Sims' mobile phone. In both versions, there are various locations that Sims may visit throughout the course of the game. As Sims advance through the game, new areas become accessible. Online play Exclusive to the PlayStation 2 version was a free online play called "Online Weekend" which was very similar to The Sims Online. This mode allowed players to participate in both freeplay and storymode with each other and chat using the USB keyboard on the PlayStation 2. The server for the game shut down on August 1, 2008, the same day The Sims Online was shut down, rendering the game impossible to play online. Reception The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, where the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2 versions were ported for release under the game on January 22, 2004, Famitsu gave it a score of one seven, one nine, and two eights for the latter; and one seven, one six, and two sevens for the former. The Times gave the N-Gage version all five stars, saying, "The graphics are sublime, though this scaled-down version does have its limitations: there are, for example, no 'Simspeak' exchanges since the conversations are all text-based. Still, Bustin' Out should help to broaden the appeal of the nGage." The Village Voice gave the PlayStation 2 version a score of nine out of ten, saying, "The devil's in the details [...] mundane or fun, everything recedes into a heartbeat of flushing, snoring, and Simlish." The Cincinnati Enquirer gave the Game Boy Advance version a similar score of four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying, "There are more than 20 different locations in the game to unlock and visit." The PlayStation 2 version received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 300,000 units in the UK. References External links 2003 video games Electronic Arts games Game Boy Advance games Interactive Achievement Award winners Life simulation games N-Gage games GameCube games PlayStation 2 games Social simulation video games Bustin Out Video games featuring protagonists of selectable gender Video games scored by Jerry Martin Video games with alternative versions Xbox games Multiplayer and single-player video games Griptonite Games Video games developed in the United States Games with GameCube-GBA connectivity