The Sims

"Is it sick that I LOVE that elevator music?"

If you've never heard of the Sims series, then you've probably been living under a rock. The Sims is a simulation game, as most of you would probably be able to guess. There are tons of Sims games across many systems including PC... Well actually there are only a couple, and like a million expansion packs. The Sims are pretty new to the consoles, but they make an awesome move from the PC.

Gameplay- 9/10
It's really weird. This game is not really... fun, per se, but it is SO consuming. It's crazy addictive. Well yeah it's fun, but not like crazy roller coaster ride fun. So this is basically what you do in The Sims. You control some helpless people and keep them happy. It's crazy detailed though. One thing that I love about this game is that there is so much detail. Every aspect of your Sims life, little patterns on your wallpaper, etc. etc etc. It's all there. There's eight motive meters that you try to keep full: Hunger, Hygiene, Energy, Social, Bladder, Comfort, Fun, and Room. They can be filled up by doing things such as taking a bath, playing pool, or drinking coffee. You control just about every aspect of their lives, like what job they do, when they go to sleep, and even if they pick up the phone or not. It's not a difficult game, but it can get out of hand if you have to control a lot of Sims. The controls are easy, too. It's a game that you can pick up at any time and know the controls perfectly. Oh, you don't directly control a Sim. You tell them what to do, and they do it. Sometimes they won't though, depending on their mood or if another Sim gets in the way.

One bad thing that there is about this game is that it does freeze up sometimes, and that can get to be a real pain if you haven't saved in a while. It doesn't happen often, but it will enough to really annoy you. In about 10 hours of gameplay, it froze like 2 or 3 times for me.

Story- 5/10
This version of the Sims for all the consoles introduces Get A Life Mode. It's kinda like a story mode, but the story is kind of skeletal. It doesn't matter though, it's still a really cool game. In Get a Life Mode, you start out at your mom's house, and she tells you it's about time that you get a job and move out. So you do, and then it's pretty much like a real-life simulator, sort of... If you know what I mean. That's pretty much it, you move out, get a job, all the way up to getting married and retirement.

Graphics- 9/10
The in-game graphics in this game aren't great, but they aren't terrible either. There are like two little movie things that really look great, but they're each only like 20 seconds long. The graphics are pretty much the same as they are on the PC games. It is very detailed though, which is really nice.

Sound- 10/10
Ok, I'm not a freak or anything but the sound in this game is AMAZING. Seriously. This is where the game really shines. You don't hear the background music that much which is a real blower, but when you do (sadly, only in buy/build mode), you'll love it. It's like elevator music, but really, I absolutely love it. That music is so damn good man, >_>, seriously, like almost orgasmic. And the language that they speak is cool too. The Sims don't speak English, they speak Simlish or Siminese or something like that. It sounds like blblblblbbshszsh, really, but it sounds funny and you even learn it a little. Like "Sul sul" means "bye" or something. How weird is that? They have a limited amount of lines, of course, but it never gets annoying to hear, as well as all the other sounds. And there's plenty of other sounds too, like toilets flushing or your Sim playing a guitar.

Play Time/Replayability- 10/10
This is what the Sims was meant to do. This game is so addictive, it's scary. Get a Life mode takes long enough, at least 10 hours if you rush, and there's plenty of items to unlock. Then there's the 2 player levels, and to top it all off, the 100% completely open-ended Play the Sims mode, where there is absolutely no story at all, and you just take care of your Sims, which are fully customizable I might add (personality traits, clothing, hair style etc. etc. etc.). It can get a little repetitive though, but it's a great distraction if you ever get bored. Just clear your calender if you plan to play.

The Sims is an awesome game. There's nothing more to say than that. It's not a game to rent, it's one that you want to keep for good. Buy it and listen to that awesome music! ^_^

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/14/05, Updated 11/07/05