[3DS Review] Tomodachi Life

[CarolineJohnson]

Tomodachi Life (NA/EU) // Tomodachi Collection: Shin Seikatsu (JP)
Release Date: 4/18/2013 (JP) // 6/6/2014 (NA/EU) // 6/7/2014 (AUS)
Developer: Nintendo SPD
Publisher: Nintendo
System: Nintendo 3DS

It's that one game that many people have been waiting for since the first game's release on the Nintendo DS. The same game Nintendo said couldn't be localized because of the voice synthesizer used in the game...yet they've finally brought it to the world! Though they could have localized it as "Friend Collection", as the original would have been if they hadn't had those voice synthesizer problems, I guess they decided to mush the Japanese title around to make what we now have as "Tomodachi Life".

Though there's not much to the game in terms of backstory, there is one thing. You own an island. You made a resident that looks like yourself. You can make more residents. Everyone calls you <your Mii's nickname>'s look-alike. Fun is to be had. But seriously, most of the "story" comes from just watching the Miis interact with each other and have fun. They make friends, go on dates, get married, play with the things you give them...and maybe, someday, have children of their own.

Okay so it's...sort of weird.

Honestly, this is part Sims, part Animal Crossing, part 'sit and watch to see what they do'. A lot of the fun just comes from watching them. Give them a guitar? When you leave their room and spy on them through the window they'll probably be playing it. Tell them how to get on someone's good side? They'll probably go right to that someone's apartment and try to be their friend with the advice you gave them.  Tell someone their suspicions about two people looking like a good couple are correct? They might set the two up on a date and spy on them to make sure it's going okay.

I haven't had this much fun since the last time I sat down to play the Sims and I just watched the Sims as they burned dinner and died in the resulting fire.

The game controls about as fantastically as you can expect from Nintendo. Since the game is mostly menus, there's not much you can screw up, though. They use the gyrowhatsit in the 3DS perfectly, too. I've never rocked a baby in real life but if it was anything like how I was rocking that 3DS to get my Mii's baby to calm down then I'm a champion at it. Seriously, I think that's more responsive and sensitive than the default thingamajig in a Wiimote that doesn't have Motion Plus built in.

Yes that is who you think it is...

And the music? Quirky and cute - the Nintendo standard. You can always tell how a Mii is, since each song for each mood is so distinct. They've got that little default tune that always plays, that warped version that plays when a Mii is hungry, a couple of weird lovey-dovey hubba hubba songs... Honestly, I dunno what to really say about it. The songs are just so simple and cute, but they do lack any kind of quality to give more of a description (sort of like Warioware music). It's certainly memorable, though.

The graphics are very good. Some models here and there look slightly off occasionally, like the baby model not fitting into the parent Mii's arms in some poses, or short Miis not looking up at the tall Miis and ending up looking like they're scoping out some crotches, but that's a negligible thing. You can tell what everything is, and everything's in a very nice looking style.

But really, other than that...? I'm not sure what to say. It's nice enough that I could say all that, but weird enough that you have to see it to understand it.

I don't even know anymore.

Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 9/10
Story: N/A
Gameplay: 10/10
Replay Value: Never need to start over!

Score: 9.3/10

(PS: Jonez, is that you on the box art, to the right of the word "Life"? [the guy eating the hamburger, I mean])

[NekoJonez]

OMG, that guy looks indeed like my Mii D:

[NekoJonez]

I just ordered my copy. It should be here tomorrow.

[Muffin]

Oh man, that does look like Ezzy.

And seems like an interesting game, I might get it someday.

[NekoJonez]

I just got a mail that my package can be here any moment today. I ordered it from a site in the Netherlands and looking at their tracing program, they told me that the driver is riding to Belgium to deliver it now

[Rora]

I just got a mail that my package can be here any moment today. I ordered it from a site in the Netherlands and looking at their tracing program, they told me that the driver is riding to Belgium to deliver it now

I'm imagining it being delivered to you from atop the most brilliant of stallions.
I want a mail-horse. :c

[Kiss x Miz]

I just got a mail that my package can be here any moment today. I ordered it from a site in the Netherlands and looking at their tracing program, they told me that the driver is riding to Belgium to deliver it now

I'm imagining it being delivered to you from atop the most brilliant of stallions.
I want a mail-horse. :c

Please, I can't giggle at work

[NekoJonez]

I have a negative for this game. The time system is kinda bugged. Once, I had my system run out of battery completely and it reset my date. It was no fun trying to get the date back correct in game. It jumped all over the place.

[NekoJonez]

http://arpegi.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/review-027-tomodachi-life-3ds-compare-that-review/

[Kiss x Miz]

It's like The Sims but for Nintendrones

[CarolineJohnson]

It's like The Sims but for Nintendrones

It's actually much different than that, but I don't know how to explain.

[NekoJonez]

It's like The Sims but for Nintendrones

Like Inu said. That's such a rough statement. Yes, it has elements of the Sims... But since you don't have as much control as in the Sims, it's very different.
Plus, it's portable. Name me one GOOD sim game, that's like the sims on pc and is portable.

[Kiss x Miz]

Plus, it's portable. Name me one GOOD sim game, that's like the sims on pc and is portable.

Well.. The Sims

Edit: The Sims 2 and 3*

[NekoJonez]

Plus, it's portable. Name me one GOOD sim game, that's like the sims on pc and is portable.

Well.. The Sims

Edit: The Sims 2 and 3*

Hrmm... Sorta.

[Kiss x Miz]

Sims 2 on GBA, NDS and PSP
Sims 3 on NDS, 3DS and smartphone OS

"Sorta"

[NekoJonez]

Sims 2 on GBA, NDS and PSP
Sims 3 on NDS, 3DS and smartphone OS

"Sorta"

That are GOOD.

[TyranBrûlée]

Sims 2 on GBA, NDS and PSP
Sims 3 on NDS, 3DS and smartphone OS

"Sorta"

That are GOOD.

That's a pretty picky statement, especially coming from you.