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GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 09/30/2009
- Released on: 09/29/2009
- Originally published on GameSpot: MySims Agents (Wii) Review
Given the mainstream appeal of both the original Sims franchise and the Wii, something like the MySims series was probably inevitable. Unfortunately, previous attempts at taking the social interactions, decorating skills, and character customization that made the original so compelling and simplifying them for the Wii have met with only middling success. That's what makes MySims Agents such a pleasant surprise. MySims Agents makes significant changes to the series gameplay and attempts to move beyond the shackles of its connection to the original Sims. While the resulting game isn't completely successful at establishing its own identity, MySims Agents offers plenty of family-friendly fun in the tale of a superagent on the rise in the blocky world of The Sims.
Your investigation will take you to all sorts of interesting locales.
The titular agent starts off small in a backwater burg. Without much in the way of villainy to fight, the main character is reduced to being a private detective ferreting out secret admirers and finding lost puppies. When a new supervillain moves to town, sets up shop, and starts digging up the city, though, the Sim Protection Agency is on the job. The agency sets up a new headquarters, deputizes you, and asks you to find out what's going on with this supervillain. This involves a ton of legwork where you run around interviewing witnesses and suspects, track down clues to verify or disprove stories, and get to the bottom of a series of seemingly unrelated cases that end up all being connected.
This departure from the standard MySims gameplay makes for a welcome change. The amount of social interaction with other Sims, which was a big part of previous games, is reduced to merely talking with them about the particulars of a case. You can't make them mad, and in the few instances where there are more verbally aggressive conversational tracks, damage can be quickly corrected by just going through the conversation again. Thus, much of the game involves an adventure game-like search for clues, using a magnifying glass to search for hidden footprints, using a crowbar or a wrench to interact with the environment, or using an ever-increasing arsenal of secret agent gizmos to ferret out the truth. There are some light platforming sequences that won't challenge any but the youngest player and several very enjoyable minigames that must be played when doing such things as analyzing chemicals or fixing a machine.
Socializing with other Sims has been de-emphasized in favor of adventure-style gameplay.
MySims Agents (Wii):
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