Review

At the time of writing, The Sims is officially the biggest selling game of all-time. Make of that piece of information what you will, but it’s not hard to see why. If you’ve been a fan since the beginning you will have spent a whopping £300 on every game and expansion pack so it’s no surprise that EA has no plans to stop just yet. Who would have thought that a game about going to the toilet and making breakfast would be so popular?

The Sims Life Stories is the opening chapter in the next step for the series. EA are calling it “laptop friendly” but precisely what that means is unclear. What you need to know is that it’s a stand-alone product that doesn’t require any previous installation of the game in order to play. It’s also more narrative driven like the console versions, with specific tasks that drive the plot forward.

There are two Sims that you need to guide through life: Riley and Vince. However, initially only Riley’s story is available to play. Riley is down on her luck and has been forced to move in with her Aunt. Initially, you just follow the usual pattern of living: eating, sleeping, showering, playing, etc. but it isn’t long before a Life Goal will pop-up. These can be anything from getting to know another Sim better, getting a job or just to play on the computer. Achieving each goal gains you aspiration points and moves on the story and at the end of each day you get to read Riley’s diary entry for that day.

Ultimately this feels more like one of the console versions of the game (particularly The Sims Bustin’ Out) and PC fans may not like the direct approach. Fortunately, those fans of the previous Sims games will be pleased to know that there’s also a “free play” option that allows you to just play and do your own thing with a self generated Sim.

So this has everything you’d expect from The Sims and nothing more. The story side of things doesn’t really add anything as seasoned Sims players already enjoy trying to follow their own stories anyway, so all that’s left is to ponder exactly what EA mean by “laptop friendly”?

Does it mean that it’s cheaper than regular instalments? No, it’s still £30. Nor does it mean that it’s a simplified version of an established brand. Plus there’s the fact that I could quite happily run The Sims 2 on my laptop anyway! In other words, this is just marketing speak of the worst kind: a phrase generated to create buzz that actually means nothing at all.

You already know whether you like The Sims or not, and Life Stories isn’t going to change your mind.

About the Review

Platform

PC

Developer

Maxis

Publisher

Electronic Arts

Released

6th February 2007