Wii Critic Reviews

A bit disappointing in terms of its presentation but we can recommend it to anyone with a hankering for an unusually sweet god game. [Mar 2009, p.54]

A great solid title that may bore people with it’s repetitive nature. The DS version does it better.

Kids and maybe some teens will have a good time. Nice side effect: The player learns some facts about the different animals.

The problem is that once you move past the initial learning curve, the strategy basically consists of planting plants, waggling around and keeping your animals happy. Ultimately, while collecting new animals is definitely appealing, and the baby animals are particularly cute, the game was too limited for it to be one that I’ll add to my collection and continue to play.

SimAnimals is EA's entertaining and uncomplicated answer tot Rare's Viva Piñata, made for those who aren't in the hardcore gaming scene and are looking for a pick-up-and-play game. You control every animal in the same way, and bit by bit the game explains you it's mechanics. The rusty and annoying control scheme however takes away a lot of the fun pretty soon in, making this a game nearly above average.

For the most part, it's simplistic and lighthearted animal-based gameplay is fun and enjoyable. However, the gameplay is just too basic to make this title more than just that, which is a shame when titles like "Viva Pinata" and "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King" for the Wii offer better managerial-style gameplay.

SimAnimals is an original offer for the social games. The playability is not perfect, and the interaction with the animals need improve in some points. The game is focused for casual players but these players will find difficulty with the control. A great first step in this genre, but it needs to improve to get better results.

An inoffensive stroll through a dull park. Buy a ticket to the zoo instead. [Apr 2009, p.74]

SimAnimals is a good idea but with poor visuals and fiddly controls, this is a wasted opportunity.

No effort has been put into the presentation here. The game doesn't run smoothly, the forest is unattractive, and the controls aren't user-friendly. Even if EA is aiming at kids here, they deserve a game that's easier to play and makes use of current graphics technology.