System: Wii, DS
Dev: EA
Pub: EA
Release: Sep. 18, 2007
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Review by Nathan Meunier

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

There's a lot more to explore than the main town itself. As more businesses and townies move into the community you're star rating will increase. Each time this occurs you're given a new tool which will allow you to explore new areas on the outskirts of the main town. You can enter caves to hunt for buried essences, or expand your town into the nearby forest and beyond.

Though MySims remains as colorful and exuberant as the recent GameCube Sims titles, the entire vibe on the Wii has been reworked into a delightful kid-friendly package. That's not to say adults won't be drawn into the game, it's incredibly addictive, but children are likely to immediately pick up on the playful art style. The only major complaint in terms of graphics comes not from the visuals themselves, but from the lag that often occurs during transitions, and sometimes even in the main portion of the game itself. It's bad enough that load times are almost deplorably long. Also, the frame-rate will chug from time-to-time at seemingly random intervals for no apparent reason. It's not a complete killjoy, but it's hard to overlook completely.

The music is upbeat and cheerful and background tunes change depending on the personality of the Sim you happen to be visiting, which is pretty neat. The Sims also continue to speak in the familiar "Simlish" gibberish. It's hilarious to witness. Control-wise, the Wii remote and nunchuk combination work perfectly in most cases. Moving around town and interacting with Sims and objects is a breeze, but things get trickier when it comes to building. The lack of co-operative, online, or any multi-player gameplay is disappointing, but the single player experience is still quite strong.

Much like the ocean, MySims is unfathomably deep in some areas, yet relatively shallow in others. You can spend days building furniture and customizing your pad without even advancing through the game. At the same time, the relationship building aspect and interactions between characters that so many players have come to enjoy is toned down heavily. It's a great entry in the series that moves in a vastly different direction from its predecessors by encompassing elements found in other titles into its fold.

By Nathan Meunier
CCC Freelance Writer

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