| Product: |
My Sims (DS) |
| Date: |
03.05.08 (310 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Cute, loads to do
Disadvantages: Not as good as the Sims
As a huge fan of the Sims, when I saw this game advertised I knew I had to have it. My only dilemma was deciding which version, Nintendo Wii or DS? I was unsure how much they would differ, so I waited a few days and read some reviews. I finally decided on the DS game for two reasons: It was about £10 cheaper and the DS is actually mine, the Wii is my husbands console and this game really isn't his kind of thing! I did a bit of window shopping first but finally bought it from my local Woolworths for £26.99 as the prices were similar to internet sites but I didn't have to wait for delivery. If you are looking for this in any shop, you definately can't miss it, the picture is bright and vibrant, showing cartoon characters in a variety of outfits whose heads are bigger than their bodies, quite unlike the original Sims. Okay, on to the game....
When you first start your game, you get to choose the features of your Sim. These include the gender, skin colour, eye shape & eye colour, hair style, colour and choice of head wear, i.e. hats, wig, rugby head sheild. Clothes, choice of tops, jeans, skirts and a couple of types of dress . Once this has all been decided you are prompted to hurry to the ship which will take you to your new town (which you now get to name). Your first clue that all is not as it seems at your new home is when the captain calls you curious because you're moving there! What can he mean? However, all is about to be explained as on your way to find your new town you see a boy dressed as a teddy bear, when you give chase, he leads you to the Town Mayor, Helen who obviously forgot you were coming and is far too busy to show you around. Charming! However, poor Helen is obviously upset, she is worried about Tim (the teddy/boy) who has again disappeared. She thinks he may have gone to the raquetball court. To cut a long story short, your part in all of this is to find Tim and make him happy by talking to him. You are given a choice of three emoticons at a time and every time one is used, it is replaced by another. All in all there are five different emoticons, cry, shout, laugh, speak, listen, comfort and encourage. Tims happiness level is shown above his head, also the music varies according to his mood. Choose the right emoticons and you will have him happy in no time. He will now go back to his Gran, (Helen the Town Mayor) and this is where you (at last) get to reigister and name your sim. You also now get an explanation, the town is in desperate need of your help, at present it has a Police Officer and a Tailor. Not really thriving is it? Your task is to make the town appealing, bring in shopkeepers and tourists and restore the town and its surrounding areas to their former glory. You do this by planting flowers, talking to tourists, gaining the trust of the other townspeople, becoming good at an activity, purchasing from the shops and completing little tasks set as you go along. Luckily. it's not all work, if you successfully make a tourist happy, they will pay you for your efforts!
There isn't just the town to think of, the highlands, forest, port and your very own little area where your quaint cottage stands all need some TLC. If you do your job right and make the right people happy you may also discover new areas to explore. To start you will have to walk to these different areas, but it is hard to miss the old bus stop signs scattered around!
In some areas you can unlock mini games. These are raquetball, lei making, paragliding and scuba diving. Some of these are free, others have different charges, but in all, you get to compete for bronze, silver and gold medals, plus you can make some serious money! There are other activities you can unlock like fishing, dowsing and the casino, which you can all earn money from.
The happier your town gets, the more tourist and shopkeepers will come. Thankfully it isn't hard to make money and you can buy many items from the different stores, items for your home, clothes, flowers, cakes to name but a few. The more you buy, the happier the shopkeeper and this means even more new items. Some of these items will make it easier to make the tourists happy, which is great, because this gets more and more difficult ! Other townspeople will need your help and you will be rewarded with items, such as cameras and sport equipment that will help you achieve your goals.
Your game play is set by five levels, shown by five stars at the top centre of the screen. The first couple of levels are fairly quick to get past, but the harder the level, the more you are expected to do.
On the bottom left of the lower screen is a small square icon. Click it and the top viewing screen will show a map of the town, click it again and it will show what day it is and what part of the day. The day is split into four parts, morning, afternoon, evening and night. Night is an especially good time, as you can run around the town and look for 'sparkles' which are lost items lying on the ground, these can be anything from money to wall coverings for your home! Also, peoples moods can change depending on the time of day. In the bottom right corner is a collection of little circles. If you click on this it shows icons for the following:
Portable items - fishing rods, raquets, gifts etc
Map
Townspeople - Shows their faces accross top of screen and gives their name, occupation and brief description
Non portable items - Wall & floor coverings, funiture, plants etc
Medals - sport icons to the right, will show type of medals & high scores
Fish - types & sizes of fish & information on them
Camera - shows all pictures taken
I would describe this game as across between the Sims and Harvest Moon. There is a lot to do in this game, which you can carry on playing even when you complete the five levels. It is not difficult, everthing is well explained as you go along. Parts of it can be repetative, like talking to the tourists and I found myself running around and around the town, waiting for the next assignment. But then I am thirty two and this game is obviously aimed at a younger audience. There is a fair bit of direction to follow though, so children would need to be of a good reading age. I thought the graphics were nice and bright and very cute, I know the DS gets a lot of stick because the graphics aren't as good as the PSP, but it is more than adequate for this game. It makes good use of the stylus for the fishing game, but I found it easier to use the control pad for conversations and walking around. I did quite enjoy it, but it's definately not a patch on the Sims!
Summary: Cute simulation game for all ages
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