KMGR of "MySims"

Image via WikipediaMySims is basically Sims for kids, so who made the decision to put it out for mobile phones, which are really for adults? Good question, bet you EA don't even know. The game is WAY too simple, the quests easily done, and adults should stay away from this kid's game.

MySims first came out for the DS, and this mobile game is a DS port. The characters are "superdeformed" (i.e. huge head, squashed, looks a lot like Nintendo Mii avatars), and there's only one "want" per character: happiness. And yes, you can actually converse with ANIMALS in this game.

Your main goal is to obtain all gems from various sources in order to restore the main fountain of the island, and thus restore the glory. Along the way, you'll meet a lot of zany characters, do a variety of quests, and play a variety of minigames... and that's about it.

The main problem in the game is you aren't informed of new characters popping up... You pretty much have to run into them by accident. Thus you aren't sure where to go next. That is just... bad game design.

Quests are usually incredibly simple... A needs X from B, B will only give you X if you get Y from C... you get the idea. Usually at the end of a major quest you'll get a gem, which you go install at the fountain.

Minigames are simple too... Fishing, paragliding, skydiving... are simple keypad controlled affairs. There just aren't much here for adults, as these are reflex challenges far more suitable for kids.

By the time you're finished, you'll know over a dozen characters (and at least two animals...). You'll "converse" with characters by choosing best match of three icons, and if character has nothing in common, the icon has no match among your choices, so you have to pick one that's "close", so it's a bit if hit-and-miss. You can also talk to tourists, but they may not have much to say.

Also, part of the level is NOT on the map. There's a "cave" which is not mappable, and portions beyond the cave cannot be "jumped to", which makes for a tedious commute.

All in all, MySims is a simple game for kids, so why did EA port this to mobile phone market, which is mainly aimed at adults, is a real puzzler. At least you can customize your avatar pretty closely, but overall, there just isn't much of a game here.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: easy to get into, lots of quests, characters, and so on
Cons: way too easy for adults, gets repetitive, esp. the "maze" parts