The next generation of farming simulators has finally arrived. The Farming Simulator series is as old as the simulator genre itself. With each passing year, a new release always includes features that outshine the last. One new feature that really stands out in Farming Simulator 2015 is the ability to clear your own land. This feature gives you the opportunity to turn an otherwise useless property into fields of gold.
Farming Simulator 15 has to be the most realistic farming simulator to date. Unlike previous releases, where the game would randomly issue missions such as operating a forklift to accomplish odd jobs, FS 15 uses a job board (that is located on your farm) where you can choose which jobs to take on.
The brilliant part about the job market is that all of them are farming related. For example: someone might have an order for a certain grain they are looking to purchase. This is more engrossing than using a forklift to complete random missions such as moving crates. Each mission does come with a set amount of time for completion, but this is not a problem if you store enough grain in your silos to complete the order before taking on the task(s).
Farming Simulator 15 feels more interactive compared to the last release, especially when it comes to feeding your cattle. The process involves loading hey into the dispensary to make grain. The attention paid to the smaller details in this release is what Farming Simulator fans (myself included) have been dreaming about for the past few releases.
One major improvement that fans will notice is the ability to choose your location. You may remember the previous release incorporated the US location in the Titanium expansion. Farming Simulator 15 includes both locations straight out of the box, so people looking to play the US location can.
Both locations offer numerous challenges and hurdles to overcome, as no two locations are alike. Some things might come a bit easier in one location than another, but overall they both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Aside from the features mentioned, Farming Simulator 15’s graphics have received a substantial upgrade. The Graphic User Interface was also revamped to improve player interaction.
Over the past few years, a plethora of player made mods have been released for both the previous Farming Simulator and the Titanium expansion. Giant Interactive has incorporated a lot of these player made mods such as working hazard lights and even working directionals on the vehicles.
And if that wasn’t enough, the developer also spent a staggering amount of time on the visual effects. Vehicles such as tractors and harvesters will become dirty as they’re used, and will now display mud and other crud from constant use.
With each new release, Farming Simulator becomes more and more realistic. Vehicles even show off heat signatures from their exhaust while running. They even leave tire tracks in the mud and on your crop fields if you drive across them. Seeing visual tire tracks has been a longtime desire of fans. This subtle touch just adds to the realism that fans have been craving.
Despite the improved graphics, there are plenty of performance features you can customize, downgrade or even tweak based on your computer’s configuration. Since all computers are not created equally, some customization might be required for smooth performance.
Even if you have to downgrade your graphical settings for better performance, you are still getting the best experience possible. On lower graphical settings, you may experience some graphical draw in, but it doesn’t take away from the farming goodness.
Farming Simulator 2015 is a robust simulation that is light years ahead of its competition. And thanks to Giant Interactive, the features that we all wanted to see have finally come to fruition. That alone makes this release a worthy purchase.
James ‘Daripp3r’ Pittaro
Platform: PC
System Requirements
Minimum:
OS: Mac OS X 10.7.1, 10.8.1, 10.9.1, 10.10.1
Processor: 2.0 GHz Intel or equal AMD-Processor
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: 512 MB OF VIDEO MEMORY ATI RADEON HD 2600/NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600 OR HIGHER
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 3 GB available space
Additional Notes: INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED FOR THE ONLINE GAME
Developer: Giants Software
Publisher: Focus Home Entertainment
ESRB: N/A
Price: $29.99
Farming Simulator 15’s Official Website: Click Here
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Some of the best graphics ever seen in a Farming Simulator release.. | |
| Sound | |
| The sounds and music are on par with the previous releases, if not better. | |
| Gameplay | |
| The improved mission system and additional features make this year’s release of Farming Simulator a blast to play. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Farming Simulator 15 delivers everything a simulation fan could ask for. Incredible gameplay and plenty of extras keep you busy for hours on end. | |
