Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Seems like a lot of people are disappointed having expected something that was never promised. A lot of reviews are giving the game 1 star because "it's not The Sims 3 with medieval objects and clothes." Why would EA release that? That's more of an expansion for The Sims 3, not a standalone game. Heck, you could do it now yourself if you wanted to by downloading third party content for free. Thankfully, EA did not cheat us by simply giving us The Sims 3 with new decorations and clothes. They gave us an entirely new game!
The opening movie once you first start the game is quite amusing, and it's full of win simply because it's narrated by Patrick Stewart. The appropriately themed illustrations along with the narration explain that you're The Watcher, revered by the people. Also, we learn that "people are dumb" (because they're getting eaten by dragons and forest dwelling dire chinchillas), and that you are to give your Heroes gentle nudges to help guide them on the proper path to a glorious new civilization.
This game runs faster and smoother than my full Sims 3 installation, likely for obvious reasons, but even so, the graphics seem updated and quite a bit more detailed. The facial and clothing details in Create A Sim, including the new, sharply detailed eyes, are really a visual treat. When you're choosing your sim's voice, you'll also discover there's a new version of Simlish, sounding a lot more European than your standard Simlish we've all come to know and love.
Once you've made your Monarch for the tutorial (I chose to make a Queen, rather than a King), you're dropped into the game for your first quest. Never fear, the tutorial for your first quest helps explain a lot, but I'd advise not neglecting to do something simply because the tutorial doesn't tell you to. For instance, it never tells you where to go and when to eat. Don't let your sim starve to death. Once the hunger bar is about 75% depleted, head up to the 2nd floor of the throne room and make yourself some gruel in the fireplace cauldron. You'll sit down at the table nearby and eat it with your hand! Other than that, the introductory quest does a fairly good job of teaching you the ropes. This game is quite different from your standard "The Sims" series of games, so you might be a bit frustrated if you skip the tutorial... there are lots of new mechanics. One thing I did find a bit annoying was that the popup info in the upper right portion of the screen sometimes faded out as quickly as it popped up, not allowing me to actually read the flavor text. I missed out on the thoughts of my Monarch's first romance because the overlay was up for only 1/2 a second and disappeared. Hope there is a patch forthcoming.
This game is about Heroes rather than households, and it's quest based rather than freeplay or sandbox. It feels more like an RPG to me than your standard The Sims type game. You're not on a linear rail, though, because depending on the Hero you're playing and your Hero's choices previous to the quest you've currently chosen to do (yes, you are given choices of which quests to complete based on previous quests completed, kingdom status, etc), there are different ways to complete quests with different outcomes.
In a nutshell, I'd call this a medieval-themed, quest-based Sims RPG. And it's really a lot of fun and really nice to look at. EA could have cheated and thrown a themed version of The Sims 3 at us, but they did not, thankfully. It's obvious they wanted something different for this game as evidenced by the new mechanics and, so far, I think it works. I've been having fun ooh'ing and ahh'ing and learning the new game. It's a nice change if I'm a little bored with the standard Sims 3 but still want to Sim instead of playing something else.
Most importantly, don't knock the game because you expected something less. The game's website has been up for quite some time, and if you're disappointed because you expected Medieval Sims 3, you've only yourself to blame... not EA, who's done a fine job injecting some new life into the franchise.
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The Sims Medieval The Sims Medieval is a brand-new direction for the popular single player Simulation game franchise, as the familiar gameplay mechanics of The Sims are blended with light Role-Playing (RPG) elements in a Medieval European setting. In this new incarnation PC and Mac players must both assure the happiness of their Sims on a day-to-day level, as well as support the aims of the kingdom they build and engage in all manner of quests which Sims can take on singularly and in groups up to three. New features include: a wide range of available Sims hero types associated with buildings constructed, each with a fatal flaw to overcome; a leveling system for characters based in replayable quests; and an overall player-chosen goal for kingdoms.
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