All this fits together fairly seamlessly as the gamer plays – but there are some problems. Interacting with the other Urbz is just not that interesting. They have the personality of a door knob. Way too much of the player’s reputation rests on just owning the right clothes rather than in choices made during interaction. That seems rather shallow to me. The game also holds the player’s hand a little too much and actually outright tells the player what he needs to do to succeed. In the end there are just not enough player options. It becomes way more scripted than this type of game should be.

So, while The Urbz: Sims in the City has its moments and boasts high production values, the core gameplay just never really rises to the occasion. I’m now left wondering what is next for the Sims. Perhaps a “Desparate Housewives” spinoff called The Suburbz?



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