The Sims Bustin' Out (handheld)

The Sims Bustin' Out

Box art for The Sims Bustin' Out for Game Boy Advance
Development
Developer(s)	Maxis, Griptonite Games
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Ratings	ESRB: E (GBA) T (N-Gage) ACB: G PEGI: 3+
Series	The Sims
Release date(s)	GBA ^JP January 26, 2004 ^NA December 2, 2003 ^PAL December 19, 2003 N-Gage ^NA May 12, 2004 ^PAL May 10, 2004
Technical information
Aspect ratio	• 3:2 (GBA) • 11:13 (N-Gage)
Native resolution	• 240x160 (GBA) • 176x208 (N-Gage)
Version	0.0.3.015 (N-Gage)
Platform(s)	N-Gage, GBA
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Game features
Genres	Life simulation

The Sims Bustin' Out is the first title in The Sims handheld series. This version of Bustin' Out was released for the Game Boy Advance and the N-Gage in the fourth quarter of 2003. As the title suggests, Sims can get out of the house to visit other locations. For the first time, the player directly controls a single Sim rather than queueing tasks, though they still must tend to their Sim's needs. The handheld version of The Urbz: Sims in the City serves as its sequel.

Gameplay[]

The Game Boy Advance version puts the player's Sim in a place called "SimValley" for summer holiday. Like the console version, GBA version gameplay is objective-based - every time the player completes a series of tasks, the game is allowed to progress. In this game, there are no furnishing objects to unlock. Instead, the player unlocks new houses by progressing through the story missions.

Deviating from the "point-and-click" selection process heretofore used in most Sims titles, this version allows the user to control their Sim directly, using the system's directional pad.

There are various locations Sims may visit throughout the course of the game. As Sims advance through the game, new areas become accessible, and new mini-games may be unlocked in certain areas.

Through the use of the GBA Link Cable players can unlock Paradise Island and participate in multiplayer auctions.

Locations[]

Player Homes[]

Food Stores[]

Merchandise Stores[]

Characters[]

The Sims Bustin' Out for handheld features a wide variety of characters, whom the player may improve their relationship with by choosing the correct dialogue.

Signature NPCs[]

These are major characters who play an important role in the story. They cannot be the player's roommates.

Roommate NPCs[]

These characters are less important to the overall narrative, however they are still fully interactable and can become roommates with the player.

*While Duane is programmed and classified as a roommate Sim, due to an oversight in the code, he cannot accept a roommate invitation.

Shopkeeper NPCs[]

Create-a-Sim[]

Create-a-Sim opens onto the Name Your Sim screen, which presents the player with a keyboard which can be used to enter their Sim's name. This name must be eight characters or less.

Once a name has been chosen, one is able to customise their Sim's Appearance. This includes: Gender, Skin Tone, Hair Style, Hair Color, Shirt Color, Pants/Skirt Color, and Shoes color. Pants are limited to men, whilst Skirts are limited to women. The number of choices available for each option are minimal, most noticeably with Skin Tone, which only presents the player with three choices.

After this, the player decides on their Sim's personality. This is done in the same way as The Sims, with the player allocating 25 personality points between 5 different traits (Neat, Outgoing, Active, Playful, and Nice), all of which allow for a maximum of 10 points to be assigned to them.

The personality that a player gives their Sim will determine how well they get along with the various Sims around them, as a Sim conversing with an NPC of a compatible personality will receive one or two bonus points when performing a positive interaction.

Your Sim's zodiac sign can be chosen on the Personality page. It is independent of the personality you give your Sim, and its only use in-game is in determining which secret Zodiac items appear to your character. Other Zodiac items can only be attained via Gamelinking with a friend whose Sim has a different Zodiac sign, and trading via auction.

Create-A-Sim Images

Version comparison[]

As a rule of thumb, the Game Boy Advance and N-Gage versions are the same game, with the same plotlines and characters, and very nearly the same color palettes. A handful of differences are however present:

In the N-Gage version, the player always carries a Nokia 5110 cellphone in their inventory that they can use to call with. The player must find 3 SIM cards scattered in SimValley to unlock the handphone's 3 minigames (Snake, Tennis, and Blocks^[1]). The handphone and these minigames are absent in the GBA version, with the Sim only being able to use street/wall phones instead.
The dart minigame in the Burning Spokes Biker Bar and Country Café is only playable in the N-Gage version.
Making calls using the public telephone costs §10 in the N-Gage version, while it costs only §1 in the GBA version.
The "GCN Link" option on the main menu in the GBA version, is replaced with a "Quit Game" option in the N-Gage version.
The sound is noticeably thinner in the N-Gage version, and is also known to be in mono (1.0 audio) instead of stereo (2.0).
The jingle played when a goal is completed is different between both versions.
Though the Game Boy Advance has a higher official color palette than the N-Gage (32,768 vs 4,096), the 2 versions' palettes and designs are practically entirely identical. Very slight differences in blue hues in the UI is among the only noticeable changes.
There are a few items that are exclusive to the N-Gage version.^{[confirmation needed]}

The unusual 11:13 screen ratio of the N-Gage resulted in minor changes:

The Sim's motive meters are toggled with L in the GBA version, but are always visible during regular gameplay on the N-Gage version.
Smoothie Slider is played left-to-right on GBA, but is played bottom-to-top on N-Gage.
Menu layouts (including Create a Sim) are laid out differently between the 2 versions.

Multi-device connectivities[]

A computer in the Public Library allows a sort of local multiplayer where they can bid for objects in auctions. In the Game Boy Advance version this is done with the Game Link Cable, while in the N-Gage versions this is done over Bluetooth. The connections are also known to support direct player-to-player object trades, and connecting once to any multiplayer session unlocks the Paradise Island bonus area on a permanent basis for all involved players.

In the Game Boy Advance version, using the GameCube-GBA link cable to connect to the GameCube version of the game, allows the player to transfer their GameCube version's active Sim (including their skills, motives, and wealth) back and forth to the Game Boy Advance version.^[2]

The GameCube-GBA connection also makes the "Game Cabinet" object available for purchase in the GameCube version, with which the player can play 8 minigames on the Game Boy Advance when the active Sim on the GameCube version is using the object (Which minigames they can play this way is unclear).

The N-Gage version allowed online multiplayer through "N-Gage Arena", which was known to support certain minigames. The N-Gage version's manual also claims that the online multiplayer functions included "Shadow Racing", of which little is known, but which seemed to be downloads of ghost performances to compete against, and which allowed unlocking exclusive objects. The "N-Gage Arena" servers have been shut down at some point after its release.

Gameplay differences[]

The Sims 1 (PC) vs. The Sims Bustin' Out (Handheld)[]

There is no death; every time a Sim "passes out", a genie will come and send them to the hospital (Hayseed Farm in the first two stages)
- Sims can pass out through:
  - Drowning
  - Letting the hunger need drop too low
  - Getting electrocuted from an unsuccessful repair attempt
  - Standing close to fire for too long
  - Running into the Veloci-Rooster
  - Getting knocked out by Mad Willie Hurtzya, a boxer, in the boxing ring, or by Dusty Hogg after angering him.
  - Getting possessed by the ghost of Ephram Earl.
  - Being eaten by a venus flytrap.
There is no description for skills in game.
There is no room motive. It's replaced by the homesick motive. The motive replenishes by staying at home and depletes by leaving home.
- The homesick motive cannot be restored by a potion bought from VirtuChem Labs.
The job system involves mini games.
There are no time control settings (aside from sleeping).
There is no Buy mode or Build mode; objects have to be bought straight from the store.
There is no repo-man.
It is possible to partially pay off bills, so that the rest can be paid later.
Weather exists in the game (though only as a visual effect), unlike the PC game.

Glitches[]

If the player Sim asks Duane Doldrum to become their roommate, he will always reject it even if their relationship is at 100.
If the player Sim gets knocked out by Mad Willy Hurtzya in the Flex-Dome Fitness Center, occasionally the player Sim can get right up again, although the Sim cannot be controlled. This is a purely visual glitch, and the Sim will end up in the hospital a few seconds later.
While the player Sim is inside a building, an NPC can spawn right outside the exit; but after the player has walked out that exit, the NPC has despawned.
If the player Sim plays the Bait Flinger minigame at the Boat Docks, and the Sim finishes the minigame between 1-2 PM (13:00-14:00) in in-game time, the Veloci-Rooster can spawn on the exact same spot as where the Sim is, causing the Sim to instantly faint.

Controls[]

GBA	N-Gage	Does
`✚` (D-pad)		Move
`B`+`✚`	`7`+`✚`	Run
`A`	`5` (/`⧐` in menus^[1])	Accept, use object, talk to a Sim
`B`	`7` (/`⧏` in menus^[1])	Cancel
`START`	`*`	Start Menu with your goals, personality, items, etc.
`L`/`R`	`2`/`3`	Scroll in the Start Menu, rotate objects when placing
`SELECT`	`⧏`^[1]	Pause menu
`L`		Show/hide motives
	`0`	Use cellphone

Gallery[]

Western version[]

JP version[]

-Game Boy Advance- The Sims - Version Japon

Notes[]

The American box art lists several places to explore that aren't in the game, but are in the console version of the game instead.

Names in other languages[]

Language	Name	Etymology
French	Les Sims Permis de Sortir
German	Die Sims Brechen Aus
Italian	The Sims Fuori Tutti!
Japanese	ザ・シムズ	"The Sims"
Spanish	Los Sims: Toman la calle

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Games NGAGE THE SIMS-BUSTIN OUT User Manual - ManualMachine. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
↑ Sims: Bustin' Out - Nintendo Game Boy Advance - Manual - Games Database. Page 24-25. Accessed December 13, 2025.

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at The Sims Bustin' Out (handheld). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with The Sims Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license.

[manualmachine-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Games NGAGE THE SIMS-BUSTIN OUT User Manual - ManualMachine. Retrieved December 9, 2025.

[2] Sims: Bustin' Out - Nintendo Game Boy Advance - Manual - Games Database. Page 24-25. Accessed December 13, 2025.

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