The Urbz: Sims in the City Review

EAâ??s attempt to merge stronger game mechanics with The Sims gameplay was greeted with a muted reception from both the press and gamers alike when it was released last year, however that hasnâ??t deterred the mighty publisher from bringing out the crazy guys for a debut on the Nintendo DS.

For those that may have missed out on the console offering, The Urbz features the basic â??nurturingâ? gameplay of The Sims and challenges you to raise your reputation amongst the various â??Repâ??sâ? within the game by completing various missions. The Nintendo DS port however simplifies the experience, reducing the advanced AI to whether or not other Sims will waive or boo at you when you meet them, and arguably creates a more enjoyable

The game gives you direct control over your Sim, which instantly gives the experience more of a traditional and tighter feel then its Sim inspired console cousin, and the resulting combination between looking after your Sim, completing missions and socialising blends together to create a highly addictive experience â?“ besides these Tamagotchi games are always suited to handhelds...

Visually itâ??s hardly stretching beyond what a GBA could offer and the scratchy music begins to grate after a short time, however more concerning is the fact that no thought has really gone into the implementation of ideas exclusively for the DS â?“ sure the second screen is useful to negotiate between menus, however thereâ??s a discerning lack of Wi-Fi multiplayer (despite originally being promised) let alone touches such as voice recognition.

Chuck in a reasonable number of mini-games (which bizarrely make no use of the DS unique abilities) and you have a title that while suited to the DS hardly makes use of the formatâ??s unique capabilities...