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==Awards==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Award
!Category
!Result
|-
|2007
|Blimp Award ([[Nickelodeon's UK kids choice awards 2007|UK Kids' Choice Awards]])
|Best Video Game
|'''Won'''
|-
|2006
|Apple Design Award ([[Apple Design Awards]])
|Best Mac OS X Game
|'''Won'''
|}


==Film== <!--Please keep this section in this article until the film is officially announced, where this may then be moved to its own article.-->
==Film== <!--Please keep this section in this article until the film is officially announced, where this may then be moved to its own article.-->

Revision as of 14:49, 5 July 2008

This article is about the computer game. For console releases, see The Sims 2 (console game).
The Sims 2
North American cover
Developer(s)EA Games (Maxis)
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts (PC)
Aspyr (Mac)
Designer(s)Patrick J. Barrett III, Matthew L. Brown, Cooper Buckingham, Kacper Centowski, Jenna Chalmers, Shannon Copur, Michael Cox, Seth Olshfski, Amy Dallas, Kevin Gibson, Daniel Hiatt, Kevin Hogan, Hunter Howe, Creighton Hurt, Trevor Jalowitz, Lyndsay McGaw, Ashley Monif, Solveig Pederson, Todd Reamon, Kana Ryan, Lauren Wheeler, Jeannie Yang, Stuart McArther
SeriesThe Sims
EnginePixomatic
Platform(s)Windows
Mac OS X
ReleaseWindows
Mac OS X
June 13, 2005
Genre(s)Life simulation game
Mode(s)Single player

The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which debuted on February 4, 2000.[3] Mark Mothersbaugh composed the music for the game.

The Sims 2 essentially revolves around the same concept as its predecessor. Players are free to control their Sims (as they interact with their virtual surroundings) engaging in various mundane activities and forming relationships in a manner similar to real life. Like its predecessor, The Sims does not have a defined final goal; gameplay is open-ended. Sims 2, however, has life goals, wants and fears, the fulfillment of which can produce both positive or negative outcomes. All Sims age, and can live over 100 Sim days depending on the degree of which their aspirations are fulfilled (although some items can extend a Sim's lifespan further).

The Sims 2 builds on its predecessor by allowing Sims, the simulated human characters, to age through six stages of life and incorporating a more powerful 3D graphics engine. It was first released on September 14, 2004 and became an instant success, having sold a then-record one million copies in its first ten days.[4] In addition to its commercial success, The Sims 2 was well received by critics.[5] As of July 26 2007, The Sims 2 has sold more than 13 million units worldwide and is the best-selling PC game of 2004.[6] A sequel, The Sims 3, was announced by EA in November 2006 and is scheduled for release in 2009.[7][8] As of April 2008, The Sims 2 website celebrated 100 million copies of The Sims series sold.[9]

Gameplay

Player Sims

Sims can experience a life generally reflective of reality through activities such as working, marriage, pursuing interests, attending school, learning new skills, engaging in relationships, ending relationships, partying etc.

Sims may also experience more fantastical events such as seeing ghosts, being abducted by aliens,which could cause male pregnancy, or being visited by the Grim Reaper, who usually appears after a sim passes away.

Life stages

Like humans, Sims operate based on certain drives: they have needs, develop dreams and goals, and exhibit personality. They can progress through six life stages: baby, toddler, child, teen, adult and elder (the expansion pack The Sims 2: University adds an additional life stage, Young Adult, for Sims who choose to attend college). Sims die naturally after a certain number of days in the elder life stage, determined by how high their Aspiration Score was when they first became Elders. The different life stages present different challenges, such as the reduced mobility of elders, children not being able to cook, the managing of the unpredictable toddlers, and the constant care of infants.

The Sims 2 University has a job reward that can bring people back from the dead. Sims can bring them back as zombies or as the normal sim. In order to bring back the passed Sim you must pay a sum to the Grim Reaper. The higher you pay the better chance that the Grim Reaper will bring back the passed Sim. Pay too low and the Grim Reaper will find you too greedy and return the Sim a zombie.

Needs

Similarly to its predecessor, Sims are driven by their Needs. Sims have up to eight needs (or "motives") depending on their age, ranging from tangible needs such as "Bladder" (the need to urinate) and "Energy" (the need to sleep), to more ephemeral such as "Social" contact and a pleasant "Environment". These needs are displayed graphically with meters that change from green (full) to red (low), and a Sim with an empty meter will require or insist on an action which fulfills it (for instance, if the Hunger meter is low, a Sim will open the refrigerator and "stuff [his/her] face", or the user may direct them to cook an item). Some empty meters also cause actions. A Sim with an empty energy meter will pass out; a teen, adult, or elder Sim with an empty Hunger meter will die. These Needs are compiled into an overall "mood" meter, which is displayed by a diamond (called a plumbbob) that hovers above the active Sim's head. The needs of babies (which are social, hygiene & energy) are not shown as with other Sims, but their portrait on the left hand side of the screen indicates Sims as red (low) or green (full).

Personality

Personality is a quantified way of measuring a Sim's behavioral characteristics. There are five personality traits, which players can control by allocating 'points'; for example, a Sim can be active, lazy or somewhere in between the two extremes. These traits determine how fast a Sim learns skills, the rate at which specific needs decay, the types of interactions a Sim will autonomously engage in, the likelihood of interactions and the likelihood of bringing home a friend from school or work. All Sims communicate in a language known as "Simlish". Simlish is a mix of fractured Ukrainian and Tagalog that communicates a Sim's emotions or reactions using tones of voice.[citation needed]

Career

Children and teenagers may attend school from Monday to Friday. Homework completion and mood affect their grades (high grades generate cash or skills). Parents may enroll their children in private schools, after success in a minigame of inviting the headmaster for dinner. Truancy from school lowers grades. If grades are too low, a social worker shows up to abduct the child.

An adult sim can find a job from either a computer or a newspaper. However the computer offers 5 jobs while the newspaper only offers 3 jobs per day. Once you get a job your sim can be promoted if they go to work in a good mood, and they have the required skill points and/or sufficient quantity of (family) friends. Each career contains ten jobs with increasing salary, each with its own uniform, hours and carpool.

There are various careers options including Athletics, Politics, Military, Law Enforcement, Medicine and Scientist. The Sims 2: University, Sims 2: Seasons and Sims 2: Free Time expansion packs add additional career options to the pool. Reaching a career reward results in the attainment of an exclusive household object, most of them useful for improvement of a skill that is critical to the career. When reaching old age, a sim may retire, and receive a daily pension. Pensions vary depending on the career and level of job carried out. Teenagers and elders may also seek employment, however only three jobs are offered in each career track for the teen/elder age groups and they receive about one-third to one-half less than an adult would be paid.

Aspiration

New to The Sims 2 is the "Aspiration" meter, roughly analogous to self-esteem or life satisfaction. As toddlers and children, Sims aspire only to "Grow Up", but upon becoming teens, the player must assign Sims one of five life aspirations: Family (befriending family members, marrying and raising a large family), Fortune (wealth and prestige), Knowledge (skill enhancement and life experience), Popularity (making friends and socializing) and Romance (frequent and varied romantic relationships and interactions); with the Nightlife expansion, a new aspiration was added: Pleasure (wanting to live an enjoyable life). Each has fears that correspond to his or her aspiration, stage of life and present circumstances. When a want is achieved, such as to "make a friend", aspiration points are allotted to the aspiration meter; conversely, when a fear is realized, such as the death of a spouse, aspiration points are decreased. There are six levels to the meter: the highest is platinum, then gold, two levels of green and two of red, with the meter depleting a small amount every few hours. Aspiration: Sims with a platinum meter are fulfilled, docile and more willing to perform tasks they dislike, in addition to having their mood meter full ("Platinum Mood") regardless of their individual needs; Sims with red meters will often experience nervous breakdowns and require treatment from an automatically-summoned psychiatrist who is invisible to nearby sims. Aspiration levels determine how a Sim will live as an Elder before death. If the Sim grew up well with a high aspiration meter throughout each change in phase the gravestone or jar of ashes with be more significant. Finally, the Sim's lifetime total of Aspiration points are recorded by the game, and can have unique effects, such as providing free money or altering lifespan, but only if the aspiration meter is at "gold" or "platinum" level; if not, the chance of success decreases and negative side effects may occur.[10]

In the FreeTime expansion, a new lifetime aspiration meter was added. As you achieve very important lifetime event such as marriage or a birth of a child, you will gain a little lift in the meter and for every section you complete you get rewards, e.g choosing a secondary aspiration. Getting to the top of the meter will get you a chance to get a special gift, a permanent platinum aspiration!

Relationships

Romantic relationships can happen in a number of ways. Constantly flirting with another Sim, regardless of sex (Sims are effectively bisexual) will make them have a crush on one another and eventually fall in love. This allows more intimate interactions such as making out. Sims can simply remain in a de facto relationship or they can get married (called "Joined Union" for same sex sim couples). The sim who initiates the marriage or union will retain his or her surname, while the sim who did not initiate will take the surname of the spouse. With the addition of The Sims 2: Nightlife, sims can also date each other, as well as taking part in many romantic themed interactions. Sims also have chemistry with one another, which is affected by what they find attractive in another Sim, related to personality, aspiration, or appearance.

Death

Sims can die in a variety of different ways. If a Sim reaches the end of the Elder life stage, he or she will die of old age. Depending on whether or not the elder Sim dies with either gold or platinum aspiration meter, the Grim Reaper will come with two hula girls and will take the elder Sim away while a gold-rimmed marble tombstone is left in the deceased Sim's place. Sims can also meet premature ends by various means, such as electrocution, being struck by lightning, hit by hail or death by satellite. Sims leave behind tombstones (if placed outside) or urns (if placed inside), which are typically possessed by their ghosts. As long as the memorial is left on the lot, ghosts will haunt the household. Ghosts may scare easily frightened Sims, potentially to death. The colour of the ghost initially depends on what death the Sim has suffered.

After death, a Sim is no longer an interface. Death is carried out in The Sims 2 by the NPC Grim Reaper. Sims can be saved from any premature death if a friend begs the Grim Reaper for mercy (depending on the relationship the Sim has with the potentially dead Sim). Also if you reach the top of the psychic career the reward is a phone to connect to the grim reaper.


With the The Sims 2: FreeTime, the genie can resurrect a Sim as one of the wish options (there is a small chance the Sim will be a zombie).

Game Over

If all the sims in a lot are 'dead', this is the The Sims 2 equivalent to a Game Over. Time pauses, the "Live Mode" option turns off, and a dialogue box labeled "The Finale" pops up that says that "...unfortunately, the way things stand now, The Sims 2 is a LIFE simulator." It then gives you suggestions of what you could do with the lot.[11]

Other characters

There are several types of non-playable Sims:

  • Townie: Sims are those which are roughly equivalent to playable Sims; since the addition of The Sims 2: Nightlife they can have jobs and other characteristics of a playable Sim, except they do not live on an actual lot. They visit the Community and Residential lots and can be interacted with just like any other Sim. With few exceptions, any Townie may become a playable Sim if he or she accepts an invitation to move in, to be joined, or by sending the teen Townies to the university. When they move in they may also add to the household funds and often a random assortment of objects in their inventory which can be placed on the lot.
  • Non Playable Characters: There are also NPCs like Big Diva, Slob, Grand Vampire, Cheerleader & Evil Mascot.
  • Service Sims: are Sims that can be hired to perform services for a fee (such as cleaning, gardening, repairing etc). Most NPCs may become a playable Sim through marriage or moving in.
  • Delivery Sims: Groceries, pizza and the adoption service
  • Special Sims: Other non-playable characters include the Grim Reaper, therapist, social worker, repo man and the social bunny. Also there is the principal of the private school which you can invite to dinner in hopes of securing your sim child a place in a private school. Several expansion packs add new characters, such as Santa Claus, Father Time and Baby New Year.
  • Creatures are Sims based on a mythical creature and they have special abilities and behavior. Ghosts feature in the original game. Whilst an extraterrestrial can be controlled, a ghost cannot. Each expansion pack adds a new class of creature. Zombies, vampires, Servos (robots), Werewolves, Plantsims, and Bigfoot are all playable.

Habitation

Sims inhabit neighborhoods. There are two main kinds of lots - residential and community lots. From the latter, Sims can purchase groceries, clothing and magazines as well as interact with Townies. With the addition of The Sims 2: University, dorms and greek houses are also available. With the addition of The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, hotels are also available. You may make a new customized neighborhood or play within the three that come with the game. Each neighborhood has space for several residential and/or community lots.

Minigames

The game contains some- time-bound social challenges that provide a reward if successful. Sims can throw parties to gain aspiration points, or invite the headmaster over for dinner in order to enroll their children in private school. Some expansion packs have new minigames (like rushing a Greek house in University, or dating in Nightlife). Also in Nightlife, each date in and of itself is a challenge to keep both Sims as happy as possible, while accumulating aspiration points.

Premade neighborhoods

In The Sims 2, three neighborhoods created by Maxis (Pleasantview, Strangetown and Veronaville) were included. The new neighborhood Riverblossom comes with the Seasons expansion, Desiderata Valley comes with FreeTime, and Bluewater Village is included with the Open for Business expansion but is a SUB-neighborhood. Some expansion packs add a new complementary or self-contained neighborhood. Each neighborhood contains lots. Sims live and build their homes on residential lots and may visit community lots, which house recreational hangouts, such as pools and malls.

Pleasantview is a neighborhood with many of the characters from The Sims as well as some new additions. Strangetown is a small suburban feel similar to Roswell, with a focus on Alien Sims, but the mysterious town is also made up of normal human Sims. Veronaville is a neighborhood heavily influenced by the works of Shakespeare, particularly A Midsummer Night's Dream (with a family's surname being Summerdream) and Romeo and Juliet — with Verona being the town in which the play is set, and the title characters having their surnames. The neighbourhood also includes characters from Othello, The Tempest, King Lear, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Much Ado About Nothing.

Plot

File:Sims 2 Bday.jpg
A Sim birthday party

Although gameplay is open-ended, The Sims 2 has characters with histories, and the game is designed to incorporate expanded photo album features or a packaged blog, such as a neighborhood photo album. The three pre-loaded neighborhoods each have a storyline told through the existing photo albums and the Sims' personal biographies.

The first pre-made neighbourhood is called Pleasantview, which appears to be a normal western suburb. The neighbourhood description reveals that this is the neighbourhood in the Original The Sims game. Most of tutorial storylines focus on relationships Sims have with other Sims and features some Sims from the orginal game but much older, including the Goth family who are currently mourning Bella Goth after she has mysteriously disappeared. A lot of the families' stories focuses on sims cheating on their spouses, specifically the Lothario, Caliente and Pleasant families.

The next pre-made neighbourhood is called Strangetown. It seems to be based on Roswell, a town famous for an alleged UFO crash. The neighbourhood shows the player some of the more unusual features in the game, including the Curious family who are made up of three brothers, two of which are abducted by aliens, are returned and are later revealed to be pregnant. The neighbourhood also is home to an extratrestrial Sim known as Polination Tech#9 Smith who has two children, none of which have inherited his black eyes, but the one got his green skin. Alot of the neighbourhood's sub-plot focuses on the feud General Buzz Grunt and his son have with the Smith family which it is suggested is based on the family's extratrestrial heritage. The Neighbourhood also features Olive Specter, an aging outcast, and the mystery surrounding her unnamed heir.

The third pre-made neighbourhood is named Veronaville. It seems to be an old fashioned english village and has the main theme of romance. Many of the characters are named after Shakespeare characters, including Juliet Cap and Romeo Monty. The plot of the neighbouthood mainly focuses on these two characters who are both teenagers who have fallen in love despite their families feuding with one another.

History

Development

EA Games announced on May 5, 2003 that the Maxis studio had begun development on The Sims 2.[12] The game was first shown at E³ in Los Angeles, California on May 13, 2004.[12] Will Wright admits that while most of the content of The Sims 2 are original ideas, inspiration for its own expansions and constituents spawned from the successes of the first game. The community interest in the antecedent The Sims 2: Pets expansion, and The Sims: Hot Date expansion ensured the creation of The Sims 2: Nightlife expansion.[13]

After development concluded, designers from Maxis regarded The Sims 2 as very capricious during creation. Bugs would appear apparently spontaneously, and Sims would be "tweaked", or have anomalies not present in a previous run.[14]

Controversy

The Sims 2 highly malleable content and open-ended customization have led to controversy on the subject of paysites and sexual modifications. Custom content is distributed through independent websites, some of which charge for downloading materials. Some modifications, purportedly revealing sexual anatomy of the Sims, sparked legal controversy.

On July 22, 2005, Florida attorney Jack Thompson alleged that Electronic Arts and The Sims 2 promoted nudity through the use of a mod or a cheat code. The claim was made that pubic hair, labia and other genital details were visible once the "blur" (the pixelation that occurs when a sim is using the toilet or is naked in the game) was removed.[15] Electronic Arts issued a statement saying that when the censor was removed, Sims lack such anatomical definition, similar to Barbie and Ken dolls. Electronic Arts executive Jeff Brown said in an interview with GameSpot:[16]

This is nonsense. We've reviewed 100 percent of the content. There is no content inappropriate for a teen audience. Players never see a nude sim. If someone with an extreme amount of expertise and time were to remove the pixels, they would see that the sims have no genitals. They appear like Ken and Barbie.

Reception

The Sims 2 had a successful E³[17][18] The game also received the Editor's Choice Award from IGN and GameSpy upon final review of the finished product.[19][20] From 71 online reviews, the average score was 90 out of 100. Seven of those sources awarded the game a 100 out of 100 score.[21]

In addition to its awards, The Sims creator, Will Wright was recognized by being nominated at the Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards for Visionary and Game Developer.[22] The game was also nominated for two international awards in 2005.[23][24]

Comparison to The Sims

File:Sims2 oct2005 house 2storyexecutive-732781.jpg
The graphics engine of The Sims 2 has seen significant improvement over its predecessor.

Graphics

Graphically, The Sims 2 is more detailed than The Sims and allows players to view its world in full 3D. Unlike earlier Sim games, such as SimCity 2000, which used dimetric projection and fixed resolutions, the camera in were in The Sims. In The Sims, Sims are 3D meshes, but The Sims 2 introduces far more detail in mesh quality, texture quality, and animation capability. A Sim's facial features are customizable and unique, and Sims can smile, frown, and blink. The player can adjust, for example, a Sim's nose to be very large or very small in The Sims 2's Create-a-Sim. Texturing is still achieved through use of raster images, though it appears more lifelike.

Gameplay

File:Sims 2 3D.png
A shot of Pleasantview, one of the default neighborhoods

Sims have new experiences unavailable in The Sims, such as aging and eventual death. Sims can become pregnant and produce babies that take on genetic characteristics of their parents, such as eye color, hair color, facial structure, and personality traits. Genetics play a major role in the game, and as such, dominant and recessive genes play a larger role than they did in the original game. Additionally, babies in The Sims 2 progress through life stages to become adults, while babies in The Sims only become children before ceasing to continue aging. The aspiration system (described above) is also new to The Sims 2.

Other additions to gameplay include career rewards, a week cycle, the cleaning skill, a variety of meals, special exercise clothing, body shape affected by diet and exercise, and houses built on foundations.

Game customization

File:Sims2Bodyshop.jpg
The Sims 2 Bodyshop allows more customization of facial features than the Create-A-Sim feature within the game itself.

The Sims 2 is an extremely malleable game. Modders alter the game in ways as simple as creating a new floor texture of rocks or as complicated as writing entire patches for the game code to customize its behavior. Such modifications are all loosely referred to as "custom content." Specifically, custom content can be divided into four categories: exporting (creating Sims and lots in-game or using the game's included Body Shop and exporting them to a file), recoloring (creating a new texture for an object), meshing (creating an object or modifying its shape) and hacking (writing code that manipulates game and object behaviors).

The modding community for The Sims 2 is self-supporting, with more advanced modders writing tools and tutorials to help in creating custom content and modifying the game environment. The "Sims 2 Body Shop" is a program shipped with The Sims 2 that allows users to create custom clothing and body recolors, such as eyes, hair and skin tone. These custom created parts can be imported directly into the game, or can be uploaded onto the official The Sims 2 Exchange for other users to download and implement into their own games. Two elements that propagate customization are the official Sims 2 Exchange and the extensive network of fan sites that distribute custom content. More than 250,000 Sims and lots have been uploaded to the Sims 2 Exchange on the Official Site.

Game editions and add-on releases

Many Sims games have been ported to Mac OS X by Aspyr. The Sims 2 has also been released for a number of video game consoles.

Compilations

Name Windows Release date (USA) Aspyr Media, Inc. Mac OS X port Release Features
The Sims 2 September 14, 2004 June 13, 2005 First release of the core game
The Sims 2: Special DVD Edition September 17, 2004 N/A Core game, Bonus DVD content
The Sims 2: Holiday Edition (2005) November 17, 2005 N/A Core game, content from The Sims 2: Holiday Party Pack
The Sims 2: Holiday Edition (2006) November, 2006 N/A Core game, content from The Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff
The Sims 2: Deluxe[25] May 8, 2007 N/A Core game, The Sims 2: Nightlife, Bonus DVD
The Sims 2: Double Deluxe[26] April 15, 2008 N/A The Sims 2: Deluxe, The Sims 2: Celebration! Stuff

Expansion packs

The Sims 2 expansion packs provide additional game features and items. Generally, expansion packs add several gameplay elements, a new type of "expansion neighborhood", a new mythical creature (e.g. zombies in University and vampires in Nightlife), and over 100 new objects. Seven expansion packs have been released so far, with an eighth expansion due out in the later half of 2008. French fansite posted an article about a possible 9th expansion pack, however the information is unconfirmed by EA.

Name Windows Release date Mac OS X Release Major Additions New/Sub-Neighborhoods New NPCs Creature New Careers
North America Europe
University March 1, 2005 March 2, 2005 December 12, 2005 Young Adult life stage (only accessible in college), lifetime wants, pranks, Influence, secret societies La Fiesta Tech, Sim State University, Académie Le Tour Barista, Bartender, Cafeteria Worker, Cheerleader, Coach, Evil Mascot, Mascot, Professors, Streaker Zombies Natural Scientist, Paranormal, Show Business, Artist
Nightlife September 13, 2005 September 13, 2005 March 27, 2006 Dating/outing, Pleasure Aspiration, interpersonal chemistry, drivable vehicles Downtown Gypsy Matchmaker, Waiter, Chef, Bartender, DJ, Mrs. Crumplebottom Vampires None
Open for Business March 2, 2006 March 2, 2006 September 4, 2006 Businesses, business perks, talent badges, elevators, robots Bluewater Village Reporters, Barbers Robots Shop Employees
Pets October 17, 2006 October 20, 2006 November 6, 2006 Dogs, Cats, Birds, Womrats, pet store lots, in-game encyclopedia of tips and tricks normally presented throughout gameplay, turn-ons and turn-offs that affect Sims' romantic compatibilities None Animal Control Officers, Obedience Trainer, Wolves, Skunks Werewolves Pet careers: Security, Showbiz and Service
Seasons March 1, 2007 March 2, 2007 June 11, 2007 Weather system, Outerwear, Seasons, fishing, gardening Riverblossom Hills Garden Club Members, Penguins Plantsims Adventurer, Education, Gamer, Journalism, Law, Music
Bon Voyage September 4, 2007 September 7, 2007 December 17, 2007 Hotels and vacations in tropical, Oriental and woodland (camping) settings, regional typical hames, traditions & items as well as functional beaches[27], digging for treasure Twikki Island, Three Lakes, Takemizu Village Fire Dancers, Hotel Maids, Bellboys, Masseurs, Wise Old Man, Pirate, "Unsavory charlatan," Tour Guides, Witch Doctor and Ninjas Bigfoot None
FreeTime February 26, 2008 February 22, 2008 TBA Hobby system with ten different hobbies (with new objects), manufacturing stations (sewing, pottery, car restoration), lifetime aspiration system with collectible bonuses, "Grilled Cheese" aspiration Desiderata Valley, "Hobby" (hidden neighborhood with secret hobby lots) Hobby Members, Rod Humble, Hobby Leaders, Food Judge, Genie Zombies [28] Oceanography, Intelligence, Entertainment, Dance, Architecture
Apartment Life [29] August 26, 2008 [30] August 21, 2008 TBA New apartment life style, magic & witchcraft, feline familiars (The Sims 2: Pets installed only), apartment dog Belladonna Cove [31], " The magical world" (hidden neighborhood with secret lots for magic) Butler, Landlord, Roomies, Breakdancers, Living statues[31] Witches[31], Zombies[32] None

Stuff packs

Main article: The Sims 2 Stuff packs

Stuff packs are add-ons to the base game that add only new objects. There are currently eight released. Stuff packs were originally called booster packs, as seen in the release of The Sims 2: Holiday Party Pack. Current releases are called "Stuff Packs" and include certain gameplay elements introduced in previous expansion packs (as opposed to Holiday Party Pack, which only added a package file containing object data). Stuff packs typically add around 60 new items.

Name Windows release date (USA) Mac OS X Release Major components
Holiday Party Pack November 17, 2005 N/A Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year themed stuff, plus new NPCs (Santa Claus, Father Time, Baby New Year )
Family Fun Stuff April 13, 2006 April 30, 2007 Fairy tale, nautical themed stuff
Glamour Life Stuff August 31, 2006 June 1, 2007 Luxury, couture, glamour themed stuff
Happy Holiday Stuff November 7, 2006 September 4, 2007 Asian, and European holiday themed stuff, plus Holiday Party Pack
Celebration! Stuff April 3, 2007[33] TBA Celebration, fiesta themed stuff
H&M Fashion Stuff June 5, 2007[34] TBA Fashion collections from H&M
Teen Style Stuff November 5, 2007[35] TBA Goth, Thrasher, and Socialite themed stuff
Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff April 15, 2008 TBA Kitchen & bathroom stuff
IKEA Home Stuff[36] June 24, 2008 TBA Items from IKEA (like H&M Fashion Stuff)


Film

The Sims (working title) is a film currently in preproduction. The film will be live action.[37]

On May 25 2007, it was announced that The Sims film rights had been purchased by 20th Century Fox.[38] Not much is known yet about the upcoming film. It will be written by Brian Lynch, the writer of Angel: After The Fall. Comics and writing/directing the 1999 film Big Helium Dog. The film will be produced by John Davis, responsible for films such as Norbit and Eragon.[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mac OS X system requirements". Aspyr Media. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  2. ^ "Windows system requirements". EA Games. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  3. ^ Walker, Trey (2002-03-22). "The Sims overtakes Myst". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  4. ^ Fahey, Rob (2004-09-27). "The Sims 2 sells a million, smashes EA records". Retrieved 2007-02-08.
  5. ^ "The Sims 2 Reviews". Game Rankings. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Bon Voyage Press Release". EA. 2008-01-22. Retrieved 2007-07-26. The Sims 2 shipped in September 2004 with sales already topping 13M units worldwide, it was the best selling PC game of 2004. As of 2008, the game has sold over 100 Million Units worldwide.
  7. ^ Thorsen, Tor (2006-11-02). "Sims 3, next-gen Black, new SimCity & LOTR coming". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  8. ^ Orry, James (2006-03-11). "Three new Sims games in development". Pro-G Media, UK. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  9. ^ "The Sims 2.com - 100 Million Sold". EA. 2008-04-15.
  10. ^ Adams, Dan (2004-09-10). "The Sims 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  11. ^ "The Finale on Simpedia". Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  12. ^ a b "EA Announces Plans For The Sims 2". The Sims 2 Press Release. 2003-05-05. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  13. ^ "Will Wright Speaks Simlish". GameSpy. 2005-02-27. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  14. ^ Bradshaw, Lucy (2004-08-31). "Zany Outtakes from the Cutting Room Floor". Maxis, mirrored at GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  15. ^ CNN (2005-07-28). "'Sims' content criticized". money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2007-03-01. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  16. ^ Surette, Tim (2005-07-02). "Sims 2 content "worse than Hot Coffee"". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
  17. ^ "The Annual GameSpy E3 Awards!". GameSpy. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  18. ^ "PC Best of E3 2004". IGN. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  19. ^ "The Sims 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  20. ^ "The Sims 2 Review". GameSpy. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  21. ^ "Main Reviews Breakdown". Gamerankings.com. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  22. ^ "Billboard 2004 Digital Entertainment Conference & Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  23. ^ "Latest Winners and Nominees". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  24. ^ "10th Annual SATELLITE Awards" (.doc). International Press Academy. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  25. ^ "Official The Sims 2 Deluxe site". 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
  26. ^ "Official The Sims 2 Double Deluxe site". 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  27. ^ The Sims website with announcement of the Bon Voyage expansion
  28. ^ Numenor post @ MTS2
  29. ^ "The Sims 2 8th expansion pack announced". EA. 2008-4-10. Retrieved 2008-04-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ EA Store (US) Pre-order
  31. ^ a b c "Edenstyle.it".
  32. ^ TSR Apartment Life Preview
  33. ^ "The Sims(tm) 2 Celebration Stuff Videos". Maxis. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
  34. ^ "The Sims(tm) 2 H&M Fashion Stuff". Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  35. ^ "The Sims(tm) 2 Teen Style Stuff". Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  36. ^ "The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff on Simpedia". Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  37. ^ ""The Sims Coming to the Big Screen"". ComingSoon. 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2007-10-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ ""The Sims" to move from PC screen to silver screen". Reuters. 2007-05-28. Retrieved 2007-10-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ Gilstrap, Peter (2007-05-24). "Fox brings 'SIMS' to bigscreen". Variety. Retrieved 2007-10-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Official site

Producer journals

Resources

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