The Sims Bustin' Out (PS2)

The sims. The best selling PC game of all time. What more can be said? "Bustin Out" is the second outing on consoles follow up to "The Sims: for PS2"

Overview

The Sims lets you control a whole host of virtual characters. See to their needs, climb the career ladder, fall in love, start a family etc. In "The Sims: Bustin' Out" a new slant is given. Mobility - hopping in your vehicle and visiting your neighbours to make friends and beat goals.

Gameplay.

Bust Out Mode: Bust out mode is not like the PC version of the sims. It is level based and goal orientated. It requires players to start from the bottom and build up a life. You create one adult sim and play out his or her life, as you progress you can temporarily control roommates and eventually family members, however the gameplay continues to revolve around your one sim. Move out of Moms and eventually move to a mansion with your partner and kids. Sounds simple? It's not as simple as it sounds. The career tracks are the central core of the game play. To progress through levels you must earn promotions by building skills and making friends. This can take time which is a disadvantage. I am yet to complete the game (almost there though). The gameplay time is likely to be long unless your sim is super human.

The ultimate aim to complete the game is to progress all seven careers to level 10. The major advantage here is that you can switch between careers without losing your job which can be refreshing at times. The levels all have their own quirks. For example “Pixel Acres” is a rather tame nudist colony, “Club Rubb” is a nightclub, “Goth Manor” is a haunted house and “Shiny Things Labs” is a science lab. As sim fans would expect specially designed objects add to the feel of these locations this is done to perfection. The characters that inhabit these locations are equally entertaining. Maxis trademark humour remains in their appearances and names. Each character has a wacky interaction which your sim can earn by socialising with these people. Moon walking, burping in faces, pull my finger and flip are all examples of this behaviour.

Free Play: Fans of the classic sims should be happy to hear that the classic open ended game play lives on in Free Play mode where you can create a whole family and live out their lives just like you would on the PC.

PS2 Online: The PS2 version also has online multiplayer capabilities.

Sound

The sound of the sims series has remained constant since launch. However in Bustin Out each sound effect has been remixed, developed and modernised to add to the feel of the game.

Vision

The graphics are good. 360 degree camera rotation is possible. There are some great atmospheric visual effects such as lightening at “Goth Manor”, waves at “Casa Cliente” and a busy city on the horizon in “Tinsel Bluffs”.

Longevity

Bust Out mode will likely last a long time. Free Play mode can last forever if you wish it to do so. Bustin’ Out is a good game to play casually bit by bit and returning to. Playing long periods can be frustrating especially narrowly missing one of the higher promotions.

Overall

Bustin Out remains true to the sims series whilst adding it’s own unique stance. Even veteran sims players will need time to get used to Bust Out Mode. Plus the box makes it look like you can actually control the sim's car as they drive it. You cannot, which is a shame but hopefully will be possible in future versions. However there is always the classic free play mode. Bustin Out provides a nice stopgap between The sims and the forthcoming The Sims 2 for PC. Bustin Out is a major improvement on the first console version of the sims and is also available on Game Cube, X Box, Gameboy Advance and N Gage.