The Sims (Console Systems)-- Game Review Written by Nicholas Mezza
System- Xbox, PS2, Gamecube
Genre- Building, Life Simulation
Play Modes / Features- 'Get a Life' Tutorial, Main Neighborhood
Rating- Teen

The Sims. The name is recognized by just about anyone who knows anything about videogames. The game has been in the top ten best seller list since its release. The only problem? Only owners of a computer were able to enjoy the unique title that is The Sims. Now that has changed, as the game has been released on all three game consoles. There's even a bonus to console gamers... a fully 3-D game, along with several other new features.

If you're not familiar with The Sims, I'll give you an idea of the game. You create a family of up to 8 people, move them into a house which you can design, and then manage their lives. As your Sims careers improve, you can expand their houses, and buy more things to put in it. Your Sims also form relationships with neighbors (which you can create and control as well). The game is totally open-ended, and doesn't end. Unless your families die. But then, of course, you could make more...

Some new features have been added to the game, such as the two-player mode and the �Get a Life� objective based mode. The �Get a Life� mode involves meeting objectives while building your Sims� lives. This is what the PC version lacked and should be the major reason for buying this game. There are some features that I would have liked to have seen in this version, such as the more advanced relationship management from the �Hot Date� expansion for the PC, but I guess console owners can�t ask for too much.

Where this game really distances itself from the PC version is in the totally 3D game engine. You can now rotate and zoom in, to any angle and distance. The lighting in the game has improved over the PC version, and the animations are a bit more fluid. Also, the background and miscellaneous items are animated. For example, trees sway in the wind. With these changes, the game loses the sterile feeling and seemingly becomes a living breathing world. One problem does arise, though. You can�t see detail in the game very well, since you can�t zoom in very close, but his is not all that important.

The sounds in this game are nothing extraordinary. Most of the sound has been recycled from the PC version, with the exception of the stereo�s music. Even the Sims� voices have been recycled, and I noticed no new ones. This was one of my gripes from the original, since the voices get very annoying after hearing the same pattern of nonsensical jabbering twenty times in a row.

The Sims in the game are essentially artificial beings, and therefore have very complex artificial intelligence. If you leave the �Free will� option active, the Sims will carry out basic functions on their own, so you can actually sit back and watch. There are some improvements over the original, most notably the faster recovery time after getting stuck. On the PC, if a person�s path was blocked, they would stand for over a minute after the path is cleared. Now it is down to mere seconds. Some minor changes also contribute to the much smoother gameplay.

The controls in the game are pretty good considering the game was translated from a PC game, which used a mouse. There are a few problems, however, such as the difficulty of placing wall sections with the analog stick, but for the most part, the controls are easy to use. The game lacks a difficulty setting, as it is totally free-form, but try managing an 8 person family and you will know this game�s challenge :-).

As this The Sims is fully customizable, the replay value is especially high. You can design your house however you want, your character in thousands of ways, and have different experiences every time. However, this is where the problems arise. The game is so free-form (well, not in �Get a Life� mode) that you eventually fall into a pattern and the game becomes monotonous. The series has overcome this problem by repeatedly adding more things to do, through expansion packs. This isn�t possible on the console, however.

The Sims on the console systems is what many of us have been waiting for, and no matter what I say, those people will go and buy this game. But rent this game before you buy it. This especially goes for those of you who have a PC. The PC version is cheaper and far more expandable. Overall, this is a worthy release, but don�t buy it unless you cant get enough of The Sims, or this is the only way you can play it.