Raise your hand if you remember flight simulators. Now look around to see how many people are staring at the crazy person raising their hand at their computer.
Okay, moving on, sim-style games have been around for as long as there have been computers (I assume). I haven’t really played one, or thought about them, for a while, though. They seems to have come a long way while I wasn’t looking. The other day, Amazon directed me to some recommended video games, and by clicking around I came upon an XBox 360 game simply entitled Farming Simulator.
My first instinct, of course, was to make fun of the game, but then I read more about it, looked at some screenshots, and read some reviews, and realized that it sounds pretty fun under the right circumstances. I don’t typically have the patience for sim-type games (The Sims, Civilization, etc.), so it’s probably not for me, but I just can’t bring myself to mock it—especially considering that I cannot pass livestock in the recent Assassin’s Creed games without using the “pet animal” feature. I came across a similar software package for the PC, John Deere: Drive Green, and I must admit that it is a brilliant bit of cross-marketing.
I also can’t quite mock monster-truck-themed XBox 360 titles like Monster Jam, which sounds like fun, or Kinect titles like Let’s Cheer! Well okay, I would make fun of a cheerleading-themed game, but I found something better.
The world simply abounds with simulation software that is available to consumers, it would seem. I have no idea if these games (do I call them games?) are actually any good, especially considering that Amazon identifies the publisher of several as “Unknown.” I picked several that stood out as the most “huh?” of the lot, but I am sure that these do not come close to representing the totality of simulations out there. An “honorable mention” list is at the end.
5. 18 Wheels of Steel: American Long Haul. Yes, a long-distance truck-driving simulator. Jolt Cola not included.
To be fair, the simulation covers the business and logistics of trucking, so it’s not just a flight simulator in a semi. Because that would suck.
4. Digger Simulator. If there is any possibility that I can realistically pretend to drive one of those building-sized Caterpillar dump trucks, sign me the hell up!
When I was in college in Houston about 20 years ago, a TV commercial advertised a video entitled “Real Life GIANT Construction Equipment for Kids,” in which “Hard Hat Harry” led kids around construction sites and showed them “dirty dump trucks.” This sounds like a significantly less-creepy version of the same concept, updated for the digital era.
3. Towing Simulator. I could see some benefit for people training to drive actual tow trucks, maybe.
2. Woodcutter Simulator. For anybody who wants to feel total mastery over nature without actually putting on pants.
Here come the awesome Amazon reviews:
I am literally speechless. Let’s turn to the reviewer rated most helpful:
A YouTuber who played through some of it found that it is more complicated than you might think at first.
Honorable Mentions:
– Demolition Company (“Destroy for fun and profit! In a city where buildings are constructed as rapidly as they are torn down you take control of an emerging demolition company.”) See also Construction Destruction (“Grab your hard hat and take control of your ownconstruction businessProduct InformationDemolish your competition to become a construction tycoon! Take onprojects completing them on-time and within budget to become a constructiontycoon. But keep your machines in control and your temper in check or you’llpay the price for a botched job. [sic]”)
– Crane Simulator. This could actually be quite useful, as cranes are not easy to operate.
– Roadworks Simulator. See also Road Construction simulator.
– Ski Region Simulator. This one could be fun: “Manage, maintain and expand your own mountains and villages in the ‘Ski Region Simulator 2012’ to bring your ski resort to success. Starting with a single lift and a short trail, the player has to attract guests by tending his resorts and keeping the visitors excited. The 4 km2 large ski region can be explored by foot and …”
– Ship Simulator 2008. This one could also be interesting:
- Includes 7 vast and detailed environments – San Francisco, New York, Rotterdam, Southampton/Cowes/Solent, Marseille, Hamburg, and the Thai Phi Phi Islands
- Control 15 different vessels, from the speedy personal watercraft and swift hovercraft to the massive supertanker and container ship
I’m sure none of these compare to Virtual Virtual Skeeball, though. You could swear you’re really playing Virtual Skeeball!!!
Via thoseguys.tv
