The Sims: Bustin’ out is a welcomed addition to anyone who’s been wanting to play a good Sims game for the console. The original port wasn’t all that spectacular, but The Sims: Bustin’ Out is a step in the right direction. Actually, it’s a pretty big step in the right direction.
What more can be said about The Sims? It has now become a full fledged monster that’s tearing through the gaming ranks on every system out there. Countless expansions, and not to mention that sequel that’s somewhere in the wheel house. Aside from Sim history and credibility however, is The Sims: Bustin’ Out any good? Well, yes, it is good. It’s not phenomenal, but for more or less a PC port it’s good.
The graphics on the Xbox version of the game look very nice. The character models are well done and very nicely polished. The area detail and lighting effects are nice and up to date. You wont have a problem looking at this game, it’s actually one of the better games graphically out on the market right now. That’s a very good thing considering anyone who’s ever dove into a Sims game know that they’re in for long hours of staring at a screen. So, it might as well be pretty, and that it is.
This is a Sims game to its core, though. The featured mode is appropriately titled “Bustin’ Out” which can be played by yourself or with a friend. This is a nice touch, considering it adds a different element to the game entirely and can raise the fun factor up a notch. You’ll start off by moving into your “mothers” house, and then moving out once you land a Job to different areas in the city. This is the mode you’ll get all your unlockables from. Items, furniture, clothing, yadda yadda. All the core elements you’d expect from something like The Sims, so don’t be looking for anything too spectacular in the ways of out of the box thinking. The Sims: Bustin’ out is almost like a sequel in its own right considering it has a little bit of a different concept to it instead of just adding a few items and areas.
The gibberish and random noises you’ve come to expect from The Sims are all here. Nothing has changed much in the land of audio, but it continues to work so if it isn’t broken don’t fix it. On top of the sound being the same, you’ll find that if Bustin’ Out just isn’t working for you, or you’ve finished it, you can go with the tried and true Freeplay mode that basically lets you move into a house, or build one yourself. This allows you to just take on the game at your own pace, buy what you want, build what you want, do as you please. It’s a classic Sims mode, and some people might find it to be more entertaining than Bustin’ Out, just because they can get into the free form addiction a lot easier this way.
The Sims: Bustin’ out is actually pretty fresh and new for a title that’s been around and in the lime light for quite some time. Sims fans will drool over this one, and console owners finding out what all the hype is about would be doing their selves a favor by checking this one out instead of the direct port.
