Retronomicon 01.25.12: The Sims

Posted by Lee Price on 01.25.2012

This week the Retronomicon ventures into the realm of PC gaming to take a look at one of the most popular games of all time! Join 411’s Lee Price as he ventures into the world of The Sims!

Hello you wonderful people and welcome to yet another edition of the column that gets you a little hot under the collar, the Retronomicon. As ever I am your host Lee Price and I am here to take a look at all of the classic games of years gone by that are still worth playing. I've had a fairly entertaining week this week. I finally finished Fallout 3 again and gained much more satisfaction from it out of this playthrough. I have now started Metroid Fusion on the GBA and I must say I am truly enjoying the game. I would class the 2D Metroid games as much more enjoyable than the 3D ones, despite the latter's spectacular looks. Other than that I've spent a lot of time with one of my best mates, playing Pro Evo and generally taking advantage of his work hours being altered for a few weeks. Oh and I've been miserably failing with women. That's standard though so nothing to really report there. Maybe I do need that makeover I was told I needed a few months ago. Right, I'm babbling again so how about I shut up and crack on with the…





Comments

Golden Sun performed admirably in getting people to talk a little bit. Let's get right to it with Guest#6989;

I really enjoy these and if I could make a request - Lufia or Lufia 2 would be well served with an article.

If you're fairly new to the Retronomicon then, first of all, welcome! Try the punch, it's delicious. Secondly I have to let you know that I am awful for requests. Seriously, ask AG Awesome how long he had to wait for Secret of Mana. Having said that, Lufia 2 at least is certainly on my radar. I have no idea when I may get around to it though.

Retronomicon regular APrince66 is up next;

Looks fun, but never had a Game Boy Advance. On a side note, I still have the old, first original Game Boy somewhere in my garage lol

I would recommend picking one up for games like this. I'm sure you could get your hands on a GBA or even an old DS fairly cheap these days. There are a host of great games on the handheld.

The inimitable Jimmy Chavez is up next;

Too soon Lee, too soon. The GBA needs to age a little bit more.

I actually disagree with this somewhat, as may be ascertained from my covering a couple of GBA games in this column. Golden Sun isn't even the newest game that I've looked at, with that honor going to Shenmue 2 I believe. My reasoning is that once a console is a two generations old, as the GBA is, then it can be considered retro.

Consider it like this, would have you have considered the SEGA Genesis retro by the time the SEGA Dreamcast came out? If so then we are looking at fairly similar timescales when comparing the GBA to the 3DS. Quite scary when you think about it…

Justin Weinblatt is next in the talky to people section;

I loved Golden Sun and its sequel, but I couldn't get into Dark Dawn. Perhaps my expectations were set a bit too high after nearly a decade of waiting.

I think that's always a problem with game series that disappear for a while. Anticipation, coupled with seeing the original games through the old rose tinted specs, can really sour things. Having said that, Dark Dawn is still a very good title.

AG Awesome is back to terrorize the comment section once more;

I tried to enjoy this game so much but I just couldn't get into it. I think the problem is that I have a hard time sticking with Turn based rpgs. Pokemon and Mario RPG are the only two I ever actually finished, and I've tried a LOT. FF4, 6, 7, Golden Sun, Star Ocean, and even Star Wars KOTOR :(

I feel like I just revealed too much harm to my Classic gaming persona... lol

It is just one of those things my friend. To each their own and all that jazz. Not everybody is going to be a fan of RPGs, especially not JRPGs. The genre has always been a bit niche but at least you have given a good variety of games a crack rather than playing one and then hating the lot.

We close things out with n00b;

Golden sun is probably my favorite rpg on any handheld, and one of the best I ever played. The special attacks and summons looked pretty awesome, I played it on my gameboy player just to see them in a big screen The sequels were really good also. The only complain I had is that i could not transfer data form 1 to 2 and I never figured out why. Besides that they are a great experience.

You can't say fairer than that really. I can't think of too many handheld RPGs that can give Golden Sun a run for its money myself.

Right then the time for talking is over! It is now time for some fairly sedate action! Strap on those rose tinted specs because this week the Retronomicon takes a look at The Sims.



Music to Read Your Retro to

The Sims had quite the quirky soundtrack. Here is the main theme for you;



Fun Facts

• The Sims is believed to be the highest selling PC game of all time, with a Guinness World Records entry in 2008 to back it up.


• PC Gamer Magazine ranked the title #23 in its list of the top 50 videogames back in 2005.


• The Sims was originally going to be called Home Tactics, with creator Will Wright intending the title to focus solely on home creation. Somebody suggested a feature where people could move into the houses to determine their quality and that was all she wrote.


• If you manage a household for 100 days you will be awarded with information about the creators of the title.

The Background

At the turn of the millennium the Sim series had been known mostly for the superb SimCity games, one of which has already been featured in the pages of this column. The series creator, Will Wright, had extended the brand to a number of different titles, such as SimFarm and SimAnt, with all of the titles giving prospective megalomaniacs the opportunity to rule the roost in whichever capacity they so chose.

Wright, who has always been one of the more creative minds in the business, had hit upon the idea of making the house building aspect of the SimCity games much more personal. In short he wanted to provide players with what essentially amounted to an interactive dollhouse, where they would be able to design and decorate homes for their own amusement.

On its own, the concept is perhaps not all that tantalizing, except to any budding interior decorators out there. However the idea took a grip on Wright and he began development of the game anyway. The title would be named Home Tactics and would focus exclusively on creating homes. A cohort eventually suggested the idea of having people move into the homes in-game, as a means of rating the creations of the player, and suddenly Wright was inspired again.

Home Tactics transformed from being merely a home creation simulator into a full-blown life simulator. Players would no longer simply be tasked with building a house. They would also have control of the people living in that house and could manipulate aspects of their life, from their job through to their relationships. The concept was revolutionary, with Will Wright and his team managing to follow through on all of the potential such lofty ambitions promised superbly with the release of The Sims.



The Game

This Retronomicon is going to be a little bit harder than normal, seeing as The Sims really isn't a game in the traditional sense. Pretty much every goal in the title is self-imposed by the player and you can do as much or as little as you like, depending on your own personal preference. In that way I guess it is successful as a life simulator.

If The Sims is to have an overarching aim, it is to build a life for your Sim(s) that the player would consider successful. You do this by moving them into their own home, educating them in various ways, getting them jobs and purchasing furniture and luxury items for them. Basically you help them live their lives, whilst also crafting them to whatever standards that you see fit.

The title starts you off with a small budget and the ability to build your own house or purchase one of the few that are available. This aspect is pretty much what Will Wright had in mind way back when he first visualized the title. Just like in real life, you need to strictly adhere to your budget to ensure that the house you build can be managed efficiently and can also provide everything that your Sim needs to survive. Of course, as you progress through the game you can make more money, which can then be used to buy even more stuff or expand your house.

The main play time will be taken up with caring for your Sim. Said Sim essentially starts as a blank slate, allowing the player to project whatever personality they want onto them, including fashion choices and personality traits. During the course of the game the player must work to maintain their Sim's happiness levels if they are going to be able to achieve anything like a successful life.

This is achieved by having them interact with the world around them. Your Sim has to follow some form of routine to keep from breaking down, meaning that you have to make sure they eat regularly, have bathroom breaks and do all the stuff that you would do during the course of your own day. Additionally you have to make sure you keep them entertained through various activities so that their lives don't become a pointless chain of monotony.

Your Sim will also need to get a job if you have any hopes of getting more stuff and there are a number of career paths available from the get-go. These will start as simple positions, such as receptionists and the like, however the player can choose to educate their Sim in the subject area of their chosen job in an effort to get them promoted and thus enable them to earn more money. This, in turn, allows for the player to purchase more stuff.

There is a huge amount of stuff available to buy in the game, with players afforded the option to purchase a selection of the mundane, such as basic TVs and radios, right through to the extraordinary, like pinball machines. Again, this is all limited by budget and thus is just like real life in that, for a lot of the time you play, you will be looking at all of the nice things in the shop that you can't buy. You will know that you're addicted to The Sims when you look at that nice new sofa and think to yourself that it would go so nicely with the living room setup and you will be able to afford it with just a few more paychecks.



Such escapism from life is the main drawing point of The Sims. Critics will argue that pretty much nothing happens and that players are essentially playing the simple act of being alive when they play the title. However this simplifies the title unfairly, as The Sims is not a traditional game and thus should perhaps not be held to the same criteria or standards. The player is simply told to live and the opportunity to do this in any number of different ways, according to the player's discretion, is what really gets people addicted to The Sims in my view. That's before we talk about the various voyeuristic opportunities offered by a game in which you can see an imaginary person live out their entire lives…to a point.

The game doesn't really do aging very well, meaning that you never see your character live their lives to the inevitable conclusion. Not even the children in the game really grow up, simply transforming from babies into sprogs only to live out their lives as some computer generated Peter Pan. It is in areas such as this where the game shows some of the limitations of its time period, but that shouldn't detract from the overall achievement on display. Having said that, it is entirely possible for your Sim to die, be it through disease, fire or player constructed malice. A small tombstone will even mark the character's passing.

Getting back to the game, in addition to living out their own life the player will also run into a number of computer-controlled Sims whilst they play. Interaction with these Sims is completely optional but speaking to them can establish friendships and even relationships, having a big effect on your Sim's mood in the process. With perseverance you can even get your Sim married and have them produce offspring which they can then raise. Pretty much anything that can be done in real life can be done here, to a degree. It's basically all up to the player.

This, of course, also affords the player the opportunity to be an evil bastard should they want to. The game is more than happy to accommodate this as well, thus allowing you to ruin your Sim's life, or the lives of the Sims around you, rather than building it. Too lazy to take your Sim to the toilet? Simply allow their bladder to fill up until they wet themselves in rage and frustration. You can even murder your Sim by using a number of different exploits. One of the favorites of Sims players would be to create a swimming pool for your Sim and having them dive in, only to remove all of the ladders from the pool. Your Sim would be unable to fathom any other way out of the pool and proceed to die. It was funny and perhaps said more about the players than it did about the game, which is probably the point really.

Graphically the game was actually pretty damned good for its time. It's never going to win any awards but, for what the player required, The Sims had everything. The viewpoint was clear and concise, with Sims being customizable enough that they could be made unique. The various items on offer all looked good, a necessity when you considered that interior and home design were a big part of the title, thus it was entirely possible to craft your own little chunk into The Sims and have it be entirely recognizable as yours.

The game even has a bit of charm when it comes to the sound department. Quirky tunes are played in all areas of the game, with some even having "lyrics" provided in Simlish. "What is Simlish?" I hear you ask! Why it's the weird speaking noises that the Sims make when communicating. A game so open-ended couldn't really be constrained by having proper speech without hampering itself somewhat and Simlish helps to provide a charming and fun way to overcome this.

Gamers who need set goals and objectives are going to find little to entertain them in The Sims. Sure you can work out and educate your Sim, with the job system providing some sense of achievement thanks to promotions. You can build a family and build a home, but it's far different to the mission based structure of most games. The main fun in The Sims is what you can make for yourself and, as such, it succeeds entirely as a life simulator. You get what you put in at the end of the day, with the only problem being that not all gamers want to simply live a life in-game. To each their own and all that but nobody can deny that The Sims was a revolutionary title and, to this day, few developers can quite reach the depths of imagination displayed by Will Wright.



The Aftermath

The Sims is the most successful PC game of all time. A game that was initially conceived as an interactive dollhouse simulator is the highest selling PC game ever. Let that sink in for a minute. The title had the perfect combination of casual appeal and quality execution, meaning that it could become an absolute time sink for gamers that managed to get hooked on it. The critical reception was equally rapturous and the title has been placed on a variety of "Best Ever" lists since its initial release.

Of course the success had to be followed up and, in true turn of the century fashion, this was done through expansion packs. A huge array of discs were sold to expand on the original Sims concept, offering players new skins, new items and an array of different features, such as pet ownership and the ability to go on holiday, that hadn't existed in the original title. EA must have made an absolute killing with these packs as more than a few people were more than happy to buy them in an effort to continue their Sims experience.

The title was also, eventually, converted to home consoles before gaining a sequel. The Sims 2 aimed to improve upon everything that made the original great and the subsequent release of The Sims 3 has seen the series providing ever-increasing ways of living out your virtual life any way you want to.

As for Will Wright, outside of his continued involvement with the series he also attempted to bring yet another ambitious title to the gaming public. Spore can best be described as an evolution simulation game and was yet another success for the developer. Whilst it perhaps didn't attain the commercial success of previous Wright titles, Spore was his most ambitious to date. This, in turn, also led to Wright upsetting some gamers simply due to Spore perhaps not delivering everything that they wanted it to.

Wright has done little in the industry since the release of the title, outside of rumors that he was to appear in a game alongside Mr T in which he would be fighting Nazis. I'm guessing that was an April Fool's joke from some publication or other but it would be genius. Even better, you could control the life of Mr T! If you're reading this Mr Wright, get in touch.

Conversion Corner

It took a long time for The Sims to move away from the PC. It is a very point and click oriented game, making it difficult to transport to a console thanks to opposing control schemes. However similar titles have managed it in the past and The Sims eventually proved no different with ports appearing on the Gamecube, PS2 and Xbox in 2003.

The game alters the perspective into a full 3D one, rather than the isometric viewpoint of the original game, but otherwise it retains many of the elements that made The Sims so successful in the first place.
The most notable change, however, are the life goals that are placed on the player. These are called the ‘Get A Life' goals and essentially provide the player with a list of achievements that must gain in order to progress. This is a bit of a double edged sword as it restricts the freedom provided to the player in the original but does manage to provide a bit more of an objective to the title as a result, thus drawing in the gamers who may have been turned off the PC version. It will depend entirely on personal preference as to which game tickles your fancy however.

That being said, the conversions weren't really true to the original thanks to this, almost acting as a re-imagining of the title. They are still worth a look though.

The Guy Who Can do it Better than You

You have to love game trailers. Here's the one that was released to build hype for The Sims way back when;



Enjoy and see you next week!