The URBZ (GameCube) Preview

As the game's name suggest, this time the Sims are in the city, and it is your job to lead your Sim through city life and of course keep him or her alive, and generally make sure their everyday needs are met. Sounds like parenthood, and you will still be responsible for getting your Sim to bed and keeping them clean, you'll be pleased to know. Yet here is where the Urbz looses its Sim ties.

At first glance, the graphics are different to the previous outings, using a whole new engine to give a sharper and more stylized appearance, to suit the theme of the game. Furthermore the Sim models appear more cartoony and gritty, using the City backdrop, which has been made to resemble a usual Friday Night on the town scene, complete with neon lights. Yet this new theme is what sets the game apart. The aim here is not to simply lead a normal life, before the player realises the game consists of repetitive tasks over and over, but to build up your "rispect" or is that respect, no "rispect" was correct, among the city dwellers you meet, which basically means gaining a reputation and street cred. You manage this by doing certain tasks for the people you meet, and when you first begin Darrin, just imagine Huggy Bear from Starsky and Hutch, and you're set, will give you tasks to do. Through this building up, your overall goal is to actually own the city, but there are nine districts to access and get known in. These districts only become available as you complete tasks set by the many people in the city in each District, and these are usually mini games, that vary on where you work. However to keep on top of all the tasks set for you, you have a mobile phone which contains them all, as well as other information, which proves useful. As long as you don't get mugged.

All this gameplay takes place in 24/7 lifestyle, trying to compare to the constant life of a city. As a result of the tasks in the Sims such as using the bathroom which usually took two hours, now are done much quicker, which really has been overdue, as in previous games it was a real drawback. Yet there are also fewer motives for your Sims to have, and also depend on what job you are doing, which takes away from the old style of play, but control over these motives is needed to succeed. Added into the Urbz are new interactions with other Sims which promise to be hilarious and will probably be abused, keen use of these social skills will be needed to make connections in places like the VIP Club, and whatever moves you do pull, could well be imitated by others if you become well known enough.

As said before, much varies on your job, but unlike previously your Job is not just a label that you go to and then come back a few minutes later. In the Urbz you actually live your job through these mini games. Jobs do vary on the district you live in, such as in China Town you can work in a Sushi restaurant, and the mini game here involves chopping the sushi by hitting the button in time, or rhythm themed events. As you do this, your Sim gains skills, such as juggling knives or cocktail glasses, and will begin to work faster, plus new challenges and motives open to you. But even while at work, the old style of managing your Sims life is needed, mainly showers, to stop you scaring off the customer and loosing your hard earned "rispect." Other jobs include bootlegging fireworks and working in a tattoo parlor, so a variety is available.

In each district there is also different styles of clothes which you can purchases from your income for your Sim and customize as you see fit. However this time you are limited to the customization of your apartment, namely you can only change the interior and not construct it from scratch, which I believe may be a major negative point for fans of the previous games. The sound itself still resembles the usual gibberish or Simlish as Maxis call it, and all other audio has been geared towards the city theme. And what is now more of an essential in Gamecube games, a GC to GBA connectivity option will be present most likely to connect between the GBA and GC games and unlock new mini games, as is the trend of today's' game.