MySims

"Call it MySims, or call it Sims Crossing. I call it fun."

Most people weren't sure what to think of MySims when the title was announced oh-so-many months ago. It shared the Sims name, but the look was decisively different, focusing more on an Animal Crossing-esque super-deformed style. However, the comparisons to Animal Crossing ran further than just the aesthetics. Further hands-on reports showed that, like in the Nintendo GameCube classic, you play as a character who moves into town, meets its residents and spends the majority of the game running around doing errands for said residents. Indeed, it was a very different take on the Sims franchise--a take that, for all intents and purposes, turned a lot of people off of the game.

Unless, upon release, they actually gave in and purchased the title, let me say right now: this game is excellent. To be fair, it's not a true Sims title. You don't take care of your on-screen avatar, helping them take a leak and whatnot. You don't stay confined to specific houses and spend your time building relationships (although, the relationship element IS there, it's just not nearly as fleshed out as it has been in previous Sims titles). What you have instead is an adventure-style game, focused mainly on reaching new areas to explore while collecting these odd tokens, called Essences.

Playing MySims couldn't be any simpler. Upon booting up the game, you simply select a save file, name your town, and create your Sim from a robust, but in comparison to previous Sims titles, very limited create-a-character menu. Once in the game, you're put through the paces in a seemless in-game tutorial, that teaches you the basics, from interaction with other residents to building.

Speaking of which, the true meat-and-bones of MySims is the building. Through a fairly straight-forward system of building blocks, you're able to build just about anything you desire. Sure, when you build for people, most of the time they want a very specific item--but, the game gives you the freedom to add your own twist to it. The building is easily the best portion of the game, and you'll likely spend hours just fooling around with it.

However, you can't spend the entire game just building. In order to get all the options possible, you need to explore the fairly large world and do things for people to get Essences. These are used, when building, to add new parts to your objects, as well as paint them with specific themes. Beware, though: although certain Essences are fairly easy to find (sometimes as simple as shaking an apple tree), others can be a painful experience to gain.

Graphically, the game is simple, but polished. Colors are bright and vibrant, and the artistry of the characters and the environments is top-notch. It definitely beats Animal Crossing in terms of aesthetics, but technofile gamers will most likely find themselves dissatisfied with the simplicity of the title. Sound-wise, the game is fairly standard Sims fair. You'll hear a few tracks taken directly from previous Sims efforts, as well as a few new ones. Although generally peppy and upbeat, they feature catchy melodies and generally suit the mood of the game very well.

In fact, if you don't enjoy the eccentric, cutesy style of the game, just stay away. This game is sickeningly sweet at times, from the nearly always-happy Sims to the peppy-happy-funfun music that plays in the background. I'd imagine that those who are used to Animal Crossing or enjoy the chibi anime-style will like, or even love, the way the game is. But, if you're a hardcore gamer who spends most of their time blasting away at enemy soldiers and whatnot... well, what are you doing reading up on this game, anyway?

There are a few nagging flaws that truly keep MySims from greatness. First and foremost is the lack of online functionality. I hate to draw more comparisons to the Big N's own life simulator, but even Animal Crossing: Wild World on DS gave the ability to visit another players' towns. This would've been a great addition to MySims, along with the ability to send and recieve custom-built furniture. Second, the game is a little bit overly-simplified. While it features a fair amount of depth and never tries to be what it's not (a simpler, alternate take on the Sims), it lacks a lot of options in comparison to previous Sims efforts.

All nagging aside, MySims is a solid effort and is definitely worth the $50 price tag, if for the building element alone. It's a fun, addicting little game, and is sure to tide Wii owners over until Animal Crossing Wii comes out... whenever the hell that's going to be.

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Presentation - 7.0
The cutesy style wears thin after a while, but the polish in the game shines through. Score takes hits for unnecessary load times and lack of online. 480p and widescreen ready.

Graphics - 7.5
Simple in technical terms, excellent in terms of artistry. Environments and character models are made up of few polys, but in this type of game, it doesn't really matter.

Sound - 8.0
Standard unintelligible Simlish along with a great soundtrack of catchy, upbeat music. Sound effects all sound as they should while still remaining charming. No complaints.

Gameplay - 8.5
The controls work flawlessly, and to top it off, it's actually fun to play.

Lasting Appeal - 8.0
There's a lot to do in MySims, from the building aspect to just exploring. It's sure to last most gamers a while.

OVERALL - 8.0 (not an average)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/07

Game Release: MySims (US, 09/18/07)