
	Platform Wii Genre Sim Publisher Electronic Arts Developer Maxis ESRB E (Everyone) Released September 18, 2007

- Another cute and cuddly living simulation title for fans of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon - Sims-style building and decorating functions is the game’s most interesting activity that sparks the creativity of gamers - Once you start closing in on a five-star town rating, the fun really begins

- Will primarily appeal only to young girls, missing the loyal, older female Sims audience completely - Too much digging for an inane collection of hidden items - Roaming around and playing is slow-paced and boring in early, introductory gameplay

Review: The Sims Bustin' Out (XB) Review: Urbz Sims in the City (XB) Review: Boogie (Wii)
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My Sims

Score: 8.0 / 10

Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon have been tremendously successful, cute and cuddly life-simulation titles on Nintendo consoles. The Sims has been a phenomenal life-simulation gaming success on the PC, but hasn’t exactly been well received or hot-selling when translated to the console marketplace. Combining the warm and fuzziness of Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon along with the simulation-savvy of The Sims has resulted in MySims, a cross-pollination that brings the best of both blends together, although only a small audience may appreciate its allure.

Basic open-ended The Sims gameplay is at the core of MySims, too. You create a character and build the world around you, with the objective to attract other MySims to the newly improved community. Only in MySims, the characters are decidedly kid-friendly in their appearance and behavior. Gone are the slightly

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naughty aspects of The Sims, like whoopee-making encounters. There’s still a socialization facet that drives relationships and helps raise your humble town to a five-star locale everybody wants to live in. As you attract more and more MySims to your new municipality, the town’s rating will increase, with the goal being to increase the town’s “star power” to five. That will attract a multitude of new MySims to town,

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including an Italian chef, kickboxing instructor and DJ. By having new residents tell you what they want, the town can become even more rejuvenated by giving the townsfolk what they ask for.

A lot of the early MySims gameplay isn’t very interesting, as there is a definite lack of other MySims roaming around the down-on-its-luck town. To start the town improvement process, gamers will have to do a little digging around – literally, because gamers have to unearth weird buried objects such as 8 balls, gingerbread men, action figures and crayons to use in building along with having to plant greenery to improve the town’s appearance and seed the land for food. This is where MySims most closely resembles some gameplay elements found in Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon.

But once MySims start to migrate into the upgraded town, gameplay gets more interesting, although it’s still extremely tame compared to The Sims. Tranquil and slower paced in its gameplay, gamers who really enjoy the world-building component found The Sims will make MySims theirs.

It’s not exactly The Sims, being toned down to appeal to a much younger audience. In fact, it’s hard to believe anybody except females under the age of 14 will find the MySims’ pastel-colored universe and sugarcoated characters a charming gaming adventure. And it may just cut out an entire demographic of primarily older female gamers who have been playing The Sims for years. But nonetheless, those who find MySims to be just their cup of life-simulation gaming tea will find an adorable world at their disposal to build and explore in MySims.

- Lee Cieniawa

lcieniawa@armchairempire.com

(November 13, 2007)


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