"The Sims have busted out..."

The Sims Bustin' Out Gameboy Advance

''Being a fan of The Sims on PS2 I was interested in the sequel. However I decided to get it on the GBA instead. Did I make the right choice?''

Story
Basically you begin the game by creating one Sim that you will control through out the game. From here on you move from Sim City to Sim Valley to live on your uncle's farm. You'll then undertake in many challenges and fun mini games.

Gameplay
The gameplay is pretty basic but still quite good. Unlike the other Sims games you actually control the movement of your character rather than use a point and click method. You are given tasks such as find this object, or make friends with this character and so on.

The mini games you undertake are your current job. This for example could having you see how many weeds you can cut using the lawnmower before the time runs out, by completing these you gain money which you can use to buy objects for your ''house''.

The other main difference with this game is there is no free play mode, which means you can only play the story mode. This is due to the GBA's limitations however even so this means the gameplay is very much if you don't complete one task you cannot progress. The other mode which is missing from other Sims games is the build mode. Again due to the GBA's limitations, because of this it just feels like any ordinary RPG.

Graphics
Not too bad to be honest. On the other hand the GBA has done better. Anyone who has played Golden Sun will see the similarity however the game doesn't use 3D techniques. There are some pretty neat animations going on in the background too such as a computer game playing pong.

Sound
Strangely enough this was one of my favourite parts of the game. Anyone who has played any other of the pervious Sims games will be at home here. They all sound exactly the same as on the console/PC versions, its amazing.

Controls
Not too hard to remember but at the same time they do what they have to. Controlling your Sim is pretty simple but if your not aligned correctly against an object then no options menu will appear, other than this no problems.

Replayability
This is where the game lacks in my opinion. There's not exactly a lot to do and the game can be completed fairly quickly. As there is no free play mode its not likely you'll want to come back and play the story mode again.

Overall
A bit of a let down to be honest. Fans will surely be disappointed. If the GBA wasn't limited in what it could do this game would be much better. The lack of a free play mode and a build mode means it doesn't feel or play like a true Sims game. Still if your not expecting a master piece and just want to play the Sims on the go, then this will keep you happy for a while.

Buy or Rent
Considering I don't know anywhere you can rent GBA games I'd say leave this or borrow it off a friend. However younger gamers should be occupied with this game for a while as its not exactly too challenging.

''A good idea but let down due to the power of the GBA, stick to the console/PC versions''.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 03/22/04