It's no secret that The Sims is one of  Electronic Arts' hottest selling game franchises. But in case you're wondering just how big the game is, EA's Steve Seabolt over at the GDC's Serious Games Summit hints that they'll be hitting the 100 million mark for The Sims sales by next month. More details on what Seabolt said on this matter are in the full article.

To quote a friend of mine when asked why she loved playing The Sims: "It's not a game, it's a lifestyle." This line couldn't be more true now that Electronic Arts has unveiled, alongside the UK release of the MySims (Nintendo Wii and DS) game for the Nintendo Wii and DS, the My Sims Capsule Collection.

This limited edition of customized MySims accessories was made by four of UK's hottest fashion designers and based on the four core attributes of the game - Self Expression, Customization, Creativity and Collectibility. Asides from looking like your favorite Sims character, you can bring the experience of MySims to life with these nifty accessories, ranging from Wiimote carry cases to vinyl and foil artwork you can decorate your stuff with.

Here's the list of designers and their respective accessories, along with their estimated prices in the UK:

• Giles Deacon – Eek Wii-mote/Bag talisman – based on Giles’ signature avatar Eek will come with special MySims elements designed to stimulate the mind or just act as good luck. RRP £35
• Cassette Playa – Stuck on My Sims – Cassette Playa puts a unique twist on the MySims world with a series of vinyl and foil artworks rooted in customisation – give your DS that MySims make-over or simply customise your phone, laptop, nails or notebook. RRP £15
• House of Holland – My Sims Pouch Tee – designed for DS on the go, with a seamed in DS pouch/pocket – this limited edition tee bears the cult signature of Henry Holland’s irreverent take on life – with the slogan ‘Life Begins With MySims’. RRP £40
• Tatty Divine – My Sims Sushi Bag – designed to perfectly carry your Wii mote on the go, Tatty Divine’s exclusive bag takes design inspiration from MySims' sushi chef, and features hundreds of glittering Swarovski crystals. RRP £150

Electronic Arts has released a brand new advertisement for their upcoming game MySims (Wii, DS). Needless to say, it's EXTREMELY cute, so hardcore gamers with a soft heart may want to keep away, if only so they don't start saying, "Aww..." in front of their computer screens.

The new video has a small neighborhood being transformed into a MySims neighborhood, complete with tricked out houses, mailbox transformations into jukeboxes, and the mysterious appearance of an Italian chef carrying a pizza in the background.

Whether you want to look like a punkish fellow with a goatee or a hip-hop styled party girl, MySims certainly has something for everyone. For now though, enjoy the video.

This week on shelves, we've got another plentiful supply of nice releases that we can sink our teeth on. The PC and the Nintendo DS are getting the bulk of fresh launches, but the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3 titles are making up with quality games such as Eternal Sonata and Stranglehold respectively.

The Nintendo Wii also has a new fill of quirky but fun titles that the young and the young at heart will be happy to tinker with. Overall, it's another good week for the industry so get ready to bust out that wallet and empty to on the cashiers.

Coded Arms Contagion. Konami's explosive sequel to Coded Arms is here and it's set in a VR world of a military training program. Randomly generated levels and square rooms are gone to give way to a heavier emphasis on story over action.

• Sony PSP - September 18, 2007
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Konami

Eternal Sonata. Looking for that big RPG on the Xbox 360? Wait no more because Eternal Sonata is dropping in on the 17th of September. Destiny, deception and courage all come to play in this highly-anticipated tale of good versus evil.

• Xbox 360 - September 17, 2007
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB T (Teen)
• Namco Bandai
  

Stranglehold. Both the Sony PlayStation 3 and PC platforms are finally getting its taste of John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat's bullet-riddled blast Stranglehold. Based on the movie Hardboiled, you'll walk the tough streets of Hong Kong and Chicago to rough up the bad guys with some well-deserved police brutality.

• PlayStation 3, PC- September 18, 2007
• US$ 59.99 (PS3), US$ 49.99 (PC)
  
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Midway Games

The rest of this week's line-up comes after the jump!

Buy: [Coded Arms: Contagion]
Buy: [Eternal Sonata]
Buy: [Stranglehold]

We are all just a couple of days away before Electronic Arts' MySims finally graces the Nintendo DS and Wii. In case you haven't heard, fans in North America can start getting a copy in retail stores on September 18 while Europe should have their retail supplies ready by September 27.

Anyway, here are two new Japanese TV spots for the Wii build of MySims that should make the remaining few days of waiting a bit more bearable. We can see here the different features the game has to offer such as varied customization options, vivid environments, and a whole slew of things to do in the game.

It was reported earlier this year that 20th Century Fox will be bringing the video game franchise to the big screen some time in the near future.

See the other video after the jump!

The month of September brings us the release of Electronic Arts' MySims for the Nintendo Wii and DS. You can expect the fun simulation title to slam onto retail shelves on the 18th for North America and on the 27th for Europe.

Following the official trailer we've seen a few weeks ago, we've got another one today. It features more of the crazy antics of the Sims - cutified and chibi-sized, of course. There's more gameplay footage here (most of which seems to be for the Wii version only), with clips of more building of houses and interacting with the various locales. Try to catch that chibified Sim busting his groove towards the end of the video! Nice!

Here's the new trailer for MySims:

Because we can't get enough of this timeless classic, our eyes are on MySims for the Nintendo Wii. We've found more Sim goodness in these videos, showing of how uber cutesy the latest installment will be.

Both are quite brief, but they give us a taste of what the game has to offer. In the first video, some sim guy is exploring the colorful environments and doing all sorts of chores, like chopping trees and gathering wood. We also see the first tasks getting handed over to him.

Next up, we find more running. Fortunately, the place is easy on the eyes with all those vibrant greenery. Of course, there's always the ever present house-building which is arguably one of the best aspects of Will Wright's now epic life simulator franchise.

You may click the Read link below to check out the Roaming and Building video on IGN.

Electronic Arts has cobbled together a new trailer for MySims, an upcoming title for the Nintendo Wii and DS video game platforms based on Maxis' The Sims series.

The trailer essentially gives players a quick preview of how the gameplay goes in both the Wii and DS version of MySims. Everything from building a house to designing your character in the Wii version is included in the trailer. The DS preview isn't as in-depth, though.

Anyway, check out the video below. MySims will be available for both platforms on September 18.

Sometimes a redesign is necessary to appeal to the mass market. This is the path that Electronic Arts' MySims game has taken in order to appeal to the multitudes of casual gamers out there. This video on the Wii version of the game shows some of the title's features. What attracted our attention to this though, is the fact that each part is narrated and explained by the executive producer of the game Tim LeTourneau.

While the video gives gamers a lot of information on what to expect, it focused on the creation aspect of the game. An amazing thing that they were able to implement is allowing players to create their own objects through a building block system. While this may not be new to some of the more experienced players on the PC, having this ability on consoles is unheard off until now.

That said, watch the video, enjoy it, and see if it appeals to you. Keep checking back here for more MySims updates as they happen.

A seven-hit combo of overpowering cute coming right at you in this latest batch of MySims for the Nintendo Wii screenshots. We get you a sneak peek on the chibi, superdeformed version of the life simulation game that has everyone talking (and planning their future digital abodes).

In this batch, we see two more costumes - one that's a cute, green frog mascot outfit, with the other a menacing but very stylish-looking kit of samurai armor. We also see quite a good amount of locations, character interactions and building architecture - suffice to say that everything's looking pretty clean and warm.

While it's certainly a jarring change from the usually-realistic visual themes of the previous Sims games, there's no argument that MySims is very easy on the eyes, and very otaku-friendly. Check back here for more updates about the new direction the Sims series is taking, and in the meantime, enjoy the screenshots!

More screenshots after the jump!