23.3.2015

I'll explain the game, the installation and the bonus features, I hope you will read on:Let's start with me explaining that the sims medieval IS different to the sims. It's like a weird attempt of EA to cross the sims with an RPG (role-playing game) but the results are very different and I believe excellent fun as long as you know what you're getting. Let's start with installation. Installing wasn't an issue with me and my vista 32-bit machine. I actually have had no problems running this game unlike the sims 3 which has been very unstable and requires a more powerful computer than the specs say. This game doesn't tax your computer, so that's a good start.Now onto the game play.Straight away you watch a video voiced by Patrick Stewart which explains the idea of the game. You control one of a number of 'hero' sims who will help make the kingdom great. The sims you control are limited to the king/queen, knight, spy, doctor, blacksmith, bard, wizard, and a peteran and jacobian priest. Each one of these heroes has a specific home in the kingdom and you can only ever play one main sim at a time. But at the start you only have access to the monarch. All these heroes can be either male or female and you can completely customize their looks and choose their clothes similar to the sims 3 but not as detailed.You start with a tutorial to play which introduces the basic gameplay. Your kingdom has a general ambition such as to build as many buildings as possible, have the most skilled heroes, the best educated people, there are many ambitions that get unlocked to play. Each ambition is tied with one kingdom though (like having one neighbourhood per ambition) and to play a different ambition you need to start a new kingdom/neighbourhood.Once you start the game you are given quests, in order to play using a sim you need to choose a quest. There are a set amount of points you begin with in each kingdom and each quest cost you some points (2points, 3 points, etc) This means that you have a limited number of quests you can play, but the fact you are given 50 points to begin with and a quest never costs more than 4 leads to a very long game. (And there is the option to play your kingdom/neighbourhood after completing all quests too)Anyway, so you've started the tutorial quest, you are introduced into everything basic such as how to go about doing things, how you earn xps(experience points) and how to buy things. The tutorial is actually all you need to understand the game and your sim always has their next task listed by their picture on the left so you always know what to do.I won't go into too much detail about the gameplay but as you progress you earn kingdom points, these allow you to buy extra buildings for the kingdom, unlocking other sim heroes such as the doctor or spy.The game is actually a lot of fun. It is different as you have clear goals to carry out, although you can spend a lot of time away from them just socializing,etc. There's a lot to see and do if you are new to the game within the kingdom/neighbourhood and as each quest is completed new characters and features appear.The range of new medieval things to do is very different to the sims 3, although the sims are graphically the same, many animations look cleaner and better and doesn't tax the computer system so much.You can have children in this game and get married, but don't expect much interaction as the kids wander around as much as spouses do. And you can't control anyone but your hero sim, no family control, this game is more about the general goal than typical sim families. This is the one reason I think most people dislike the game, but if you're aware of this you can enjoy the game so much more as this is just a DIFFERENT game. I have to say that sim traits are also different too. Your sims have two main traits and one fatal flaw. This fatal flaw is something that can hold back your sim a little such as a drunk will need alcohol every few hours or he/she'll get sad. There are special quests that can help remove a fatal flaw and replace it with something great...but I won't say which quests as I can't remember their names.(it's in the quest description though).THE BAD:Ok, I've gone on and on about the great features of this game but now here's the bad. The first time I played this game I had no problems. A few months later I had to wipe my pc clean and start again, and on the second installation I ran into trouble with the tutorial. I had problems when it came to the part where you buy something for the throne room. After buying I couldn't click on anything. This meant I had to restart the game again as the tutorial doesn't allow any saving until you've played through it.I DID find a way out though...I bought anything and didn't care about where it was placed, I didn't stay in buy mode a moment longer than I had to and it was fixed...Buy mode was only ever a problem in tutorial mode.The second bad thing is the repetitiveness of the kingdom. The game is replayable so many times with so many different kingdom ambitions but each time you have the same one kingdom/neighbourhood. Imagine the sims 3 but you only ever had access to Sunset Valley...it would get annoying.It's not a bad point for me as I enjoy the different gameplay but for some the lack of family control and the fact that sims only ever have babies then children(no toddler stage) can be a problem for some people. Sims also don't age, again this is because the game is different from the original sims concept.The quests will start to repeat, although most quests have many ways to play them, if you don't get the expansion pack you might feel bored, but again I haven't had such a problem as the number of quests is still huge.BONUS CONTENT: The bonus content in the limited edition involves getting three extra throne rooms and some sim outfits, The in game content is accessible OFFLINE, no need to connect to the internet to download it as you get a code on a paper in the game box which you can redeem when you start the game. The bonus items include jester outfits and executioner outfits that any sim can wear in the game, as well as 3 throne rooms. Rather than the same one there's a sorcerer one, a princess one and a barbarian one which looks a bit Viking to me :) They make starting a new game more fun, just ashame you can't have other buildings with new interiors too.SO:This game is NOT like the sims. Sims are there and they interact in a similar way but don't get this game if you were expecting the sims 3 in a medieval setting. Know that the game is different. But that doesn't mean that this game is at all bad, in fact in my opinion this is great, it's very different and I find a relief sometimes from the sims (especially when I'm running into stability issues with the sims 3). This game will keep you entertained for hours, I actually lost track of the time it's so good. And there's so many new and different things for sims to do that I loved the 'backwards' life, I particularly like the doctor treating patients with leeches.I'd recommend this game to anyone who loves the sims, or anyone who wants to try a new game with a medieval feel. For sim fans just be aware that this is NOT like the sims, it's different and in my opinion it's actually better. No bugs or crashes that plagued the sims 3, a really great game!

7.4.2011

After reading some of the negative reviews criticising the differences between this game and the core sims series, I felt I needed to defend the point that 'different' doesn't have to mean 'bad'.This is NOT just Sims 3 with a historical setting - if you are expecting that then you will be disappointed. Many of the basic gameplay elements are the same (such as how you control your character and interact with the world) and the usual humour is present throughout, but the focus of the game is very different as it has a much more goal-based structure and less 'sandbox' play.Rather than building up an individual sim to a lifetime goal, here you must raise a kingdom to achieve an 'ambition'that you select at the start. While none of these are particularly taxing, they do require different strategies which adds a bit of challenge and variety: You may be asked to maximise the well-being and security of your kingdom, or to annex all of the surrounding kingdoms to create an empire.Your kingdom's progress is measured by four aspects (well-being, security, culture and intellect) each of which have associated benefits (if high) or penalties (if low), and by your renown (fame). Points in these five stats are earned by completing quests, of which you are offered a list to choose from based on the current state of your kingdom: the levels of the four aspects, which buildings have been built, what traits your hero sims have, your relationship with neighbouring kingdoms, etc.Quests are the core of the gameplay, as you can only control your sim(s) while they are on a quest. This is perhaps the hardest change from the normal Sims gameplay to get used to, but it soon becomes another part of the challenge. Different quests require different hero sims, and some have more than one suitable combination and/or more than one 'approach' which adds a lot of replay value to them: When a rival challenges your king to a contest does he go himself or send your knight in his stead? Does the wizard bolster your champion with magic, or does the physician help with potions? ... Or does your spy sabotage the rival with poisons and thievery without anyone knowing?Keeping your sim in a good mood and not taking too long to complete quest objectives increases the final reward you earn from the quest. Alongside this are 'responsibilities' - each day your sim is assigned two tasks 'for the good of the kingdom' that are randomly chosen based on their occupation: A blacksmith may have to produce some armour for one of the city guards, while a physician might need to treat a sick farmer. Completing your responsibilities gives positive mood bonuses while skipping them leaves your sim feeling guilty, and (added on top of quest goals and basic needs like food and sleep) means that you often have to think about the best way to spend your sim's time. Unlike the core sims games and some of the other spin-offs, there is no 'going to work' equivalent and so you have control of your sim for the whole day with the exception of a few 'off-map' actions such as hunting in the forest or sailing.Another key change is that your sims are now created with a specific profession. Each of these professions has various actions that only they can perform (forging armour, casting spells, etc.) and some that are shared (e.g. gathering herbs or catching fish), and these actions reward experience points that level up your hero sims and give them more options. Again, what may seem restrictive to some is challenging to another: Collecting rare herbs with your wizard and physician so your merchant can trade them with allies to acquire a special material for your blacksmith to forge the ultimate armour for your monarch (!) may be complicated, but the sense of achievement is huge.Overall I think that Sims Medieval is aimed more at serious gamers than casual ones, and so the "Sims" name doesn't fit it very well. The time- and resource- management aspects and the goal-oriented gameplay will push away sandbox gamers, but there is definitely something here worth playing if you don't mind a change and a challenge!Further changes from the core games:------------------------------------~ No control over family/household members: They look after themselves, and the hero sims keep you busy enough!~ No aging: I was disappointed that children don't grow up, but the kingdom goal limits the progression of your individual sims so you don't miss it from a gameplay perspective.~ Simplified Needs: Hygiene, Bladder, Fun and Social need bars have been removed, leaving only Energy and Hunger. The other needs still exist as moodlets, but mainly as positive ones (e.g. not bathing won't harm your mood). People were happy just to survive in medieval times - enjoying life is a bonus :)!~ Alcohol is definitely alcohol: Beer/Wine casks. Brewing. Drunkard trait. Buzzed, Typsy, Mean-Drunk, Sloshed moodlets. You couldn't do medieval without it, and this game seems to aim for a more mature audience.~ Religion: Two competing churches (Jacoban and Peteran). They seem to be loosely based on medieval Catholic and Protestant, but they both worship 'the Watcher' (a.k.a. you, the player!). Again, a big part of medieval life so they couldn't have left it out, and its done in a light-hearted way that's unlikely to offend anyone.- More realistic sims: Faces have less of the 'elastic' look of Sims 3, and the proportions are less 'cartoony'.- No Item Shop!: The game has nothing like the Sims 3 Store pervading it, and so there is a good selection of furniture, clothing, etc. without any 'micro-payments' - Definite plus for me.

17.5.2011

I feel from reading most of these reviews that people simply bought this game believing it would be exactly like the Sims 3, but in the middle ages.I read these reviews before my purchase so I went into the game with an open mind and I have enjoyed it. I only recently bought Sims 3, I have played all the sims (Not expansions though) and would consider myself a casual Sims fan.Having played both for several hours I personally have found myself more hooked on Sims Medieval because it gives you a solid direction to head for, though I understand that people coming from dozens of hours of Sims 3 would find it rather limiting.Pros:- I like the quest objectives,I've done several now and while they entail doing basic standard Sims activities like talking to someone about a specific subject or going to a specific location, there is a context behind doing so. (Please note that I have not gotten to the later quests as of yet, which are most likely more complex)- The variety in the professions is nice, you get to see different perspectives of events. Playing as different heroes controls and acts differently. For example the Monarch can call upon a servent to bring them food, while other heroes would have to make it themselves.- There is a lot of replayability in this game. To play the game you HAVE to be on a quest, each time you go to pick one there is 5-10 to pick from so you have a lot of choice. On top of this, some quests dissapear if you do not do them straight away while others you have multiple chances to complete. On top of this, each quest can be done a different way depending upon if you have unlocked different professions or not. For example a Knight would plunder through and be forth right and aggressive in a quest, while a Bard would use words to solve the issue.Cons:- A con to the above replayability point. While it is nice not be able to do all the quests in one go so that you can play the game a few times doing different things. I would have liked it if the game said "This quest will no longer be available if not taken now" or something. The first time I had the choice to pick the quests, I had wanted to do one quest but decided to do another first. Once that quest was done I found the quest I had wanted to do was no longer available which was a bit of a pain.- While the directioning of the game I found enjoyable I DID find it a bit too restricting at times. The game says that you can have up to a day of not following the objectives of the quest before you will start suffering penalties for not doing so. This feels a bit too restricting, while there are quests which are basically to just have a break it would have been nice it would have been nice if it was 2 or 3 game days before you suffered these penalties.As a side point, people have been criticising the lack of choice on building appearance and having to place them in a specific location, but you can still customise their insides with bountiful objects.Hope this review helps for a more neutral point of view.

29.4.2011

This is a brave attempt to bridge the gap between role playing games and the Sims. Being someone who enjoys both genres, I thoroughly enjoy it, but Sims fans should not assume that this is just the Sims 3 transplanted into a world of medieval fantasy and lovers of RPGs should not assume the same options to customise a character on levelling up that they may have experienced in other games.The game allows you to build a medieval fantsay kingdom. Resoure points are used to construct buildings and are earned by performing quests. Many of the buidlings will give you access to new heroes (including hero types that are not typical to RPGs, such as the merchant) and these in turn unlock new quests.You have a wide selection of quests, but you can only embark on one at a time, and you can often use only one of your pool of characters for an individual quests. The quests themselves are quite linear in nature and much of the time there is a feeling that you are being led by the hand. Counter-intutively, you should take as much time as possible over quests, because the rewards get higher as your quest progress bar gets higher - but the quest progress bar has nothing to do with your progress on a quest! Instead, it depends on the number of buffs you have earned for your character, so focussing on buffing your character and meeting quest obligations at the slowest possible rate yields the greatest rewards.A character may level several times on the longer quests, but levelling up bonuses are set by the game and the level cap is 10. The only way you can customise your character after creation is to change the outfit and, on succeeding in certain quests, to replace the fatal flaw with a stronger characteristic.Some traditional Sims features are missing. You cannot design the structure of your buildings, although you can decorate and furnish them. You only have to worry about energy and hunger - Sims have no hygiene or social needs, although they can earn buffs by washing or interacting with other Sims. You can only control those Sims that relate to your current quest, so although you may have created a Sim, you can only play him or her if that character is needed for the current quest. Similarly, you cannot take control of your spouse or children (although you do get some extra options for interacting with your own child - you can send him or her to the shops, for example). Oddly, you can change the clothes of any adult Sim that is close by, but not your own child, so you have more control over the king or queen's attire than over your child's! This can be frustrating when the child of a knight or monarch character appears in threadbare peasant's clothing. Children spend 24 game hours as babies before turning into children and then remain as children. There are no teens and no elderly Sims.If you come into this game looking for a blend of RPG and Sims, you will not be disappointed. If you are hoping to find all of the best points of Sims 3 and Oblivion wrapped into a single package, you will be.

11.4.2011

Despite many negative ratings for this game, as an avid Sims fan - I've played almost but not quite,all of the games from Sims1 onwards and thoroughly enjoyed them - I was looking forward to this game. I can honestly say it has not let me down. Firstly I was aware it would NOT be like Sims3. But it does have elements of it - especially World of Adventures, along with Sims Castaways and Simcity Societies, partly rpg, partly adventure. If your love of sims is in creating buildings or lots - this game is not for you! But, if you love watching your simmies complete tasks you have set them or generally watching them expand and grow, you should enjoy this game. Also, for those of us with established Neighbourhoods,it's a good way of creating those early ancestors of your favorite Sims.Firstly, we all know in Sims that we are a God, creating our own world. Oh dear, here you really are their God, they look to you for help and guidance. You are the Watcher and they will worship you! It's a big responsibility. You select the Ambitions for your tiny, but ever growing sims world,(for which you have a finite number of Quest points. Hurrah, EA have already given out a cheat to add extra quest points and thus keep on playing your town.) the world will become as you create it. Yes, you must complete the - very long - tutorial to begin with, but time has not been wasted as you complete your world's first Quest by doing so.As the Monarch completes a Quest you obtain more buildings and thus more Heroes to play. You choose the next Quest, thus which Hero you are going to play. Your Hero can take time off from the quest - plenty of time for socialising, gaining skills (such as the knight learning his swordsmanship) and completing 2 Responsibilities to the town each 24 hours. If you don't complete them you get bad moodlets called Buffs which make it harder to complete the Quest. Like all moodlets they wear off after a few hours.You begin with only the Throne Room of the castle and some essential places to visit, but after one of my Knight's Quests I obtained a Banqueting Hall, thus a larger castle.There is a huge amount to do, with lots of help to do it and you can always press 'lessons' for advice.Tips .... Save often as you may fail in your quest. You can put 'save as ' to create different stopping off points or different towns from the initial town. If you are happy with your first monarch it's probably a good idea to save a separate game immediately after the tutorial then you will not have go through that again. Also when in Create a Sim, save the sim you are making before entering him/her into the game as you just may lose them - sims die easily here.All in all, this is a totally absorbing game with many levels. I really do not like going to bed at 3a.m., but there it is,you just have to get that quest completed! I am finding it to be a really interesting variation of my beloved Sims.As I said ... 'It's Sims, Jim, but not as we know it' ...

30.11.2011

I've seen some pretty negative reviews, and they all have vaild points.Lets get the negative out of the way first so we can focus on the positive(of which there is a lot):If your a big Sims 3 fan, dont get this game with the intention of making a family and getting a house together. It isnt going to happen. Just not that sort of game. There isnt any option of building your own house. All buildings are prearranged. You can however, decorate the buildings interior and in some rare cases exterior.This just isnt Sims which at first was dissapointing. Now, there are a few more issuses that i could bring up, but, they stop becoming issues when you look at the game from another perspective.The positives (get comfortable this could go on a bit...)As i said,

13.4.2011

I just wanted to say that when I saw an advert for this on the television I was ecstatic. I love all things medieval and Sims, so I instantly logged into Amazon to order it. I was somewhat apprehensive when I read all the negative reviews as I really didn't want to be disappointed, but against my better judgement I bought it......and I HAVEN'T regretted it for a second. I love Sims Medieval, although I can see why some might not and hope that this review might clarify whether you are the sort of person who will enjoy the game, but I'll try not to give too much away. I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of customising everything, so I cannot really comment on how much you can change furniture and clothes etc.

14.7.2011

The sims medieval start with you choosing an ambition for your kingdom. At the start of the game you have to select 'new beginning'then you go on to play 'Quests' personally I call them Big quests and little quests. The quests can be from a royal holiday to killing allot of mutant chinchillas there are harder quests and quite simple quests. Some of the harder quests can also change you kingdom dramatically like the royal assassination. The point these quests are to get you resources- the better you do in a quest the more you get. These resources can be used by building things (unlocking new characters and quests) and making alliances between other kingdoms (for more trade and quests).

25.3.2011

I pre-ordered this and it arrived today. I've been a big traditional Sims fan for years and when I saw that there was a new Medieval version on the horizon I was excited to see it. The game installed fine on my Mac and the graphics are smooth. The gameplay itself is very similar to the normal Sims and fans will easily recognise it. The main difference is the 'Quest' option that each sims must perform if they wish to progress and build their empire. You are guided through Level 1 by the tutorial and this sees you customise your own monarch and choose their traits and fatal flaw - every sim must have one. I've put someone in the stocks and thrown an egg at him,

1.1.2014

Side note, before I begin, my previous experience with sims is, Sims 1 (+Expansion Packs) & Sims 2 (+Expansion Packs).Okay, so my sister bought this for me for Christmas, last minute present, she knows I love Sims.I looked it up after I received it, just to get a general view of the game, and what it does, what people thinks, etc, I was a little disappointed to see it only got 3 stars on amazon, nevertheless, I was excited to try it out and develop my own opinion on the game.Firstly I was really impressed with all the different options when creating the sims. There aren't so many options when it comes to clothes, but this is medieval times, so options are limited anyway.

26.3.2011

We have been eagerly awaiting this game the last five months, and I have to say that it doesn't disappoint so far. After updating the game to the latest version and then adding my bonus items, I was ready to play.This game takes the adventures from Sims 3 World Adventures, adds experience points, quests, responsibilities, and takes you and your Sims back to the mediaeval age. There are 10 professions that your Sims ultimately can have, including knights, priests, spies and wizards, and with other kingdoms nearby you may want a piece of your action, this game promises a lot.I found the very first bit confusing. It is obvious that you should start a new game, click on the Castle, and create your first Sim,

9.6.2011

From the very beginning, the Sims has been considered a computerised form of dolls and dollhouses. And rather more interesting, it became the game that launched a thousand add-ons. So I gave it up after the first of many add-ons for Sims 2 was released, just didn't want to throw any more money EA's way. Dipped back in when this stand-alone (not an add-on) dropped way down in price, and am mildly, though not over-enthusiastically, pleased at what I found. You still have that mad juggling act of having to attend to a dozen different needs at once, and at the same time carry out various quests - admittedly very simply quests, just fetching, carrying, making things,

7.4.2011

I find that all feed back from this game is poor. When I looked through all of the reviews people had left, they had all bourght the *Limited Edition* and it was mainly the same comments the same time. But there are no bad comments about the *Standered Edition*, maybe the Limeted has some glitches of bugs? Or the creators of the game should have spent more time on it. Also, it isn't the *Sims 3*, just *The Sims* so you can't expect it to be exactly like it.I have heard that when you first go on the game, it is very boring and the quests are very simple, not very fun either, but maybe the longer you go on it for and the more quests you complete, the better and harder the game gets! Also ENJOYABLE!

20.4.2011

At first I was slightly sceptical about this game. I love the sims franchise mainly due to the fact that I love making families and having them tell the stories so for me at first Sims Medieval was a bit of a disappointment. However it is important to realise that this game is NOT sims 3. It is not about a family, it is about a kingdom and for that you play the key 'players' in that kingdom, a monarch, bard, knight whatever.I personally enjoy this game a lot. My favourite aspect of the game is actually the commentary that is used for the quests, some of the things it says are absolutely hilarious and this has a great entertainment value. I also enjoy that by changing who you are playing as completely changes how you play,

27.3.2011

I was all ready to hate this game after seeing some negative reviews but after playing now for a couple of days I have to admit that I am enjoying it! Yes it is nothing like Sims 3 which I was expecting as I didn't read the bit which said it was a stand alone game, but if you take this into account it is good fun.There are various quests to do, I'm still on the first level and you get to customise various heros, choose which quest you want to attempt and then even though some of the quest you don't have choices with there are parts where you do get to decide what you hero is going to do.So if you want a game like Sims 3 where you have free gameplay to choose whatever world you like,

The Sims: Medieval - Limited Edition (PC/Mac) - Reviews

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