Sim of the Week

THE GRUNGY STREETS of Chicago Criminal get a face lift when they are made into chic shopping areas

Staff writer

This week finds us materializing on Chicago Criminal, an island sim dedicated to, according to their Search description, gangsta, neko, Goth, sexy and mafia. Chicago Criminal is owned by Sinse Winx.

Popping onto the island lands you in a warehouse elevator.  The dirty bricks and stained floor set a mood that you are not in Kansas anymore.  The elevator gives way to the shopping mall where you can pick up clothing and gear appropriate to the environment.  Grungy t-shirts, low riding blue jeans and over-sized sneakers with plenty of blink jewelry are the order of the day.

The warehouse takes up the center of the island.  Heading out onto the street on the north side of the building, you find a broken and dirty street lined with more aged warehouses turned into upscale shopping malls.  Park benches, trees and light poles line the streets.

Looking back at the building we just exited, you see some of the attention to detail Winx has put into his creation.  The building looks like an old factory that has been abandoned for years.  All the glass on the second floor had been broken out of the windows and now hangs in razor sharp pieces from the frames.

Across the street from the entry point warehouse is a shop called SA.  This building appears to be better kept as all the windows are still intact or, at least, replaced when the retrofit came through.  This shop, also owned by Sinse Winx, sells his animations. There are testers so that you can try it before you buy it.

Heading farther west, we come across a dead end cul-de-sac and the shop Kiss Me, also a Winx shop.  Here, Winx sells many variations on the couples kissing animation, most are quite good with subtle head movements and embraces.

Turning south, we hit AOS for Men and Women, yet another Winx store.  Here Winx sells single person animation overriders.  Some of his creations are quite complex with more than 70 poses loaded into a single HUD.

We also find the first neko items on sale.  Winx sells several HUD's for the neko community.

Continuing on south, we find two more dead end cul-de-sacs.  When I stopped into Chicago Criminal, there were two large groups on the island, one in the South West corner and one in the North West corner.  When I tried to find the little green dots in the South West, I actually found that there were several people on an upper floor of a building with no entrance.  When I panned my camera in, they were sitting around on sofas with a camping item ball in the center.

Turning East from this corner, we find an alley leading to a traditional mall set up with many smaller shops. Here, you will find owners other than Sinse Winx.  One of the shops located here is Kori, owned and operated by J4ck Serrao.  The merchandise for sale in this store is urban chic.

A QUAINT ALLEYWAY leads to more shops on Chicago Criminal

Moving through the mall, you will find ABS Designs, a male only shape store, owned and operated by Anthony Beck.  Beck paid very close detail to faces in his creations.

Among the other shops located in this mall setting is Shirly Xi Designs, owned by Shirly Xi, who creates fun fashions for the ladies, with pleated and belted skirts and large chunky jewelry. The designers in this mall offer up a large selection of gansta rap fashion with a bit of panache thrown in for good measure.

Heading out of the mall, we come across the site of a horrible hit and run accident.  A young man-ikin lies on the ground, torn in half by the force of the collision.  Perhaps we should stop and render assistance ... but wait isn't that another shop up ahead?  Let's keep going.

Prodee is our next stop on our whirl wind tour. Prodee is owned and operated by DeejayAstaroth Amat. Here, Amat sells male clothing and tattoos.  The detail is incredible with well done shading and picture quality details.  Be sure to pick up his near-freebies at the front door.

Most of the goods offered for sale on Chicago Criminal are made for the gansta/rapper lifestyle.  They are high quality and well designed.  As such, they often tend to the pricey side as well.

And so we bid goodbye to Chicago Criminal, a shoppers' paradise located in a richly detailed environment.  Where will the winds of Second Life take us next week?  Check back next week to find out!