My Talking Tom 2 – Not Necessary, But Adorable And Acceptable

Another Talking Tom app?! It appears that this app is the official sequel to My Talking Tom, the generation of the cool cat that was released in very late 2013 [7] [8] [14]. In all honesty, I do not think that My Talking Tom 2 is highly necessary. I believe that Talking Tom 2, the interpretation of Tom that debuted in 2011 was more necessary for the sake the presenting him with a more appealing design and a few more features, such as the beginning of his comedic rivalry with Talking Ben [25] [26]. Nevertheless, witnessing a sequel that seems very unnecessary does not always mean declaring that it will be a completely terrible sequel. As someone who used to upload footage of the original Talking Tom and Talking Tom 2 onto YouTube back in high school, I am a little sad that My Talking Tom and My Talking Angela eventually had the option to record footage of gameplay and save it as a video file removed [3] [5] [15]. Despite that, I shall take a look into the high-pitched kitty’s newest home in My Talking Tom 2.

The app’s logo. [6]

 The app basically follows the same premise of looking after Tom [5] [6]. Once again, like a responsible carer, the player can:

• Pet Tom to make him purr
• Put Tom to bed (or let him drink energy potion) when he is sleepy
• Give Tom food bought from the market when he is hungry
• Let Tom do his business on the toilet
• Wash Tom with soap when he is filthy
• Dress Tom in new clothing items
• Watch Tom grow

And of course, the player can also talk into the device’s microphone and listen to Tom repeat what has been said in a high-pitched voice, which is the very thing that made Tom popular since 2010 [24]. The quality of the player’s words being repeated by Tom is brilliant, but I am sad to say that the option to record footage of Tom is not available as I cannot see a button for doing so. Oh, and he can still be beaten up with pokes. The app’s gameplay is pretty faithful to its predecessor [5] [6]. In addition to the goal of fulfilling Tom’s needs, there are also some new aspects of the casual gameplay to show the app’s purpose of being quite a refreshing sequel.

Hey little guy.  Ready to demonstrate some toilet humour later? [6]

Tom is now living in a home that consists of the new main gameplay features [6]. Tom can now be dragged across the screen, which could be especially fun to do for plenty of young tablet users. The player can put him down gently, slam him onto the ground or stick him onto the ceiling. He can also receive motivation whilst doing a few activates, such as boxing with a punching bag and bouncing on a trampoline. In the new medicine cabinet in the bathroom, there are six methods of making Tom feel better. For example, when he catches a cold, he can be given a spoonful of medical honey. I quite like how the methods of curing Tom’s illnesses enhance the realism of taking good care of a pet or small child. And speaking of the bathroom, I like how there are now seven different soaps to wash Tom with, even though four of them will cost ten coins to use and one will be free to use after an advert plays. With the same solid controls and a small variety of new features for the primary gameplay, I suppose many fans of My Talking Tom were quite impressed.

Before and after little Tommy Wommy eats a spoonful of medical honey. [6]

Aside from the solid controls, I recommended only stroking Tom’s belly when it comes to petting him as stroking his head could result in Tom being dragged in the air. [6]

Tom now has a new friend who is an orange…blob thing with mouse ears named “Squeak” [6]. Squeak can also be dragged across the screen and even squashed by the player’s fingertip. Additionally, he can eat any of Tom’s food and change colours, thus expanding on his character development. I could say that the design of the thing seems slightly unfitting within the current state of the Talking Friends IP, even though there was a menacing antagonist who was named “Jeremy the Germ” and had a similar body shape in two of the Talking Tom And Friends episodes [16] [17]. Even though Talking Hank, another dog was introduced in the first episode of the webisode series [18], I personally felt like he should have had his own app before the release of the episode to make his debut slightly more legitimate. Nonetheless, at least he eventually got his own app in early 2017 [4]. Perhaps there could be an establishment of Tom’s new pets in their own application or web series that may expand on their character developments in the future. Could Tom’s new friend be a sign of an upcoming new era of Talking Friends?

Squeak about to knock Tom’s basketball off his wardrobe in the app’s first trailer. [14]

Squeak turned red after I gave him a chili pepper in the app. [6]

Interestingly, Tom can hop into his plane to fly to a few islands that are based on the themes of the home’s unlockable interior and exterior designs that cost coins and stars [6]. The themes are:

• A casual home on a street
• An adventure beach
• A magic forest from a fairy tale
• A cyber city with futuristic aspects
• A candy kingdom

Tom can firstly travel to a tropical island and bring back any one of three bamboo boxes, containing cards for earning food, coins, stars, clothing items household items. The way certain cards can unlock the items as another way to get new furniture and clothing items for the house can prevent the player from losing a bit of patience when it comes to saving coins for a new item. However, the results seem quite random, something results in duplicates of clothing items and the random household items a starter can only receive are adventure beach items. The other three islands will be unlocked as the game progresses, which can also make the player feel rewarded for playing the app daily.

For starters, Tom can only fly to the tropical islands. [6]

An example of a uncompleted card collection. in the app [6]

Wait! There are four other pets to unlock for Tom to be friends with [6]! The player can simply tap the dens in the garden to see Squeak in a selection with a parrot named “Flip” who wears glasses, a purple beast named “Gus”, a robot named “Dot” and a pink blob with a rainbow mane and a unicorn horn and horn named “Sugar”. Looking at the icons next to their names and scrolling through the lists of cards to collect, the player will see that:

• Flip is from Adventure Beach
• Gus is from Magic Forest
• Dot is from Cyber City
• Sugar is from Candy Kingdom

Despite the pets’ shape, at least Squeak aimed to heal little Tom’s injured paw in the app’s second trailer, unlike Jeremy the Germ who made the fully-grown Tom, Angela, Ginger and Hank ill [12] [16] [17]. And yes, the other four pets can change colour when they eat food. Flip turned orange when I gave him a carrot. It would take some patience, determination and a daily routine to save enough stars for a new pet for Tom.

A yellow Squeak, a green Flip and a pink Sugar. All of the pets seem to have the same character development in the app. [6]

And of course, there is a whole new section of minigames to play as a way to increase Tom’s happiness. These new minigames in My Talking Tom 2 are:

• Cupid Tom
• Space Trails
• Pet Connect
• Easy Squeezy
• Ice Smash
• Super Balloons
• Totem Blast

After playing them all, I would say that each minigame consists of fairly simple gameplay, yet elements that make them stand out as parts of a small variety. And yes, there are icons that link the player directly to other Talking Friends apps, just like in the original My Talking Tom and My Talking Angela. Recording footage of Tom talking and getting injured for YouTube and Facebook may not be available, but providing a variety of minigames that can relieve stress and have a decent amount of challenge for younger mobile gamers once again makes the sequel faithful to what increased the appeal of Talking Tom.

Some of the minigames and links to other Talking Friends apps. [6]

Let us slightly expand on the minigames, starting with Cupid Tom. Trying to shoot a wheel with a loved one’s face on it with cupid arrows might be a more thrilling challenge in real life. Space Trails brings out a competitive vibe as it requires an internet connection for grabbing the most colourful orbs in the galaxy without bumping into other trails. I feel like Pet Connect is only a rehash of Balloon Splash from My Talking Angela and Rainbows from the original My Talking Tom. Do you wish that you had the power to shrink in order to easily squeeze through narrow spaces like one of Tom’s pet would in Easy Squeezy? I can see that the gameplay of Ice Smash requires a pinch of three-dimensional thinking for eliminating differently coloured blocks by launching blue balls from a canon in the best directions. Inflating balloons and trapping bees between them makes me feel quite…satisfied. Totem Blast is not bad, but it seems too similar to Toy Blast and Toon Blast [2] [20]. I would say that the different gameplay styles are a clear sign of a decent variety of minigames, despite how some of them are not very original.

Well, at least Cupid Tom is not a knife throwing act with Angela as the target. [6]

And at least the way one of the minigames from My Taking Tom that has been recycled is yet another sign of My Talking Tom 2 trying to be a true sequel. [6]

My Talking Tom 2 could be a sign of a new era for Outfit7, despite how rather unnecessary it seems. Little Tommy Wommy looks very cutesy wutesy in a tweaked appearance indeed [6]. Let us compare the kitten in My Talking Tom to the kitten in My Talking Tom 2. Tom in the sequel has brighter irises, a straighter nose, and smoother eyebrows [6]. I can also see that the little Tom in the sequel has a bigger head and a slightly smaller belly. I supposed the graphic designers aimed to make baby Tom cuter for a new crowd of Talking Tom players. I will also admit that the app on my iPad Air tends to be rather laggy at times, which made me speculate that the app could be a little more compatible with newer iOS devices [6]. In addition to my speculation, Sonic Dash would have low frame rate and sometimes crash on my fourth generation iPod Touch, but flow smoothly and refrain from crashing on my iPad Air [10] [11]. With altered features and possibly stronger compatibility with newer mobile devices, Tom seems ready to rock the rest of the late 2010s, along with the early 2020s.

A comparison between the Tom from My Taking Tom and the Tom from My Talking Tom 2. [5] [6]

Looks like the grey cat’s legacy is here to last, possibly for another whole decade. The new gameplay features for the not highly needed, but at least refreshing sequel to My Talking Tom can keep possibly a new line of young Tom fans on their toes. If any of the older fans of Talking Friends prefer sticking to the previous installments of the cool cat for the sake of making videos of him for YouTube, then that is absolutely fine. The Talking Friends universe sure has changed a lot, compared to how it was from 2010 to 2012. As many of us focus on the current era of Talking Friend, I believe that there will be a My Talking Angela 2 next year or two [3]. I would be up for celebrating the high-pitched kitty’s 10^th anniversary in 2020. It is crazy to see how he and his life have evolved since the days when he was just standing there in the corner of a street with long black whiskers and dull eyes. Still, it is quite a shame that we do not hear from Roby the Robot, Lila the Fairy, the Johns and the other forgotten Talking Friends anymore [19] [21] [22] [23].

Zzzzzzzzz… [6]

References:

1.    M Pro Channel. (2018). Evolution of Talking Tom Games 2010 - 2018. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QzhA-a_E1M. Last accessed 21st Nov 2018.

2.    MsLovie77. (2017). Toy blast commercial. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWFGNsDCpdU. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

3.    Outfit7. (2014). My Talking Angela. iOS. Pissouri. Cyprus.

4.    Outfit7. (2017). My Talking Hank. iOS. Pissouri. Cyprus.

5.    Outfit7. (2013). My Talking Tom. iOS. Pissouri. Cyprus.

6.    Outfit7. (2018). My Talking Tom 2. iOS. Pissouri. Cyprus.

7.    Outfit7 Limited. (2013). My Talking Tom. Available: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.outfit7.mytalkingtomfree&hl=en_US. Last accessed 19th Nov 2018.

8.    Outfit7 Limited. (2018). My Talking Tom 2. Available: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.outfit7.mytalkingtom2&hl=en_US. Last accessed 18th Nov 2018.

9.    Paradis, J. (2018). Toon Blast Commercial. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SGKY-YZeRU. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

10. SEGA. (2013). Sonic Dash. iOS. Tokyo, Japan.

11. Sonic News Network. (2013). Sonic Dash. Available: http://sonic.wikia.com/wiki/Sonic_Dash#Trivia. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

12. Talking Tom. (2018). Can You Handle My Talking Tom 2? NEW GAME Official Trailer #2. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmfWRVkC1eA. Last accessed 18th Nov 2018.

13. Talking Tom. (2013). My Talking Tom - Gameplay Trailer. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDBmw2H0KjI. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

14. Talking Tom. (2018). My Talking Tom 2 is here! NEW GAME Official Trailer. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gltp0iSA-60. Last accessed 18th Nov 2018.

15. Talking Tom. (2014). Videos YOU've Created - Talking Tom's User Videos Total Mashup. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1onJsSDsL5g. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

16. Talking Tom and Friends. (2015). Talking Tom and Friends - The Germinator (Season 1 Episode 15). Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxMxjPateqM. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

17. Talking Tom and Friends. (2016). Talking Tom and Friends - Germinator 2: Zombies (Season 1 Episode 39). Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42uYmLsmxeM. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

18. Talking Tom and Friends. (2014). Talking Tom and Friends - The audition (Season 1 Episode 0). Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT158g2x__I. Last accessed 21st Nov 2018.

19. Talkingtomandfriends Wiki. (2017). Talking Friends. Available: http://talkingtomandfriends.wikia.com/wiki/Talking_Friends. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

20. Toon Blast. (2018). Toon Blast | Ryan Reynolds - Girl. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lybl9fDpQM0. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

21. TotallyLisaCartoons. (2011). Talking Bacteria John, John & John - Creepy Scream. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzTo2SRO7M4. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

22. TotallyLisaCartoons. (2011). Talking Lila sings and creates magic. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VGDAosrBSo. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

23. TotallyLisaCartoons. (2010). Talking Roby the Robot dancing. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v_Wt0jZ3ag. Last accessed 20th Nov 2018.

24. TotallyLisaCartoons. (2010). Talking Tom. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGraqgFDzOQ. Last accessed 18th Nov 2018.

25. TotallyLisaCartoons. (2011). Talking Tom 2 - The Pizza, Pizza Salad. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0QhAu-SsYY. Last accessed 18th Nov 2018.

26. TotallyLisaCartoons. (2011). Talking Tom as Harry Potter. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DT878Bb8hk. Last accessed 18th Nov 2018.

Attending Miitomo’s Funeral

Plenty of fellow Nintendo nerds have gathered around on social media this week to mourn the end of Miitomo, Nintendo’s first app for iOS and Android smart devices [3] [4] [7] [13]. Miitomo began in March 2016, bringing the creation of Miis to modern mobile devices [4] [7] [13]. Who can forget the moment when the Mii that closely resembles a fellow Miitomo user enters the room in a plain white jumper and grey joggers? A Mii could have a personality, similar to how a Mii could have one in Tomodachi Collection and Tomodachi Life [4] [5] [13]. Our fellow Nintendo nerds who adored the app would later receive a major update that featured sidekick Miis and the option to customize rooms. But sadly, the app’s service was put to rest in May 2018 [3] [7] [13]. Let us look back on the aspects of Miitomo that made it quite a hoot for those who adore making Miis.

March 2016 was when Miitomo began. [4]

May 2018 was when Miitomo ended. [4]

The simple gameplay offered a way to unwind after a hard day [4]. Simply going with the flow as the user answered questions and replied to comments from other users every day increased the number of coins, which was honestly quite rewarding as an effective way of saving up for some new clothing items from the shop [4] [7] [13]. And not to mention that a fellow Miitomo user can gain My Nintendo points for accomplishing a few tasks every day in order to get tickets for Miitomo Drop and sometimes a secret clothing item. The option to change a Mii’s attire was my favourite aspect of Miitomo [4]. The developers clearly could not go wrong with carefully planning out the five planes of user experience in order to give the app’s concept the best outcome possible for Mii-loving Nintendo nerds. Overall, the gameplay in Miitomo was basically similar to Tomodachi Collection and Tomodachi Life [14] [15], only far less ambitious, so it could be classified as a spin-off from the Tomodachi franchise by many Mii lovers [13] [15].

Miitomo users could also raise their popularity levels and style levels in order to receive special hats and crowns. This was yet another way to reward users for doing their daily routines, including staying in touch with other users and changing the main Mii's attire. [4]

The option to use QR Code patterns for Mii character from Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U systems was another sign Miitomo's compassion towards Mii lovers. [4]

Another way to receive new clothing items for a fellow user’s Miis was playing Miitomo Drop. Miitomo Drop was the gameplay aspect that made Miitomo more than just watching an avatar walk and talk [4] [7] [13]. To get a certain item, it was all about three-dimensional thinking and the right timing. Each month, there would be a theme for one or two sections of Miitomo Drop that would be around for a rather limited time only, which showed how the graphic designers were willing to express their creativity for a variety of outfits for many occasions. In earlier versions of Miitomo, sweets were given to friends’ main Miis in order to receive more answers to questions from them [4]. Later on, they were used to try and win a game ticket coupon or a single game ticket. I would say that the better purpose of the sweets being in the app was Candy Drop since aiming for new clothing items, wallpapers or floors would be more adventurous than just browsing another gamer’s views. Trying to get the desired item in Miitomo Drop was a thrilling challenge for many users [4].

One of Miitomo's last Miitomo Drop themes. [4]

Another one of Miitomo's last Miitomo Drop themes. [4]

 Aside from Miiverse before it was closed down in late 2017 [12], Miitomo was the way to be a Nintendo socialite. Miitomo data could be linked with a Twitter account and a Facebook account, which was an effective way to expanding the list of friends. It was really nice to wish your fellow Miis and their makers a very happy birthday. Data would be securely saved, thanks to the option of linking it to a Nintendo account, so that our fellow Miitomo users would not have to worry about losing their precious data if they delete the app on their device [4]. It is no wonder how Miitomo was rather appealing for how the casual crowd of mobile gaming could socialise by answering questions and replying to messages, as long as their devices stayed connected to the internet [4] [7] [13]. Good times.

You can have quite a lot of good memories in Miitomo, like how you could in Miiverse. [4] [8]

Sometimes the user's Mii would have a chat with a fellow Miitomo user's Mii. The user then could quickly read the friend's Mii's answers and answer a question that Mii asks. In later versions of the app, two fellow Miis could send each other secret messages. [4]

There were three centrals where our fellow Miitomo users could show who their Miis truly are: Sidekick Central, Style Central and Answer Central [4]. Sidekick Central might give the Nintendo nerds who loved showing off their Miis in the Nintendo Wii days a flashback of the Mii Contest Channel [6]. In addition to this, users could mark any sidekick Mii as their favourites. The same method applies to any Mii modelling in a stunning or quirky outfit in Style Central. Quite oddly enough, the moment when a Mii created by another user said their answer to a question in Answer Central resembled the moment when two Miis gave their thoughts on a news report in Tomodachi Life [5]. All three centrals were one of the reasons why Miitomo at least still had plenty of loyal users to stay relevant.

One of my sidekick Miis was shared on Sidekick Central before Miitomo was shut down. [4]

A Mii created by another Miitomo user answering a question in Answer Central. [4]

Our fellow Nintendo nerds could express a little creativity by making Miifotos [4] [7] [13]. The user’s Mii could strike a big variety of different poses and be carefully placed anywhere within the shot, along with various little images and chunks of text depending on the user’s choices, which proves how Miitomo was the key for our fellow Nintendo nerds to be creative outside of Nintendo consoles [4]. A fellow Nintendo nerd can go as far as making a parody of a song with them. Any quirky Miifoto could be shared on social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram [4], which would increase the motivation to create a Miifoto in some users. The process of making a Miifoto for fun was a nice rehash of the Photo Channel from the Nintendo Wii system and Nintendo DSi Camera from the Nintendo DSi days, but with Miis and appealing neat text [9] [10].

Lisa or Lena? [4]

In the early months of Miitomo, users would receive a premade Miifoto every day. [4]

In theory, the routine of answering questions and changing a Mii’s outfit every day must have gotten quite stale to some users, which is why the app began to lose a fraction of its relevance in around 2017 [7]. The way how members of Team Valor, Team Mystic and Team Instinct could try and catch new Pokémon in Pokémon GO anywhere in their local areas was and is still very progressive and adventurous [2] [11], compared to how a Mii would stand still and inform the user of other users’ answers in Miitomo as the user just lounges around [4]. If the app had an update with new bigger features, such as the option to write lyrics for a song of a few genres of music like how a fellow Nintendo nerd would in Tomodachi Life [5] [12], then Miitomo would have remained as popular as it was in the beginning. Despite the app’s decline of daily use, there were at least still plenty of loyal users who continued to do the daily routine until Nintendo decided to shut down the service.

The announcement of Miitomo shutting down might not have been much a big surprise to many due to the app's declining relevance. [4]

At least the end of Miitomo will not corrupt Nintendo's future due to how appealing their other mobile apps and recent games are. [4]

Overall, Miitomo was a casual app with exceptional potential and a splendid outcome that only lasted for two years [4] [7] [13]. At least our fellow Nintendo nerds, especially the Mii lovers can still have fun with their Miis in Tomodachi Life and Miitopia. As we move on from Miitomo’s departure, many of us can at least look forward to what Nintendo has to offer next. Perhaps there could be a successor to Miitomo for mobile devices named “Miitomo 2” in the future, similar to how there will be a “Vine 2” in loving memory of Vine [1]. Again, Miitomo is Nintendo’s first application for two third-party platforms and it would be a shame to not let its legacy somehow live on. A successor to it that would perhaps be around in the early 2020s would continue and further enhance Nintendo’s mobile era, as long as it will have new bigger features that will make it last much longer than the original Miitomo. Rest in peace, questions, answers, groovy fashion and funny Miifotos, Miitomo. Many of those who embrace the current generation of Nintendo will never forget you and your legacy.

Miitomo's last featured question. [4]

My main Mii pays tribute to Miitomo. [4]

References

1.    Feldman, B. (2018). Here Are the First Details About ‘v2,’ Which Is Not Vine 2 (But Basically Is). Available: http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/01/when-does-v2-not-vine-2-launch.html. Last accessed 1st May 2018.

2.    Niantic. (2016). Pokémon GO. iOS. California. United States.

3.    Nintendo. (2016). Miitomo. Available: https://miitomo.com/en/. Last accessed 9th May 2018.

4.    Nintendo. (2016). Miitomo. iOS. Kyoto. Japan.

5.    Nintendo. (2013). Tomodachi Life. Nintendo 3DS. Kyoto. Japan.

6.    Nintendo Wiki. (2013). Check Mii Out Channel. Available: http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Check_Mii_Out_Channel. Last accessed 9th May 2018.

7.    Nintendo Wiki. (2016). Miitomo. Available: http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Miitomo. Last accessed 5th May 2018.

8.    Nintendo Wiki. (2013). Miiverse. Available: http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Miiverse. Last accessed 9th May 2018.

9.    Nintendo Wiki. (2010). Nintendo DSi Camera. Available: http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Nintendo_DSi_Camera. Last accessed 9th May 2018.

10. Nintendo Wiki. (2009). Photo Channel. Available: http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Photo_Channel. Last accessed 9th May 2018.

11. Pokémon GO Wiki. (2016). Teams. Available: http://pokemongo.wikia.com/wiki/Teams. Last accessed 5th May 2018.

12. Tomodachi Life Wiki. (2014). Concert Hall. Available: http://tomodachi.wikia.com/wiki/Concert_Hall. Last accessed 9th May 2018.

13. Tomodachi Life Wiki. (2016). Miitomo. Available: http://tomodachi.wikia.com/wiki/Miitomo. Last accessed 9th May 2018.

14. Tomodachi Life Wiki. (2014). Tomodachi Collection. Available: http://tomodachi.wikia.com/wiki/Tomodachi_Collection. Last accessed 9th May 2018.

15. Tomodachi Life Wiki. (2014). Tomodachi (Series). Available: http://tomodachi.wikia.com/wiki/Tomodachi_(Series). Last accessed 9th May 2018.

The Sims’ Worth Of Being Mobilised Lives On In The Sims Mobile

Sul sul once again, fellow gamers! One month ago, The Sims Mobile eventually became a worldwide life-simulating freebie after settling in Brazil, Spain and Australia [12]. Many simmers who got into it must have enjoyed partying at those splendid parties, buying new clothes for their sims, witnessing a small variety of relationships and watching the results of a risky action during an event [2] [12]. And yes, during one of the special events in the market square, they got to listen to an awesome simlish rock song. It is an example of a passable spin-off of The Sims franchise with convincing graphics and precise life-simulation gameplay [2]. The Sims Mobile, the supposed lovechild of The Sims Social and The Sims FreePlay has shown us how The Sims for mobile devices has evolved since the port of The Sims 2 for 2G and 3G mobile phones from 2006 [5] [11].

The Sims Mobile loading screen. [2]

My female sim singing a simlish rock song. [2]

A sim can eventually retire once the player’s experience reaches Level 16 [2]. The best time to retire a sim would be if a simmer gets tired of the option to do so being occasionally shoved in their face. Once a sim is ready to retire and no longer be playable after becoming an elder, he or she will leave a glorious box behind [2]. While it is heart-breaking to no longer be able to play as a sim who retired, at least enabling the retirement at any time will reward the player with an Heirloom that was in the box. If a simmer suddenly regrets retiring their beloved sim, the replacement can always be a clone of the retired sim instead of a fully grown offspring. Repeating the cycle can help the player expand their MySims character cameo collection, along with the variety of personality traits that the next playable sims can have [2]. Every cloud has a silver lining.

My female sim elaborates on the positive aspects of retiring the first generation of sims. [2]

My female sim elaborates on the positive aspects of retiring the first generation of sims. [2]

Holy smokes Ratticator! A box that contains an Heirloom can be given to the player if an elderly sim passes away in the eariler version of The Sims Mobile [6]. If an elderly sim’s life has not really been that fulfilling, he or she would simply shrug it off and move on in a cheery deposition, compared to how an elderly sim will desperately try and turn the Grim Reaper’s hourglass when their time is up and their aspiration meter is low in The Sims 2. Letting an elderly sim pass away in The Sims Mobile would at least add to the form of realism that The Sims has progressed since the Sims 2 era [6] [8]. Perhaps in a future update, there could be another way of earning Heirlooms that can make the progress of catching them all slightly more progressive, especially for those who would like to see how many MySims characters are in the app as cool cameos. Looks like the Grim Reaper will always be essential in The Sims, whether he did woohoo with another sim or not [8] [9].

If an elderly sim’s life has been fantastically fulfilling, the best character development of the Grim Reaper will be shown in an earlier version of the app. [6]

The way of earning an Heirloom might have been changed in a previous update of the app, which is why my elderly sims are still alive, unless there will eventually be a sign of their upcoming deaths in the current version. [2]

Again, trying to complete any of the twenty-nine stories is rather time-consuming. Despite this, at least a story’s progress that has been completed by a retired sim shall remain completed, even if a new sim within the new generation is repeating it as they follow the retired sim’s footsteps [2]. The green closed book icon that indicates a completed story is further proof and stays there after the next generation of sims arrives of the small form of challenge being at least fair for our fellow simmers. Maybe in a future update, there might be a new unique hobby, career or relationship story that will keep the aspect of developing a story fresh. There will always be a chance to fully complete a story, as long as the player allows the generation cycle to gradually continue in The Sims Mobile, even though the option to make a playable sim grow into a non-playable elder is optional.

One of the relationship chapters was completed by the previous generation of my sims before they retired. [2]

If you thought the price for a third playable sim was too big, the price for a fourth playable sim is even more outrageous [2]. 515 Simcash dollars! Despite the more expensive price for a fourth household member, it should not be a big deal for those who are okay with only playing as two sims and those who have waited long enough to get 175 Simcash dollars without spending any real-life currency for a third playable sim. The earned SimCash can always be spent on rushing events, household items, and stylish clothes if a player does not want to go through another period of patience that would be even longer. Alternatively, there’s always the option to get enough SimCash more efficiently by paying with real-life credit. In the United Kingdom, £9.99 for 600 Simcash dollars is a pretty decent deal [2]. Ultimately, it is up to the player if they would like more than two sims in their household.

515 Simcash dollars for a fourth playable sim. Really? [2]

Aside from the Freezer Bunny and the Social Bunny from the main Sims games [7] [10], there are cute pink bunny stickers that expand on The Sims Mobile’s cred [2]. Believe it or not, giving a sticker to at least three sims with a blue plumbob above each of them is on every single daily to do list. At least it would be worth it for two Fashion Gems if a simmer would like a new quirky clothing item from Izzy. Giving out stickers to other sims seems to be another sign of the app’s individuality, as well as a sign of the Freezer Bunny’s legacy [7]. New bunny stickers with different expressions and attire will come out about every week or so, which might make some simmers think that they could be the Sims equivalent of emojis [2]. The quirky stickers that resemble cute pink rabbits with a variety of expressions and attire might perk up the simmers who got annoyed at their furniture suddenly breaking.

Here you go, sweetcheeks. Have a bunny sticker! [2]

The app may still occasionally show off some goofs, such as a smartphone being stuck to a sim’s hand [2]. At least the bodies of the sims in a hot tub do not stretch across the household in my data anymore. That glitch might not have been good news for some people with photosensitive epilepsy. There are some moments when the two sims who are actually in a romantic relationship will actually woohoo together. Aside from the annoying hot tub time glitch being officially wiped out, one time in my data, the second generation’s toddler was completely invisible while being babysat by my third playable sim. The cute little rascal must have been pretending to be a friendly ghost or something. With hope and diligence, the developers of the app can ensure that the game will remain less glitchy for our fellow simmers. But nevertheless, since only a few silly glitches do not make a game unplayable, the gameplay remains untainted [2].

An invisible toddler being babysat by a third playable sim. [2]

A perfect woohoo scene, Much better than the boring standing up woohoo in The Sims FreePlay. [2]

Overall, for the rest of 2018, plenty of our fellow simmers may still go with the non-linear flow in the newest spin-off of The Sims. With the option to link the data with a Facebook account and check out the sims created by Facebook friends, The Sims Mobile is sure to be known as the spiritual successor of The Sims Social. Some mobile gamers out there might be thinking that The Sims FreePlay is so last lustrum, but it still seems quite relevant for its players with update after update, along with a new logo that replaced that original one in 2015 [1] [3] [4]. The same may apply for The Sims Mobile a few years later, as long as there will be updates that will add slight improvements and new aspects in order to prevent the app’s legacy from going stale. Dag dag…until I write again, gamers.

And this concludes another article. [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. (2011). The Sims™ FreePlay. Available: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-sims-freeplay/id466965151?mt=8. Last accessed 4th Apr 2018.
4. Logopedia. (2012). The Sims FreePlay. Available: http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sims_FreePlay. Last accessed 9th Apr 2018.
5. mobilearcade. (2009). The Sims 2 by EA Mobile - Free Mobile Game Demo. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egple1udy5o. Last accessed 4th Apr 2018.
6. Sims Community. (2017). Death in The Sims Mobile. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGYJFPv51-c. Last accessed 5th Apr 2018.
7. The Sims Wiki. (2010). Freezer Bunny. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Freezer_Bunny. Last accessed 4th Apr 2018.
8. The Sims Wiki. (2009). Grim Reaper. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Grim_Reaper. Last accessed 5th Apr 2018.
9. The Sims Wiki. (2009). Olive Specter. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Olive_Specter. Last accessed 8th Apr 2018.
10. The Sims Wiki. (2009). Social Bunny. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Social_Bunny. Last accessed 4th Apr 2018.
11. The Sims Wiki. (2009). The Sims 2 (mobile). Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sims_2_(mobile). Last accessed 4th Apr 2018.
12. The Sims Wiki. (2017). The Sims Mobile. Available: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sims_Mobile. Last accessed 4th Apr 2018.