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SporePrograms.comGames Library – The Urbz: Sims in the City (DS)
Product: The Urbz: Sims in the City for DS
Publisher: EA
Release Date: November 17th, 2004
Official Site: UrbzSims.EA.com
Purchase: Amazon | Ebay
In this quasi-sequel to The Sims: Bustin’ Out, the player finds themselves in the big city of Miniopolis. Starting out as a humble window washer, the player is quickly embroiled in a devious plot by the greedy tycoon Daddy Bigbucks to take over the city.
The story is much stronger this time around, with the player exploring three colorful city environments, including the New Orleans-influenced SimQuarter, the shiny Glasstown district, the gritty Urbania, and even a haunted bayou inhabited by two creepy Cajun brothers.
In addition to the traditional Sims gameplay of satisfying motives, making friends, and decorating an apartment, the player can experience eight job minigames, a “xizzle” system that lets players learn special abilities, and several new vehicles, including a motorcycle, hoverboard, and fanboat. Combine all that with a wacky sense of humor, and you get The Urbz: Sims in the City.
-From MobyGames
The Sims have moved to the City where action is 24/7 and reputation means everything. Sims who live in the City are known as The URBZ, and they have a bold new look and attitude. Go to work and be challenged by bosses at locations like the Sushi Bar, Chop Shop, or Bootleg Fireworks, Inc. Success at work brings promotions, access to new power socials and gear to influence your new lifestyle. Flaunt your attitude by styling your URBZ using the detailed new character engine; then cross the velvet ropes of an uptown night club or explore the subway to earn new skills and items for your high-rise crib. It’s up to you whether your URBZ become big-time players on the street or are lost in the crowd. It’s all about reputation as The URBZ are living the dream in a City that never sleeps.
The Urbz progresses basically as a series of missions. Your “Urb” goes through a series of odd jobs to try and save his building’s fate from Daddy Bigbucks, who wants to turn the whole city into a city-themed amusement park where people will have to pay to enter buildings that don’t contain any real amusement (oh yeah, great idea). Missions usually have various steps to complete, and after completing all the tasks in a mission, a new mission will be granted.
Most missions involve gathering items to give to other urbz. A few require the playing of minigames to earn simoleons (the money of The Urbz). While missions may sound like they are the main focus of The Urbz, they are not. In fact, The Urbz focuses on micromanagement, and lots of it. Your Urb has eight different need meters that must be kept up in order to keep him/her in a good mood. Examples include: hunger, hygiene, sleep, and bladder. If any of these meters fall below a certain level, your Urb will complain until that need is satisfied, and he or she will not do anything else until you do something about it.
The Urbz is basically The Sims but in a more ghetto fabulous location. The concept is to create a character and then attempt to “fit in” among the locales. You’ll work to earn Simoleons (the game’s currency) so you can buy all sorts of cool stuff (like a skydiving machine), interact with numerous characters (to build your rep), and visit numerous locales. You can also create pets and play several mini games, some of which make use of the Nintendo DS’s touch screen. In addition to all of that, you’ll also need to make sure your Urb’s needs are satisfied. At the bottom of the top screen are several important categories and each has a green life bar of sorts. The more green you lose the more troubled your Urb becomes, and you’ll need to tend to that particular category. Hunger, Hygiene, Energy, Social Comfort, Bladder, Fun, and Room (make sure your place is clean) all come into play, so there’s a lot of micromanagement involved, which will either delight you because you’re a sim veteran or, if you’re like me, become increasingly annoying the more you play. I wouldn’t have minded it if it was realistic, but every time that I’d start to do something my character would have an issue. This happens not necessarily because there are too many motives to cover but because those green bars deplete at super sonic speeds. I mean come on! I know we all need to go to the bathroom, but I was sending my Urb to the crapper every five minutes! It seriously disrupts the flow of the game. I’m certainly aware that this is basically what The Sims is based upon, but here it just seems a tad excessive. Over time you will find ways to manage these motives a lot easier, so it won’t be that huge an issue as when you first start, but you’ll still need to do a lot of monitoring.
Since every real life second is the equivalent of an in-game minute, you might have to rest every once in a while. This is a huge flaw in the game. Every 5 minutes, my Sim would whine about having to use the restroom. This was very annoying. Not only does using the toilet waste a large amount of time, but it also takes away precious time from completing your objectives.
The gameplay isn’t really a big hit here. All of the goals are repetitive and tedious. You can eventually have a pet, but it just doesn’t help out with the replay value. It’s all flat out boring.
I do think the dialogue is pretty increasing though. Out of the boring mediocre gameplay, the dialogue text with other characters is pretty humorous. It also gives you some thoughtful advice from time to time.
Graphically, the game isn’t all that impressive. It looks like your typical GBA stuff here. The facial expressions portrayed by the various people you can talk to are displayed well, but the majority of the game looks very lackluster. Buildings are rather dull and look quite similar. It’s also often difficult to tell exactly what it is that your Sim is picking up off the ground or weather the person you’re chasing down to talk to is really the one you’re after.
The touch screen interface is a handy addition to the game. The symbols used to discern the various folders and options aren’t very clear, but you soon are able to remember them after repeated viewings.
I know I’ve supposed to keep editorial rants out of my reviews since it tends to make people think that I’m full of bias and bile but sometimes I just can’t help it. If ever there was a company that knew how to milk a franchise, it’s Electronic Arts. The milking started with The Sims, a project that someone in middle management attempted to kill before it got off the ground, and continued with numerous expansion packs, console and handheld versions, and a recent sequel. The milking continues with The Urbz: Sims in the City.
And the milk is going sour.
For those that may have missed out on the console offering, The Urbz features the basic gameplay of The Sims and challenges you to raise your reputation amongst the various within the game by completing various missions. The Nintendo DS port however simplifies the experience, reducing the advanced AI to whether or not other Sims will waive or boo at you when you meet them, and arguably creates a more enjoyable
The game gives you direct control over your Sim, which instantly gives the experience more of a traditional and tighter feel then its Sim inspired console cousin, and the resulting combination between looking after your Sim, completing missions and socialising blends together to create a highly addictive experience â?“ besides these Tamagotchi games are always suited to handhelds…
The Urbz: Sims in the City, developed by handheld development studio Griptonite, takes the themes, graphics and audio assets from the Game Boy Advance game and moves them the Nintendo DS hardware. The team created the original The Sims: Bustin’ Out for the Game Boy Advance back in 2003, and this is made clear right from the get-go since the design and gameplay elements of The Urbz is extremely similar to Bustin’ Out. The original’s”Goody Two Shoes” art style has been pushed aside in favor of a more “gritty” environment, though the game doesn’t have quite the “urbaness” that the console version pushes on the player. You’ll encounter occasional graffiti on walls and litter scattered around the area, but the “hip urban” theme isn’t quite as saturated as the console’s Urbz design. Urbz on the Nintendo DS is an extensive adventure that covers a much larger area than the GBA version does, adding a new “island” that enables more things to do, including a couple of touch panel mini-games and a virtual pet side-quest.
Much of the playtime does involve a ton of tedious busy work, which may turn off a few people to the overall production. This is the Sims, after all, and though you only care for one Sim character instead of multiples, your on-screen persona requires an enormous amount of hand-holding in order to remain healthy and at peak performance. As you work your way through the progress tree you have to deal with the admittedly annoying tasks of sending your Sim/Urb character to bed, to the bathroom, to the shower. Since the game’s task and level designs pretty much revolve around these menial duties, without them Urbz wouldn’t be that meaty at all and quite easy to beat. But they do start grating on your nerves the deeper in the game you go, especially when you simply want to finish a specific task without needing to hit the john every ten minutes.
The Urbz turns out to be quite a long game, and will probably take you at least 20 or 25 hours to get through. On the DS, it can take even longer, since this version features additional content not found on the GBA–most notably, a unique series of missions involving an ambitious sushi chef, trained monkeys, and a pet show. You’ll find that the city feels pretty big from the get-go, even though it’s really only a couple of blocks in size. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg, as you’ll unlock many more areas to explore as you progress through the story. Yet the real reason The Urbz provides such a long-lasting play experience is that the gameplay, partly for the better and partly for the worse, is noticeably padded out.
As in The Sims, your character here has a number of “motives” that you need to keep satisfied as you go about your other tasks. You’ll be able to clearly monitor these via a series of colored bars onscreen, and filling them back up to optimal levels is a simple matter of using an appropriate object. For example, if your hygiene motive is running low, it’s time for a shower, or if your bladder motive is running low, it’s off to the toilet. Your apartment will be furnished with some of the basic amenities to help you stay on top of these important matters, but other places in the city will let you accomplish the same goals. In practice, you’ll probably find that attending to all your motives is overly time-consuming. If one of your motives falls to less than 20 percent of its maximum, your character will fidget for several moments, and then become unresponsive to dialogue with other characters until you get that motive fixed. Plus, certain key appliances may eventually break, requiring you to take the extra time to get them repaired. There’s plenty of additional gameplay in The Urbz, so doing all that while also maintaining your motives can feel like quite a handful. Still, you can’t fault the game for giving you plenty to consider at any given moment.
At first glance, The Urbz (DS) looks frighteningly similar to its GBA cousin. Not only do the games share identical graphical styles, they also both present you with many of the same characters, objectives, and locations as well.
There is one new location, though, called Splicer Island. It’s a Jurassic Park-inspired place, kept hidden by the mysterious and power-hungry Daddy Bigbucks. The island is home to lots of exotic and pre-historic animals, as well as some unique and quirky mini-games. In one of them, you must use the stylus to extract a mosquito from amber by zapping cut lines along the rock. The mosquito’s captured DNA can be placed in the Gene Manipulator, and used to create a virtual pet. This pet can be taken care of outside of the main game. This feature is exclusive to the DS version of the game. With this device, you can also modify your pet to your liking. Pet species include a veloci-rooster, jackalope, unicorn, Simosarus-Rex, Dodo and more.
Nintendo World Report – previewing The Urbz: Sims in the City for the DS
But it’s not all a dual screen remake. While it’s true that nearly the entire adventure is what GBA gamers are getting in early November, the developers definitely didn’t make it a quick, touch screen port. The Nintendo DS has several modes of play made specifically for the system, including a series of mini-games that utilize the system’s unique elements. Like the challenge to extract a mosquito from amber by zapping cut lines along the rock using the stylus. This mosquito’s captured DNA will let players create their own virtual pet to care for outside of the main game. The DS title also has a very Animal Crossing element that enables players to create their own paintings with an art program; these paintings can then be hung in the player’s loft.
The only disheartening thing about The Urbz on the DS is its “port” feeling, simply because the game, on the surface, looks nearly identical to the GBA game. The game utilizes the same sprite-based engine as the GBA version, when the DS has far more capable 3D abilities that could make it feel more like the console games.
The Urbz will even be getting an entirely new district, called Splicer Island. Think Jurassic Park and you’re on the right track. Here, you’ll be able to play two minigames–one that has you slicing a piece of amber to extract a mosquito, and one that has you playing a rhythm game of sorts while splicing RNA–that will result in the creation of a strange pet, three of which you can keep in the adjacent zoo. Your performance in these minigames will determine the rarity of the pet you receive, and you’ll be able to take your pet for a walk (all over the world of the Urbz, in fact), have conversations with it, and more.
Early adopters of the Nintendo DS who have an interest in The Urbz should definitely keep an eye out for the DS version–this one clearly has a lot more content than the otherwise similar GBA game. A simple painting mode we saw will let you create paintings to hang in your virtual home, and the game will even feature an entirely new mission not found on the GBA. The Urbz is slated for release right alongside the Nintendo DS in late November; stay tuned for more updates.
To take advantage of the Nintendo DS’ capabilities, the DS version of The Urbz will feature wireless multiplayer minigames and touch screen menus. The multiplayer will support up to four players, and you can use the lower touch screen to create your Urbz. The touch screen will also serve as a PDA of sorts, giving you access to all menus, non-player characters, and minigames.
The exclusive create-a-pet feature in the DS version will let you create your own pet, and even custom-design pets to perform specific missions. By using the stylus or your hand, you’ll be able to create a wide range of mythical and bizarre animals, veloci-roosters, unicorns, Dodo birds, and more. The Urbz is slated as a launch title for the Nintendo DS. We’ll have more on this game soon.
The basic structure of The Urbz’s DS experience will be similar to the Game Boy Advance title in that you’ll take direct control of your very own Sim and set out to build up your reputation. The premise finds you attempting to thwart Daddy Bigbucks, who is intent on taking over the city of Miniopolis. The game places less emphasis on the standard Sim needs, such as hygiene, and lets you focus more on living your virtual life and boosting your reputation. In fact, it will be possible to earn special motives, such as insomnia, that let your Sim pretty much go without sleep. Your daily life is filled with events and various tasks that will have you interacting with the denizens of the neighborhood and collecting all kinds of stuff. In the material sense, you’ll find new objects, including a sensory-deprivation tank and a personal skydiving machine.
The DS will feature its own unique set of objects above and beyond the main set seen in the GBA game, bringing the tally of objects up to over 140. The DS game will also offer more “xizzles,” power-ups you’ll earn in exchange for beads. You’ll get the power-ups from Darius, a character from the console version of The Urbz, who is arguably the hardest- working character in games, thanks to his appearance in the DS and GBA games.
Question: Let’s get one thing absolutely clear right from the start – what relationship does The Urbz have to The Sims franchise (be it the original or the new incarnation in Sims 2)? This is a stand-alone product, but does it run on the same graphics engine as the original Sims titles, or lean toward Sims 2 or is it a hybrid of the two? Can players transfer over characters or families from the other Sims titles?
Mike: The Urbz is a whole new franchise, where Sims live in the city, and has a brand new graphics engine made specifically for the console. Like Sims, Urbz have their own needs, relationships, and personalities, but Urbz also have style, and most importantly, Urbz have Reputation. It’s all about building your rep to unlock and gain access to new locations, new styles, and other Urbz in the city.
Q: Are these ‘city-fied’ Sims apartment dwellers, condo owners, loft residents? What housing is available and what will these Sims be able to do in terms of personalizing their living spaces?
Mike: You start off the game living in a small, unfurnished apartment of your own that you can totally style and customize, and you can unlock another apartment and even a sky-rise penthouse. But you can also shack up in the districts. Each district has a little place for you to put down a bed and few other items to get some rest and freshen up before trying to build up more reputation. You can even style the whole district, if you want.
Want to lead a virtual life, but don’t care for the suburban setting of The Sims? Well, you’re in luck. Electronic Arts announced today that it has shipped The Urbz: Sims in the City, “the newest entry into the award-winning [Sims] franchise.” However, unlike The Sims or its successor The Sims 2, The Urbz is not being released for the PC. The PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance versions shipped out today, and the DS version will ship on November 16.
Unlike The Sims 2′s malls and tract homes, The Urbz drops players into a bustling, New York City-esque metropolis. “The Urbz: Sims in the City is all about three things: cool city style, building your reputation, and living the dream in a 24/7 city that never sleeps. It gives players the opportunity to create and control their sims in a completely unique way and in a very different environment,” said EA executive producer and vice president Sinjin Bain.
EA Announces Its First Game for the Highly-Anticipated Handheld Platform
Chertsey UK, July 15, 2004 – Electronic Arts (Nasdaq:ERTS) today announced that The Urbz: Sims in the City, the latest franchise from the celebrated studio behind The Sims, is in development for the Nintendo DS.
EA, in conjunction with Griptonite Games, is developing the game in Redwood City, CA and is scheduled for release in November 2004 under the EA GAMES brand.
The Urbz: Sims in the City TM will benefit from the unique Nintendo DS capabilities by offering players a wireless multi-player mode, touch-screen input a multitude of in-game features that are not available in any other version of the game. Exclusive features for the Nintendo DS version include 24 objects, a unique touch-screen menu system, 5 minigames, 7 characters and 8 pet species that players can create with the special in-game ‘gene manipulator’.
These aren’t your typical Sims. These are the Urbz – and they have a completely new look, attitude and outlook on life. Sims are living in the city and it’s all about building, and improving, their reputation. For the first time, players will not only be able to create their own Sim, but in addition will also have the opportunity to create their own pet. Daddy Bigbucks is trying to take over the city of Miniopolis and keep Splicer Island a secret. It is up to you to uncover the truth by training your pet, increasing your reputation and keeping your crew on Splicer Island happy.
“We’re thrilled that this new franchise is the first from Electronic Arts to illustrate the power of the Nintendo DS,” said Sinjin Bain, Vice President and Executive Producer. “On the Nintendo DS, we are able to do things with The Urbz: Sims in the City TM that we could not do with any other console. Like the system itself, this game is completely unique. Never before have Sims players been able to unleash their alter egos in an urban environment – complete with the sounds, scenes and settings of the city.”
Guides for The Urbz: Sims in the City for DS from GameFAQS
Club Xizzle Password
Go to Club Xizzle ask to enter, type “bucket” and the doorman will let you in. Also you only need to type it once and he’ll let you in every time with no hassle.Cheat Ninja Location
When you find the cheat ninja you can purchase cheats from her.
- 1am – 2am: Travel to Nov. 28 1984 in the time machine
- 2am – 3am: Carnival
- 4am – 5am: Paradise Island
- 6am – 7am: Secret tunnel from jail to dark tree
- 10am – 11am: Moon base Zeta
Free Repair
If one or more of your items are broken and you want the repair man to fix it for free, just call him and let him repair the broken objects. Just before he finishes fixing the last item, leave the house. If the item is still broken, just go up to it and repair it yourself. It should start where the repair man left off before you left the house. Don’t worry, the repair man won’t charge you until he finish the last broken item. This saves money and time.Secret Spots – Get 100% Relationships
- Garbage can (near entrance to Club Xizzle in Glasstown) —– 100% relationship with Phoebe Twiddle
- Hole Behind Poster in Jail —– 100% relationship with Detective Dan De Mann
- Lost cave in Sim quarter —– 100% relationship with Ewan Watahmee
- Old broken down school bus (near thrift shop) —– 100% relationship with Giuseppi Mezzoalto
- Projection booth (near door behind the snack counter of the cinema in Glasstown) —– 100% relationship with Theresa Bullhorn
Unlockable Moon Base Zeta
After you finish a the game buy a meteorite rock off the internet and go to the phone booth in Sim quarter. It should say phone home and it will take you to Boon Base Zeta.Change Color of Items
You can change the color of some things in your house by going up to it and pressing the R button.Dessert Recipe List
Below is a list of some dessert recipes. The name of the recipe is on the left, and the ingredients needed are on the right.
- Apple Strudel – Apple, Nuts, Sugar, Flour
- Birthday Cupcakes – Flour, Sugar, Vanilla
- Caramel Apples – Apple, Vanilla, Sugar
- Chocolate Biscotti – Chocolate, Nuts, Flour
- Chocolate Cake – Chocolate, Sugar, Flour
- Chocolate Decadence – Chocolate, Flour
- Fudge Brownies – Nuts, Chocolate (x2)
- Glazed Fruit Salad – Lemon, Apple, Strawberry
- Lemon Tart – Lemon, Sugar (x2), Vanilla
- Low Carb Chocolate Cake – Chocolate (x2), Sugar
- Strawberry Shortcake – Strawberry, Flour, Sugar, Vanilla
- Strawberry Tiramisu – Strawberry, Flour, Vanilla
- Sugar Cookies – Flour, Sugar (x2)
Raising Skills faster
While raising a skill rapidly tap the A button to raise the skill faster.Gramma Hattie’s Cookbook
By maxing your relationship with Gramma Hattie, you can get a cookbook from her which contains three recipes.Magic Lamp
The magic lamp is unlocked by two ways. The magic lamp is an item that stays in your inventory and gives you instant access to a bed and a toilet. Either beat the Artsies rep mission while being an artsie and buying the magic lamp at Xizzle or invite Crystal to your house and she might give you the magic lamp.Mysterious Gifts
Every 30 days, a holiday-related present will appear at your house. It doesn’t matter which house you live in and if you move or not. After playing the required amount of in-game days, you will unlock certain items.
- Candy Cane —– Play for 120 days
- Jack-o-Lantern —– Play for 60 days
- Mardi Gras Mask —– Play for 30 days
- Pilgrim Gnome —– Play for 90 days
Rep Group-Exclusive Items
Whatever clique you are in, the method is the same: earning full rep with them.
- Bod-Mod Booth —– Earn full rep meter with the Artsies and talk to Roxie Moxie
- Mad Skillz Cerebral Data Infuser —– Earn full rep meter with the Nerdies and talk to Polly Nomial
- Ultimate MP-DEE Stereo System —– Earn full rep meter with the Streeties and talk to Darius
Rep Group-Exclusive Items (Richies)
Have a full rep meter with the Richies to unlock this item, the Sensory Deprivation Tank. By earning full rep with the Richies you can unlock the BEST item in the game, which refills ALL your motive bars when you use it.Special Housewarming Gifts
When you invite friends over to your house, they may give you a piece of furniture depending on whether they are “feeling it” (the vibe from the house) or not. These gifts seem to be mostly unique and only gotten by that person.
- ‘98 Adder Bumper —– Invite Luthor L. Bigbucks over
- 3-Card Monte Table —– Invite Berkeley Clodd over
- Blind Justice Statue —– Invite Lily Gates over
- Burning Spoke Sign —– Invite Dusty Hogg over
- Comedy & Tragedy Masks —– Invite Prichard Locksley over
- Flaming Hoop —– Invite Roxanna Moxie over
- Go Board —– Invite Futo Maki over
- Golden Mop Award —– Invite Kris Thistle over
- Key to the City —– Invite Daddy Bigbucks over
- Khroniton Reactor —– Invite Polly Nomial over
- Lawn Flamingo —– Invite Phoebe Twiddle over
- Lottie Cash Statue —– Invite Lottie Cash over
- Megalodon Tooth —– Invite Sharona Faster over
- Miss Urbverse Trophy —– Invite Misty Waters over
- Movie Standee —– Invite Theresa Bullhorn over
- Music Stand —– Invite Cannonball Coleman over
- Orange Pedestal —– Invite Giuseppi Mezzoalto over
- Periodic Table of Elements —– Invite Dr. Maximillian Moore over
- Prehistoric Ficus —– Invite Mokey/Dr. Mauricio Keyes over
- Punk T-Shirt —– Invite Busta Cruz over
- Safe —– Invite Detective Dan D. Mann over
- Traffic Light —– Invite Ewan Watahmee over
- Typewriter —– Invite Lincoln Broadsheet over
- Uncle Suede’s Cane —– Invite Darius over
- Voodoo Dan Doll —– Invite Mambo Loa over
Spelling Bee Mini Game
After joining the Nerdies, go to Club Xizzle and buy the Spell Champ Xizzle. Once you have that, you can play the mini game in the Rep Group Clubhouse.1 STEP MIRACLE GROW
If you are tired of watering your plants well now you don’t have to when your plant has turned brown and needs watering just move it to a different spot and it turns back green and theres no need to water it.Change Clothes
You can easily change all your clothes for no price by going to the Trift Emporium and walking over to the two racks of clothes in the corner of the store. You will see a arrow over them when you approach it. Press A and you will be able to change you clothes at a menu.Earn more money in the fiddle game
In the fiddling mini-game in the Bayou, you can earn twice as much money if you have the Gold Fiddle in your possession. You can get the Gold Fiddle from Cannonball Coleman after completing a mission for him.Free Maid (Must have 2-story house)
When a maid comes over, when there is one object she hasn’t cleaned, go upstairs. The maid will be gone when you come back, and you have cleaned stuffFree Rep
If you call someone on a telephone, you will get one (1) point of rep with them. Using this you can get to 100 rep points with hard-to-raise characters.Human-eating plant
There are aggressive plants on Splicer Island(Before it gets developed) and on the bayou that will eat you. If you let them eat you, you’ll end up with 2/3 of your needs filled.
