PC gamers have had the delights of a new The Sims game for some time now in the shape of the Sims 2 but EA and Maxis have not left us console gamers Sims less and instead of a simple port they have come up with a game just for us all in the shape of The Urbz: Sims In The City, a city that never sleeps where you work and live 24/7 and where street cred (reputation) is everything.

Game play:

The urbz is a simple game that instructs you step by step to become the most popular Urb of them all by carrying out any of the various goals or objectives that players have to fulfil in order to progress. In addition to the goals or objectives there is plenty for the everyday Urb to do to keep them and you entertained weather it be shopping or a social encounter there is always something available. From the beginning players can create their own urb from a selection of 9 different styles available. You can customise the appearance of your Urb ranging from their size, hairstyle, tattoos, piercings, facial features and much more.

When you initially start you will get your 1st apartment and you will have some basic fixtures such as a shower, a fridge and toilet which the player can place within their apartment how they like. To gain more items players will need to head into the shopping areas to buy more stuff, other items become unlocked as you fulfil the various goals along the way. Using your cutting edge cell phone/organiser your Urb can view all manner of options and indicators such as your inventory, your relationships with other urbz, with whom you can also phone and other important info about goals etc.

Whilst playing the Urbs there is a fair amount of freedom to do whatever pretty much takes your fancy between fulfilling the games goals. Overall you must keep your Urb healthy, fed, happy, clean and such. To find out how your urb is feeling whether he/she is feeling bored or weather they need the toilet/shower there are a number of indicator bars at the bottom of the screen which shows the status for each of these categories. If one of these bars starts flashing then you must rectify the specific facility immediately to bring it back to normal, otherwise your urb’s mood will plummet and make him/her antisocial and not able to perform goals.

During the game, players must communicate with other urbz to be able to unlock moods, moves and more areas to mess around with (districts). Each district has its own theme and set of Urbz. To progress further players will need to raise their reputation (by fulfilling the goals). There is also a club in each district which you must dress appropriately and have enough reputation to be able to get in. At every club around 12:00 (the time is shown at the bottom) you can receive different moves and become even more popular. More popularity means more respect and in this case means that players can form their own posse of likeminded individuals. With enough reputation and friendship levels with other Urbz it is possible for them to join your gang and for you to take control of them during play.

Graphics:

On the urbz themselves the graphics are very colourful, in a cartoon way, a lot more than the PC The Sims2. All of the districts are differently themed and have various buildings, roads, clothing etc. You can create and dress your urb in any colour or to suit the current district you are in which adds a bit of graphical diversity. The graphics are pleasing to look at as well as the often funny animations that the urbz perform.

Sound:

There are different types of music in game, featuring characters and music from the black eyed peas. When the game is loading it will play you music to entertain you as well as pictures of the different districts and the people who live in them. Urbz use sim speak to convey conversations (jibberish) and such and other sound effects are what you would expect from a sims game. Although the game music seems a lot more upfront this time round.

Longevity:

The game could potentially last for ever what with the freeform type gameplay and the 9 unique districts all with various shops, jobs and hot spots to unlock and explore along with plenty of different people to meet. Maybe you could even find yourself a girl/boyfriend? Along with new apartments to buy and gangs to join or create your own gangs there is enough to keep you entertained, so good luck!!!!!

Round up:

I think this game is absolutely brilliant it has kept me playing all week buying clothes making friends and unlocking things. I would recommend this to anyone it is so addictive and I cant believe it is so good It is nothing like sims2 where you build houses and just live in them you just explore and live life in the city and live just like you would in real life.