At a glance...

Reviewer	Platform	Publisher	Developer	Players	Screenshots
	Xbox	EA Games	Maxis	1 or 2	Here
Requirements				Also on...	Buy from Amazon.co.uk
At the time of writing, we did not have a requirements section.				PS2, GC, GBA	Click here to buy The Sims Bustin' Out.

The Sims Bustin' Out review

The Sims return to the Xbox, but this time they're busting out.

Like previous Sims games you have to keep your Sims happy by doing simple tasks such as eating, sleeping, making friends, keeping clean and so on. In “Busting Out mode” you have various objectives to complete to unlock new clothes, items, and different social options - that is, ways in which you can interact with other sims - such as hand signal, brag, brag about money, give money and many more.

To move up in life you need to get a job - however, with each job and promotion you need to qualify in certain areas such as skill and friendship, before you can think about getting that all important Promotion.

In Busting Out, skill is broken down into six areas - cooking, mechanics, logic, body, charisma, and creative - with various levels required for certain jobs and promotions. To gain these you need to, e.g., read a book for cooking. This isn't as simple as it seems, however, as in this case your sim needs to be in a good mood - otherwise they will refuse to learn. To gain charisma you need to stand in front of a mirror and practice speeches and other mirrory activities. This theme continues throughout the skill set. For certain promotions you will also need a predetermined number of friends before you can move up the ladder of promotion.

You will need to progress along all 7 different career paths to unlock everything, which adds length to the game and may keep you hooked a little while longer.

You need to meet “people” and get to know them, But this is where Busting Out differs from the original Sims. Not only do you get people visiting your home, you now can leave your humble abode to visit other Sims - with the one catch that you must first unlock Visiting Mode. Some Places you can visit are:

Pixel Acres - Nudist Colony
Club Rubb - The dance club
The Octagon - The Military Command Centre
Studio 8 - Centre of culture.

And many more.

One you have unlocked the option of visiting, you start off with a scooter. You can unlock other vehicles, however, which allows you to trade in your scooter.

You need to do tasks to be able to move on to your next step on the ladder of life. The tasks start off simple - like “use the toilet” or “make your first friend”, but as you progress through the game they will tend to get harder, e.g. “exorcise ghosts”, or “figure out who is hacking into the Octagon Computer”, to improve the place you are living.

Moving house at the right time is important as well, as you will not get a promotion if you are still stuck in inadequate lodgings.

As you move up the ladder and move into new places, things also get harder as you will have to control more than one sim at a time, and even some times three Sims may need to be controlled by you, so making sure they are all happy and go to work in a good mood becomes a difficult task to perform - and you cannot neglect it, as it could lead to your Sims being fired and you losing the game.

The advantage of controlling more than one sim is that you are bringing in more than just one wage, which will help with the bills. Also when you have more than one Sim you may need to employ a maid, as otherwise all you would be doing is cleaning up after the other Sims and leaving no time for fun - oh yes, if a Sim is not happy they will refuse to do anything. Along with maids, you have gardeners and repair men to unlock to help you out more when you garden is dying and you have things that are (wait for it) in need of repair.

If you outgoing cash is more than your wage can handle, I suggest you work on a promotions as fast as you can, otherwise you will be kicked out of your current house and game will be over. Rhe game needs a lot of thought, and you will have your hands filled just trying to keep on-track and keeping friends, as they are easily lost.

This game takes the next step in console Sims which I greatly welcomed, as you now are not restricted to one place all the time and don't have to wait for people to come to see you; instead you can hit the road and have fun at other places, which I find adds more fun and length to the game as you don't get bored of your Sims' surroundings.

I was hoping that EA would add an upstairs to the game, as is in the PC version, but they don't seem to have used the Xbox Hard Drive to its max. Also, unfortunately, the game at times does suffer from slowdown which can be very annoying when it does happen as it is quite frequent. The lack of custom sound tracks is also disappointing but it is still a fun game to play. Finally, for those who just want good old-fasioned Sims gameplay, Busting Out mode isn't forced upon you.

Ratings

Graphics	Nothing to shout about, but gets the job done.	7/10
Gameplay	A feeling of repetition is present when playing.	8/10
Value	At the time of writing, we did not have a value for money ranking.	0/10
Lifespan	With all the bonuses you can unlock by going through all 7 careers, it will add length to the game for those hard core enough to want everything.	8/10
Audio	Average really - nothing to write home about since it dose not have in game Dolby Digital.	6/10
Overall	Not perfect but adds a new dimension to the Sims games in general and is fun to play, but you may tire of it quickly if you are not a Sims fan.	7/10

Click here to buy The Sims Bustin' Out from Amazon.co.uk.

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