Game Reviews

As with many other consumer products, branding in gaming is obviously a huge consideration for publishers. As gamers, we can rely on annual installments of Tiger Woods, Madden, and Call of Duty, and by and large, the content of such games doesn’t see much change from entry to entry. With the MySims franchise, however, it seems Electronic Arts (EA) isn’t afraid of mixing things up, and once again the lovable little chibis are trying something new.

Unlike past MySims games, customization and creation isn’t the focus of MySims SkyHeroes. Sure, you can mack out your plane and dress up your MySims, but the gameplay actually takes center stage here. That’s a good thing, too.

MySims SkyHeroes is a tight, little package, but it’s also a fairly basic affair. As you might have guessed from the title, this is a game all about air combat. Similar to Snoopy Flying Ace (XBLA), you’ll spend most of your time in dogfights, and Mario Kart-style racing makes up the other half of what’s on offer here.

With that in mind, what MySims SkyHeroes sets out to do, it does quite well. The story mode is mostly a means of acquainting the player with the particulars of gameplay, but it’s still a nice addition when you’re forced to go it alone. The single-player game is mission-based, and based on your performance at the end of each mission, you’ll earn various plane parts and accessories, as well as unlock additional MySims for use in Quickplay.