EA has worked hard to combine the customisation options that have become synonymous with other Sims games with fun mini-games in MySims Party. The result is a fun party game that will appeal to younger players both in its pick-up-and-play simplicity and vibrant art style.

When you start the game two modes will be available, Dream Festival mode and Mini-Game mode, but Ranking mode will soon be unlocked too. Dream Festival Mode is where the real meat of the game lies, but Mini-Game mode is also great because it offers the option to play all the mini-games that are available in Dream Festival Mode. Ranking Mode enables MySims players to compare their local, national and worldwide results from both the game modes.

When you begin Dream Festival mode you will be given the chance to name your town and customize your character. You also have the choice to simply select a character from a list, but making your own MySim is much more fun and you can customize to your heart’s content with options ranging from the ordinary to the completely bizarre.

As with the other MySims games, the sky is the limit with customization options – you can select hair and skin colour, eyes and clothes to name but a few before naming your MySim. You can even change the pitch of your MySim’s voice by using a slider bar to make the voice higher or lower.

Once you have successfully created your MySim you will find yourself in your new town. After exploring the town, make your way over to the town square because this is where all the action starts since the game van collects you from here. The Dream Festival Mode consists of a number festivals, twelve to be exact, where players form teams and play mini-games. The highest scoring team wins and receives monuments to place in town as a reward but more about this later.

You will be spoilt for choice with up to 50 mini-games, each one uniquely different from the one before. Complete the mini-games in each festival to unlock the next festival. Up to four players can participate in the mini-games, but you can also choose to play by yourself with three computer players filling in or with two players with two computer players joining in etc.

The mini-games are as varied as they are crazy. You might start with adding toppings to a pizza to match the sample pizza but you will soon be rushing madly around a room collecting paper. Next you may find yourself carrying luggage in Bell Hopscotch before moving onto scooping and serving different flavours of ice cream, participating in a quiz show and racing to water flowers.

Whatever the mini-game might be, each one is preceded by a screen that explains the rules and controls of each game clearly. Each game also uses the Wii Remote in unique ways, sometimes you may need to hold the remote sideways while other times you may need to tilt it or simply point and click.

Generally the mini-games are easy to pick-up-and-play and you will have no problem jumping right in to each one, even though each game is vastly different from the next and features different rules and control methods. This is probably testament to how well the control scheme of the Wii has been implemented in the game, the only exception being the rhythm games. While the ideas behind the rhythm games are solid, the Wii Remote just does not respond that well to these games and it can become frustrating to lose the festivals because of this lack of responsiveness.

Your MySim has four statuses that determine their strength, speed, stamina and luck during the festival games. Remember to keep these in mind when selecting your team, not only is it important to choose the best MySim with the best status requirement for each mini-game, but be aware that the status of your MySim drops after participating in each mini-game. Luckily you can win items to replenish and improve these statuses during surprise card events.

As you progress in the game you will also be able to remodel your house and customize your MySim with the new options that you acquire after winning a festival. You will also be able to place different colourful monuments around town, adding a splash of your personal touch.

One last point I feel I should mention about the mini-games. You may find it very challenging to play against three computer players. Even if you closely monitor your MySims statuses, you may find that your opponents are always mysteriously a step ahead of you, something that is not that peculiar when AI is involved. You can combat this by turning on the handicap settings and lowering the strength of the computer players but just be aware that your scores won’t be recorded if you do this and consequently you won’t unlock anything. The better option would be to play against three friends, it will be more fun and more equal that way!

Overall MySims Party is filled with fun mini-games, upbeat music and vibrant colours, creating a party atmosphere that the younger generation is bound to enjoy. However, the theme and difficulty level of the mini-games make it clear that this game is definitely aimed towards younger players.

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