SimAnimals Africa (Wii) – Review

A WiiNintendo game review by hattrick.

Game – SimAnimals Africa
Version – Wii (also available on DS)
Obtained – From EA (review copy)

Introduction
Like SimAnimals Africa for DS, this simulation game takes place in the plateaus and plains of Africa. Unlike the DS version, this one gives you a bit more storyline. You find out that the good energy of Africa is leaving, but you can help it come back. In order to do that, you must befriend the animals and use them to bring life back to their home.  In each area of Africa, you will be greeted by an animal totem or two that guides you through the necessities of that particular region.  For instance, the zebra totem is in the Zecora Valley.  It is also important to note that this game requires 121 blocks of memory to save, so make sure you have room on your Wii internal memory.  I had to move stuff over to an SD card before I could play.  For more info on the game and some gameplay video, please check below this written review.

Gameplay
As you can probably assume, this is a simulation game, similar to SimCity. While you are not required to create water lines and supply electricity to city blocks, you are asked to keep order in the African continent.  Each animal has areas you must look out for – relationship, food, drink, strength, charm, etc.  However, the animals will eat, drink, play, and hunt on their own.  So, you do not have to feel as if you are keeping an eye on 100 animals at a time.  EA has also added some extra adventure-type gameplay in this version due to controlling the animals, which is usually quite fun. While it can get annoying walking around the plains looking for areas to dig with the hippo, it is rather enjoyable to hunt zebra with the lion.  The also did not stop there, as they have added a mini-game in for each animal.  Even though these are quite easy, they do serve their purpose by increasing your animals’ levels. It is important to realize how easy it is to unlock and move to additional areas, so you do not have to stay in one region for hours before moving on.

Controls
SimAnimals Africa uses every bit of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in its control scheme. In fact, there is not one button that you do not use. In addition, you will also use motion controls to pet and play games with animals.  The IR pointer-control is also used to scan the land, move an animal, plant a tree, and various other actions.  All in all, I believe the game controls great.  There is a slight learning curve as you remember what each button does, but you are bound to get the hang of it after a while.  Each animal has a talent, and after you befriend that animal, you can control it and use its talent.  For instance, the zebra can kick, which is used to knock fruit out of a tree.  The elephant can squirt water from its trunk, allowing it to water plants and fill dried up ponds. Using an animals talent is as easy as pressing the A button.  Animal mini-games are also rather easy. To play ring-toss with an elephant, you simply press the A button and swing the Wii Remote, and to play a flower-catching game with hippos and lion, you simply swing the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as if you are banging a drum.  While they might be a bit tough at first to remember what each button does, I applaud EA for utilizing the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to its fullest.

Visuals
While this game is meant mainly for children, I still do not understand why EA did not put as much polish as they did on Spore Hero or even MySims Agents. While the look of the game definitely makes you feel like you are in Africa, especially with the menu system, some of the graphics are not as pretty as they could be.  Some of the animals look great (the elephants), but others (the lions) look like the DS version or from an N64 or Gamecube game. The same goes for the environment. While the waterfalls and some trees look great, other times, I had a hard time knowing if an area was a small pond or a dark patch of dirt.  At times, some animals look as if their legs are disappearing into the ground.  Small glitches like this might have been normal for 3D games on the N64, but I am surprised on the lack of polish.

Sound
The sound and music of SimAnimals Africa are spot-on. In fact, EA knew the music was so great, they created a sound track for the game available on their website. It has a very African feel to everything, and the animals sound similar to their real-life counterparts.  In fact, I believe the sound element is probably the best part of this game.

Concluding Overall Impressions
SimAnimals Africa for Wii is definitely more of an experience than its DS counterpart. Additionally, it is a much longer game, as I have only 15% unlocked so far. It is not the prettiest game on the Wii, by any means, but it could be enjoyable for some.  While I was not engrossed by this game, those who like simulation games might be swept away for hours.  But please note, this game is not difficult, and it definitely created for children.

FINAL SCORE: 3 out of 5

*Please check out for my review of SimAnimals Africa for DS by clicking here.

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