Say it with us…Farm-ing Sim-u-la-tor. How does that make you feel? Are you intrigued, or does it sound about as fun as, well, an exhausting day of work on the farm? If you’re questioning whether you’d personally find enjoyment in a game like this, then you should probably keep on truckin’. However, if the idea has grabbed your interest, and you’re not intimidated by cyber-yard work, read on, as Farming Simulator 3D may have what it takes to ingrain a place on your 3DS.
Down on the farm, it’s your duty to cultivate, sow, harvest, and distribute valuable commodities throughout a small, mostly rural town. There are three types of crops in total – wheat, corn, and canola – but you’ll be limited to harvesting wheat, initially. As you earn money, you’ll be able to buy new equipment and fields to increase production, eventually dominating the agricultural business in the region. But it’s going to take a ton of work and, most importantly, time.
As soon as you choose a save file, Farming Simulator plants you right into the experience without so much as an introduction. This barrier of entry is something that may – and most likely will – cause some gamers to regret their purchase within minutes. There are a few icons around the farm that will tell you what to do, just not how to do it. Our recommendation is to read the digital manual thoroughly before getting started, because if you have the patience to climb over this hill, there’s a potentially enjoyable game on the other side.
Handling the various vehicles is simple and easy to figure out, even if you must do so without a proper tutorial. Switching between your tractors and harvesters is handled by pressing left or right on the D-pad, and controlling each one of these diligent machines is easy as pie – just the Circle Pad and a couple of face buttons. If you want to attach tools to the tractor, just back up into them and press X. The controls are all very obvious and you don’t have to be a veteran farmhand to figure them out.
Obviously it would be impossible to control multiple machines at the same time, so what you’re able to do is set the vehicles to cruise control. You’ll still need to handle them between tasks (empty the haul, run the harvest across town, etc.) so don’t expect to oversee the operations without getting your hands dirty yourself. Surprisingly, even when things are on automatic, there will be plenty to keep you occupied – it just gets repetitive and offers very little, if any, deviation from the plowed path.
While responsibilities are mostly comprised of tending to crops, there are a few other tasks that break things up a bit. For example, since vehicles require gasoline, you’ll need to make the occasional trip to a fueling station to keep them operational. Also, from time-to-time, you’ll be interrupted from your harvesting rituals to recover a lost shipment from somewhere in town. Don’t expect these to feel like mini-games; you’ll just drive to the spot indicated on the map and pickup the item – that’s it.
It’s this tedious repetition that’s the major downfall of this cyber-farming download. There’s really such a miniscule amount of variation to the gameplay, and the visuals – while competent – are plain and dull, leaving things a tad characterless – literally, there are no people in this game. Yet, even somehow, this repetition can still be highly addictive.
If the idea of simulated farm work still sounds like an entertaining proposition, it would be acceptable to take many of our gameplay criticisms with a grain of salt. While there is certainly much more that could have been done with this title, there’s a solid experience at its core if you’re into this slow-paced style of play. We definitely aren’t saying don’t download Farming Simulator 3D, we’re saying be cautious before purchasing – it’ll only appeal to a very esoteric group of gamers.
Conclusion
Farming Simulator 3D can be plain and generic at times, and there are some hurdles to overcome before harvesting up any enjoyment, but it can also be unexpectedly consuming and assuredly offers up many hours of play for the price. If you’re still interested in a life of farming after being exposed to our concerns in this review, then by all means give the game a shot. But if this all sounds like an utterly boring affair, there probably isn’t anything here that’ll win you over.
Comments 47
What a croppy game! Bwah ha ha ha!!! I'm here every night, folks!
@Zaphod_Beeblebrox Playing puns are you?, how about I beet you! WAHAHAHAHA!
Croptacular!
Although I'm not into Harvest Moon as much as I used to be, I'd say that's probably one of the better "farmer" games you can get on your DS or 3DS.
I'll stick with Harvest Moon.
I'm sick of these corn-y jokes.
@RudyBelmont Lol
Well at least there's one thing good about this game.
Simulator's are awful. Always.
My favorite cornography magazine is Husk. About the game itself, the visuals are surprisingly better than what I expected.
"...ingrain a place on your 3DS"
::thumbs up::
Great review mate! Think I'll be sticking to Harvest Moon, but I'm glad this is around for hardcore harvesters!
This review makes the game sound enticing, but that price sounds a bit too high...
And it's too bad basic reading level is (is it? Numeracy, at least) required to play this; I could see it being a major hit with the kindergarten set.
And isn't "Farming Simulator 3D" the single greatest title for a game ever? I think every game name from now on should tell it straight like that.
Coming soon: "Plumber Jumps On Platforms."
I almost got this after playing the demo ... spent a couple of hours driving around and farming.
The tagline made me want to plow through the review. Still not interested in it but mad crops on a good review.
I'm getting it, but on my Vita. I also have the PC version which has a bit more things.
This gsme is a lot of fun. Just because this is pretty much the only game that relies on the manual accesible at the home menu, people give it no credit for tutorials. You are not limited to wheat. You can easily switch seed types by tapping a simple button. The corn can be cut whole or harvested for chaff which you can use to make biofuel. Its a bit bland at first for those that expect a tutorial on everything. But once you get the hang of it, buy a few fields and trucks, you will be playong for hours straight. You had to figure things out in VVVVVV. So what? Overall, I give this game 7-8/10. Its about time gaming got a bitharder again. I agree they could've added more but that doesn't mean its not playable or not fun.
But the puns.......Oh the puns
I'm interested in this, but I'm wary of the price.
I've had the demo for a long time now. My sister's kids loved playing it so I bought the retail version when the playing counter on the demo started to reach zero. Paid 20 euros for it, and that was on sale! I think 10 dollars is a fair price for this. I've got some enjoyement of it myself too, but kids really seem to love it.
This is a fantastic game for the times when things in life get stressful. It gives a nice sense of relaxation that not many games give. I would rate it 8 or 9. It is great for what it is. I don't think a simulator based on a farm could get much better than this.
Whoo! I just learned the Vita is getting it on Tuesday! I hope it's the same price. Another reason to get it on Vita. I don't get charged tax unlike the Eshop, so it's actually cheaper for me.
Yeah, but...nobody cares about the Vita.
@SamuraiShyGuy: Yeah, Vita sucks! lol
(shudders) so many puns... so many puns...
What marketing angle would "grow" this brand?
Gamers need to send this game a "John Deere" letter...
This game will surely suckseed...
I'm done...I swear.
Glad I skipped to the comments 1st, got a chuckle or 2. Review actually has me considering getting it. On my 3DS not my Vita, on my 32GB sd card that cost me $7. But I'm sure the $1 you save on tax makes up for the rediculous price for Sony specific storage devices.
Come on, we've all seen Nerd^3 play this. We should know it does not meet up to proper simulation expectations. Physics being one of them.
@Big-Daddy Objection! insert link to Nerd^3 YouTube channel here
@World Top coming soon titles
Green Elf sticks Pig Face with pointy sword
Armored Woman Destroyeth a Brainy Mother
Little Dude Punches Hippo in Mouth...
and of course
Flying Kid Shoots Vegetables..
Coming Soon on the Box with Tablet Screen Thing that plays Discs..
I live near farms so I'm gonna have to pass on this, you know, on the account that I'm sick of farming ¬¬ lol great review though.
Vita shcmita! Who cares that handheld is on life support:@ donjwolf
Oh and btw this game looks....CORNY!
@KAHN That is one of the best image macros I've seen in a while! Thank you for posting it!
AC:NL is enough sim for me.
People are havin a "hay"day in the comment section. I swear...I'm done this time.
This game seems "Ripe" for the picking.
A load of crop?? Bahahaha I love it.
I also have been playing and the game is pretty cool. I would give the game a 7. I actually like how it takes the complicated relationships of harvest moon and just removes them from the equation. It's just straight up Farming and its fun. All the Jokes here have been LOADS of fun!
You laugh, but the Farming Simulator series on PC is a best-seller and has a very devoted following. It's also a fun way to introduce youngsters to modern farming concepts and how their food is made. If I had children, I would definitely pick this one up, especially for the price.
@KnightRider666 Yup Vita Sucks! How ya been buddy? what ya been playin? Ive been pretty hooked on Animal Crossing
@Windy: I've been good, brother:) I've been playing Shining Force on the GBA. I've had it for a long time and never played it until I bought the Game Gear game and decided to finally check it out. I've also been playing Project X Zone. I love TB strategy games! I didn't know you were from Vegas, it must be brutal hot out there right now.
All this 'Vita' hate is getting annoying, but this is just what I'd expect from a Nintendo-based website sigh. There's lots of great games on the Vita just as there is for the 3DS. Right now I'm playing the Vita more, because they have more games in the genres that I like (SHMUPs, pinball, for instance). but whatever, guys.
This comment section seems to have PRODUCEd more than it's FAIR share of agriculture puns...
Farming Simulator... not a very creative title but it gets the job done.
I really don't want to go to farming...farming is really hard to do...man the work is outrageous for me...but aye I gotta earn some money but anyways I'm always up to learn a new thing...I think the reason farming is hard for me is because I do it without machines and just labor
@undead_terror
It's time to PRODUCE some PLUM outrageous puns!
@KnightRider666 yup we've been blazing around 117. It's funny you been playing Shining Force on GBA. I also have been playing that. After I beat the Game Gear Version I pulled the old GBA out of my gaming box and started playing Shining Force when im not playing Animal Crossing. I've been looking to get a new Racer on 3DS. Im thinking about buying NFS the Run. I beat it on Wii though and assume its probably exactly the same so I don't know
Dude, that's nuts! I'm guessing it's at least dry heat I hope? I beat SF GBA once and now I'm on my second play through. What an improvement over the GG version! I loved NFS the Run on the 3DS. It's the best looking racer the system has to offer. It's not the exact same game, it has mini games throughout that use the touch screen(I didn't like most of them though), and it has cool comic book like cut scenes that tell the story. It handles very well, has 24 missions; and has a challenge mode I believe. Buy it used at Game Stop if you're not sure about it.
I bought the game yesterday and it's addicting. It's a fun game. I did regret it at first but after a while it was fun.
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