The Sims

Players micromanage the lives of a family of virtual people and influence the outcome of their lives, be it success or something akin to a nervous breakdown. The bestselling PC version of the game has, in recent years, been upgraded with elements like parties, pets, and vacations, but this iteration is closer to the basic formula.

You start the game living with Mom in a one-story suburban house. You are immediately presented with certain life tasks, such as fixing the TV and making lunch, which are aligned with the skills you'll need for the game's main challenge--keeping your sims in balance on eight conflicting categories. For example, eating will have an impact on your sim's hunger rating, but it will also impact his bladder rating. You'll have to make sure that he keeps himself and the house clean, that he sleeps to restore his energy, and that he also has time to keep himself entertained. The free will option lets your sims coast a bit, and you can also save time by stacking tasks together. Time passes at the rate of about one minute per second in the game, but you can fast-forward sim time when you need to, such as when they're sleeping.

The controls are justifiably complex, but adjusting to them is not difficult. You see your sims from an overhead perspective that you can both rotate and zoom. You direct their actions by moving a line cursor to where you want them to go or to what object or person with which you want them to interact.

The game is surprisingly funny. Neglect your sims and they'll shout and wave their arms to get your attention. Allow one's energy to get too low and he or she will likely collapse and sleep right where they were standing. When that happens, Mom is likely to serve them dinner on the floor.

Gamers may find that it takes a while to get the hang of The Sims' style and control scheme. Stick with it and you may find real time fast-forwarding by. --Porter B. Hall --The text of this review refers to the PlayStation2 version of the game.

Pros:

• Interesting, open-ended gameplay
• Lots of quirky humor
• Two-player split-screen option

• Can be frustrating for those unfamiliar with strategy games
• Controls take some getting used to
• Long save times

PROS: 1. The Sims are on XBOX!

2. Some good 2-player mini games

3. The Get a Life mode is a great addition.

4. And the same old Sims goodness (court wife, court neigbors wife, court neighbors daughter, court girlfriend, etc.)

5. and some more extra goodies in between (did I hear Monkey Butler?)

6, you got to earn the original sims mode and other goodies (in the original menu, it only has "Get A Life" mode)

CONS: 1. There is something missing in the graphics, but I cant tell what

2. Controls are hard to understand and frustrating

3. you've played the original sims version before

4. Only has the first 3 sims version on it (so there is no vacation mode, no pets, and no nightlife)

5. the Love Bed is locked when you start the game. THE LOVE BED!!!

6. I HATE DUDLEY LANDGRABB!!! He is so lazy! He doesnt even answer the phone! (calls it "hell's bells")

FINAL VERDICT: Avid Sims fans can sprint to the store to get this one. Casual fans can walk.


Two words two syllables... Great game!   February 23, 2003
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

... after picking up that controller I was hooked! Though the controls could use a litlle tweaking I got used to them in no time. When I first heard the game was coming out I had some doubts but wow this game is awesome! If you have the computer games and enjoy them then you will love this version! The 3D graphics are amazing and it is so much fun! With the computer games I got bored after awhile with just going to work coming home and going to bed day after day (In the game not real life). In this game you are constantly having to reach certain goals and you never run out of things to do. The multi player part is also fun! Overall this is a great game and a must have!

Thank You Much For Reading!


More Fun Than The PC Version   March 21, 2003
10 out of 13 found this review helpful

I must admit that I've only played this on my Playstation 2, but I can't imagine the two games being too different and since I'm more in love with my X-Box, I feel as though I should review the X-Box version. First of all, let me start off by saying that if you've ever played the PC version, it shouldn't take long at all to get used to the controls for the console game. After playing it for a day or two, you'll be back in the game creating characters, building storylines and helping your Sims lead their every day lives. Not much has changed in the world of The Sims from the PC to console transition, but a few things are improved.

What's Good: If you're like me, playing any game with a mouse, let alone The Sims, is a chore within itself. Consider the chore gone. No longer is clicking specifically and scrolling a big issue. Now you have buttons and a joystick to help you do all of this and it makes the game much more simple. Also, I remember on my PC loading the game was a problem that took much longer than I liked. Now loading is as simple as waiting a couple seconds. There are many more options on the console version as to what your Sim will wear or what your Sim will look like. From dark and skinny to pale and overweight, however you create your Sim is entirely up to you. And another thing, I'm not sure if this was on the PC version or not, but here you can have a same sex relationship if you choose. I don't know if it works for two men, but it does for two women.

What's Bad: There are a few minor problems with this game and that's why I've given it only 4 stars. My main problem is that while playing the game it's frozen maybe 3 or 4 times which makes you have to reset the machine. Now sometimes this isn't a major burden, but if you've been playing for hours and your Sims have progressed in their storylines, when you have to restart the game you lose your progress which can make some gamers like yours truly VERY angry. My suggestion is save your progress about once ever half hour or an hour. That way if you lose your spot, it's not such a huge deal. However, maybe the X-Box version doesn't freeze. Also, there's no way to FAST forward the game. You can fast forward it, but it's not FAST. It's actually very slow and the only time it does go fast is when they're sleeping and sometimes your Sims can miss work because of it. Another problem is that you can't download Sims (such as Eminem or Michael Myers or Gwen Stefani) onto the console game. And I think I remember there being a pause button on the PC version. Now if you have to get up and use the bathroom, you have to go to the main menu where you buy or build stuff instead of pausing it. This is a hassle because they play very irritating music while on that menu.

What's The Same: It's still a ton of fun and very addictive. People used to the PC version should have no trouble getting into this. People playing The Sims for the first time, just make sure you have your instruction booklets handy and remember that this game takes time and patience and that you'll be glad you waited it all out.

Your Sims are still very needy and bossy people who have zero patience, but treat 'em well anyway! And if you get evil ideas to kill off your Sims, know that you're not alone my friends. Not alone at all.


Just as good as the PC version, however...   September 28, 2003
D. Couse (United States)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I love this game on the PC and I love it on the Xbox. The load time is much faster on the Xbox and the graphics are just great. It was just as addicting on the console as I played it for hours when I first got it.

My only gripe with this Xbox version is the two player mode. This great feature can only be unlocked after completing several "scenarios" within the game. For those of us that are all too familiar with this game, unlocking that feature is tiresome and boring!

Other than that, it is a great game to own


I'm not a regular gamer, but this is what I think....   April 7, 2003
Brooke Pennington (Los Angeles, CA USA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

I admit that The Sims is the only video game, on PC or a console, that I have ever played with any regularity. I suppose this review is mostly intended for people of a similar mindset, since I have no idea how to criticize the ease of controls compared to other games, or whether the load and save times are relatively fast or slow. I found the Xbox version of the Sims to be extremely entertaining, with some new additions that were fun and inventive.

First of all, the two-player option. This was just a stroke of genius. I'm sure making the PC version multiplayer would have been impractical due to the difficulty of two people being able to sit within easy reach of the same keyboard. But the Xbox is the perfect place to launch this idea, and it works well. The fact that your Sims can compete against each other keeps the game exciting and creates many new situations.

Also, the fact that you can choose to have goals, in Get A Life mode, is a new addition. This, to me, was the best addition of all. I recall during particular stretches of a Sim's life on the PC game, I would be bored with what was going on: sending my Sim to work every day to try and earn money for a needed item or get a promotion. With the goals, which get progressively more complex through the levels, the Xbox version eliminates those periods of the game. There is always something to try for or work on, and the goals are spread out so that you are generally just about to achieve one of them.

The one star I deducted for the fact that so many of the items from the expansion packs are not here. It seems like these games have enough memory that more options of things to buy could have fit into the game. Maybe not. I look forward to perhaps a later version of this game that will feature all of these missing objects, and maybe another neighborhood like the Downtown in Hot Date. Now that would be a perfect game.