farm-raised city-dweller, it was a lovely chance to re-ruralise (is that a word?) without getting my hands dirty.
They say this game is really big in Europe, where German geeks and Netherlands nerds play it on PC and develop all sorts of mods.
It certainly looks European, or at least half of the game does.
The big focus is crops, and barns, and little hamlets in that distinctive style.
New to the console version of the game is a second, American-style setting if you prefer your wide open spaces and cowboy hats.
You start with limited paddocks and a whopping great mortgage.
And then you ... farm.
You plough, sow and harvest, store or sell crops, invest in new machinery (all genuine brands), get a few chooks and cows, rinse and repeat.
The graphics are last-generation, the game's physics are a bit off, and boredom will definitely be a factor for those who prefer their gaming on the manic side.
But for me, Farming Simulator is a charming change of pace.
You don't always need to be shooting aliens to have fun in a game.
