7 Sins

Released in 2005 by developer Monte Cristo, 7 Sins is a life simulator game. What makes it original is the fact that the simulation reflects the effects of human interactions, and the toll it takes on your character. A third person game that puts players in a city ruled by fortune, fame, and sex, 7 Sins is a game aimed towards a mature audience.

The game received lukewarm critical and popular reception, even though the game was not a blockbuster by any means, it still showcased originality in its concepts, decent dialogue options, and above average visuals for a Playstation 2 title. Be warned the actions, mini-games and topics of 7 Sins, are not for kids, or a younger audience.

The Original Sin

As far as simulating games go, 7 Sins was one that subverted the family-friendly genre that was popular at the time. Games like The Sims, were very prominent but focused on the virtues and “clean” side of human interaction, in this game we get a more gruesome, realistic depiction of human interaction. Developer Monte Cristo does a fine job understanding the ulterior motives that drive most of mankind, sex, money and fame.

Distributed in seven different levels players are tasked with rising through the social ladder and developing relationships with the characters that populate the game. There are over one hundred NPC’s for players to interact with, some of them are essential for progression, and once you build relationships with them, the game unlocks more missions for you to replay.

The big selling point of the game is that it allows players to do morally dubious actions while interacting with players. During all of your interactions you are free to create rapport through regular exchanges, or make sinful choices based on lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. Resolutions from these choices are what push the game towards adult audiences, the game is sexually charged and players are encouraged to do morally questionable actions to achieve their goals.

Cardinal Mini-Games

While the game has a surprisingly vast number of characters and interacting options, multiple opportunities to manipulate, lie, cheat and further your own agenda through morally ambiguous, or outright evil choice, the game truly finds its pace with the mini-games that are sprinkled throughout the campaign. There are over twenty of them covering sex, drinking, erotic drinks, and even one called “toilet’s Mozart”.

As seen in the topics, dialogues and proposed mini-games 7 Sins, is a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Humour - aside from sins - is the most prominent thing in this game, from the mini-game titles, to the ludicrous dialogue possibilities it is hard to take what you’re playing seriously, and that’s okay.

Verdict

In a non-linear, mature and humorous fashion 7 Sins tries to create originality in a gaming genre that wasn’t fully explored. The adult themes, mini-games and dialogue are certainly what carries the game, since gameplay itself is very straight-forward point-and-click, with the exception of mini-games.

Pros:

• Diverse Dialogue
• Fun Mini-Games
• Original Concepts
• Easy to Play

Cons:

• Humour Hasn’t Aged Well
• Small Amount of Content
• Visually Saturated UI
• Slow Paced
• Sinful Actions Can Feel Offensive

If Virtually Jenna is the gaming equivalent of a hardcore porn star, then 7 Sins is a bit like that loose girl from school who'd let you look down her top for a fiver but would never dream of actually going any further.

Feeling like a giant episode of Eurotrash, 7 Sins is a mish-mash of said TV show's humour, figuring out the best ways to chat up women and a whole host of mini-games. Bizarrely, despite the huge amount of sexual content in the game, it never actually shows you any complete nudity - and because of this, it falls way short of hitting the same kind of adult entertainment marks as a title like Virtually Jenna.

It's also not big or clever, but it never takes itself too seriously either, and the conversations and mini-games are bound to raise a few chuckles - it's miles funnier than Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude. If you're after a few laughs with your mates after sinking a few beers in the pub, you could do far worse.

Women Are little more than male porno fantasy sex obsessives, all large boobs and simple of mind, there to be used and abused; you're rewarded for being as morally dubious as possible and revelling deeply in every one of man's basest instincts; and everything and everyone is fair game in the pursuit of power, fame and fortune in Apple City. Yes, 7 Sins is without doubt the most misogynistic game I've ever played. But it's not all good news. There are some problems with it too, stemming mainly from a technical standpoint.

You see, it's hardly pushing game programming to the limits and as ports from console go, it's quite lazy (references to left analogue sticks and PS2 controller buttons, for instance). Plus, as far as providing a challenge, once you've figured out the basic pattern for NPC manipulation, there's little to stop you making progress.

Get It In

But of course, we all know that 7 Sins isn't going to be criticised and lambasted by the majority of the gaming media for its technical prowess. Nope, if ever there was a game designed to bring forth the two-faced puritan instincts of the games press, it's this one.

The problem for most, obviously, is with the sexual content of the game. There's bags of it, in all manner of permutations (the range of options open to you at the Eyes Wide Shut-style masked S&M/sex club are quite astonishing), although with very little actually on show. No nudity is the order of the day and this, perhaps, is 7 Sins greatest, ahem, sin. That it doesn't have the courage of its convictions and go far enough. Will mentioned while watching me play that had the developer combined the game side of this with the sex side of Virtually Jenna (the boy's obsessed), we might have something. Exactly what isn't clear, but I agree... You'll probably read a lot of foaming at the mouth sub-Daily Mail evangelising elsewhere about how this is puerile, worthless and morally unredeeming stuff, but to be honest people are just missing the point. That's exactly what it's supposed to be.

This is Eurotrash in gaming form and as much as you might want to hide it, you're lying if you tell me that you've never enjoyed an episode or two of saucy Euro-based titillation. Proof? There weren't as many crowds gathered around Will's desk when he played Boiling Point.

Take It Out

Bottom line is that we laughed while playing 7 Sins. Quite a bit. It's far funnier (and ruder) than Leisure Suit Larry and the mini-games at least remain true to their subject matter. Rather than take an abstract view of what a mini-game should be as most titles do. 7 Sins says, right you want to look up that woman's skirt? BAM! Minigame. Keep your aim up her skirt for 30 seconds. Wanna piss on that plant? BAM! Mini-game. Piss on the bugs crawling on that plant.

We can't wholeheartedly recommend 7 Sins as a total gaming experience, especially at the princely sum of 30 quid. It's way too easy, the novelty does wear off after a while and, well, it's not exactly Half-Life 2 or anything. But it amuses. It shouldn't, but it does. And it honestly isn't anywhere near as bad as some might tell you. They're just too timid to admit it.