"Control Their Life, While They Take Away Yours!"

Synopsis - Take Control of Sim People and help them get through Life (While taking yours away). Moving out of Moms, ''Trying to Score'', getting married, and potty breaks are all part of a Sims life. This is the second console sim game to come out and Is definitely worth full admission, esp. for anyone who's never played the first.

Gameplay: 9 - Addictive. That's the first word that comes to my mind when thinking of Bustin' Out's gameplay. I used to play the very first sim game on my PC when it first came out, and even then the game took huge chunks out of my personal life. This game has even MORE than the first one I played so needless to say this too has consumed my precious time, even more so. New additions such as being able to live/visit in multiple places (Night Clubs, Museums, Nudist Colonies, etc.) and having a much wider option for Sim interaction really freshen up the game. The game features two distinct modes of gameplay; Bustin' Out and Freeplay.

In Bustin' out mode, your Sim must not only cilmb the ladder of employment but also move from place to place while doing so. Moving from different spots gives you different ''goals'' to achieve. Achieving these goals will open up new social interactions, clothes, cars, etc. The goals can range from something as simple as greeting particular sims to throwing parties to get sims to join your Gym. To achieve these goals you must successfully balance going to work, eating, sleeping, having fun, and many other sims ''needs''.

In the Freeplay mode the game is essentially the same except you cannot visit the different locations and there are no goals required of you. It's just free-play. Much like the very first Sims except this time it's 2 players! A really fun experience that should be tried at least once.

Graphics: 7 - First off, this game is in FULL 3D. Not just four different Isometric camera angles. This really helps for better immersion of the Sims' world. All of the sim models look fairly decent, except for the fact the different body sizes should be a bit more distinct. Most of the textures are great though there are a few questionable ones. The lighting is basic and gets the job done, nothing too technical. What's really best about the graphics though are the Animations! The way the sims move and react to a few of their friends and household items are just hilarious and the new social interactions are really a hoot and just fun to watch. The 200+ items in the game look just right for this type of game. Until Sims 2 come out, Bustin' Out rules as far as Graphics go.

Sound: 8 - Hmmm, a bit of this kind of disappoints me. why? Well, they've kept some of the same sounds for stuff. I would've liked to hear some different sounds coming from the TV and a few other items. These are some of the same sounds I heard when I played the first PC one. Other than a few of the recycled sounds the rest of them are New and Fresh, well, to me anyways. I like the different Radio Stations and the different types of music they play but c'mon...Bluegrass!?? I would've much rather preferred Classical or Contemporary than Bluegrass. The quirky Sim talk/gibberish is still here and just as entertaining. There's also the sound of vehicular engines which are pretty good. Oh and one thing that really impressed me was when I zoomed the camera out at Dudley's trailer and actually heard the sound of the Power lines some 30 feet above his house. Nice touch.

Replayability: 9 - Once you've completed the Bustin' Out mode, you can go through it again to get more unlockables. Building different houses, Sims, and lives for them to lead really bring up the replay value. Grab a friend and head into Freeplay mode together. Like I said before, this game can be addictive and will keep drawing you to it. This will/can tide you over until the Sims 2 come out.

Final Score 8.3

Buy/Rent BUY If you've never played a Sims game before or at haven't played any console version then Buy this. It's well worth it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/03