MySims Party (Wii, Nintendo DS)

The newest addition to Electronic Arts' MySims franchise, a line of games based on the popular Sims series but tailored for kids, is a traditional party game featuring 50 mini-games and support for up to four players to compete together at the same time and in the same room. MYSIMS PARTY's story puts players in the shoes of a customizable character who has just arrived in town. The locals urge us to attend the village's famous festivals, each of which consists of a variety of short games, such as collecting paper, watering plants, and riding pigs. If the player performs well in these games he or she will unlock a variety items, including new characters, town monuments, and building supplies used to customize the player's home. Outside of the story mode players can play each mini-game on its own and check out how their scores stack up against those of other players around the world.

MySims Party's unlockables and customization options makes it feel a little bit deeper than most party games. And, unlike many games in the genre, most of the activities players engage in don't feel like blatant imitations of mini-games found in other titles.

Unfortunately, many of these games do feel like imitations of other mini-games in MySims Party. For example, one game sees players dashing to grab a plate of food desired by a hungry eater, while another has them picking out the proper item from a shelf for a fickle shopper, while yet another involves choosing the proper color of ice cream to scoop into a cone. All three have the same basic objective. Plus, the rules of some games aren't immediately clear. We weren't, for example, able to figure out why we lost a point each time we tried to give the fickle shopper mentioned above the yellow kitten the thought bubble above her head indicated she desired.

Still, most of the mini-games are enjoyable and easy to learn. MySims Party doesn't break much new ground, but young party game fans ought to enjoy it.