The Sims Bustin' Out (console)

The Sims Bustin' Out is the second title in The Sims console series. This version of Bustin' Out was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and the N-Gage.

As the title suggests, Sims can get out of the house to visit other locations such as Shiny Things Lab or Casa Caliente, but only in Bust Out Mode, also known as Continue. This option is not available in Freeplay Mode. There are two modes. Bust Out Mode which has mission based gameplay and Freeplay Mode which is open-ended gameplay very much like the original The Sims PC game. The PlayStation 2 version also features the option to play online, though EA no longer supports it as of August 15, 2008.

Gameplay
In the console version, Malcolm Landgraab is going around the neighborhood, repossessing items in return for unpaid rent. The player's objective is to complete each career track, unlock and buy back everyone's possessions, and evict Malcolm from his mansion and move their own Sim in.

The Sims Bustin' Out's game mechanics are very similar to that of the first Sims game for the home consoles. The player travels to different locations, earning promotions, friends and skills as they progress through the game until they reach the final home.

The player is free to customize any of the houses as they see fit; this has no penalty unless the player's Sim leaves the house with a value less than its value when they got there. For instance, if the player's Sim arrived at a lot that's worth §20,000 and moved out of the house while leaving it with a value of §15,000, the owner of the house will take §5,000 from them as they depart. However, if the player raises the value of a house while the Sim is living there, the owner will give them a sum of money when they move out.

Every Sim has eight needs to fill as they progress in the adventure. These are; Hunger, Social, Fun, Comfort, Hygiene, Bladder, Environment and Energy. These affect the player's Sim's mood. If a Sim leaves to work in a good mood their chances of promotion are higher (as long as they have the required skills and friends). If a Sim goes to work in a bad mood they will not get a promotion (even if he/she has all the required skills and friends). Being in a bad mood has other disadvantages, as they will refuse to raise skills and they will not be able to use some of the nicer social interactions (as this depends on how bad their mood really is). Similarly, being in a bad mood when interacting with other Sims enables them to use unfriendly interactions such as "Tease" or "Brag about money". Being in a good mood can be both a bad and good thing. If the Sim, for example, has two lovers and he/she hugs or kisses with one of them then their other lover will throw a fit and go off at the treated lover. But in most cases being in good moods will allow proper romantic interactions such as kissing and doing it in fancy ways like doing it in a French way and doing it romantically. It will increase chances at getting promoted, getting friends easier (regardless of personality), and getting skill points. (Note: the easiest way of keeping sims in good moods is to get the cheat gnome and using the "Raise all Motives cheat) (But this can also be a damper: the player will have to continuously control the Sims until they have low enough motives to control themselves).

Once the player completes the game or their profile (based on the game system they use), the player has the decision of moving into Malcolm's Mansion and staying there OR moving into another lot, such as Pixel Acres or Dudley's Trailer (for example). If they choose to move to a lot where they can still play as the current residents (Pixel Acres, Tinsel Bluffs, The Octagon) they may have to play as them continuously (unless the cheat gnome has been activated).

Lots
The Sims Bustin' Out contains several unique lots for the player to explore.


 * Mom's House
 * Dudley's Trailer
 * Mimi's Place
 * Goth Manor
 * Studio 8
 * Toane's Gym
 * Casa Caliente
 * Club Rubb


 * Shiny Things Labs
 * The Octagon
 * Pixel Acres
 * Tinsel Bluffs
 * Malcolm's Mansion
 * 1 Free Street
 * 2 Free Street
 * 3 Free Street

Sims
The "returning" and new Sims from The Sims Bustin' Out.


 * Mom
 * Malcolm Landgraab
 * Mimi Landgraab
 * Dudley Landgraab
 * Mortimer Goth
 * Bella Goth
 * Artie Fischl
 * Charity Grant
 * Max Toane
 * Goldie Toane
 * Bing Bling


 * Mona Lott
 * Randy Hart
 * Paisley Rainbow
 * Vaughn Braun
 * Makino Nada
 * Humphrey Hawks
 * Fanny Adore
 * General Payne
 * Maxine Powers
 * Chase Skurtz
 * Ying Yangst


 * Ginger Frutti
 * Debbie Frutti
 * Candi Frutti
 * Pamela Frutti
 * Peter Tutti
 * Rod Tutti
 * Woody Tutti
 * Ziggy Tutti
 * Freddy the Pizza Guy
 * Gardener Gloria
 * Brigit the Maid

Careers
The Sims Bustin' Out has several careers, some are carried over from the previous games, some are left out and some would go on to appear in later games.
 * Counter Culture
 * Fashion Victim
 * Gangster
 * Jock
 * Mad Scientist
 * Movie Star
 * Paramilitary

Freeplay Only Careers

 * Artist
 * Computer Geek
 * Rock Star
 * Slacker
 * Swindler

Console Specific Exclusives
Each version of this game has exclusive features not found on other platforms.
 * The PlayStation 2 version featured a free online play component called "Online Weekend", which was highly similar to The Sims Online. It was shut down on August 1, 2008, along with The Sims Online.
 * The Gamecube version features support for the GBA link cable, and when connected via link cable to the GBA version of the game, both the GBA and GC versions will unlock special exclusive features. (These can still be obtained on other platforms with use of a device such as Code Breaker or Gameshark.)
 * The Xbox version was one of the few games to fully support the Xbox HD Cable. This game's sequel, The Urbz: Sims in the City, also featured support for this cable, though only the NTSC Xbox can support HD video output.

Trivia

 * Some of the objects in The Sims Bustin' Out, such as the NuMica Folding Card Table, are 3D recreations of objects in The Sims for PC.
 * The Sims Bustin' Out, along with The Sims for console, The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, are the only games in the series where Sims can get out of a pool without using a ladder, unless there is something surrounding the pool (a rose bush, sofa, light, anything large, etc.)
 * In The Sims 2, The Sims Bustin' Out is a purchasable video game, which Sims could play.
 * This game is one of the only games on the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube that fully requires a memory card to play. Even removing the card for a split second will pause the game and force the player to insert the card to continue. The Xbox console has an internal hard drive which cannot be removed, and game saves are stored there. Likewise, playing two-player in the Story mode will require memory cards for both players.
 * The PlayStation 2 version featured an exclusive Online Play mode that was similar to The Sims Online. It was called "Online Weekend" and ran from 2004-2008. It was shut down due to inactivity and is no longer accessible.
 * This game is the first game in the Sims series to not be released on PC. The others are The Urbz: Sims in the City and The Sims 2 Apartment Pets, which all were console exclusive, as it also released for Gameboy Advance.
 * 2-Player support was different in this game than in The Sims and later games after The Sims Bustin' Out. Normally, the player would simply drop in and play on the others. However, in The Sims Bustin' Out, the second player will arrive on a bus from their memory card. A large chest appears outside of the current game lot, and contains all the money from player 2's game. Player 1 can also donate money, and when the player saves, it saves to both cards(unless the Xbox edition is used then it saves to both profiles, also known as "Sim")
 * The default free play family names Tutti and Frutti could be a reference to the song Tutti Frutti by Little Richard.
 * This is one of the only Sims games that doesn't allow the players to build their own house. As the title of the game states, the players crash and move out of other people's houses instead of living in their own (But, you can make your Sim act like they live there by making current residents stay at work by visiting other houses while by-passing the end-of-time shifts by also completing any uncompleted goals).
 * However, the player can build their own house in Freeplay mode.
 * During the start of the game, Malcolm Landgraab comes across as a cruel Sim, stealing everybody's possessions. However, it is possible for the player's Sim to get along and befriend him despite all of this. It is also possible for other Sims to like him.
 * Once the player's Sim reaches the top of a career ladder (such as Movie Star, Fashion Victim, etc.), the players will get a different ending compared to another end of a career.
 * The Octagon is the fictional version of The Pentagon.
 * Most career paths in this game don't appear in any other Sims game. Some examples being Gangster (similar to Criminal), Paramilitary (similar to Military) and Jock (similar to sports).
 * There are a total of ten ownable cars, only one of which reappeared in a later game in the series—the SpritzenFunken, which appeared in The Sims 3 as the Bwan Speedster YL.
 * The Sims Bustin' Out only took an impressive six months to develop.
 * The sound effect that plays once you've completed a goal is the exact same sound that is heard when booting up a computer in The Sims 3.
 * Using Debug Tools you can find a sim named NULL II which is nowhere in the game.

Gallery
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