EA Sends The Sims Bowling and DJing

By Nick Mokey Published October 24, 2007

EA Sends The Sims Bowling and DJing

Further stretching the Sims franchise well past is original premise, Electronic Arts announced two new Sims titles on Wednesday, based on bowling and making music. The Sims Bowling and The Sims DJ, both developed for mobile phones, will retain a shred of Sims DNA by allowing players to step into the shoes of either a bowler or DJ and play through their careers.

The Sims Bowling is designed for one-button play, so players are able to adjust the spin and power of the ball while it’s on the lane. Four different game modes – Classic, Strike-o-Thon, Spare-o-Thon and Online Derby – mix up the goals. Online Derby allows up to four players to connect through their mobile networks and compete head to head.

Recommended Videos

In The Sims DJ, players will take on the role of a DJ for virtual dance parties in Pleasantville, endeavoring to best match their music to club-goers’ tastes. They’ll be able to create their own tracks in the pop, rock, hip hop and dance genres, and blend them with prerecorded tracks. To inject a bit of role-playing into the game, players will have to earn Simoleons to spend on new equipment and music.

The Sims Bowling is available now on select wireless carriers for $6.99, while The Sims DJ is slated for a December release.

Editor in Chief

As Digital Trends’ Editor in Chief, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team covering every gadget under the sun, along with…

Gaming

Wii cult classic MySims feels right at home on Nintendo Switch

A house is customized in MySims: Cozy Bundle.

Last weekend, I was at a wedding when I struck up a conversation with a stranger. When she asked what I did for work and I mentioned I wrote about video games for a living, she was eager to tell me about her favorite games. A personal favorite of hers that I wasn’t expecting to hear? MySims. The somewhat obscure spinoff had a short life in the Nintendo Wii era, delivering a more approachable Sims experience built for casual audiences.

Lucky for my new wedding pal, MySims is making a surprise comeback this year with MySims: Cozy Bundle. The re-release packages up both the original MySims and the fantasy-driven MySims Kingdom with a few modern touches. I went hands-on with the package at a Nintendo holiday preview event, where I got a taste of how these cult classics have been reimagined for Nintendo Switch. Though not much has changed, there are two welcome -- and much needed -- adjustments that fans will appreciate.

Gaming

Project Rene isn’t going to be a proper The Sims 5

Two Sims standing in front of a blue background. One is gifting a present to the other.

Electronic Arts just made a game-changing revelation: Project Rene, long thought to be The Sims 5, won't be a linear sequel to the wildly successful and long-running The Sims 4. The publisher is moving away from sequential releases and will focus instead on expanding the franchise to other games, genres, and platforms.

In a blog post published Tuesday, EA said Project Rene development is "focused on building ways for friends to meet, connect, and share while playing together in an all-new world." This could imply that EA Maxis is testing multiplayer for the first time since The Sims Online, an MMO from 2002 that never reached the heights of its competitors. It also announced that an invite-only, multiplayer-based playtest will be happening this fall through The Sims Labs program.

Gaming

Xbox Game Pass in September is all about sims, strategy, and star truckers

Key art for Age of Mythology: Retold.

If you like sims, strategy games, or driving various vehicles, you're in luck with Xbox Game Pass in September. Xbox announced the games coming to its subscription service in the first half of the month, and it includes a seemingly random, smaller list of releases that hones in on a couple of specific player types.

The big addition from an Xbox perspective is Age of Mythology: Retold, which is hitting the platform at launch on September 4. The real-time strategy game is published by Xbox Game Studios, so it's of course making a day-one appearance. It's developed in part by World's Edge, the makers behind the Age of Empires series, but instead of real-world armies, you'll pit mythological figures against each other.