I am an experienced Sims user. I own all of the computer version The Sims and I was a founder on The Sims Online, until I got bored with it. The Sims for Gamecube is totally different. It has the same idea: Live your life. However, it is missing some key features, very key features. You can’t go into town (Hotdate version), on a vacation (Vacation version), or into the small little community (Unleashed version). It’s like the original Sims. However, it has a whole new game mode. The Get A Life mode. In fact you have to play the get a life mode just to enable you to play the regular mode and the multiplayer mode.
Get A Life
The Get A Life mode is much less open-ended than the regular mode. In this mode you portray a person, and have to accomplish goals to move up in life. You start out with your mother, who is retired and is pushing you to get out of the house and live in your own place. In order to do this you need to accomplish the goals given to you. The particular goals are: Gain enough mechanical skill to fix the broken TV, Gain enough cooking skill to successfully serve a homemade dinner to you mom (without burning the house down), to get mom in a good enough mood to borrow $800 from and finally to find a job and move out of the house. Once you have accomplished those goals to go to a new level much like that except now your on you own in a dumpy old house. You goals are to fix up the house and stuff like that. The game continues on like that through a number of levels.
Classic Mode
The classic mode is just what it sounds like, the original mode that has been used throughout the Sims games (scratch the online version). However, many features are missing in this mode. As I stated before you can’t go into town or leave the house at all. That was a let-down. Also many objects are missing. Once I installed all the Sims games on my computer I had a million objects, however, it’s not like that in the GameCube version. I think that was also a let down. Unless you don’t really care about those features and would rather be a little more comfortable and use an easier controller I would recommend playing the classic version on the computer.
Multiplayer
The Multiplayer mode adds an interesting new bonus to the game. Like the rest of the game there are two ways to play multiplayer. The first way is a series of mini games. Along the way in the Get A Life Mode you unlock levels that you can play multiplayer in. In these levels you play mini games, such as who can make three friends the fastest and who can pickup the dirty house the fastest. I don’t really like these games but I suppose they could be fun to some people. It’s not a big part of the game but another aspect that adds to gameplay. The other way to play in multiplayer mode is the classic way. I’ve always wanted to be able to do this and when The Sims Online came out I thought that would be my chance but unfortunately it wasn’t, but this is. You and a friend can each play in the same household. Yes, that means you can be roommates with your friend and work together to be successful. I think this is the most in depth multiplayer I’ve ever seen just because there is so much to it. This is the best part of the game.
Controller
Yes, this is the question everyone is wondering about, how do you use the computer interface and controlling on a game system such as Gamecube? I think they did a great job with this feature. You have a cursor, kind of like a computer cursor but it looks different and you move that around with the joystick. The c stick controls the zoom and the view angle. The arrow pad gives you information. If you press up on it, it shows your motives, down shows your personality, right shows your acquaintances and friends and left shows your job and your skills. The L button, controls the speed. The speed was a let down. The computer version had four different speeds: pause, slow, medium and fast. The Gamecube also has all these speeds except a little more limited. Without pressing any buttons you are in slow mode. If you hold down the L button it will bring you into the medium mode. It can get tiring holding down the L button for two hours at a time. The only time the fast mood is used it when all the people in your household are either working and/or sleeping. That was a let down. Yes, that means you have to sit there holding down the L button while you what your Sim read a book.
Graphics
The graphics were a disappointment. I was used to the computer graphics of The Sims and the Gamecube graphics just didn’t match up with them. The characters are big and (I hate to use this word cause I don’t know how to spell it and its not in spell check) pixely. I guess for a Gamecube game the graphics are average but they aren’t even close to what The Sims usually is.
Sound/Audio
The audio is like all the other Sims games. The characters don't speak English; they speak a sort of gibberish. The music is a neutral mellow type of music. The characters talking can get a little annoying but the game is hard to play without sound. Everything has sound. When you're watching TV, depending on the program, the sound effects match the genre of TV show. When you are cooking you can hear the sound effects of the pot boiling and the fridge opening. The sound definitely adds to the game but the characters talking gibberish can get kind of old and annoying.
Overall I give this game a seven out of ten. I am addicted to it but I know it won’t last long. I’ll still play it a lot but not like a Sims addict. I would say if you enjoy The Sims then you’ll like this game. If you’re a Sims addict this game is a must (especially with the portable Gamecube add-ons). If you really aren’t a fan of The Sims then save your money.
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