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Not quite what I thought it was going to be be....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 108 / 123
Date: November 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Although the Urbz is a good game, speaking as a fan of the Sims, this is not what I had expected. In the Sims Bustin' Out, the creators added the element of achieving goals through different environments and people to obtain social skill and items to buy, but there was still an option for free play where you could just develop your Sim. In the Urbz, you pretty much move from city to city, buy different clothes to fit with the style of the other Sims there, and work jobs to obtain money.

Some of the major criticisms I have about the Urbz are:

* Like another reviewer stated, the instruction booklet is totally useless. Don't even bother with it.

* You get an apartment, but you don't really need it. I used mine mostly for building up skills, but sleeping, eating, and going to the bathroom could all be done in the different cities.

* The game is too easy! I am more than 3/4 of the way done and I have had it for 2 days! And honestly, once you have gotten the goals and the challenges, I don't really see myself coming back to this game and playing it for hours like the other Sims.

Some of the good things about the Urbz:

* The cities and clothes and people in the game are visually awesome. The creators definitely boosted the look of the Sims game, and the soundtrack is good also. Gotta love the Black Eyed Peas.

* Working at the different jobs is pretty cool. Instead of just having to wait for your Sim to get back home, you can now help them complete their job, and you get way more money than you did in the other Sims games.

* The new interations with Sims and objects are pretty cool. You can impress your friends with stunts like smoke rings, skate tricks, and my personal favorite, bustin' a move. Objects wise, you can play in fire hydrants, grind fountains, swallow swords, and fight in a cage match.

All in all, a good game and worth buying.

Loading, Please Wait...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 46 / 56
Date: November 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Rather than call this Urbz: Sims in the City, they could have called it Sims: Loading, Please Wait. Literally, if you change clothes or locations often, you will be looking at that screen for at least ten minutes out of every hour. And you will change locations quite often since you can't install a shower in your crash pad at many locations and will have to go back to your apartment.

That said, this game is very fun and very addictive. I'd say it's more addictive than fun though. This, however, is not the Sims, but a variation which has elements which may or may not work for everyone.

I personally like the concept of buying clothes. Though this game again suffers from having crappy clothes for the guys. I don't like having a pet that I didn't ask for peeing on the floor of my apartment and getting in the way when I want to go through a door. Also, at first all the genre changing rubbed me wrong as my character just seemed so phony. But, after a while, you realize that character isn't "of" these groups, but some infiltrator who's working the masses.

There is the ability to have more than one Sim under your control by having them join your posse, or whatever they call it, but there really is no reason for it.

I'd recommend to anyone who liked the Sims versions on the PS2 earlier, but bear in mind, this isn't the same. You won't build a house, but you will furnish an apartment. The character models are better, though the morph function is pretty useless unless you want to make a freak of nature.

It seemed quite easy to me. I'm about 1/2 through. I started in the Skateboard area, and my favorite places are there, Neon East, and Diamond Heights. I'm still not sure exactly why my Xam rings at me when there is no new message, and when someone tells you, say, who to Stink Bomb, jot it down on some paper as there is no way to see that info later.

It's All About the Experience

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 22 / 26
Date: January 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have mixed feelings about this game. I will say that I am much more into it now that I have an idea what's going on. And just like life in the real big city, it's a whole lot more fun (and easy) to go out and socialize once you have lots of disposable income to spend on great clothes, accessories, haircuts and highlights, and awesome home furnishings.

The hours of play (for me) don't come so much from the "missions" and "goals", but from the ability to change into different outfits, fix up my apartments, make new friends, flirt like crazy, and customize some of the different districts to reflect my taste.

I have only played the Sims console games so I can't compare the Urbz to Sims play in general.

The pros of Urbz in the City:

* Great Graphics - the animated shots are fun too.

* The various districts are pretty cool and very different -- from the oh-so chic and luxurious Diamond Heights penthouse filled with models and beautiful people, to the kick back and have a beer, dive biker bar in Gasoline Row.

* Nice selection of outfits -- some really cool clothes, and hairstyles are pretty good too. Also can change them IN GAME (in fact, that's one of the main things you do), which is a big improvement over Bustin' Out.

* Needs are much less of a pain to fill. The main needs in the Urbz are Hunger, Bladder, Energy, & Fun. They decrease much more slowly than Bustin' Out and take a lot less time to fill. (I always thought Bustin' Out made you feel like a slave to these needs instead of just enjoying playing the game). Room score and Socializing still play a secondary role in the Urbz.

* Like many jobs in the real city, you don't have a 9-5 job where you are stuck at work for hours. In fact, when you are low on cash and need to pay rent, or want to buy some new clothes or furniture, you can take a bartending gig or a modeling job for some extra cash. And while you are at work, you can socialize with the crew, eat, shower, use the restroom, even take a nap. And once you make some extra cash, you can spend the next week or two just hanging out without having to work or without losing skill points.

* Your Urbz won't die and you lose your game....Captain Catastrophe will always save you.

Some of the Cons --

* You are limited in the objects you can place in the various districts. You also can't change the outside structure of the buildings. The hazard of renting or owning a co-op in the big city, so actually not all that different from real life!

* I find having to buy items in different districts is very time consuming and a hassle. I don't mind it so much for clothes, but buying furniture is a huge pain. You can't see your apartment to take a look at what you need to buy or what pieces you want to upgrade. And only being able to keep 12 items at a time in your inventory is a huge pain. Wish you could make purchases in your apt by just sitting down at a computer, "ordering it online" and have it delivered.

* I don't like the "Build" mode of this game at all. Bustin' Out was much easier. The tools and console controls are awkward to use. Not being able to see what the wallpaper and tiles look like until you buy them and go to put them down is very annoying, since you only have so many spaces in your inventory to place wallpaper and tiles...very annoying to not be able to see what they look like and which ones you want to buy.

* Building up your skills by repeatedly and frantically pushing the X button is just stupid. It is annoying and hurts your thumb.

That all said, I like the customizing aspect of this game more than the "missions." The only thing I like about the missions is that they unlock different social interactions. This is definitely not an "action" game.

But the ability to make your way through the ups and downs of life in the big city, complete with dressing the part, hanging out with different groups of people, fixing up a small apt, taking random only-in-the-city type jobs to make ends meet, upgrading your lifestyle and climbing your way up to socialite status....it's all about the experience.

This game is not for everyone, and not for those seeking an action packed console game, but if you are playing for the experience, this game has grown on me, and I really like it.

My opinion on this game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: December 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First off, let me say, if you are looking for a TRADITIONAL Sims game, this isn't it. Now, with that said, the game is actually my favorte of the Sims PS2 games.

Good points:
1) Sleeping, eating etc take a lot less time, so you aren't spending all your time fixing your sims needs.

2) You actually get to WORK, rather than staying at home waiting for your sim to get home.

3) Skill building is a bit easier, perhaps a little too easy, but again you aren't spending hours and hours trying to up your sim.

4) You don't have to have X amount of friends to advance, you instead have reputation... so you don't have to worry about socializing with the SAME people all the time to keep friendship alive.

5) The clothing options, facial options etc are really cool... the graphics are rather good and the interactions give a lot more options.

Bad points:

1) The game loads rather slowly on my PS2.

2) Furniture is a bit large and you get several apartments, but need none of them for the most part.

3) The janitor IMO is useless.

4) It is a bit too easy... but still very fun... though I would like more options in customizing my sims personality.

5) You have to jump around from city to city, which wouldn't be as big a problem, except the slow loading.

All in all, I like this game, I rented it to try it out ... but I intend to buy it now. I would suggest for those that are uncertain, rent before you buy.

Fun at First, But a Tad Repetitive

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 16 / 17
Date: November 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After devoting a couple of days to The Urbz, I think I can finally write a decent review on how I feel about it.

This game is alright...playable...but doesn't fall anywhere near my category of favorite games of all time (an honor which both the Original Sims and Sims 2 have achieved). And with The Urbz I was especially careful not to get sucked into all of the hype so I know it wasn't the hype that killed it for me. If you have played the Sims before, I think you might be disappointed by this installment. If you only have experience with the console versions of the (Sims and Bustin' Out) and enjoyed those, then you will probably enjoy The Urbz.

Here's a break down of Pros and Cons.

PROS:

*Finally an city setting...and it's magnificent! The different areas are beautifully rendered with a gritty urban feel to them.

*Your sim come equipped with a XAM, kind of like a palm pilot. Here is where the menu is located. You have the option to call Urbs, check out your inventory (where everything you purchase is located), looks at your list of goals for each city, etc. It's a nice addition to the game.

*Each area has it's own set of objects available to purchase, usually related to the theme of that particular city. For instance, in the biker area you can purchase a roadhouse jukebox that will be placed in your inventory, thus allowing you to place them in your apartment.

*You start off with one apartment that you have to pay rent on. As you progress through the game and earn more respect, you will gain access to other living quarters. All of which you can decorate :)

*Building up skill levels is alot easier in The Urbz (this is both a blessing and a disappointment.

*Tweaking your style so you blend into each area is pretty fun. Each are has about 3 hairstyles or hats (on top of the 4 basic hairstyles available), 4 tops, 4 pants/skirts, 3 pairs of shoes to choose from, distinct to the particular style of tha area. For example, in the biker area you'll find lots of leather and in Diamond Heights, the hangout for all the models you'll see lots of glitter. Tattoos and piercings are available in some areas. You have to first pick the location of the body you want the tattoo/piercing and then choose your purchase. Furthermore, clothing can be purchased in a variety of colors and when you purchase one color, all colors will be available to you when you select that outfit from your wardrobe. This saves alot of hassle and stress of deciding what particular colors flatter your Urb the most (haha). If you don't like the color, you can always change it.

*The soundtrack it pretty cool. Each area has music specific to that genre. Like the punk area is playing some trippy goth metal music and the biker roadhouse is playing good old fashined headbanging music, not to mention sims renditions of the some of the Black-eyed Peas' songs. So, thumbs-up for the soundtrack.

CONS:

*This has been a growing trend with video games in general, but the instruction booklet for The Urbz is completely useless. So don't expect help from it, you're pretty much on your own. Plus there's no little basic tutorials like in the previous Sims games. I guess they just figure their target audience is people who are familair with the series.

*This game seems a little shaky on my PS2. There's alot of thinking going on and the game has actually frozen up on me a couple of times. So make sure to save often. But that being said, load time is pretty slow and saving takes quite a long time.

*Customizing your Sims is very limited. There are only 4 things to choose from for everything: body type, face shape, eye shape, noses, lips, and hair. You cannot choose your hair color in the beginning nor can you choose your clothes or your eye color.

*Remember how you wished you could go to work with your Sims? Well now you can, with your Urbz. They work their way up the career ladder by taking starter jobs at one of the 8 or so locations (one in each city). These jobs can range from anything to amatuer model to bike stripper. As build up your mental, logic, etc. skills you can try the more skilled (and better paying) jobs. The only problem is that all the jobs are basically them same. You press the square, triangle, X, and circle button in a sequence to complete the task. After awhile it gets repetitive and it feels more like button mashing than anything that requires much skill.

*Learning skills is pretty lame since you have to mash the X button repeatedly. I felt like it was taking a toll on my joystick and it was easier before when your sims would just sit down and play chess without any encouragement from the X button.

*You unlock pets in this game, which sounds like it would be a good thing. Unfortunately they pee all over the apartment every 5 seconds (no joke, I think it's a glitch).

*Your Sims only have 4 needs now: Hunger, Sleep, Hygiene, and Fun. Fortunately, they only sleep in like 4 hour increments at a time. Unfortunately, their need bars are alot shorter and seem to go in the red in an insanely quick amount of time. What?! Stupid Urb, you just SHOWERED! How can you possibly be stinky again?! And even if your Sim just showered, just watched TV, just slept, what have ya, it seems like their need bar never reaches full green. So sad.

*I have no clue as to why they did this, but the creators of the Urbz have completely dumbed down the gameplay. Everything seems alot easier to handle and when you are socializing with an Urb it will tell you if the outcome of an interaction you choose with another Urb will be positive (green) or negative (red). this takes all the fun out of experimenting. Especially now that Urbs in different areas each have their own unique was of interacting with one another.

So overall, I think that The Urbz is an interesting addition to the Sims family. It does tend to get kind of repetitive after awhile, as each city pretty much has the same goals that your sim must accomplish. As for overall value, I don't really see where this game has a high replay value. It seems like once you beat the goals, it would be boring to play it again. Anyways, that's just my humble opinion. I think it's one of those games you just have to test out for yourself :)

Enjoy!

Better Than the Others

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

True you have to wait a little while when you change clothes or location but it its not very long and they play music you find yourself dancing to. What is great about this game is (1) You get to go to work with your Sim and you are actually doing the work. I highly recommend the bartending and the sushi shop. They are fun. And you get more money. (2) There is no limit to how much you can put in your house. It drove me crazy in Bustin Out when I had 100,000 Sim bucks and I couldn't add more furniture cause it as maxed out. (3) If you suck at keeping friends like I did then this game is def for you. All you have to do is keep interacting with any other Sim and you get rep. Its easy.

The only downer I unlocked most the stuff in two days but its still fun.

Amazing

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: November 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I loved this game everything in it was amazing!

System: The loading takes forever and when you get out of the subway you can't move for like 30 seconds. If you aren't a patient person this could get annoying

Graphics: These were especially good. Much better than the computer games i must say. You can change the angle to see small details like posters and such.

Gameplay: IMO this sims is much better than the others. You can help your sim in his/her job. Also the objectives you have to complete make it difficult and fun. You can earn a lot more money than you did in other sims games. You can use that money for plenty of things including furniture, clothing, and accesories.

Sound: Amazing. listening to the black eyed peas in simlish is very cool. also in neon city you can hear the asian dance music from anywhere. This is one of the best aspects of the game

Pro:
Great music
Better usage of your sim
A lot of customization options

Cons:
Long load times
Tends to be "stuck" at times with commands

Really addicting and so much fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: November 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

It was a cold November day and I was coming home from school. The time was about 12:30. I turned on my PS2. I played The Urbz yesterday so it was still inserted. Next time I checked my alarm clock, the time was 14:45. I was shocked. I had been playing it for about 2 hours with no break excepting the time I walked to the kitchen brabbing a bag of choc chip cookies. I got it like last Christmas and I haven't got bored of it yet. Yesterday, I started a new game as an Urb named: Amy Goodmorning. I have unlocked all of the districts but I haven't unlocked Darius' Penthouse. The reasons, I cheated of course. And for your cheating pleasure, here are some of the codes. If you don't like cheating, then scroll down.
Cheat gnome: O, L1, L2, R2, R1
Max Physical skill: L1, R1, Down, X, L3
Max Artistic skill: L3, R3, R1, R2, O
All Power Socials: Triangle, R2, L1, X, Square
The Max Mental skill cheat never works so I won't put it in here.

Let's get one thing straight. This game is very kid-friendly. Really. First of all: Even though the Urbz are supposed to be "urban", "edgy" and "gritty", they do not, I repeat, DO NOT take any kind of drugs. Nope. Nuh-uh. Never. Next: There is no swearing. The only swearing you'll hear is: Nitimala, suggodagga birika or nonsense like that. Next: The violence is minimum. Violence? Two guys jumping at each other disappearing in a cloud of dust but you occasionaly seeing them crouching (just crouching) and then when the dust clears, one is lying on the floor and the other is standing. Wow. Violent.

Now, the manual is totally useless like some other guys say. Also, the pets are awful. They alway pee on everything. EVERYTHING! Once, I was showering, then a stupid cat walks in, lyes down right in the front of the shower and pees there. I couldn't get out of the shower until it finally moved but I walked right into the puddle and my Hygenie level went DOWN, so I had to shower again. But the jobs are more fun now. Instead of getting into a bus and waiting for the Urb to come home. Now you play the job. Yay.

Here is a rundown on the pros and cons. It had to come sooner or later.
Pros:
1. It's so addicting you'll lose track of time.
2. No drugs, language or sex.
3. Great graphics.
4. The Black Eyed Peas are in this game.
5. The Black Eyed Peas have songs in this game.
6. The songs all have human vocals.
7. It's not as challenging as The Sims: Bustin Out.
8. It's fun.

Cons:
1. Too short.
2. Dumb idiots are always making you pay rent for apartments you don't even visit.

8 pros, 2 cons. This game is really flawed, isn't it.

Graphics:
Characters: 9.5
Environments: 7.5
Social moves: 10
Effects: 10
Overall: 9.9

Sound:
Voices: 3.0
Music: 6.5
Effects: 9.9
Overall: 7.6

Gameplay:
Replay value: 9.5
Addiction: 10
Jobs: 8.5
Fun: 10
Overall: 10

Overall: 10/10

Get it or not: GET IT!

Final verdict: Go get it. NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW!!!

Goodbye!

The Urbz On PS2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: November 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game takes place in the city instead of the normal sunurban setting of the sims. In the game you create Sims, called Urbz. The object is to make your sim into the biggest "playa" in the city. There are totally new places where your sim can work in the game like the Sushi Bar, Chop Shop, or Bootleg Fireworks, Inc. As in previous games you get promotions and as a reward you get to go to socialite gatherings typical of the inner city as you reach the top. The object is to make friends in order to increase your sim's rep, and gain access to city districts, jobs, and lifestyles. Being able to live anywhere, do anything and be the biggest "playa" in the city is the object of the game. This sims game is much, much better then the previous sims release for PS2 which I paid 50 bucks for and got tired of playing in less then a week :( What I most enjoyed doing was building and designing my sims's home in the last game. In The Urbz, your sims social life and job become much more interesting and fun to explore.

Sincerely Interested

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 15
Date: October 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Maxis is doing a wonderful job at expanding The Sims empire! I've always looked forward to playing my sims in a large city filled with colorful characters, and it's awesome we'll be able to have our sims live in apartments! Normally, I don't tend to get over-excited over Sims console games. I normally stick to the PC versions, yet, I think Maxis has done a clever job at giving The Urbz their own unique style and pace. So, I'm definately going to pre-order the game, and I would recommend others to do so, as well. ;-)

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