The Sims Bustin' Out (handheld)

The Sims Bustin' Out for Game Boy Advance
Box art for The Sims Bustin' Out for Game Boy Advance
Development
Developer(s)	Maxis
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Ratings	ESRB: E (GBA) T (N-Gage) ACB: G PEGI: 3+
Series	The Sims
Release date(s)	GBA NA December 2, 2003 PAL December 19, 2003 N-Gage NA May 12, 2004 PAL May 10, 2004
Technical information
Platform(s)	N-Gage, GBA
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Game features
Genres	Life simulation

For the console version, see The Sims Bustin' Out (console).

The Sims Bustin' Out is the first title in The Sims handheld series. This version of Bustin' Out was released for the Game Boy Advance and the N-Gage in the fourth quarter of 2003. As the title suggests, Sims can get out of the house to visit other locations. Unlike most other games in the series, this game isn't a life-simulation; it's now an adventure game. The handheld version of The Urbz: Sims in the City serves as its sequel.

Gameplay

The Game Boy Advance version puts the player's Sim in a place called "SimValley" for summer holiday. Like the console version, GBA version gameplay is objective-based - every time the player completes a series of tasks, the game is allowed to progress. In this game, there are no furnishing objects to unlock. Instead, the player must complete all tasks to unlock new houses .

Deviating from the "point-and-click" selection process heretofore used in most Sims titles, this version allows the user to control their Sim directly, using the GBA's directional pad.

There are various locations Sims may visit throughout the course of the game. As Sims advance through the game, new areas become accessible, and new mini-games may be unlocked in certain areas.

Lots

• Hayseed Farm
• The Barn
• Uncle Hayseed's House
• Burning Spoke Biker Bar
• General Store
• Imperial Estates
• Haunted Shack
• Clock Tower
• Flex-Dome Fitness Center
• Cheatum and Howe's Retail
• Fish-n-Chips
• Boat Docks
• Dockside Diner
• SimValley Jail
• Pet Pals Animal Shelter
• Waterfront Villa
• SimValley General Hospital
• VirtuChem Labs
• Public Library
• Country Café
• Club Rubb
• Dr. Turing Memorial Park
• The Turing Labyrinth
• Nicki Knacks' Bric-A-Brac
• Someshine Sands Beach
• Paradise Island

Characters

The Sims Bustin' Out for handheld features a wide variety of characters, whom the player may improve their relationship with by choosing the correct dialogue.

Signature NPCs

These are major characters who play an important role in the story. They cannot be your roommates.

• Bucki Brock
• Chet R. Chase
• Daddy Bigbucks
• Det. Dan D. Mann
• Dusty Hogg
• Eddie Renalin
• Ephram Earl
• Giuseppi Mezzoalto
• Mad Willie Hurtzya
• Misty Waters
• Nicki Knack
• O. Phil McClean
• Olde Salty
• Uncle Hayseed

Roommate NPCs

These characters are less important to the overall narrative, however they are still fully interactable and can become roommates with your Sim.

• Claire Clutterbell
• Daschell Swank
• Duane Doldrum
• Hester Primm
• Lottie Cash
• Maximilian Moore
• Mel Odious
• Nora Zeal-Ott
• Vera Vex
• Vernon Peeve

Shopkeeper NPCs

• Heidi Shadows

Create-a-Sim

Create-a-Sim opens onto the Name Your Sim screen, which presents the player with a keyboard which can be used to enter their Sim's name. This name must be eight characters or less.

Once a name has been chosen, one is able to customise their Sim's Appearance. This includes: Gender, Skin Tone, Hair Style, Hair Color, Shirt Color, Pants/Skirt Color, and Shoes color. Pants are limited to men, whilst Skirts are limited to women. The number of choices available for each option are minimal, most noticeably with Skin Tone, which only presents the player with three choices.

After this, the player decides on their Sim's personality. This is done in the same way as The Sims, with the player allocating 25 personality points between 5 different traits (Neat, Outgoing, Active, Playful, and Nice), all of which allow for a maximum of 10 points to be assigned to them. 

The personality that a player gives their Sim will determine how well they get along with the various Sims around them, as a Sim conversing with an NPC of a compatible personality will receive one or two bonus points when performing a positive interaction. 

Your Sim's zodiac sign can be chosen on the Personality page. It is independent of the personality you give your Sim, and its only use in-game is in determining which secret Zodiac items appear to your character. Other Zodiac items can only be attained via Gamelinking with a friend whose Sim has a different Zodiac sign, and trading via auction.

Create-A-Sim Images

• 

  The Name Your Sim screen.

• 

  The main Create-A-Sim screen.

• 

  The Personality Screen.

Gameplay differences

PC vs. Handheld

• There is no death; every time a Sim "passes out", a genie will come and send them to the hospital (Hayseed Farm in the first two stages)
  • Sims can pass out through:
    • Drowning
    • Letting the hunger need drop too low
    • Getting electrocuted from an unsuccessful repair attempt
    • Standing close to fire for too long
    • Running into the Veloci-Rooster
    • Getting knocked out by Mad Willie Hurtzya, a boxer, in the boxing ring, or by Dusty Hogg or Eddie Renalin.
    • Getting possessed by the ghost of Ephram Earl.
    • Being eaten by a venus flytrap.
• There is no description for skills in game.
• There is no room motive. It's replaced by the homesick motive. The motive replenishes by staying at home and depletes by leaving home.
  • The homesick motive cannot be restored by a potion bought from VirtuChem Labs.
• The job system involves mini games.
• There are no time control settings (aside from sleeping).
• There is no Buy mode or Build mode; objects have to be bought straight from the store.
• There is no repo-man.
• It is possible to partially pay off bills, so that the rest can be paid later.
• Weather exists in the game, unlike the PC version.

GBA vs. N-Gage

• The player always carries a Nokia handphone in the N-Gage version. The handphone is absent in the GBA version.
  • The player would also have to find several SIM cards scattered in SimValley to unlock the handphone's games.
• The dart game is only playable in the N-Gage version.
• There are differences in connection destination using the computer in the library.
• Making calls using the public telephone costs 10 Simoleons in the N-Gage version while it costs only one Simoleon in the GBA version.
• The jingle played when a goal is completed is different for both versions.

Controls

• Arrows: to move or select
• A: accept
• B: exit; press while walking to run
• L and R: to rotate the orientation of an item, to change the colors of furniture (this only applies to some); to change menu choices
• Start: Shows your goals, personality, items, etc.
• Select: Menu

See also

• The Sims
• The Sims Bustin' Out on console
• The Urbz: Sims in the City on handheld
• The Sims 2

Gallery

• 

  GBA Box art

• 

  N-Gage Box art