![]() ![]()
It takes the usual Sims sense of humor and social interaction, and drops it into a fantasy-medieval setting, complete with knights, kings, magic users, executioners, and so on. Maxis/EA is releasing an entirely new game - not an expansion for The Sims 3 - entitled The Sims Medieval. #The sims medieval next expansion PcScore:7/10 Formats: PC Price: £39.It's odd that there isn't a thread about this game yet, so I guess it's up to me to make it! Then again, The Sims franchise is one of my guilty pleasures, and I suspect that there are a lot of gamers who feel the same way - you play it, but you don't really discuss it much. Cons:Technically most of the gameplay doesn’t involve anything more complex than selecting an option from a menu. Still lots of opportunity to do your own thing. Pros:The emphasis on story and character works great and there’s plenty of variety in terms of profession and quests. #The sims medieval next expansion simulatorIn Short:A surprisingly daring mix of interactive narrative, role-playing game and life simulator – and nothing like the lazy cash-in you’d expect. It also probably points towards a whole new line of games for EA to start making expansion packs for.As long as they’re still fun though we’re not sure anyone should be complaining. Despite the graphic adventure and role-playing overtones there are few actual puzzles and the game is much more interested in being a sort of medieval soap opera.But it succeeds far better than you’d expect and points to an exciting new future for both further spin-offs and the main series. Its very obvious flaw is that most of the quests involve little more than finding the right person/object and clicking on them. As a result each sim has two positive and one negative trait, the latter of which ranges from gluttony to an uncontrollable desire to break into villainous laughter at random moments.The end result is a game that proves endearingly characterful and absolutely nothing like the cynical cash-in you would’ve expected. ![]() #The sims medieval next expansion freeOddly the only job that isn’t really much fun is the monarch, whose edicts and diplomacy seems to work via a much more arcane logic than everybody else’s.Each character type has their own set of daily duties (collecting herbs and leeches for the doctor, for example) and related mini-games, but you are free to go off script and chat up anyone you like in the usual Sims style.Character traits are simplified from the main game, but also much more exaggerated to compensate, which turns out to be a lot more fun. These in turn open up new professions, and with them a new range of quests and story threads. This essentially turns it into a kind of freeform graphic adventure as you share time between controlling your customisable monarch and a variety of the ‘hero’ sims with jobs varying from blacksmith and doctor to priest and spy.Each is given story-related quests that can range from starting a duel to defend the queen’s honour, to fighting pit monsters and acting as a love doctor for half the kingdom.If successful (unlike previous Sims games you can actually fail) you’re rewarded with points which you can use to construct new buildings. What’s surprising is how little you’re left to your own devices here, with few of the goals involving raising a brood of sims or worrying about installing the medieval equivalent of a new hi-fi.This isn’t really a life simulator at all, but instead expands upon the idea of quests from some of the most recent Sims 3 expansions. This vision of the medieval world is seen solely through the eyes of American developers whose primary research seems to have been attending one too many renaissance fair.That’s clearly the right pitch for a Sims audience though, with an obvious attempt to mimic the tone and low fantasy setting of Princess Bride. This is the first time EA has ever tried to make a whole game in a setting other than the modern day, but it deserves not to be the last.We very much doubt anyone is expecting gritty realism, religious persecution and apocalyptic plagues here – but just in case you were we’re afraid this is not Black Death: The Video Game. The latter is patently ludicrous given the increasing prevalence of yearly sequels and extensive downloadable content – and also the fact that most Sims extras are usually pretty good.Rather than being an expansion pack that needs The Sims 3 to run this is an entirely separate game – although one that clearly uses the same underlying technology. The reasons for this seem to be the fact that women and non-gamers like it and the accusation that it milks its fans with too many expansions and paid-for extras. The Sims: Medieval (PC) – the Helghast are really browned offĪpart from perhaps Pokémon, The Sims is the one franchise certain hardcore gamers love to hate the most. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |