While the community tends to have great fun with Farming Simulator (with some classic mods on the PC version), the game does take itself seriously for people who want to play it that way, and as with any good sim it’s possible to learn a thing or two about the subject material by playing the game. Interestingly, the game was updated in November 2023 to include a John Deere 7230 R tractor, despite the brand not being in the franchise until 2018's Farming Simulator 19. It seems that the Giant Software team has prepared the field to be cultivated but forgot to plant some seeds. For those that care, Farming Simulator has the license for various real-world manufacturers of farming equipment, and that authenticity helps build a connection to the environment that you’ll be working it – it all feels that much more real for it.

I am told how to drive up and down in straight lines without exceeding 10MPH – which is apparently a very important part of farming! The game is all about making more money to progress, but the grind to get it is monotonous, meaning most will lose the will to toil away on the farm long before getting access to the bigger, better machinery. If you’ve read the emotional descent I experienced with Farming Simulator, you’ve already figured out it is not a game made directly to appeal to me. Even if the game has its roots on PCs, its structure — the lack of a story or difficult controls to remember, the ability to save your game at any point in time — lends itself extremely well to handheld, on-the-go gaming.

Having not once farmed before, it is a harsh reality to be awake at 8:00AM on day one – and immediately seated in a combine harvester (who knows who gave me the key? Of course - Farming Simulator 2013 is being patched up, but is has too few interesting changes and too many old problems.

A handful of new things and a new batch of machines and tools isn't enough to cover up lots of bugs in the mechanics and physics engine. This environment in many ways resembles the model dioramas that people like to build… and is equally lacking for interactivity.With a brand new graphics and physics engine, Farming Simulator 15 offers an immense open world filled with details and visual effects! All of which leads to the last definitive statement I can make about Farming Simulator: it's perfect for the Vita.