"Bust out mode" is instantly more interesting than the previous game mode, and it is also quite a challenge. As in the original, you start off in your home but now you can wander around and explore other houses in your neighborhood and also revisit any previous locations to complete your unfinished objectives.

A fair amount of your time while playing this game is spent managing your sims' motives and careers, just like in the original PC game. Your sims' needs meters are constantly going down, and you must refill them by getting your sims to perform an appropriate action, like cooking some food when they get hungry. To advance in bust out mode, your sims must also pursue career paths by looking for a job in the newspaper, then getting up and going to work everyday. Bustin' Out deals with the working day in the same way the PC games did: That is, your sims must be at work at certain hours of the day, during this period they disappear from the game for several hours, only to return home later, tired, hungry and ready for bed.

Bustin' Out's sound is as much a part of the game as in the original, it features a lot of new simlish voice-over which is the language your Sims use, as well as a great new soundtrack full of quality hip-hop, pop, and rock tunes. Graphically, Bustin' Out has the same kind of bright and colorful look that The Sims for Xbox did, although many of its objects and characters and the textures are brighter and cleaner than before.

Overall, if you are a fan of The Sims on Xbox then Bustin' Out is going to carry you on to the next level of Sims Nirvana. If you are new to the Sims and possess the patience of a saint then The Sims Bustin' Out offers adequate entertainment to brighten up these cold winter months.

8 out of 10