"MySims" Review (PC)

Pros:

• Build your own objects
• Design the town how you want
• Easy to learn - great for younger gamers
• Share objects with friends

Cons:

• Limited social interactions

• Build objects with essences (moods/feelings) found around the town through prospecting, interacting with townies, and planting trees.
• Build homes and stores for new residents of your town.
• Design furniture from a blueprint or use your imagination.
• Complete tasks given to you from shop owners looking to open their stores.
• Plant trees and use a metal detector to look for valuable essences to give the town the appeal the people want.
• Meet friends online at a special meeting place.

The mayor of a small town is asking for your help in bringing the community back to its original glory. A handful of Sims, looking much different from Sims in "The Sims 2," live in the town. Those few Sims still there need for you to build them items with specific essences to complete their stores.

Essences can physical objects collected from trees or the ground. Some are made by emotions. Scary actions evoke one type essence, happy feelings another. Each object built requires specific essences and comes with a blueprint. The flower shop owner wants lots of flowers on her requests. The blueprints do not have to be followed exactly, only basic requirements to make the object function as needed, i.e.. you need to be able sit on a chair.

Building furniture is simple. A ghost image of the finished object is shown. You take the blocks and spin them around to the angle needed and place. Easy peasy. Younger gamers should have minimal trouble making their own furniture. My 8 year old son proved to become an expert building in no time.

Creating the furniture and finding the essences are the focus of "MySims." It is not about the social interactions, though there are some interactions. Just enough choices to make me wish there was more to pick from. This is not the game for fierce lovers of "The Sims 2." "MySims" is shallow in comparision.