Designed as a standalone game for Windows Phone 8 (but still requiring a network connection to check in and prevent hacking) The Sims FreePlay is free, but with two currencies in game, you may want to top up your money with some in-app purchases.
The usual game mechanics are on offer here, lots of small goals to accomplish, which can add up to a bigger picture, earning money as you go to build a better house, improve the furniture, make yourself look good, and interact with other Sims.
From the app store listing, you can:
- Design dream homes complete with swimming pools and multiple stories
- Let your Sims get married, make babies, and then watch them grow into toddlers and pre-teens
- Care for pets, grow gardens, even bake a cake
- Give your Sims careers and earn Simoleons to improve their situations
- Complete goals for Lifestyle Points, then spend them on hip items
- Live with your Sims in real-time (when it’s day or night for you, it’s the same for your Sims
It's a large app, so you will need to be on WiFi to download the app, have around 3 GB of spare storage space to install it, and 1 GB of RAM to open and play the game.
As with all the Xbox Live releases, we'll have a detailed look at the title next week, but in the meantime you can head to the AAWP App Directory and start to download the app right now.