It is well established that when we are waiting for sequels to classic games we rely on other developers to come up with the gaming world’s equivalent of the music industries EP's. Here Rotobee have seen that The Sims 2 isn't going to be out for a bit yet and have launched their game which is essentially The Sims without the expansion packs and extensive house building modes. It is like that famous game but this time is in glorious 3D much like The Sims Bustin' Out! on consoles such as Gamecube. However it does differ from the Sims in certain respects though - one in particular...
Sexy Sims! (warning may contain sexist material - blame Rotobee)
Okay I will get straight to the point, here you get to play a 3D version of The Sims where the characters get naked and get to it and yes, you do see everything.
What’s the first thing you do once you get past the tutorial? Do you start decorating your trendy flat? No. Do you start learning how to cook and clean? No. Do you engage in friendly banter with the other flatmate? OH NO! NO YOU DON'T! No what you will instantly do is have you characters undress and wander around their living space totally starkers! And boys, I know they are polygons, but they are polygons that have been very well designed. The girls have been given lovely assets and are all cleanly shaven! LOL. Nice! As a little something for the ladies the lads in the game have been blessed too, one has a member that goes down to his knee, another has a more petit winky for those girls who either blush or feel faint at the size of some. However, they won’t stay naked for long before realising they have a guest in the house and run off in embarrassment to get dressed.
IT'S JUST WRONG!
Depending on your state of mind you may see this game in the following ways. One, you may be totally offended by the sexual content (Personally, it didnt bother me). Two, you might be offended by the fact it's a shameless rip off of The Sims and uses a shockingly similar graphics engine to the console versions (Singles also has its own version of Sim Speak which is again another rip off).
Thirdly you accept it, then have to sit back and re-asses EVERYTHING in your life up to the point where you are thinking "I have to get these characters to have sex!" That my friends is the basic goal of this little beauty.
"Stop your yakin' woman! kiss me!"
Where as The Sims used relationships as a small part to evolving your characters, Singles: Flirt Up Your Life! has used this to cover the whole game. You still have to do all menial tasks that were present in The Sims such as eating, relaxing, having fun and learning how to mend things, just only this time you have to also have to keep your two flatmates happy with each other.
You have a friendship meter for those who just like to chat and talk rubbish, you have a romance meter to show your sensitive side, and you have a sensuality meter so to improve your sexual magnetism! At first you will be as good at picking up the opposite sex, but as you progress you can go from "clueless" to "Casanova" based on your further actions. Every so often when you reach a certain level your characters will engage in some interesting conversations which usually involve the lines "Do you fancy a shag?” The games language has been translated into English Geezer Speak(tm) and has been given a somewhat British identity. On the subject of good old Britain do note that this game hasn't reached the Canadian and American markets yet, but it's said Eidos Interactive is planning to in Summer 2004. Although it's unclear if this will be in a downloadable form only, or with actual phyiscal copies reaching stores.
Looking Good!
Graphically the game is pretty tight. It's like a hi-res version of The Sims Bustin Out, only with better lighting effects and the great texture detail. In fact the characters even when close up don’t loose much detail, and when they kiss they really use tongues! Serious! I can’t believe I just wrote that... Anyway the details are good.
One area of concern for me about this title is the blatant lack of any other ethnicity other than the stereotype good looking white guys and gals. This is obviously going to be a touchy issue as even The Sims had this pegged. One area it does have is the crazy lesbian and camp yachtsman stereotypes which raise an immature titter (great fun), so yes you can have man on man as well as girl on girl action if so desired.
