VenusGaming

A new trailer for SimAnimals was released today:

SimAnimals is a cute little game for the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS. Produced by Electronic Arts Inc. (aka EA), the game is scheduled for release on January 21, 2009.

SimAnimals will offer the following features:

Interact with wild animals: play, pet, and move your fellow creatures about the forest.
Earn the trust, or fear, of creatures based on how you treat them.
Explore and alter the forest to your liking.
Solve various forest challenges.
Help bring harmony, or chaos, to the animals of the forest.
Search and find special secrets.
Play with up to three other people cooperatively.
On the DS, use your mic to be the wind to interact with animals and plants.

SimAnimals will feature creatures such as bears, rabbits, foxes, hedgehogs, crows, deer, robins, badgers, beavers, and more.

Well, SimAnimals certainly seems like a cute idea, if not a bit childlike. Nor is it entirely what I’m used to from the Sim series, at least from what I’m reading. I’d imagine more of a “build your own forest” than an interaction with one that already exists. Anyone remember SimIsle, where you built up a rainforest reserve? Oh, and let’s not forget the glory that was SimFarm.

Of course, there are people already complaining about how you can throw and mistreat animals in this game. Keep in mind, though, you can only do so to a point, and mistreatment of animals results in bad consequences (ala getting bitten or attacked.) Personally, I think that’s far more realistic of an environment than one in which you could mistreat animals and they didn’t respond accordingly. This is SimAnimals, not SimBambi, after all.