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Since I’m a big fan of the SIMs, games I was extremely excited about having the opportunity to play the N-Gage version of SIMS Bustin’ Out published by Electronic Arts. Bustin’ Out had many of the same features as its various pc counterparts, including, but not limited to, your character’s needs, a variety of job opportunities, and interaction with other SIMs.
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This game starts out just like all of the other SIMs games, with creating your character. Unfortunately this is an area in which the game is a bit limited. What it comes down to is that you get to choose the color of your outfit. There’s not much else to do in this area, other than choose your sex, skin tone, hair style and personality type. After you’re through with this, the fun begins.
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You’re Sims haracter has decided to stay with his/her Uncle Hayseed for the summer in SimValley. Uncle Hayseed informs you that you’ll be living in the barn for the summer. Lucky you! This is where the game begins to differ from the usual Sims games, and you receive your first mission: “moving into the barn”. There are five sets, of six missions. Each mission includes 2-5 goals. You can have several missions going at once, or sometimes you’ll have to complete all your missions before a new one is given.
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I really enjoyed this aspect of the game, because it allowed me to feel like I had accomplished something as opposed to continuously doing the same thing, and never really achieving anything like in the regular Sims games. Some of the missions were more complicated than others, but none were extremely difficult. The only part of the missions that I really didn’t like was that at the end of a lot of the missions you had to find the person who originally assigned you to the mission. This tended to be a huge pain, because sometimes it took me several days in order to find the person. Even when they told me they would be somewhere, they were often not there.
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The characters in Bustin’ Out were much more entertaining than the characters in regular Sims. I think this is one of the best things about this version of Sims. Basically, these characters actually have personalities that are recognizable, and unique. When your character talks to these characters, you get to choose what you want to say. Each character reacts differently to what you say, and through trial and error you must learn what they want to hear in order to get on their good side. Some characters are extremely easy to get along with, while others take some work. There are quite a few different characters that you’ll run into throughout the course of the game.
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The controls on this game are pretty easy to use. Unlike previous SIMs games, you control your character directly. Mainly you use the directional pad to move around. “5” (the number on the key pad), is used as an action key. You use this key to pick things up, to talk to people, and to use items in the game. The other main key is the “7” key (also on the key pad). This is used to cease actions. There are a few other keys used in the game, however, they’re not used often, and like the others, and quite simple to use. The most you use the controls are while doing your “jobs”, and these controls vary depending on which job you’re performing.
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Like the controls, the graphics are fairly simplistic. However, they were pretty good for being on a handheld. I thought the sound was neat, although there were no voices, the characters has distinct sounds and laughs that they made. Plus, different items made different sound effects, which I thought was amusing. However, some of the people I was around while playing it were annoyed by the sound, so I guess the sounds are appealing depending on the person.
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The game also features N-Gage exclusive mini-games, and the ability to upload your score to the N-gage Arena. You can even connect to other players through Bluetooth Wireless Technology and auction off items. Going online or connecting to a friend can also earn you special objects and unlock hidden locations.
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Overall, I enjoyed playing Bustin’ Out. I believe it would be appealing to all types of people, especially those of you who are already fans of the SIMs.
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