DS Diva

SimAnimals released

Want to befriend a wild hedgehog? Or perhaps another woodland creature is more your style. SimAnimals for Nintendo DS (and Wii, too) is shipping this week, which means fans of the long-popular Sims series can get their Sim fix. But this new game may be the one that converts non-Sims people, including the casual gamer. The reasons? Cute animals and the interactive nature of the game. Players can extend a “hand” to pet, feed and even pick up bears, deer, rabbits and other animals in the woods.

But the creatures also take on lives of their own, and must contend with predators, forest fires. Players add plant life, move animals to more appropriate habitats, clean polluted areas and solve other challenges to create the best possible forest environment. The Nintendo DS stylus can be used to interact with the animals and blowing into the microphone frees fruit from trees, spreads blossoms and other things.

You can see the official Web site to see screenshots and play minigames at SimAnimals.com.