It's kinda like using virtual Legos or an Erector Set, only with that obvious Nintendo, cartoonish twist. When MySims launches this fall, exclusively for Nintendo's Wii and the DS, Electronic Arts will try to grow itself a wider audience by literally trying to build on the popularity of the Sims franchise.
"It's a game where you actually can pick up and place blocks from the houses to the furniture to other objects in the game," MySims lead designer Robin Hunicke said.
"So what you're going to be doing is you're going to be going around socializing with Sims, finding out what they need what's missing from the town, what they'd like to see and then you go around and you collect things from the world. For example, you may pick up some apples or black roses you'll find or dig up in the space. Then you go to your workshop where you can build objects and you can exchange them with the Sims to help them be happier and the town will grow," he continued.
The storyline, you, a master crafts-person is brought in to help revitalize a once vibrant town that's fallen on some hard times. With the Wii version, you'll use that motion sensitive remote to fish, dig, and shake around town in search of supplies. You also use it as a tool while building.
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Sims on Nintendo
Nintendo is bringing the popular Sims franchise to the Wii console and their handheld DS system.
 
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"You pick up the Wii remote, you can wand over a block, press "A" to pick it up. It gets stuck on your cursor, so no matter what you do you're safe. Then you bring it over to the platform and hit "A" again to drop it down," Hunicke said. "You'll be building everything from simple chairs and basic tables; you might build a hot tub; you might make a bed that you creatively decide to shape like a rocket; you may even decide to build a pirate ship. You can really build exactly what you want, so you see that ghosted image of the chair, you start off by satisfying that. You go, "OK, I'll fill that in and I'll see what it looks like." But then you really do want to color outside the lines. It's up to you. The whole point of this game is that you're the designer."
And like other Sims titles, the point is just to be a part of the world. You never really win or beat the game.
MySims launches September 5. Pricing has not yet been set.
