Off the Shelf: MySims

MySims on the Wii is definitely not a Sims game. This is the cute and fluffy, cuddly little sister if you will, and our first impressions were very good.  Aside from the odd bout of lagging the Wii, MySims runs very easily and is simple to grasp and get into.  It is just about as neutral as any game we've seen, so this really could be played by anyone.  Graphically and sound wise, it looks and sounds like a Sims game, only cuter.  They haven't gone over

the top though, avoiding making characters appear too short, squashed or big-headed.

Unlike the main Sims brand, MySims is task orientated.  You create one Sim that is 'you', they don't have a family and you can't play as multiple characters within the local town. It differs a lot from the DS version, which is closer to being a Sims game than the Wii version.  If we had to call a comparison, the obvious and immediate one for Wii MySims would be Animal Crossing. It is very like this game in that tasks are how you move forward in playing, and these are performed by your character.

The major difference with this game is that you don't have bodily needs anymore.  There's no sleep, hygiene, food or toilet meter keeping you from doing your tasks and though there is in game day and night, you don't appear to need to sleep.  If you do sleep, eat or take a bath it doesn't appear to change anything. There's no clock.  This takes the frantic edge off the game and makes it easier for non-Sim fans to enjoy, we're guessing.  The downside is losing the point of spending any time at all doing these things the programmers worked so hard to design in the game.

Everything in MySims Wii is built out of some sort of ethereal wood substance in your workshop.  The story tells you that you're the town's new hope after the last guy left them and it fell into ruin.  Certain people have the power to build things out of essences, and you're one of them!  Essences are the overriding source of task completion in MySims, and they're an odd take on collecting items.  You collect them by picking stuff up in the game, and then you can colour objects or houses with them.  So, collect a green apple and you can then paint a table in green apples, or put green apple wallpaper inside your bathroom.  It's a bit weird, but again it's an all-reaching way of doing it.  Your character controls the town; moving people in, building their homes and then equipping them (which completes tasks).  The town star rating rises as you do this, and you can access more game areas also. The Hotel adds guests (Townies) whom you can move in once the town has a reasonable star rating.

Very quickly, the workshop and essences become your central concerns.  As you make objects from wood, they turn into devices including TV sets, pizza ovens and couches (whatever your blueprint shows).  It's all a bit magical and fluffy compared to the main Sims brand.  Tasks become repetitive at various stages when you're waiting to access a new area, since everyone pretty much requires the same thing - build me a house and then stuff to go in it!

Once you select a blueprint to build in your workshop, you cannot exit which is a pain, so don't select what you don't want to make. Also, its tricky controlling and selecting items in build mode. We'd like to see this sorted out in any sequel.

You seem perfectly able to get by not relating to any sim, though the options are there for being nice or mean to anyone.  Aside from requiring essences from them such as happy essence, ignore them and you won't lose anything.  This is a big step away from the main Sims brand.  The sims you'll meet have varying tastes in essences though; some like happy and others sad, etc.  Bare this in mind when decorating for them!

Unlike Animal Crossing, MySims isn't set in real time, so if you don't play it for a week you won't get a pile of annoying mail in your box from in game sims.  There's no simoleans (sim money), your only limit is your

essences (limit of 99 for each one), and how long you want to spend fiddling about in that workshop.  Are you basically Bob the SimBuilder?  I'd say yes, but also painter and decorator.

It's light hearted, pretty simple and very easy.  The only limit is the time you'll spend on the game and yes, it's addictive.  We think for the all-round appeal, it deserves a high rating, with a slight knockdown due to repetitive factor and the fact that it's really too simple, with very little that can go wrong.  One for casual gamers and Sims fans, but don't expect a tough life.

3.5 -- Kim Kaze