The Urbz: Sims in the City

"An Interesting Approach to the Sims Franchise"

The Urbz: Sims in the City, was an interesting experience for me. I hadn't played the previous Sims game for the GBA, so the gameplay was a little new to me. Basically, the system is the same as its predecessors; Keep all your stat meters from getting too low (Hunger, Comfort, Fun, Bladder, etc.) , and build up your Sims stats by doing different activities. However, in the Urbz, you will actively participate in the jobs you want to do, and you can basically just do them whenever you want. They are pretty much minigames. Also, you get to walk around town, talk to people, and enter shops. So basically, it's a Sims game with a sort of RPG element. There are a lot of other elements to this game, but I'm going to skip over them and get to the review, because that's why you're reading this right :)?

Sound 7/10:

The music isn't great, the sound effects aren't pheneomenal, but it puts up a decent show for a handheld system. One thing entertaining though, is the sounds the different Sims make when you talk to them. They stay true to the strange Sims dialect, and added are growls, gasps, laughs, and other noises.

Gameplay 7/10:

Being able to walk around the city added some fun to the game. It made the game last a little longer because you can start to roleplay when you're already done with all the missions and there are no more main objectives. You still have to satisfy your Sim's needs, and you have to do certain activities to build up your Sim's stats so they can get promoted. But the job system works a little differently in the Urbz. Basically, the jobs are minigames. Yep, pretty much you play a game to determine how much money (simelons) you recieve. The games are, surprisingly, somewhat interesting. (Such as a game where you play the fiddle with a man in red pajamas and you have to memorize certain combinations) But you eventually become bored with them, and end up in a indset of "it's not worth the effort" . You also get a house, like in all the Sims games, but there aren't enough furniture choices. When talking to other Sims in game, a menu will appear where you can talk or do certain actions towards them, which will raise or lower thier opinion of you. Also, each Sim gives a different response to each action, and it's fun to read what they say. But later in the game, you (or atleast I did) don't really care anymore and you will just rush through the different actions you can do and see if it raises or lowers their social level. The missions are fun sometimes...but there aren't enough of them.

Game Control 6/10:

Well...not much to say. You get pretty good control when walking around...though sometimes it gets choppy. You can run around the city, but that depletes your energy quickly. You get a hoverboard, but it can become hard to control at times, and you'll waste valuable time trying to get off and manuever to where you intended to go. Basically, getting around is a bit of a pain until you get later into the game and you get a different mode of transportation. (Which I won't spoil for you now ;) )

Graphics 6/10:

Nothing special...though they are pretty good for a handheld system. Not much to say here.

Satisfaction 8/10:

Honestly, I got hooked on this game when I first got it. And pretty much stayed that way until near the end. It's not a very long game, but it was fun.

Overall 7/10:

Over all, the Ubrz: Sims in the City stays true to its background, for the most part, but adds the enjoyment of being able to leave the walls of your house. While some areas are downgraded compared to the original Sims game, it has its points that make it a charming, little handheld.

Rent or Buy?:

I'd say rent it. The game is pretty short, and it doesn't have a whole lot of replay ability.

Note: Well, I hope this review was helpful. Sorry my words may seem vague or undescriptive, but this is the first review I've done in long time. Anyways, once again, I hope it was helpful to you, thanks for reading.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/20/05