The Urbz: Sims in the City First Look

Electronic Arts and Maxis have announced yet another title in its latest Sims offering on consoles, The Urbz. While the title is already slated to ship on the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, you can now add Nintendo DS to the lengthy list. The original game will draw on some core elements of the Game Boy Advance game, but it has a host of one-of-a-kind features designed to offer a unique experience. We talked to the fine folk at Maxis to get a sense of what to expect from the game, which is being developed in conjunction with Seattle-based Griptonite Games, who have proven their skills in the Sims franchise with last year's Sims Bustin' Out for the Game Boy Advance and this year's Urbz game for the GBA.

Get the first details about The Urbz for the Nintendo DS in our exclusive developer interview. Click "stream" for a larger view.

The basic structure of The Urbz's DS experience will be similar to the Game Boy Advance title in that you'll take direct control of your very own Sim and set out to build up your reputation. The premise finds you attempting to thwart Daddy Bigbucks, who is intent on taking over the city of Miniopolis. The game places less emphasis on the standard Sim needs, such as hygiene, and lets you focus more on living your virtual life and boosting your reputation. In fact, it will be possible to earn special motives, such as insomnia, that let your Sim pretty much go without sleep. Your daily life is filled with events and various tasks that will have you interacting with the denizens of the neighborhood and collecting all kinds of stuff. In the material sense, you'll find new objects, including a sensory-deprivation tank and a personal skydiving machine.

The DS will feature its own unique set of objects above and beyond the main set seen in the GBA game, bringing the tally of objects up to over 140. The DS game will also offer more "xizzles," power-ups you'll earn in exchange for beads. You'll get the power-ups from Darius, a character from the console version of The Urbz, who is arguably the hardest- working character in games, thanks to his appearance in the DS and GBA games.

When you need a change of pace, the DS game will provide more than its fair share of minigames, thanks to five more minigames than those seen in the upcoming GBA game. The DS exclusive games will take advantage of the unit's touch screen and will feature some unique twists. In another nod to the DS' abilities, the minigames will support the hardware's wireless functionality to let you take on your friends.

The list of DS-exclusive features doesn't end there though. You can plan on meeting up with seven characters, discovering eight new species of pets, and getting a brand-new mission that revolves around a brand-spanking-new area, the intriguing Splicer Island. The game will also make use of a revamped interface that will use the touch screen by incorporating the menus in your Urb's PDA (the accessory to have for any discerning Urb) and it will keep you immersed in the game's unique world.

From the sound of it, The Urbz DS adventure is shaping up to be a feature-rich and engaging title that should have its own unique take on the whole Urbz experience. Maxis and Griptonite's creative approach toward the portable incarnations of the Sims series have had a fresh approach that has worked nicely in the past. The Urbz DS is currently slated to be one of the launch titles for the Nintendo DS, which is expected to ship this year. Look for more on the game in the coming months.