The Urbz at 18: EA’s most bizarre spin-off experiment may be one of its best Leave a comment
The Urbz is a game that has escaped most of the people I’ve mentioned it to. A strange spin-off in The Sims series, the game made its way onto the GBA, GameCube, PS2, Xbox, and Nintendo DS in 2004. The simulation title turns 18 today, and I’m still baffled as to how more people haven’t played it at some point or another.
What also makes The Urbz bizarre, as is the case with a few other titles in The Sims series, is that both the console and handheld games are different. Now, regardless of which version you played, both versions of the game prove to be rather wacky. They’re games that I look back on fondly, and I don’t know about you, but I miss the days when Maxis would churn out distinct spin-offs in the series. The Sims 2’s handheld version had one of the most riveting stories of any The Sims title – and let’s not forget The Sims Castaway, MySims, and even The Sims Bustin’ Out.
I mean, the soundtrack for the console version of The Urbz is literally The Black Eyed Peas’ music translated into Simlish. The group themselves also appeared as guests in the game. Did I just play this by luck as a bored child, with an avid interest in The Sims? I could’ve sworn The Black Eyed Peas were all the rage back when I was a child… or maybe I had poor taste.
