What is The Sims? The Sims allows players to take complete control of cpu characters as they live out their everyday lives.Players can design and build, then finally decorate their on screen homes which will then be inhabited by Sim characters the player has created. The player gets to control every facet of their on screen life including determining which career path to take (if any), going to sleep,washing,going to the toilet, any social interactions with other sims and a whole lot more to boot.

What started out as a PC only game has now appeared on console in its second outing. Say hello to The Sims Bustin Out. Having been confined to mere homes in the first sims game the PC version has evolved into something much more adventurous. With an add on pack being released almost every six months PC owners have had the luxury of taking their sims on holiday, into town for some entertainment and even allowing them to keep pets. This has surely kept the game fresh and rewarding for PC owners yet the console version that was released last year was lacking any of these add on areas and was simply a port of sorts from the original Sims game.

Bustin Out has somewhat addressed this and as the name suggests allows console players the chance to visit other areas of interest within the Sims world. Now your character can visit a nightclub, a science lab, art gallery, trailer park and even a nudist colony to name a few. So do these extras enrich the Sims experience or is it merely paying lip service to console gamers or is it simply cashing in on the whole console cash cow engine?

Gameplay:
Ahh the age old essence of gaming, gameplay. Where would games be without it? Probably in a bargin bin in Walmart or Game with a splattering of pricing stickers in declining order all over it. The Sims was such a unique gameplay style when it first arrived that it became a favourite for both male and female games players alike even ensnaring non gaming types.

Since its arrival on PC many moons ago the console version has had time to take the best bits from this and make the game more appealing to casual armchair players as opposed to those playing at a desk when they are supposed to be working. There are two modes of play on offer here which are Freeplay, which as the name suggests is you and the open road to do as you please. Then the meat of the game Busting Out mode, which is a goal driven story type adventure.

To begin players get to design the look of their Sim including face parts, hair style and clothing etc. This can be quite fun despite being somewhat simplistic in design especially when compared to a create a wrestler mode in wrestling games. Not really an issue I guess. Although I would have thought by now we should be able to scan images of our own faces to put into the game.

Once a sim has been created the game begins proper as you start out living at home with mummy. It is here where you can learn some skills such as cooking or mechanics but more importantly getting a job and deciding which career path to take. There are a number of careers to choose from which ultimately require different skills if you wish to get promoted, such is life. This is where the bustin out aspect comes into play. As the story progresses which is accomplished by the player completing various tasks, more places become unlocked for your sim to visit. As you might expect these tasks become more difficult as you delve deeper into the sim world. Also completing tasks unlocks items which can be used in freeplay mode. As your sim unlocks more areas these places can be visited or moved into at any time during the course of the game. A lot more interesting than simply moving from one house to another with no turning back.

The core gameplay remains unchanged as you move a cursor over items or other sims to get your sim to interact.The idea of completing tasks smells very much of console but works well here especially as console owners are used to some sort of closure in their gaming. The big problem here lies in the fact that the gameplay still pales in comparison to the PC counterpart. You are still very restricted in what you can do which is a shame really considering what could have been.

Graphics:
Graphics are all very smooth and detailed with no frame rate issues when things get busy. Being able to zoom in and out is handy as it really does create that fly on the wall experience as you watch your sim go to the toilet. There is enough variety in the buildings and items to not get repetitive on the eyes which is great. A solid looking game overall. Although the next step will be more detailed character models (I hope)

Sound:
Sound is a strange one in this game because the sound is based purely on what life style you create for your sim. Be a messy slob and the sound of buzzing flies will hum in your ears (even when you've switched the game off). Be a socialite and the chatter and laughter of sims will be very prominent. With loads of items which create sounds on offer it really is down to the player. Although some might argue that this is a good thing, sims still speak in their own language. Designed I assume to eliminate repeting phrases that could get on players nerves.Personally I think the developers could include english speaking sims in the game as an option at least, look at all the speech in Kotor for example. Also be warned playing the game through speakers loudly as some of the audio sounds like a 70's porn flick, or maybe that's just my sick mind.Who knows?

Longevity:
The Sims Bustin Out is a long game requiring a huge amount of invested time to get the most out of it. Playing the Bustin Out mode unlocks items for the freeplay mode and will take an age to unlock everything the game has to offer, unless you use cheats. For a casual play I would say avoid like the plague. Although some of you may be able to play it like this the game really does eat away at the hours.

There is a 2 player mode supported which enables 2 of you to play through the entire game together, a worthy addition. However this is XBOX not ZX81. None of the machines features have been utilised here which could have taken the game to the next level.Downloadable content which is something that is so obviously possible is not included, a shame and a crime in my opinion. No custom soundtracks, an unforgetable flaw. No Xbox Live, would have made sense to me but alas Maxis/EA had not the time or the guts to venture into that. A real shame and loss of potential especially as the PS2 version has some form of online play albiet a small trading game.

Round Up:
The Sims Bustin Out is a brave move by its producers and publisher to release a game on console which has become so huge on PC due to its diverse nature. Some could argue that its merely a sloppy conversion of the PC game with none of the sparkle, simply vying for consumers cash. Others could argue that its a great version tailored for the console generation of games players who dont need or want to update every month. Some may even say that as a first step into the Sims world this is a great way to get involved to see what the fuss is about. I say, all of the above and it could have been so much more on Xbox. A wasted opportunity but still a good game overall.

Pros:

• lots to do
  
• structured game play
  
• create a sim
  
• move or visit various places of interest
  
• 2 player mode
  
  

  Cons:
  

  • not for everyone
    
  • huge time investment needed
    
  • not for action fans
    
  • repetitive