On Friday May 30th I accompanied Steve to Electronic Arts in Redwood Shores for a Community Event. It was a pleasure to be back to see the venerable Maxoids and various sim webmasters. I was lucky enough to preview 2 new products for the Sims franchise. After you have a thorough peruse through my first review, you can read Steve's preview article of Apartment Life here.

Disclaimer stuff: Please note that the version of the game we were playing was 'Alpha', meaning that final decisions have not yet been made regarding gameplay and content. Features which I talk about here may not make the cut into the final release of the game. Likewise, other changes might make this info contradict the final shipped version of the game.

This DS game introduces a version of both Apartments and Pets for you to get your little hands on. The usual sim interface applies, with the chance to change the head, and clothes for your character. The apartment is a fixed unit, as you expect. You can only change furnishings and decorations. Most landlords don't like you demolishing their walls and rooms anyway, so I've learned.

The best part of this game is the pets. You can interact with cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, and snakes. I did ask about the crocodiles in the sewers, but that might not make the final version of the game.

The story begins with your sim moving in to your Uncle's apartment where he also owns a "Pet Spa" downstairs. The apartment building is full of interesting neighbors and lots of pets that need seeing to. At various times, well meaning people drop off strays for you to care for. The little 4-legged visitor comes with its own "pet description" as a way of introduction. This gives you the chance to help with anything s/he may need. The needs range from dirty to messy to smelly, as indicated with the "smelly cheese" icon. Once those needs are seen to you can dress up and play with the animal. Their well being is measured with the heart, for health, and smilie face for, well ... happiness.

In addition to the cats and dogs the 3 other caged animals will delight you with various costumes. Shouldn't all pet snakes have a Viking helmet?

Your sim is also the manager in the Pet Spa downstairs. With the pet in the treatment area you need to diagnose and treat the cat and dog customers. Yes, customers. You will be paid for successfully treating the animal. But be careful, an unhappy animal will run away and you won't get paid. There is a shop assistant at the Pet Spa when your sim isn't there, but you will earn more money when you are. As if this grooming and pampering wasn't enough there are also 3 mini-games to delight us. There's buried treasure for the dogs and cats, snake charming for the rabbit, no - that can't be right - oh, snake charming for the snake! And with much hilarity, "bird boogie" for the parrot. These games let you unlock yet more toys, clothing, furniture and accessories.

In conclusion, this game is a very entertaining installment in the console play genre. It combines the cutesy pet dress-up with object oriented pet care as well as mini-games for incentives. While the target audience may be for young "tweens" it certainly has the charm and addictive qualities that are the mainstay of the entire sim franchise.

/tug©

Links:
Sims 2: Apartment Pets Official Site

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