
<MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/thearmchairem-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">	Platform Playstation 2 Genre Simulation Publisher Electronic Arts Developer Maxis ESRB T (Teen) Released Q4 2003

- Addictive game play - Appeals to a broad audience - Bustin Out mode is awesome - Infinite Replay Value

- Frame rate is extremely bad at times - Building option is limited - Game play mechanics is not much different from the original Sims. - Why can’t the Sims drive? - Online play isn’t what it should be

Review: The Sims Bustin' Out (XB) Review: The Sims Bustin' Out (GC) Review: The Sims Bustin' Out (GBA) Review: The Sims (PS2) Review: The Sims (PC)
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The Sims Bustin' Out

Score: 8.2 / 10

The Sims Bustin’ Out (TSBO) is the second Sims game to hit the consoles and is the follow-up to the Sims.

TSBO introduces a variety of new modes, while still retaining the same game mechanics. The game is geared towards people who enjoy an open-ended style of game (with some goals thrown in for good measure). Either way, both types of game play are great and the PS2 version features online play.

The biggest addition to the offline play is the Bustin Out mode. The Bustin Out mode is an goal-based game type. At the beginning of the mode you create your Sim from scratch and you have a number of options at your disposal to generate your own personalized Sim.

At the beginning, you are living with your recently divorced mother and the basic idea is to move out and start a new life by getting exposed to the working world and interacting with different people.

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After you move out of your mother’s house, you can then shack up with a girl named Mimi or find your own place. The problem with living with a roommate is that your expenses aren’t evenly split. Usually when it’s time to pay the rent, Mimi often asks you to pay the rent and promises that she will pay it when her father gives her the money. Having a roommate does have an upside in that spending time with your roommate can improve some of your skills.

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In the Bustin Out mode there is an assortment of jobs you can chose from. Some of the occupations include a mad scientist, actor/actress, athlete or military personnel. The jobs are set up nicely as there are a variety of different levels in each occupation. For example: if you choose the path of a mad scientist, you’ll start out at a lower end job, such as scrubbing test tubes and then depending on you skills, you might eventually work your way up to become the mad scientist. Each profession has its own set of objectives and goals. You can also unlock bonus items when you meet certain goals. You can change professions at anytime, by either reading the newspaper or accessing your computer if you have purchased one.

There are sixteen locations to travel to in the Bustin Out mode. You can now watch your Sim drive to different locations, but the driving sequences are actually load times. The load times on the driving sequences are fairly long and what makes it even more brutal is the fact that you can’t even take control of the vehicles. It would have been a welcome addition if you could drive a scooter or a sports car.

If you’re not a fan of the goal oriented style of play, then the Free Play will probably be more to your liking. In the Free Play you can create a family and literally play forever with them. The Free Play mode will certainly last you longer than the Bustin Out mode as it mimics the original game play mode of the Sims.

The PS2 version supports online play for both dial up and broadband players. On top of the online play, there is also a two player split screen mode, which can be played cooperatively with a friend. The online play is fairly basic as you visit other players and exchange items with them using your memory card. Broadband players can use voice chat through the USB headset. The online setup for TSBO is fairly decent and you shouldn’t have any problems finding someone to play online with. Even though the online play is a nice addition, it certainly isn’t the best part of the game. I am a huge fan of multiplayer games, but I honestly had more fun with the offline portion of the game.

The visuals in the TSBO are slightly improved from the original, but the hiccups in the frame rate are still there and greatly affect the game experience. There were many times when the frame rate stopped all together for a few seconds, while I was playing. It is certainly annoying, but if you can look past this problem you should still be able to enjoy the game.

While TSBO isn’t a major overhaul to the original Sims (more of a "console expansion" if you will), it does however provide enjoyable game play coupled with never ending fun.

- Siddharth Masand

(April 3, 2004)