The Sims Mobile: A Pink Plumbob In Every Event

Sul sul, simmers! In May 2017, the launch trailer for The Sims Mobile was revealed [7] [11]. The app’s title is pretty simplistic, but a lot of potential was present at the time the trailer was revealed [7] [11]. Later in 2017, the app was available to be downloaded for free onto iOS and Android devices in Australia, Brazil and Spain [16]. In March 2018, it was finally available worldwide [16]. Some simmers could say it would be the offspring of The Sims Social and The Sims FreePlay. Since it has been almost a month that the newest spin-off of the successful franchise has gained much more attention, let us elaborate on how it is a very passable spin-off, especially for the current generation of gaming.

The Sims Mobile logo. [16]

What lovely graphics! I managed to make my female sim’s facial structures adorably elegant and her body healthily slim, thanks to the way they can be freely altered with the mechanic that originated from The Sims 4 [5]. It was rather easy to carefully position each facial feature and customize the body by dragging the little white circles in each customization section, which once again shows how advanced the customization of a sim has been since The Sims 2 [3]. And not to mention that the renders of town’s environment and facilities are colourful and convincing. Since The Sims Mobile is technically part of the Sims 4 era, which began in the second half of 2014, the graphics seem to match today’s expectations of mobile game graphics [2].

An example of how a sim's body can be altered in The Sims Mobile. [2]

An example of how a part of a sim's face can be altered in The Sims Mobile. [2]

The user interface within the main gameplay is exceptional for another casual spin-off of The Sims series for modern mobile devices [2]. It is mostly about tapping on another sim or object, scrolling through a list of actions by dragging a fingertip up and down the screen and simply tapping the desired action. The camera controls are very useful as their methods are:

• Simply dragging a fingertip across the screen outside the action selections to move the camera to a different area in each location.
• Spreading two fingertips away from each other to zoom in.
• Bringing two fingertips closer to each other to zoom out.
• Swiping with one fingertip while another fingertip is settling on the screen to rotate the camera.

The useful camera controls are comparable to the camera controls in The Sims FreePlay, so the developers at Maxis still know their stuff [1]. Kudos to them. Lastly, at least the playable sims will not throw up after the player makes the device twice in The Sims Mobile [1]. Keep tapping and scrolling away, fellow simmers.

The camera can be positioned by the power of a simmer’s fingertips. [2]

The player can scroll through a sim’s stories, relationships, etc. by swiping left and right or up and down. [2]

The gameplay is also suitable for the app’s concept [2]. Very similar to how a simmer makes sims perform tasks in The Sims FreePlay, a simmer can just tap an action after tapping on an interactive object or another sim [1]. Compared to how some actions in The Sims FreePlay are more time consuming than others actions that only take about five or ten seconds to be done would be much preferred in both The Sims FreePlay and The Sims Mobile [1] [2]. Oddly enough, playable sims do not seem to rely on the player fulfilling their motives as much as they would in many other spin-offs of The Sims. Despite this, the overall outcome of the app has pretty much nailed what made The Sims memorable for making the player feel like a god or goddess, including the option to buy new stuff for a house [2].

An example of a selection of actions would be a list of ways to interact with another sim. [2]

The player can begin events in order to develop a playable sim’s life, quite comparable to how a celebrity can gain more fans by participating in photo shoots and parties in Kim Kardashian Hollywood [8]. One aspect of trying to complete an event that gives The Sims Mobile some individuality, other than a pretty pink plumbob would be the occasional chance event. It may be humourous to see an epic fail, but a successful attempt will increase the number of pink stars that will fill up the progress bar. In addition to how the sim’s motives not being much as a big deal in the app, it is more about a sim’s energy when it comes to completing any event. This aspect of the gameplay is comparable to how energy is spent in The Sims Social [17]. When the energy bar runs out in The Sims Mobile, the player can give the sim a cupcake to top it up. Who can resist those cupcakes, like the ones in The Sims FreePlay [1] [12]?

A stumble will result in less pink stars. [2]

Completing events, along with doing the Daily To Do List will reward the player with experience points. Getting enough will result in leveling up and unlocking more features, which makes The Sims Mobile quite a rewarding spin-off. [2]

 Here we go again with helping friendships, romance and rivalries develop [2]. When the first relationship event is completed after an introduction, the player can choose the relationship story. What makes this feature very interesting is the variety of friendship stories.

The unique friendship stories that a playable sim can star in with another sim are:

• BBFs Forever
• Raincheck, Please
• Two Peas in an Odd Pod
• Geek Speak
• Sports Buddies
• Art Aficionados
• Soundtrack of Soul
• Misery Loves Company

The dramatic rivalries that two sims can have are:

• Frenemies
• Old Rivals
• Arch-Nemeses

The unconditional love stories available are:

• More Than Friends With Benefits
• A Missed Connection
• Secret Crush
• The Fixer-upper
• Tainted Love
• Soulmates

Trying to complete the whole progress of the relationship with another sim will, unfortunately, turn out to be quite time-consuming [2]. On a positive note, it seems quite rewarding how the player can receive new clothing items for completing a relationship story. Additionally, the length of each relationship progress would at least make the small form of challenge of trying to complete it stick around.

Some examples of relationship stories. One of most interesting ones would be a friendship that is involved with music. [2]

Ready to work hard and show them what you can do? A playable sim’s job can be any of the seven choices:

• A barista
• A chef
• A doctor
• An administrator
• A fashion designer
• A DJ
• A judge

In addition to a sim’s career, his or her hobby can be:

• Writing
• Cooking
• Playing the guitar
• Playing the piano
• Yoga

After a sim gets a different job, the progress of the chapter of having the previous career will automatically be saved, thus making the gameplay fair for a simmer who wants to make their sim try different things [2]. The same feature applies to a sim’s hobby. After all, trying to reach 100% Complete in a career or hobby or relationship story will also be rather time-consuming. Perhaps in an update for the app, there could be a new location that could hold another workplace for a whole new career.

The Barista career story seem like the shortest one is it only has four chapters. [2]

It is slightly disappointing to only be able to play with two sims, but at least it is lovely how two sims in the household who love each other can get married, then have an adorable baby or two [2]. After their infant stages, the two offsprings in my household are automatically controlled by rather basic artificial intelligence, which makes them simply walk around the house and sometimes sleep in beds. In addition to how simplistic the artificial intelligence is, it is cool how they can occasionally talk to each other. Once they grew into young adults, they seemed to be way more sociable with each other. If only the price for another playable sim was…well…somewhat less than 175 SimCash dollars. Nevertheless, the player who wishes to have another sim in the household can patiently earn more SimCash by levelling up, completing certain quests and watching a mobile app advert (which only happens by luck).

Two children having a chat under the influence of AI. [2]

One of the options to do in order to have a third playable sim in the house would be spending 175 SimCash dollars. [2]

Remember a fully grown Bella Goth making her grand return in The Sims Social before it was terminated in 2013 [13] [17]? Well, in The Sims Mobile, she has once again delightfully returned with some notable differences. She will greet the first playable sim in a cute red jumper and denim jeans, which is quite refreshing since she would usually be seen in a fabulous strapless red dress. For some odd reason, her eyes are green instead of brown. Like in The Sims Social before it got shut down, there’s no sign of Bella’s husband Mortimer in The Sims Mobile [2] [17]. Could this reincarnation of Bella be the Bella from The Sims Social trying to move on from her life in Littlehaven [17]? Or could she be a completely different Bella who sadly got divorced from Mortimer? Green eyes and red strapless dress or not, we still love the elegant lady who has been around since 2000, don’t we simmers [13]?

Bella Goth’s appearance in The Sims Mobile is quite different compared to her appearances in many other The Sims instalments. [2]

Behold, the Gok Wan of the Sims franchise. In the latest version of The Sims Mobile, the quirky pink-haired guy named “Izzy” can design new clothing items for the playable sims [2]. Quite unfortunately, the designing of the clothing items is all in his hands, making the results rather surprising. The aspect of a creation made by Izzy that makes it special us how it can boost a trait. It can especially work for any of the playable sim’s traits that have been chosen by the player as the experience with the app progressed. Izzy seems like an employable fellow and 20 fashion gems for a special clothing item that sparkles is a pretty good deal, aside from how his service is quite similar to a slot machine at a casino.

Yes you have, Izzy. By the way, nice hairdo. [2]

Who never knew that some of the characters from the MySims series would make cool cameos? They are seen in the app as little colourful charms within the Heirlooms selection [2]. It is another cool way to give a little shout-out to the loveable variety of quirky characters from the MySims series since the Sims 4 interpretations of Travis Scott, Liberty Lee, Summer Holiday and DJ Candy “Supergroove” [14] [15]. The charms can unlock traits and levels of traits for the playable sims. They can be bought for a certain amount of Heirloom Tickets, which are a type of ticket that can be earned by completing an event or watching an advert. I would really like a charm that would prevent the darn furniture in the household from breaking!

Carl’s Mean Charm costs 40 regular Heirloom Tickets while Elmira’s Silver Benevolence Charm costs 40 Super Heirloom Tickets. [2]

There are a few silly little glitches that I have discovered during my experience with the app [2]. One of them was during a romantic event between my two playable sims. Sometimes, instead of his tainted lover, my male sim would woohoo with one of his friends. Oh, don’t get me started with an expansion on that glitch that occurred after the latest update, which is…well…one of the images below will explain it. Another amusing glitch would be how a child sim’s body would stretch out in quite a surreal way during a chance event at the house. And let’s not forget the moment when my female sim had her smartphone stuck in her hand while she was watching her partner play the guitar. Hopefully, the crazy glitch that occurs when two sims hop into a hot tub, along with the other goofs will be patched after the app’s developers at Maxis call the Glitchbusters in the near future.

Kids sure grow up fast. [2]

WHAT THE HECK?! [2]

When you’re playing a game, and you see a flaw, who ya gonna call? Glitchbusters! [2]

A simmer can enter another simmer’s friend code in order to be in touch with that simmer, like how an animal crosser can enter another animal crosser’s ID code in a similar manner in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp [9]. Comparable to how Miitomo users can link their Miitomo data to their Facebook accounts [10], a simmer can link their The Sims Mobile data to their Twitter and Facebook accounts [2]. The ability to link the data of a modern mobile app to a precious social media account makes the progress of finding friends somewhat more efficient. And don’t forget that you can connect to EA and Game Center to find friends in The Sims Mobile as well. And last but not least, simmers can also go to a party hosted by any simmer around the globe [2].

A simmer can send another simmer a friend code. Shhhhh! Let’s keep our codes just between us, okay? [2]

Other ways to find more fellow simmers in The Sims Mobile. [2]

In conclusion, The Sims Mobile has plenty to offer, especially in its later versions [2]. It remains loyal to what made The Sims the very well-loved life-simulation we have known almost two decades by featuring customization of playable sims and evolution/devolution of relationships. It may not be as advanced as The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 [4] [5], but it can still be acclaimed for being the somewhat spiritual successor of The Sims Social for how seasonal events occur for a limited time only [2] [17], such as the Spring Egg Hunt. Aside from that, the unique relationship stories and the ability to start events give The Sims Mobile some individuality, making it a somewhat refreshing spin-off of one of the best-selling computer game series of all time. I would recommend the app to anyone who is a fan of The Sims franchise and a casual mobile gamer. Dag dag for now, simmers!

What a dreamboat he is! [2]

References:

1. EA Mobile. (2012). The Sims FreePlay. iOS. California. United States.
2. EA Mobile. (2017). The Sims Mobile. iOS. California. United States.
3. Electronic Arts. (2004). The Sims 2. PC. California. United States.
4. Electronic Arts. (2009). The Sims 3. PC. California. United States.
5. Electronic Arts. (2014). The Sims 4. PC. California. United States.
6. Electronic Arts. (2011). The Sims Social. Facebook. California. United States.
7. GameTrailers. (2017). The Sims Mobile Launch Trailer. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmNVt5B4rSY. Last accessed 28th Mar 2018.
8. Glu Mobile Inc. (2014). Kim Kardashian Hollywood. iOS. California. United States.
9. Nintendo. (2017). Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. iOS. Kyoto. Japan.
10. Nintendo. (2016). Miitomo. iOS. Kyoto. Japan.
11. The Sims. (2017). The Sims Mobile (iOS/Android) Soft Launch Trailer | Official Mobile Game. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=VwFMyHGtIXs. Last accessed 28th Mar 2018.
12. The Sims FreePlay Wiki. (2017). Cupcakes. Available: http://simsfreeplay.wikia.com/wiki/Cupcakes. Last accessed 29th Mar 2018.
13. The Sims Wiki. (2009). Bella Goth. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Bella_Goth. Last accessed 24th Mar 2018.
14. The Sims Wiki. (2014). BFF household. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/BFF_household. Last accessed 28th Mar 2018.
15. The Sims Wiki. (2015). Candy Behr. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Candy_Behr. Last accessed 29th Mar 2018.
16. The Sims Wiki. (2017). The Sims Mobile. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sims_Mobile. Last accessed 20th Mar 2018.
17. The Sims Wiki. (2011). The Sims Social. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sims_Social. Last accessed 20th Mar 2018.

Mario Will Soon Park His Kart Outside Of The Nintendo Switch

Mario Kart Tour is an upcoming mobile app that will be Nintendo’s second official Super Mario mobile game and fifth official mobile app overall sometime between April 2018 and March 2019 [3] [18]. After it was announced towards the end of January 2018, many fellow Mario Kart racers and Nintendo nerds began having their hopes and expectations [3]. Let’s face it. Mobile gaming has become more appealingly progressive, compared to how it was during the days of flip phones and slide phones. Since Nintendo’s fiscal year shall end sometime next year [3] [18], there is plenty of time to hope that kart racing with the iconic Super Mario characters on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android will turn out to be as thrilling as kart racing with them on the arcade machines that were developed with the help of Bandai Namco Entertainment, the company that was previously known as “Namco Bandai Games” [14] [17].

The Mario Kart Tour logo. Looks pretty promising. [18]

Maybe the control system for the outcome of Mario Kart Tour ought to be quite similar to the control system of the ports of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for iOS and Android [1] [2] [11] [12] [13]. Or could it be similar Angry Birds Go! for the same platforms [10]? The option to tilt the smartphone or tablet in order to steer the selected character’s kart would give the player quite a realistic feeling of steering a kart’s wheel [2], similar to how someone who adored playing Mario Kart Wii would gain a realistic feeling of driving a kart with the Wii Wheel attachment [7] [17] [19].  Alternatively, some players may prefer an icon for steering the kart that can be dragged by a thumb or simply two left and right buttons while the kart is accelerating automatically [1] [2] [10]. Perhaps for a variety of mobile gamers who adore racing games, there might be more than one way of steering the kart in the right direction when Mario Kart Tour eventually parks at the App Store and Google Play Store.

Two optional control systems in Sonic and SEGA All-Stars racing for modern mobile devices. Something that Nintendon't? Not for long. [13]

In addition to a comfortable way of steering the selected character’s kart, a button to drift and a button to hit the brake could be practically placed within the HUD; perhaps at one of the bottom left corners of it [1] [2] [13]. Oh, and don’t forget about an icon that will activate an item from a shattered item box. Darn those blue shells. There might be a possibility that the developers will choose to let the kart accelerate automatically, so that there will be no need for a button to accelerate [10]. As long as the final design of the HUD turns out to be as practical and useful as the ones from the previous Mario Kart instalments [4] [5] [6] [7], the competitive spirit in the player would remain motivated. Hopefully, during or after Nintendo’s fiscal year, the developers at Nintendo would have carefully followed the five elements of user experience in order to make Mario Kart Tour faithful to what made the Mario Kart series memorable, including excellent controls and a very useful HUD [4] [5] [6] [7].

The HUD in Mario Kart Wii. [19]

Throughout the years, one of the ways that Mario Kart progressed was welcoming new competitors onto the tracks. It would be nice to let Birdo and Diddy Kong be unlockable racers again to make up for their absences from Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 [4] [5]. Since Pauline, Mario’s original love interest made her grand return in Super Mario Odyssey as the mayor of New Donk City, Mario Kart Tour could be her first time as a kart racer [20]. If Metal Mario, Gold Mario and Pink Gold Peach ought to be unlockable for an update after the app’s release, they would be better off as skins for our main man and his blonde beauty in order to save some room in the roster for more of the Super Mario spin-off crew. As usual, the game could begin with a small selection of the loveable classic Mario characters that were licenced to race in karts since Super Mario Kart from 1992 [18].

Honestly, the lovely and talented mayor of New Donk City deserves a chance to be a kart racer. [20] 

Similar to how bird coins can be collected in Angry Birds Go! during a whacky race with those adorable and quirky birds [10], the traditional coins that Mario and Luigi collect on their quests to save Princess Peach could be the in-game currency that the player can collect during a race [4] [5] [6] [15]. In addition to this, a large amount of them can be earned, depending on the position the player finishes in. Well, it would be no surprise if our fellow Mario Kart racers discover a group of microtransaction offers for more in-game currency. Even though there were a list of challenges to do in order to successfully unlock more karts and characters in the 3D main Mario Kart instalments [7] [17], there would need to be some legitimate way that Nintendo can possibly make money from the app’s outcome. In-game currency that can be collected, earned and used to purchase more karts and characters could still be another way of making each experience of Mario Kart on the tracks rewarding.

Red, his allies and some of those devious pigs can gather a few bird coins in Angry Birds Go!, which could be like how coins can be collected in Mario Kart Tour. [10]

There ought to be a few things added to the mobile adaption of Mario Kart that can further increase its individuality. Of course, one shining example would be brand new courses for the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup and Special Cup. It would be lovely if at least one of the locations of Super Mario Odyssey could be adapted into a whole new course, especially New Donk City [8]. There could also be a new vocal song for the app’s final outcome sung by Pauline’s new voice actress, Kate Higgins since she can sing beautifully [8] [16] [20]. After all, Super Mario Odyssey’s outcome seemed like a new era for Super Mario, along with the success of Super Mario Run for iOS and Android enhancing Nintendo’s mobile app cred [8] [9]. We are yet to discover what the app’s final outcome will proudly present. There is still plenty of time for our fellow Nintendo nerds and Mario Kart racers to hope and predict.

New Donk City would make a wonderful new racing course. The starting/finish line could be right at the entrance of its city hall. [20] 

In conclusion, it would be best if the first Mario Kart instalment for third-party smart devices would only be classified as a spin-off of the Mario Kart franchise. That way our fellow Mario Kart racers will know that developing games mainly and exclusively for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS for the rest of the current generation of gaming is still Nintendo’s game. Perhaps there is still room in our hearts for the magnificent deluxe port of Mario Kart 8 that welcomed the Inklings to the tracks [6]. With the ability to technically balance the appeal of the Switch’s legacy with the approval from a new part of their audience, Nintendo could successfully offer an opportunity to delightfully succeed in a Grand Prix with the plumber in red, his allies and his foes outside of their first-party platforms, along with helping the ambitious Switch maintain its popularity.

The Mario Kart Tour logo with kanji. [18]

References:

1. AK47SSSR. (2014). Sonic Racing Transformed - Android Gameplay HD.  
    Available:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feSCKDgzsTo. Last accessed 5th Mar 2018.
2. AppQuest. (2014). AppQuest - Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed App Review & Gameplay 
    (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad ). Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybakrFozvDE. 
    Last accessed 5th Mar 2018.
3. GameXplain. (2018). Mario Kart Tour Coming to Mobile by March 2019. 
    Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1oItc3cFaU. Last accessed 2nd March 2018.
4. Nintendo. (2011). Mario Kart 7. Nintendo 3DS. Kyoto. Japan.
5. Nintendo. (2014). Mario Kart 8. Nintendo Wii U. Kyoto. Japan.
6. Nintendo. (2017). Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Nintendo Switch. Kyoto. Japan.
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8. Nintendo. (2017). Super Mario Odyssey. Nintendo Switch, Kyoto. Japan.
9. Nintendo. (2016). Super Mario Run. iOS. Kyoto. Japan.
10. Rovio Entertainment. (2013). iOS. Espoo. Finland.
11. SEGA. (2012). Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. iOS. Tokyo. Japan.
12. SEGA. (2011). Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. 
      Available: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sonic-sega-all-stars-racing/id429208823?mt=8.                    Last accessed 2nd March 2018.
13. SEGA. (2011). Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. iOS. Tokyo. Japan.

14. Super Mario Wiki. (2007). Bandai Namco Entertainment. 
      Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Bandai_Namco_Entertainment. Last accessed 4th Mar                  2018.

15. Super Mario Wiki. (2007). Coin. 
      Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Coin#Mario_Kart_series. Last accessed 6th Mar 2018.

16. Super Mario Wiki. (2012). Kate Higgins. Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Kate_Higgins.                  Last accessed 4th Mar 2018.

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      Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Mario_Kart_(series). Last accessed 4th Mar 2018.

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      Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Mario_Kart_Tour. Last accessed 2nd March 2018.
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      Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Mario_Kart_Wii. Last accessed 7th March 2018.

20. Super Mario Wiki. (2007). Pauline. Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Pauline. 
      Last accessed 4th Mar 2018.