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| | #1 posted March 23, 2007 at 7:09am (EST) |
We've finally gotten a good look at EA's mysterious MySims, the blockbuster series' offbeat Wii rendition. Our first glimpses of the game suggested something along the lines of Animal Crossing, with surprisingly cute characters and a bright, colorful world -- and now that we've played a little of an extremely early build of the game, it seems those first impressions were partly correct.
But only partly. There's much more to MySims than a simple Animal Crossing rip-off. On the contrary, it seems to embrace the entirety of the "life simulator" genre, with nods to Harvest Moon (players are tasked with bringing new vigor to a run-down town) and even its own heritage -- running errands to build relationships with NPCs (a la The Urbz) and rebuilding the town (kind of like that one game, SimCity). By all appearances, it's a new perspective on a long-running series that promises at once to be refreshing and faithful.
MySims is stripped down and simplified in some regards -- the character creator is far more simplistic than the Mii Channel, which is a wholly conscious decision on the developers' part. Rather than choosing character traits from a series of menus and palettes, players simply click on the portion of their Sim they wish to modify in order to cycle through all available options for that body part. The game doesn't even differentiate between male and female selections -- keep clicking past the skirts and eventually you'll get back to the pants.
On the other hand, MySims features far more customization and flexibility than previous console iterations of the series. Where the previous console titles basically forced Sims-style character "needs" into a standard goal-oriented life sim format, MySims apparently discards the series' Maslow-style Hierarchy of Bladder Discomfort altogether in favor of a more direct approach: chatting with NPCs and developing relationships is the most important element of the game.
Well, no, actually that's not quite true -- customization is the heart of MySims. Even though the character generation element has been stripped down and streamlined, the game offers many more opportunities for creation. EA showed off both a house construction tool and a "thing creator" which allows all manner of item crafting; while a bit early and in need of fine tuning, both elements show a lot of potential for creative expression.
In the house creator, for example, players can choose from a number of simple shapes which can be arranged on a grid, stacked, colored and accessorized. We made a rustic farm house with a stone grain silo and a small contingent of lawn gnome guardians, while other participants designed pagodas and other less prosaic structures. The available construction elements are fairly limited in scope, but each set can be mixed and matched and colored as you see fit.
Furnishings and other interior design items are somewhat more limited in execution, but not unbearably so. Players begin by selecting a pattern of basic blocks which must be constructed just so, but once the basic form is filled it it's possible to improvise. Our fairly standard pizza oven became an all-in-one kitchenette with shelves and a built-in bench for eating, and we also witnessed the creation of an arcade game cabinet which perpetuated all sorts of hysteria about video games corrupting children, what with the grim human skill sitting atop its upper panel.
Plus, the more you play, the more options become available. Interacting with NPCs and exploring the town nets you something called "essences," which augment your construction capabilities -- a given essence may let you add new shapes to your home, new panels to your furniture, or ridiculous new color schemes to either, just to name a few example. The happier you keep the townspeople, the more likely they are to cough up essences. And how do you make them happy? By building them stuff made with the aid of essences. It's a classic example of entertainment sustaining itself by feeding compulsive addiction.
Not that you necessarily have to be nice. You're just as welcome to be a jerk and trash the town if you really want, and there's no real penalty involved. It's always possible to salvage a relationship with enough gifts (especially those suited to a given character's personal temperament). And if you get sick of bright colors and happy flowers, you can always paint the town black and fill it with gothic grimness. It is, after all, a Sims game, and perhaps for the first time on a console you're free to approach the experience as you see fit.
EA was careful to stress that the version shown today was "pre-alpha," and the game's designers and producers seem acutely aware of the game's current shortcomings. Little interface details like snap-to guides still need to be implemented, and we're told the final version will have vastly more construction and character options than the dozens we've seen in action. But in talking to the game's creators, it's clear they share a clear vision for what they want MySims to be: An engaging, accessible experience that focuses on creativity, customization and exploration. It's certainly off to a strong start, and we're looking forward to see how the different components of the game gel.
I am Bigchief's dog, and I can be your dog too for a week of subtime | colon
| | #2 posted August 23, 2007 at 4:55pm (EST) |
Comes out in about a month. Am I the only one looking forward to this? | Guru
  
| | #3 posted August 24, 2007 at 12:04am (EST) |
yes | colon
| | #4 posted August 24, 2007 at 5:29am (EST) |
Well you're going to buy it young man or you're not getting dessert! | colon
| | #5 posted September 3, 2007 at 2:13pm (EST) |
First reviews are out.
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 58%
| Barely recognizable as a "Sims" game, MySims also lacks the compelling variety and randomness of Animal Crossing. |
Games Master UK - 90%
| It's "Lego Animal Crossing." A brilliant idea that deserves to be a monster hit. |
Official Nintendo Magazine UK - 94%
| It's better than "Animal Crossing" and "Harvest Moon" in almost every way, while also being a completely different kind of game...Barring a few options we'd have liked to see, it's a perfect second life experience. |
| Nick
| | #6 posted September 3, 2007 at 2:38pm (EST) |
That last one is bullcrap. | colon
| | #7 posted September 3, 2007 at 7:30pm (EST) |
I think I might pass on the Wii version and just rent the DS version. | colon
| | #8 posted September 20, 2007 at 8:31am (EST) |
Bleh.
The DS version is like a kids' version of Animal Crossing but with less stuff to do. | colon
| | #9 posted September 20, 2007 at 10:44am (EST) |
Weird...out of all the reviews for this it has gotten average to good reviews from US mags/gaming sites. The only ones to rate it higher than a 7 were 3 UK gaming sites, and they gave it close to perfect scores. wtf is going on there...Is it safe to say those English pieces of crap have bad taste in games? | zach2004
| | #10 posted September 21, 2007 at 2:24pm (EST) |
Anyone play it yet? I want to get an opinion before i opened my copy. | zach2004
| | #11 posted September 21, 2007 at 3:20pm (EST) |
Ive only played the game for about 20 min and I think it sucks
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