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IGN Review of SimAnimals
An unknown author is attributed with the quote: "The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man." Maybe that's why playing SimAnimals broke my spirit. Giving us control of a disembodied hand, the game allows you to play god and manipulate the lives of all the animals and plants of the forest. That's all well and good, and SimAnimals would be an engaging experience if it wasn't such a shabby production. It doesn't run well, it's ugly, and the controls are frustrating. Mother Nature deserves better than this.
Beginning with a small corner of the forest, your goal is to convince the locals to trust you by feeding them, rubbing their bellies, and introducing them to romantic possibilities. The game gives you a couple specific goals at a time (attract a rabbit, collect a few pinecones, etc.), but you're free to do as you please if you want a more "sandbox" experience. Once you've won over enough critters you'll unlock new areas of the woods. You'll know you're doing a good job when an animal emits "happy energy" (don't get it on your hands!). Pleasant orchestral music accents your accomplishments while ambient nature sounds can be heard around you.
It didn't take long for the controls to get on my nerves. The remote is used to point and select objects while the nunchuk handles movement and camera rotation. Pointer control is very finicky, often making it difficult to select animals or enter menus. To do some planting or heavy petting you have to waggle your onscreen icon over a seed/animal, but the game won't always register your actions. Worse, if a seed lands in a bed of flowers or is similarly obstructed you can't even get at it.
Up to four players can simultaneously participate in cultivating the woods. But this quickly devolves into chaos as every player can control the camera and map -- no one can get anything done.
©2009-01-29, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Beginning with a small corner of the forest, your goal is to convince the locals to trust you by feeding them, rubbing their bellies, and introducing them to romantic possibilities. The game gives you a couple specific goals at a time (attract a rabbit, collect a few pinecones, etc.), but you're free to do as you please if you want a more "sandbox" experience. Once you've won over enough critters you'll unlock new areas of the woods. You'll know you're doing a good job when an animal emits "happy energy" (don't get it on your hands!). Pleasant orchestral music accents your accomplishments while ambient nature sounds can be heard around you.
It didn't take long for the controls to get on my nerves. The remote is used to point and select objects while the nunchuk handles movement and camera rotation. Pointer control is very finicky, often making it difficult to select animals or enter menus. To do some planting or heavy petting you have to waggle your onscreen icon over a seed/animal, but the game won't always register your actions. Worse, if a seed lands in a bed of flowers or is similarly obstructed you can't even get at it.
Up to four players can simultaneously participate in cultivating the woods. But this quickly devolves into chaos as every player can control the camera and map -- no one can get anything done.
©2009-01-29, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved