Thursday, September 20, 2007

MySims



EA takes the Sims to the Wii. Sort of. MySims, EA’s latest original franchise for the Wii, plays like a simplified version of The Sims aimed at casual gamers. However, the gameplay and art style takes more than a few cues from Nintendo’s Animal Crossing games.

MySims begins by letting you create your own, sexless sim. The character creation system isn’t particularly in-depth but you do have the options to change their eyes, mouths, hairstyles and outfits. After you create your sim, you’ll have to create a home and workshop using a simplified version of the classic Sims building tools. You use the Wii Remote to drag pieces onto the land. The game will provide guidance for where you can (and cannot) place the items and which one would be most appropriate for what you’re trying to build.

With the basics underway, you then have to start making a living for yourself. Your character will visit various residents in their businesses and homes. The residents will ask you to build something for them. The game presents you with a 3D blueprint of what you’re trying to build and helps you assemble the furniture by highlighting the necessary pieces and snapping them into place if you get close enough. As you progress through the game you’ll get continually more complicated furniture to build and eventually you’ll have to build without the blueprints.

Instead of cash or other tokens, MySims uses “Essence” as its form of currency. There are many types available, spanning dozens of objects. You can find some dropped by other sims, you can pick up some that have fallen from trees (that you can then use to grow a new tree) and you can even find some fishing. In the game, some characters react more favorably to a certain type of Essence and others will require having Essence in their furniture. In addition to building furniture, you can also decorate the homes for the other Sims, which makes them happier and improves the town’s star rating. Higher star ratings attract new citizens and thus more customers for you.

MySims’ simple, cartoony graphics don’t push the Wii hardware but are nonetheless cute and charming. The round, pint-sized characters travel around similarly modeled environments, which all look fitting. There is plenty of color and nice lighting in the game that helps keep the game’s silly, and playful atmosphere intact. The game lighthearted nature that was given to the graphics was shared with the audio. The cheery tunes help keep you at ease and let you enjoy the playful nature of the game.

MySims, with its focus on finding Essence, building furniture (and friendships) and decorating homes ends up feeling more like Animal Crossing than a true Sims game. With that said, MySims is an incredibly charming game that will please more than a few fans looking for lighthearted fare.
Posted by wii-play at 10:26 AM
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