The Sims 2 is a 2004
strategicA strategy game is a game in which the players' decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome. Many games include this element to a greater or lesser degree, making demarcation difficult...
life simulationLife simulation games are simulation games in which the player lives or controls one or more artificial lifeforms. A life simulation game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem"...
computer game developed by
MaxisMaxis Software is an American company founded as an independent video game developer in 1987. It is currently a subsidiary of Electronic Arts . Maxis is the creator of the best-selling computer game of all time, The Sims and the sequels The Sims 2 and The Sims 3...
and published by
Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts is an international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible...
. It is the
sequelA sequel is a work in literature, film, or other media that chronologically portrays events following those of a previous work.In many cases, the sequel continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters and settings. A sequel can lead to a series, in which key elements appear...
to the best-selling computer game,
The SimsThe Sims is an American strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It was created by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity. It is a simulation of the daily activities of one or more virtual persons in a suburban household...
, which debuted on February 4, 2000. It was first released on September 14, 2004 for Microsoft Windows. A port to Macintosh was released on June 13, 2005. Eight expansion packs and nine micro-expansion packs were subsequently released. In addition several console versions have been released. Though not commonly known, The Sims 2 is offered on mobile platforms. Mobile manufacturers such as Nokia offer The Sims 2 from the Ovi Store. It costs $4.99 USD. A sequel,
The Sims 3The Sims 3 is a strategic life simulation video game in The Sims franchise, originally created by Maxis.It was released on DVD for Microsoft Windows and for Macintosh, using cider emulation, on June 2, 2009 in North America, on June 4, 2009 in Australia and on June 5, 2009 in Europe...
, was released in June 2009.
The Sims 2 has the same concept as its predecessor. Players control their Sims in various activities and forming relationships in a manner similar to
real lifeReality, in everyday usage, means "the state of things as they actually exist." Literally, the term denotes what is real; in its widest sense, this includes everything that is, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible. Reality in this sense includes being and sometimes is considered to...
.
The Sims 2, like its predecessor,
The Sims, does not have a defined final goal; gameplay is open-ended. Sims have 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.
The Sims 2 builds on its predecessor by allowing Sims to age through six stages of life and incorporating a
3D graphics3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
engine. Although gameplay is not linear, story-lines exist in the game's pre-built neighbourhoods. Pleasantview is based 25 years after the town in the original The Sims. Strangetown's storyline is based on the supernatural, and is loosely connected with Pleasantview. Veronaville's characters are based on Shakespearian characters.
The Sims 2 was an instant success, selling a then-record one million copies in its first ten days.
As of July 26, 2007,
The Sims 2 has sold more than 13 million units worldwide and was the best-selling PC game of 2004.
During April 2008,
The Sims 2 website announced that 100 million copies of
The Sims series had been sold.
In addition to its commercial success,
The Sims 2 was well received by critics gaining a 90% score from aggregators Metacritic and GameRankings.
Neighborhoods
There are three pre-made neighborhoods in
The Sims 2: Pleasantview, Strangetown, and Veronaville. Others come with various expansion packs. Many pre-made characters have their own storylines and history. The main neighborhood that has run through
The SimsThe Sims is an American strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It was created by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity. It is a simulation of the daily activities of one or more virtual persons in a suburban household...
and
The Sims 2 is Pleasantview (called both Sim Lane and Old Town in the original). Strangetown is based on a sci-fi theme and Veronaville is based on Shakespeare's works "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
The Sims 2 is set 25 years after the first game.
Live mode
The gameplay revolves around controlling Sims with a point-and-click interface. Actions are performed by clicking on an in-game object and selecting an interaction with that object. Each Sim has a life-span of approximately 90 Sim days (each day lasting about 25 minutes) and progresses through six different age groups: babies, toddlers, children, teenagers, adults and elders. Each age-group has interactions specific to itself. Toddlers can be taught skills such as walking and talking, children and teens attend school and do homework, and elders have the ability to retire and collect a pension.
The game provides goals to the player in the form of wants and fears. Fears represent things for the player to avoid such as getting demoted or contracting a disease, while wants are generally positive and can involve buying new objects or reaching the top of a career track. Wants are selected randomly but are weighted toward a Sim's aspiration. Players are able to select one of five aspirations, including family, fortune, popularity, knowledge and romance. These mainly deal with determining the chance of specific wants appearing on the want panel. Family Sims are more likely to experience wants involving having children, while Fortune Sims will experience career-related wants. Completing wants will provide aspiration points, a currency which can be used to purchase reward objects such as a money tree or an elixir of life.
Two important aspects are the Sims' needs and moods. Needs represent physical and psychological aspects of various Sims and include the need to eat and sleep as well as the need for entertainment and to be hygienic. Needs are tied down to a Sim's mood which represents a Sim's willingness to perform specific tasks. Needs are indicated to the player in the form of bars which increase or decrease depending on what actions the Sim is performing.
Sims can also have specific relationships with other Sims, including friendly and romantic ones. A Sim's attitude toward others is represented with two bars: a short-term relationship bar and a long-term relationship bar. The short-term bar is easy to fill up but can also decrease rapidly. The long-term bar is less volatile. Sims that behave romantically can unlock the option to become engaged and married. These relationships are restricted to non-family members.
Sims can choose one of ten career tracks in order to earn an income. A career track consists of ten levels which represent advancement. To move up to the next level, Sims must advance in various skills which represent their ability to perform certain actions. For example, the cooking skill represents how good a Sim is at preparing meals and the speed in which they do so. Sims must also establish good relationships with other Sims to move up the career ladder.
The simology panel on the interface represents miscellaneous information to the player. A Sim's personality is represented on a scale between one and ten for various elements including neatness, laziness, niceness, shyness and playfulness. These are a major factor in their autonomous behavior. Sims also have interests that are displayed when talking to other Sims. Finally, Sims can earn memories from specific events in their life. These can be positive or negative.
Buy and Build mode
From the neighborhood view, the player selects to play one lot, as in
The Sims. There are residential and community lots. Sims live in residential lots, and can travel to community lots to purchase groceries, clothing and magazines as well as interact with Townies.
The player can choose between playing a pre-made inhabited lot, moving a household into a built-up lot, or constructing a building on an empty lot. One novelty from
The Sims 1 is
foundationA foundation is a structure that transfers loads to the earth. Foundations are generally broken into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundation:...
s.
The player switches among the "live" mode (default) to control Sims, the "buy" mode to add, move or delete furniture, or the "build" mode to rebuild the house. Buy and build mode for community lots is locked when player Sims visit the lot but are available from the neighborhood view.
It is also possible to import neighborhood terrains from Sim City 4.
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 mini-games, like running a Greek house in
University or dating in
Nightlife. In
Nightlife, each date is a challenge to keep both Sims as happy as possible while accumulating aspiration points.
Comparison to The Sims
Graphically,
The Sims 2 is more detailed than
The Sims and allows players to view its world in full 3D. This is a change from earlier Sim games, such as
SimCity 2000SimCity 2000 is a simulation/city building computer game and the second installment in the SimCity series. SimCity 2000 was first released by Maxis in 1993 for computers running the Apple Macintosh and DOS operating systems...
, which used dimetric projection and fixed resolutions, as the camera was 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 a Sim's features in the in-game Create-a-Sim tool; for example, noses can be made to be very large or very small. Texturing is achieved through use of raster images, though it appears more lifelike.
The Sims 2 characters' pass through six life stages (seven with
University), with eventual death of old age, 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. 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.
Some of the other additions to gameplay are career rewards, a week cycle, the
cleaning skill, a variety of meals (depending on time of day), exercise clothing, body shape affected by diet and exercise, and houses built on foundations.
Game customization
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.
Development
EA Games announced on May 5, 2003 that the Maxis studio had begun development on
The Sims 2. The game was first shown at E3 in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
on May 13, 2004. 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: Unleashed and
The Sims: Hot DateThe Sims: Hot Date is the third expansion pack released for the strategic life-simulation computer game The Sims developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts...
expansions ensured the creation of
The Sims 2: PetsThe Sims 2: Pets is the fourth expansion pack in The Sims 2 series of games, as well as a stand-alone game for several consoles. It is published by Electronic Arts...
and
The Sims 2: NightlifeThe Sims 2: Nightlife is the second expansion pack for The Sims 2, which was released on September 13, 2005 and September 16, 2005 . It was released for Mac OS X on March 27, 2006...
expansions, respectively.
After development concluded, designers from Maxis regarded
The Sims 2 as very capricious during creation. Bugs would appear, and Sims would be "tweaked", or have anomalies not present in a previous run.
A teaser trailer was provided on the
Makin' Magic CD but was later uploaded to websites all over the Internet.
Deleted content
Originally, Maxis created a "Power Outage" scenario: during a storm, there would be a black-out, and the player had to keep high the "fun" motive for all the family members (and guests) without being able to use any electric device.
If the player succeeded in such a mission, a
windmillA windmill is a machine which translates linear motion of wind to rotational motion by means of adjustable vanes called sails. The main use is for a grinding mill powered by the wind, reducing a solid or coarse substance into pulp or minute grains by crushing, grinding, or pressing...
would have appeared in the catalog as a scenario reward. The windmill, basically, is an electric generator, that supplies power even in case of
power outageA power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
.
But Maxis abandoned the weather casualties and so the windmill had no reason to be officially released any more.
Controversy
The Sims 2 malleable content and open-ended customization have led to controversy on the subject of pay sites and sexual modifications. Custom content is distributed through independent websites, some of which charge for downloading materials. This is a breach of the game's EULA, which prohibits the commercial use of tools such as Bodyshop. The copyright to the package file (which is installed in the downloads folder so that the player can use custom content in-game) is held by Electronic Arts, making the sale of package files illegal. Some modifications, purportedly revealing sexual anatomy of the Sims, sparked legal controversy.
On July 22, 2005, former Florida attorney
Jack ThompsonJohn Bruce "Jack" Thompson is an American activist and disbarred attorney, based in Coral Gables, Florida. Thompson is known for his role as an anti-video-game activist, particularly against violence and/or sex in video games....
alleged that
Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts is an international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible...
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. Electronic Arts issued a statement saying that when the censor was removed, Sims lack such anatomical definition, similar to
BarbieBarbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
and
KenKen is a Mattel toy doll introduced in 1961 as the fictional boyfriend of toy doll Barbie introduced in 1959. Similar to his female counterpart, Ken had a fashionable line of clothing and accessories. In the Barbie mythos, Ken and Barbie met on the set of a TV commercial in 1961...
dolls. Electronic Arts executive Jeff Brown said in an interview with
GameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which purchased...
:
Prior to Thompson's statement, there was an enterable code which removed pixelation accessible from the console menu. Shortly after the statement, subsequent patches and expansion packs removed the "intProp censorGridSize" code; this code was leftover from the beta testing stage of the original game and was not intended for a public audience.
Reception
The Sims 2 had a successful E3. The game also received the Editor's Choice Award from
IGNIGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games...
and
GameSpyGameSpy, also known as GameSpy Industries, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current company...
upon final review of the finished product. 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.
X-PlayX-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
gave the game a 4/5
The Sims creator, Will Wright was recognized by being nominated at the
BillboardThe Billboard charts are music sales, airplay and digital ranking reports distributed to the general public by Billboard magazine. Billboard is considered the foremost authority worldwide in these song sales, airplay, digital reports, or music charts.On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published...
Digital Entertainment Awards for Visionary and Game Developer. The game was also nominated for two international awards in 2005.
Editions and add-ons
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 including the
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
entertainment system, the
XboxThe Xbox is a video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast, and Nintendo's GameCube...
console, and the Gamecube. Look in
The Sims 2 (console game)The Sims 2 is the fourth title in The Sims console series. The Sims 2 was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and PSP in the fourth quarter of 2005. The console versions include a story and gameplay similar to previous versions of the game, while...
for more information based on
The Sims 2 editions.
Editions
| Name |
Release date |
Includes |
| The Sims 2 |
Windows:
Mac OS X:
June 13, 2005 |
The first release of the core game on four CDs. |
| The Sims 2 Special DVD Edition |
Windows:
|
The core game on one DVD, plus a bonus DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
with exclusive content. |
| The Sims 2 Holiday Edition (2005) |
Windows:
|
The core game and The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack.
(No Longer Available) |
| The Sims 2 Holiday Edition (2006) |
Windows:
|
The core game and The Sims 2 Happy Holiday Stuff.
(No Longer Available) |
| The Sims 2 Deluxe |
Windows:
|
The core game, The Sims 2 Nightlife, and a new bonus DVD that is different from the one included in the Special DVD Edition.
|
| The Sims 2 Double Deluxe |
Windows:
|
The Sims 2, The Sims 2 Nightlife, The Sims 2 Celebration! Stuff, plus a bonus DVD. |
| The Sims 2 University Life Collection |
Windows:
|
The Sims 2 University, The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff, The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff. |
| The Sims 2 Best of Business Collection |
Windows:
|
The Sims 2 Open for Business, The Sims 2 H&M® Fashion Stuff, The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff. |
| The Sims 2 Fun with Pets Collection |
Windows:
|
The Sims 2 Pets, The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff, The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff. |
Expansion packs
The Sims 2 expansion packAn expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
s provide additional game features and items. Eight expansion packs have been released as of 2008. There are no current plans for more expansion packs beyond
The Sims 2: Apartment LifeThe Sims 2: Apartment Life is the eighth and final expansion pack in the The Sims 2 video game series.A flyer included in later copies of The Sims 2: FreeTime expansion pack and The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff Pack announced Apartment Life, which brings magic back to the franchise...
.
| Name |
Release date |
Major Additions |
Neighborhoods |
New NPCs |
New Playable Creatures |
New Careers |
| University The Sims 2: University is the first expansion pack for the strategic life simulation computer game The Sims 2 developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It was released on March 1, 2005 to mixed reception...
|
Windows:
Mac OS X:
December 12, 2005 |
UniversitiesA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, Young Adult age group, Lifetime Wants, Influence |
Campus:
La Fiesta Tech,
Sim State University,
Académie Le Tour |
Barista In English, barista is a name applied to a person, usually a coffeehouse employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks. The word is borrowed from Italian, where it has a wider meaning of "bartender". The term persists in American coffeehouse jargon, with many employers such as...
, Bartender,
Cafeteria Worker,
Cheerleader,
CoachIn sports, a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.- Staff :...
, Evil Mascot, Mascot,
Professors, StreakerStreaker may refer to:* Someone who engages in streaking, purposely appearing and running nude in public* Streaker , a sailing dinghy* Streaker , a 1987 computer game published by Bulldog...
|
ZombieA zombie is a creature that appears in folklore and popular culture typically as a reanimated corpse or a mindless human being. Stories of zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Vodou, which told of the people being controlled as laborers by a powerful sorcerer...
s |
Natural Scientist,
Paranormal,
Show Business,
Artist (only if sim finished college) |
NightlifeThe Sims 2: Nightlife is the second expansion pack for The Sims 2, which was released on September 13, 2005 and September 16, 2005 . It was released for Mac OS X on March 27, 2006...
|
Windows:
Mac OS X:
March 27, 2006 |
Dates Dating is a form of courtship, and may include any social activity undertaken by, typically, two people with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as their partner in an intimate relationship or as a spouse. The word refers to the act of meeting and engaging in some mutually agreed upon...
, Groups system, Outings, Pleasure aspiration, New relationship states, ownable cars |
Downtown:
Downtown |
Gypsy Matchmaker Matchmaker may refer to:* A person who engages in matchmaking, sometimes as a professionIn theatre, film, and television:* The Matchmaker, a play by Thornton Wilder* The Matchmaker , a 1958 film starring Shirley Booth...
,
Waiter, Chef,
Bartender, DJ,
Mrs. Crumplebottom |
Vampires |
None |
Open for BusinessThe Sims 2: Open for Business is the third expansion pack for The Sims 2, released on March 3 2006, which allows Sims to run a home or community lot based business...
|
Windows:
Mac OS X:
September 4, 2006 |
Businesses, talent badges |
Shopping District:
Bluewater Village |
Reporters,
Barbers |
Servos |
Shop Employees |
PetsThe Sims 2: Pets is the fourth expansion pack in The Sims 2 series of games, as well as a stand-alone game for several consoles. It is published by Electronic Arts...
|
Windows:
Mac OS X:
November 6, 2006 |
Ownable Pets |
None |
Animal Control Officers,
Obedience Trainer,
Wolves, SkunkSkunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul-smelling odor. General appearance ranges from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
s |
Werewolves |
Pet careers:
Security,
Showbiz,
Service |
SeasonsThe Sims 2: Seasons is the fifth expansion pack for The Sims 2. It was developed by Maxis, released on March 1, 2007 in North America, and was followed by the European release on March 2, 2007. Aspyr released a Mac OS X port of the game in June 2007....
|
Windows:
Mac OS X:
June 11, 2007 |
Weather system, SeasonA season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
s, fishingFishing is the activity of catching fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, talent badges
gardeningGardening is the practice of growing ornamental or useful plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance. Useful plants may be grown for consumption or for a variety of other purposes, such as medicines or dyes...
|
Main:
Riverblossom Hills |
Garden Club Members,
Penguins |
Plant Sims |
Adventurer,
Education,
Gamer,
Journalism,
Law, Music |
| Bon Voyage The Sims 2: Bon Voyage is the sixth expansion pack released in The Sims 2 series of PC games. It was released on September 4 2007 in North America and September 6, 2007 in Europe for the Microsoft Windows Operating System. For the Mac OS X Operating System, it was released on December 17, 2007 by...
|
Windows:
Mac OS X:
December 17, 2007 |
Vacations in different cultural areas |
Vacation:
Twikkii Island,
Three Lakes,
Takemizu Village |
Fire Dancers,
Hotel Maids,
Bellboys, Masseurs,
Wise Old Man,
Pirate, Tour Guides,
Unsavory charlatanPicking pockets without a person's knowledge and approval is a crime, a form of larceny which involves the stealing of money and valuables from the person of a victim without their noticing the theft at the time. It requires considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection...
,
Witch Doctor"Witch Doctor" is a song written and performed by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., and released in 1958 credited under the character David Seville, whom Bagdasarian portrayed.-Song information:...
, NinjaA was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations. The underhanded tactics of the ninja were contrasted with the samurai, who...
s |
BigfootBigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is an alleged ape-like creature purportedly inhabiting forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid....
|
None |
FreeTimeThe Sims 2: FreeTime is the seventh expansion pack in the The Sims 2 video game series.A flyer included in The Sims 2: Bon Voyage expansion pack and The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff announced this expansion and read: "Now your Sims can enjoy hobbies! Your Sims will have fun taking up a variety of...
|
Windows:
|
Hobby system, lifetime aspiration system |
Main:
Desiderata Valley
Secret:
Hobby |
Hobby Members,
Rod HumbleRod Humble is the executive producer for the Sims division of the video game company Electronic Arts since 2004. He has been contributing to the development of games since 1990, and is best known for his work on the Electronic Arts titles, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3...
,
Hobby Leaders,
Food Judge,
GenieIn Islam, a Djinn is a supernatural creature which occupies a parallel world to that of mankind, and together with humans and angels makes up the three sentient creations of Allah...
|
None |
Oceanography,
Intelligence,
Entertainment,
Dance,
Architecture |
| Apartment Life The Sims 2: Apartment Life is the eighth and final expansion pack in the The Sims 2 video game series.A flyer included in later copies of The Sims 2: FreeTime expansion pack and The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff Pack announced Apartment Life, which brings magic back to the franchise...
|
Windows:
|
Rentable apartments, reputation system, witchcraft system |
Main:
Belladonna Cove
Secret:
The Magical World |
Butler, Landlord,
Roomies,
Breakdancers,
Street Performers,
Social Group Sims,
High Witch of Light/Darkness,
Spectral assistant, Human statues |
Witches, Warlock Warlocks are, among historic Christian traditions, said to be the male equivalent of witches , and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks which normally witches would ride. In traditional Scottish witchcraft, "warlock" was and is simply the term used for a wizard, or male witch...
s |
None |
Stuff packs
Stuff packs are add-ons that intend to add only new items (usually in the amount of 60) to the base game. However, some releases include certain gameplay elements introduced in previous expansion packs. There are nine stuff packs so far.
The Sims 2: Holiday Party Pack served as the pilot release for this line of products, which were called "booster packs". After the success of the pilot release, EA named the releases "stuff packs" and launched the line with
The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff. The Sims 2: Mansion & Garden Stuff pack is the
The Sims 2's final stuff pack in the series.
| Name |
Release date |
Includes |
| Holiday Party Pack |
Windows:
|
ChristmasChristmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days. The nativity of Jesus, which is the basis for the anno Domini...
, HalloweenHalloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Gaelic pagan festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones...
, ThanksgivingThanksgiving may refer to:*Thanksgiving , the holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.*Thanksgiving , the holiday on the second Monday in October.*Thanksgiving...
, HanukkahHanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
, KwanzaaKwanzaa is a week-long holiday celebrated in the United States honoring African heritage and culture, marked by participants lighting a kinara...
and New YearThe New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. Cultures that measure yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations...
themed stuff, plus new NPCs: Santa ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
, Father TimeFather Time is a personification of time. He is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, dressed in a robe, carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device...
, and Baby New YearThe Baby New Year is an American personification of the start of a new year, commonly seen in various New Year's customs, especially holiday cards and illustrations for store window displays....
. |
| Family Fun Stuff |
Windows:
Mac OS X:
April 30, 2007 |
Family-oriented Fairy taleA fairy tale is a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, gnomes, and talking animals, and usually enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events...
and nautical themed items mainly for children's bedrooms. |
| Glamour Life Stuff |
Windows:
Mac OS X:
June 1, 2007 |
Luxury Luxury can refer to several things:*Luxury good, an economic good for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises; contrast with inferior good and normal good.*Luxury tax, a tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars...
, coutureCouture is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:*Couture, in the Charente département*Couture-d'Argenson, in the Deux-Sèvres département*Couture-sur-Loir, in the Loir-et-Cher département-See also:...
and glamour themed objects, floors and walls. |
| Happy Holiday Stuff |
Windows:
Mac OS X:
September 4, 2007 |
All items from Holiday Party Pack plus added Asian and European holiday themed stuff. |
| Celebration! Stuff |
Windows:
|
All Dressed up, Hairstyles & Accessories, Event Gear, Furniture, and Other Party Enhancers. |
| H&M Fashion Stuff |
Windows:
|
FashionFashion is the style and custom prevalent at a given time. In its most common usage however, "fashion" describes the popular clothing style. Many fashions are popular in many cultures at any given time. Important is the idea that the course of design and fashion will change more rapidly than the...
collections from H&MH & M Hennes & Mauritz AB , is a Swedish clothing company, known for its fast fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children...
and H&M branded build objects. |
| Teen Style Stuff |
Windows:
|
GothThe goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
, Thrasher and SocialiteA socialite is a person who is known to be a part of fashionable high society because of their regular participation in social activities and fondness for spending a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained. Some socialites may choose to use their social skills and connections...
themed stuff for teenagers' bedrooms, teenage haircuts and new teenage clothes |
| Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff |
Windows:
|
Kitchen and bathroom objects, floors and walls. Also, kitchen and bathroom clothing: cooking apron etc. |
| IKEA Home Stuff |
Windows:
|
Fashionable furniture, floors and walls from the styles of IKEAIKEA is a privately-held, international home products retailer that sells flat pack furniture, accessories, and bathroom and kitchen items in their retail stores around the world...
. |
| Mansion & Garden Stuff |
Windows:
|
Ornate architectural and landscaping items plus three new decorative themes (Moroccan Moroccan style is a new trend in decoration, which has been made popular by the vogue of Riads renovation in Marrakech. Its becoming popular in some circles in UK and the USA....
, Art DecoArt Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film...
and Second EmpireIn the United States, the Second Empire style usually combined a rectangular tower, or similar element, with a steep, but short, mansard roof; the roof being the most noteworthy link to the style’s French roots. This tower element could be of equal height as the highest floor, or could exceed the...
). |
The Sims 2 Store
The Sims 2 Store is an online store where players of
The Sims 2 for PC can download content for their game online. It offers objects, clothing, skins, and hairstyles that are both exclusive to the store and also come from earlier expansion and stuff packs.
It also has featured seven exclusive item collections that can only be found in the store. The store uses a point system that players can purchase. It was launched in July 2008 as a beta version limited to the United States and Canada. To download, players must install The Sims 2 Store Edition and the EA Download Manager. The exclusive collections are "Cubic", "Art Deco", "Spooky", "Castle", "Asian Fusion", "Art Nouveaulicious" and "Oh Baby", including a total of 471 items.
Film and TV series
The Sims (
working titleA working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually a film, novel, video game, or music album...
) is a
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
currently in preproduction. The film will be
live actionIn film, theatre and video, live-action refers to works that are acted out by human actors, as opposed to by animation. As it is the norm, the term is usually superfluous, but it makes an important distinction in situations in which one might normally expect animation, as in a Pixar film, a video...
.
On May 25, 2007, it was announced that
The Sims film rights had been purchased by
20th Century FoxTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation , also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox, is one of the six major American film studios...
. Not much is known yet about the upcoming film, although a rumored story involving the characters finding a way to control others through a "Sims"-like game has been reported on several movie sites. It will be written by
Brian LynchThis article is about the American writer. For the professional basketball player see Brian Lynch , for the Jazz trumpeter see Brian Lynch Brian Michael Lynch is an American film and comic book writer...
, co-writer of the
Angel: After The FallAngel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
comics and writer/director of the 1999 film
Big Helium Dog-Story description:A sketch comedy which spoofs its own production: A guy trying to cope with the losing his friend is pulled against his will into a lucrative TV deal that later falls through, nonetheless he saves the world from destruction.-Starring:...
. The film will be produced by
John DavisJohn Andrew Davis is an American film producer and founder of Davis Entertainment.-Biography:Davis was born and raised near Denver, Co., and is the son of former 20th Century Fox owner Marvin Davis...
, responsible for films such as
I, RobotI, Robot is a 2004 science fiction-action film. The film was directed by Alex Proyas and produced by John Davis, Topher Dow, Wyck Godfrey, Laurence Mark and Will Smith. The screenplay was penned by Jeff Vintar, Akiva Goldsman and Hillary Seitz and is loosely based on Isaac Asimov's short-story...
and
PredatorPredator is a 1987 science fiction, action and horror film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. The story follows an elite team on a mission to rescue hostages from a guerrilla group in Central America. Unknowingly, the...
.
EA has officially announced it and a
MySims animated television series in development at
Film RomanFilm Roman is an animation studio founded by Phil Roman, best known for producing the animation for The Simpsons, King of the Hill for 20th Century Fox, as well as the Garfield and Peanuts animated TV specials....
.
External links