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The Sims are making a return to the console and this time
they're Bustin' Out of the house and exploring all-new locations
around town. Now you can play, work and socialise with a cast
of 25 new characters and climb through a dozen new careers.
Along the way, you can unlock and collect over a hundred new
objects and social moves exclusive to the console. This new
offering also features new integrated two-player gameplay
and memory card support, in case you want to take your Sims
over to a friend's house and show them off...
Bustin'
Out is the second Sims game for the Playstation
2. If, like me, you are a bit of a Sims fan then you
are probably still a little peeved that the first console
conversion wasn't anywhere near as good as the previous PC
offerings.
This
latest edition has been designed more with console users in
mind. You also get the option to visit your friends as well
as invite them round to your place. No
longer is it the case that your career choice doesn't really
matter. Bustin' Out's career paths will lead you to
different environments, each with their own residents. On
the road to becoming a movie star? Then you'll have to live
in a spooky, haunted old mansion; Starting off as a burglar?
Then you'll soon be calling the the local gym your new home.
But, should you fall on hard times, you can always move back
in with mum - just try to remember to call her every once
in a while.
And,
while you're driving all over town, visiting your new friends,
you'll need to look the business. Again, depending on your
career and how far up the ladder you've risen, you can choose
to drive any number of vehicles including a scooter, beach
buggy, hot rod or sports car.
The
great thing about being able to visit other households is
that you can check out some of the more expensive bits of
equipment before you buy them. In fact, if you know someone
has a holographic games console, or a swimming pool, it's
worth driving over to their place just to keep your "Fun"
levels high. You
can also hook your PS2 up to the phone line and play with
other like-minded gamers, for that added touch of realism.
There
are a few bugs that should have been ironed out. Occasionally
the gameplay freezes for a few seconds, or slows down considerably,
which can be very frustrating. Also, for no apparent reason,
it is very often impossible to get into your mode of transport
(bike, car etc). But, if you move your on-screen cursor around
for a while and then place it back on the car, you are allowed
access to it once again.
At
first I wasn't overly impressed with the character generator
- for some reason the majority of the male faces you can make
look a little effeminate. But then I am probably being a little
over critical as I am used to having a proper avatar of my
real body when I play the PC version of other Sims
games (courtesy of BT's avatar generator that was scanning
people's bodies at The Millennium Dome).
The
music is not a patch on the original PC version - which had
some really great background tunes - but it still does the
trick.
But,
these are tiny niggles and certainly won't spoil your enjoyment
of the game too much. Not only is this the best version of
series on the PS2, but it is also one of the best versions
of the game released so far. Those who were starting to get
bored with the slow moving pace of the PC games have a whole
new experience to look forward to with Bustin' Out.
Live
the life you'd always dreamed of through your Sim. Bustin'
Out takes The Sims to a whole new level!
Darren
Rea
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£29.99
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£36.99
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All prices correct at time of going to press.
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