Tash
17-09-2008, 07:53 PM
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/images/NEWS2/review_ds_sims2petsapartment.jpg
System: DS
Developer: Maxis
Publisher: EA Games
Genre: Simulation
Players: 1
Sims 2: Apartment Pets basically fell into my lap earlier in the week, and being a massive fan of the Sims for PC I was intrigued. I must admit that in many ways the game is both cute and addicting, and Maxis have actually created a pretty decent offering for today’s younglings. Essentially the premise is this; your uncle has headed off into the yonder and kindly lent you his apartment. But, as always, there is a catch. You must run the pet spa below (accessed via the game’s elevator), and take care of any pets your friendly neighbours drop in. The game starts by creating a basic Sim, and I mean basic, and then you are flung into the apartment. The graphics are done well for the most part and the apartment is both colourful and inviting. You are also free to execute your creative mind on the apartment, swapping the furniture, wallpaper and floor coverings within.
But, the crux of this game revolves around pet care, and this is where Apartment Pets becomes somewhat addictive. Using the stylus to move your Sim as well as interact with objects and other Sims, you will find customers come into the pet spa on the first floor so you can diagnose their pets and, hopefully, cure their ailments. You get 30 seconds to successfully diagnose a pet’s problems and to do so you enter a mini-game where you will have to double tap, scribble or make a stroking motion with the stylus. After diagnosis you are then charged with ridding the pet of its woes; and more mini-games ensue. For example, to cure a smelly pet (signified by a cheese icon with stink lines), you must spray it with perfume. To do so you must tap the L or R button whilst pointing your stylus at the part of the pet’s body indicated by a circle. It became clear to me after several goes at this that my left index finger is definitely not as strong as my right! In true Sims comedy style pets will actually turn around and growl at you if you are performing the actions wrong, or they may even attempt to get away. The mini-games are also timed, so the quicker you can cure the ailment the more cash you will receive.
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/images/NEWS2/review_ds_sims2petsapartment1.jpg
Aside from pet care at the spa, you will also need to look after those pets in the apartment – either 1 cat or 1 dog at a time (you can have both together, but never more than 1 of each). They will all arrive with a problem or two, which is indicated by a short text message or thought bubble when you interact with that pet, but you can also have some fun and dress them up in all kinds of ridiculous outfits (note the very pimp-esque dog on the rear of the games cover). To do so you access the in-game PDA, an icon at the top left of the touch screen, where you can also check e-mails, your inventory, decorate your apartment and save the game. After a certain number of days the Sim who dropped the pet off will come to collect it again, however, if you enjoyed a particular pet you can request to have it come and stay again. Other animals such as snakes, rabbits and birds also feature in-game, so there are a wide variety of pets requiring your love and care.
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/images/NEWS2/review_ds_sims2petsapartment2.jpg
Unfortunately the biggest pitfall of this game is repetition, as it becomes quite tiresome to go through the cycle of diagnose and treat several times a day (each day lasting around 10 minutes) after a bit of game time. The pet sprites aren’t very varied either, so you will run into the same looking dog or cat time and time again, but they do look good and animate well. Even the game’s soundtrack is small, with an endless loop of outside traffic noise played whilst inside the apartment and spa; however, there are nice little touches such as animal noises and tunes when you treat pets correctly. For these reasons the game doesn’t exactly have a lasting appeal once you achieve the highest reputation possible for the spa, but the game is at the perfect level for children and very easy to pick up and play for 10 minutes or an hour – so definitely suited to the “casual gamer.”
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/images/review_bar.png
Score: 6/10 – “Try/Rent”
Presented nicely with good animations and pet sprites, even if they are constantly repeated. Mini-games, some requiring practice to perfect, are well executed with great use of the stylus, and your Sim is easy to care for, with only hunger, bladder, social and sleep moodlets to look after.
Unfortunately a lack of lasting appeal as well as repetition hurts this game; there is only so long one can repeat the same cycle daily. One save slot is also a massive drawback, so the game isn’t great for sharing, however, it would be perfect for the kids due to its simplicity and colourful styling.
Review by Tash L (Tash)
System: DS
Developer: Maxis
Publisher: EA Games
Genre: Simulation
Players: 1
Sims 2: Apartment Pets basically fell into my lap earlier in the week, and being a massive fan of the Sims for PC I was intrigued. I must admit that in many ways the game is both cute and addicting, and Maxis have actually created a pretty decent offering for today’s younglings. Essentially the premise is this; your uncle has headed off into the yonder and kindly lent you his apartment. But, as always, there is a catch. You must run the pet spa below (accessed via the game’s elevator), and take care of any pets your friendly neighbours drop in. The game starts by creating a basic Sim, and I mean basic, and then you are flung into the apartment. The graphics are done well for the most part and the apartment is both colourful and inviting. You are also free to execute your creative mind on the apartment, swapping the furniture, wallpaper and floor coverings within.
But, the crux of this game revolves around pet care, and this is where Apartment Pets becomes somewhat addictive. Using the stylus to move your Sim as well as interact with objects and other Sims, you will find customers come into the pet spa on the first floor so you can diagnose their pets and, hopefully, cure their ailments. You get 30 seconds to successfully diagnose a pet’s problems and to do so you enter a mini-game where you will have to double tap, scribble or make a stroking motion with the stylus. After diagnosis you are then charged with ridding the pet of its woes; and more mini-games ensue. For example, to cure a smelly pet (signified by a cheese icon with stink lines), you must spray it with perfume. To do so you must tap the L or R button whilst pointing your stylus at the part of the pet’s body indicated by a circle. It became clear to me after several goes at this that my left index finger is definitely not as strong as my right! In true Sims comedy style pets will actually turn around and growl at you if you are performing the actions wrong, or they may even attempt to get away. The mini-games are also timed, so the quicker you can cure the ailment the more cash you will receive.
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/images/NEWS2/review_ds_sims2petsapartment1.jpg
Aside from pet care at the spa, you will also need to look after those pets in the apartment – either 1 cat or 1 dog at a time (you can have both together, but never more than 1 of each). They will all arrive with a problem or two, which is indicated by a short text message or thought bubble when you interact with that pet, but you can also have some fun and dress them up in all kinds of ridiculous outfits (note the very pimp-esque dog on the rear of the games cover). To do so you access the in-game PDA, an icon at the top left of the touch screen, where you can also check e-mails, your inventory, decorate your apartment and save the game. After a certain number of days the Sim who dropped the pet off will come to collect it again, however, if you enjoyed a particular pet you can request to have it come and stay again. Other animals such as snakes, rabbits and birds also feature in-game, so there are a wide variety of pets requiring your love and care.
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/images/NEWS2/review_ds_sims2petsapartment2.jpg
Unfortunately the biggest pitfall of this game is repetition, as it becomes quite tiresome to go through the cycle of diagnose and treat several times a day (each day lasting around 10 minutes) after a bit of game time. The pet sprites aren’t very varied either, so you will run into the same looking dog or cat time and time again, but they do look good and animate well. Even the game’s soundtrack is small, with an endless loop of outside traffic noise played whilst inside the apartment and spa; however, there are nice little touches such as animal noises and tunes when you treat pets correctly. For these reasons the game doesn’t exactly have a lasting appeal once you achieve the highest reputation possible for the spa, but the game is at the perfect level for children and very easy to pick up and play for 10 minutes or an hour – so definitely suited to the “casual gamer.”
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/images/review_bar.png
Score: 6/10 – “Try/Rent”
Presented nicely with good animations and pet sprites, even if they are constantly repeated. Mini-games, some requiring practice to perfect, are well executed with great use of the stylus, and your Sim is easy to care for, with only hunger, bladder, social and sleep moodlets to look after.
Unfortunately a lack of lasting appeal as well as repetition hurts this game; there is only so long one can repeat the same cycle daily. One save slot is also a massive drawback, so the game isn’t great for sharing, however, it would be perfect for the kids due to its simplicity and colourful styling.
Review by Tash L (Tash)