Video Games, Editor's Picks, Reviews
We Got to Play MySims, and It's a Blast
Yes, EA has been churning out new Sims games since Day Two of the franchise, and no, they've never made one quite like this.
On its surface, the most obvious point of reference for EA's new Wii-exclusive title is 'Animal Crossing': The player is able to create his or her own character and home, and furnish them accordingly. Although the character creation is relatively simplified versus other Sims games, MySims offers plenty of opportunities for variety and individuality. The character generator allows for quite a bit of personality-tuning: Just point the Wii-mote at the article of clothing, accessory, or body part you want to change, and suddenly you're flying through a laundry list of options. The house construction tool and "thing creator" (used to craft various types of items) looks like it'll give budding interior designers and architects a place to get their freak on.
But there's more to the game than just building. There's also a significant layer of "life simulator" involved in the game, bringing to mind other Japanese games like 'Harvest Moon,' and even creator Will Wright's own 'SimCity.' The player is given more of a macro role in the game, with more of a focus on (super simple) urban design and development concepts.
More than anything, though, 'MySims' is about making contact: Where past Sims console titles were about tending to your character's needs, 'MySims' is more role-playing than baby-sitting, as the character must chat with non-playing characters (NPCs) and develop relationships.
Overall, the game is looking like just the breath of fresh air the franchise needed. Look for it in September.
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