The Sims 2: Seasons

The Sims 2: Seasons
The Sims 2: Seasons box cover
Developer(s)	Maxis
Publisher(s)	EA Games (PC) Aspyr Media (Mac)
Designer(s)	Hunter Howe
Platform(s)	Windows, Mac OS X
Release	Windows NA: March 1, 2007 EU: February 23/March 2, 2007 BR: March 2, 2007 AU: March 20, 2007 Mac OS X June 11, 2007
Genre(s)	Life simulation game God game
Mode(s)	Single player

The Sims 2: Seasons is the fifth expansion pack in The Sims 2 series of games. It was released on March 1, 2007 in North America, and was followed by the European release on March 2, 2007. Aspyr will release a Mac OS X port of the game in June of 2007. The included neighborhood, Riverblossom Hills, has new lots, Sims and storyline.

Features

File:Plantsimtoddler.png

A PlantSim toddler

The Seasons of the Game

The Sims 2 Seasons expansion pack introduces two new game play concepts to The Sims 2 series: weather and seasons. Each season lasts for approximately five Sim days and players have the option to alter their order of progression. Sims are able to build snowmen in Winter, rake fallen leaves in Autumn, purchase a greater selection of flowers and jump in puddles during Spring and get sunburn and occasionally experience heatstroke in Summer.Besides being a solely visual, interactive addition, each season enhances Sim's attributes in certain ways: summer improves their ability to build and attain relationships among friends, fall quickens their skill building and job promotion, winter helps to tighten family bonds through a variety of activities (having a snowball fight, for example) and spring augments romantic relationships.

Weather, Temperature, and Everything in Between

There is weather within each season, including sunshine, light rain, hail, lightning storms, and snow. Although weather was originally planned for release in the original Sims 2 base game, a 3D rendering error prevented this from being possible: rain would fall into enclosed housing areas, and other graphical rendering problems would occur. Weather may also adversely affect Sims. For example, heat in summer may cause a Sim to experience heatstroke or receive a sunburn. Winter snow may cause Sims to feel cold and can be warmed with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, or sitting by a warm, crackling fire place. If outside long enough in inappropriate clothing, a Sim can freeze and eventually die unless another Sim is prompted to engage in a thaw interaction with the frozen Sim. However, this interaction is only available if the two Sims have a high enough relationship status (Status is up to 55 and 40 on the two relationship bars). Sometimes, but rarely, the Sim can be struck by lightning; however, it is more common for a tree or some type of plant.

Plant Sims

Plant Sims are the new creatures that come with The Sims 2: Seasons. Plant Sims have green skin with vine-like tattoos, special leaf or flower made hair and green eyes. In order to become a Plant Sim, a Sim must spray their orchard trees or plants in excess. The Plant Sim condition can be "cured" if a Sim buys the Plantophic-C from the Garden Club or the Gypsy, a NPC available in The Sims 2: Nightlife expansion pack.

Since they lack the Baby, Child and Teen life stages, they only age within the three other life stages: Toddler, Adult and Elder. Besides aging differences, they have three needs: Sunlight (satisfied by going outside or using a sun lamp), Water (satisfied by taking showers or baths, being outside in rain, or by swimming) and Love (equivalent to the Social need). Plant Sims also gain a prank interaction, the ability to spawn offspring and release spores of happiness, which boost nearby Sims' needs. Spawned offspring have a gold gardening badge and the same skills and personality as their parent.

Objects and updates

As with the other The Sims 2 expansion packs, there are additional items, including a pool slide, skating rink, greenhouse, wishing well, and new country themed kitchen sets. A new weather changing machine is available as an Aspiration award, a set of items available to Sim after they satisfy a certain amount of wants. A pool's corners can be rounded, instead of having a square shape, and the pool has reflections and can be customized (pool floors and walls can be changed). Also, a completely new feature is the ability to set hairstyles for different occasions. For example, in the Create a Sim, players can choose for their Sim a certain hairstyle for everyday, another one for formal etc., without having to buy a mirror to change appearances. Sims have new "outerwear," also chosen in Create a Sim, for each season.

Music

This expansion packs contains New Age and Jambands genres. The New Age radio station uses all the original songs from The Sims original Build Mode, which can create a strong sense of nostalgia for those who played the first game. Simlish versions of songs from popular artists are also contained in the expansion:

• "Smile" - Lily Allen
• "Mr. High And Mighty" - Government Mule
• "Blue Jeans Pizza" - moe.
• "Zoom" - Tata Young
• "N" - The Breadbox Band
• "The Next One" - The Chris McCarty Band
• "Close Your Eyes" - The String Cheese Incident
• "When It All Falls Apart" - The Veronicas

Inclusion of real songs by popular artists dates back to The Sims 2: University; they have also been present in the Open For Business and Pets expansion packs.

Included existing features

Features from the existing expansion packs such as the influence system (available in University), turn ons/turn offs (available from Nightlife upwards), lifetime wants (available from University upwards), pranks (available in University), fury (available in Nightlife), Mrs. Crumplebottom (also available in Nightlife) and talent badges (available from Open For Business) are available. Although the talent badges included in Open For Business are not available in the Seasons expansion pack, players can use them if both Open For Business and Seasons are installed.

External links

• The Sims 2: Seasons Official site
• The Sims 2 Seasons Info