EA’s new iteration of the MySims brand distinguishes itself in a number of different ways from its predecessors, MySims Kingdom and MySims Kingdom 2. While the prior two games featured Sims-style gameplay for kids that focused on resource gathering and building to solve puzzles, MySims Agents has taken a decidedly different approach to the Sims formula by focusing on the very things that Chandler describes as being fundamental to American detective fiction, creating relationships with people in order to sort out and allow intrigue to develop and following up on evidence by getting your hands dirty. As a result, solutions tend to make themselves apparent not through careful consideration of clues and piecing together a puzzle but merely by pounding the pavement. Additionally, the game is less interested in presenting a building simulation (as the previous games were) as it is in presenting a world of mystery where persistence, not problem solving, is key to resolving a mystery.
Should you get MySims Agents? Check out this review from PopMatters and decide for yourself (hint, it’s a good game!)