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The Sims
Developed by Maxis, Published
by Electronic Arts, and released in March of 2003, the #1 PC game of all
time has finally made it's much anticipated debut on the Xbox. As if
I didn't lose enough hours of sleep before, The Sims and the Xbox are a
perfect match to keep me from sleeping yet again!
Enhanced with new level-based gameplay, a fully interactive 3D world, and
console-friendly controls, the developers have made the leap from PC to
the Xbox flawlessly. The principal of the original gameplay remains
the same; however, for the first time you and a friend can play a two
player game in split-screen mode where you can compete in
"mini-games" and/or live out your Sim life together in
split-screen harmony!
When you first start up the game, the only feature available is the
"Get A Life" mode and the first order of business is to
"create" your Sim. From your astrological sign to your
gender, to the color of your hair, eyes, skin, body type, and the clothes
and accessories you can wear, creating your perfect "self" is
one of the best aspects of the game. Once you've made your Sim you
don't just wander through the game aimlessly...ohno!
The "Get A Life" mode gives you a list of tasks to complete
before you can advance and move out of your mom's house! Yes, you
have to live with mom before you can take off on your own. You will
need to check your "goals" in the Start Menu and complete those
before your Sim can be trusted to live away from home. For example,
my Sim had to borrow money from mom, which in turn meant I had to keep
that relationship healthy; fix the broken TV, which meant learning HOW to
fix it; and find a job...which was no easy task with no skills! On
top of that, good ole' mom is a slob and finding time to clean up after
her was a task in itself!
Now that you're in your own place, you can work to advance in your current
job or find a new one, make friends, unlock new objects in the
"Buy" or "Build" menus, and of course you must
continue to meet your "goals" if you want to buy that hot tub or
pool table!
Once you've managed to complete your goals and get a job and place of your
own thereby completing the "Dream House" sequence in the
"Get A Life" mode, you have officially "unlocked" the
"Play The Sims" mode where you can create a neighborhood, select
a house, and even create a family! Here you can create your own
neighborhood and meddle in the lives of your Sims, build your dream house
from the ground up, or take over a lavishly decorated mansion if you so
choose.
Creating your home is only half the fun, but it is fun nonetheless! You can set up the walls, paint them, insert doorways and windows, add flooring, and more. There are so many options and possibilities that you might find yourself starting new games just to see what kind of neat homes you can build. Once your structure is complete, you can go about adding objects.
Keeping your Sims happy seems like a never-ending job, kind of like real
life! Your "virtual" life with your Sims is the same. An
unhappy Sim is less likely to do the things you "want" them to
do. Keeping track of such things as comfort, hygiene, fun, bladder, and hunger all affect their behavior and attitude. A Sim who is unhappy isn't going to want to find a job (or show up for work!), help around the house, or be very nice company when people come to visit.
Recreation is important to your Sims too and included are lots of items that
they can interact with; televisions, radios, computers, basketball hoops, exercise equipment,
pool tables, and hot tubs to name a few.
Constantly juggling priorities and keeping your Sims happy is a huge part
of what makes this game so fun and addictive! There is a lot to
manage in this virtual world and you'll have to be quick and keep a close
eye on your Sim in order to get everything accomplished without running
out of energy before your Sim has to get up and go to work again!
Thanks to the Xbox and the new 3D world, graphically the game is much
improved from the original 2D PC graphics. If you appreciated the
graphics in the PC version, then you certainly won't be disappointed with
the console version either. Taking full advantage of the power of
the Xbox, the characters and environments are much smoother and sharper
and being able to recognize the symbols in the "word bubbles"
appearing over your Sims' head certainly help to make sure they don't bust
a bladder!
Not only that, what would the Sims be without the signature
"music" to make the game even more enjoyable?! From squeaky wooden floors to funky radio tunes, bubbling water, crickets chirping,
and flies buzzing about the dinner you forgot to clean up the night before, the subtle audio touches certainly make this game easy on the ears.
Obviously not all games are for everyone; however, if you enjoyed the PC
version of The Sims, you certainly won't be disappointed with the console
version. Overall, I found this game a lot like the original version
with some new features added, but still just as addictive as it was
before! With better graphics, console-friendly controls, and the new
multi-player mode, it's time to pick up a new old favorite...but only if
you're not doing anything for the next month!
Overall Game Rating: 8.1 out of 10 Official
Xbox Website:
http://www.xbox.com
Where
to find XBox Cheats:
http://www.xboxcheats.com
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