Amazon.com

The Sims was one of the most popular games ever made. In it, players micromanage the lives of a family of virtual people, or Sims, and influence their paths toward success or something akin to a nervous breakdown. Its open-ended blend of cartoonish behavior and everyday living is unique in an art form otherwise obsessed with carnage and sports. With The Sims 2, longtime fans now have a deeper game with lots of ways to customize and share their experiences. The game will also attract first-timers because the goal-oriented gameplay and the luridly fun starter families make it easier to get into the action right out of the box.

Now Sims are born with the traits of their parents, families grow, and Sims grow old.

The People in Your Neighborhood
The game starts at the neighborhood level. Here you can create a housing development from scratch or start with one of three premade neighborhoods, each with its own theme. From there, you'll settle on a house and a family of Sims to control.

Create your own Sim (above) or your own house (below) from scratch with advanced tools.

Aside from the basic needs carried over from the previous game, Sims now have aspirations, wants, and fears. The wants and fears are the day-to-day things that occupy their minds, like wanting to see friends or get married and fearing death or being rejected for a kiss. Satisfy their wants, and they become more efficient at completing tasks you assign them. Realize their fears, and Sims become lethargic, cranky, and unresponsive to your commands. Aspirations are the big-picture things, like raising a family, becoming wealthy, and gaining knowledge. Succeed here and you'll be able to buy odd gifts for your Sim to improve his or her life, like a money tree that pays dividends or a "fountain of youth" water cooler.

What Else Is New?
Of course, you wouldn't be able to juggle all that if it weren't for the improved "Free Will" option, which makes it easier for Sims to fulfill their basic needs. The artificial intelligence of the game is noticeably improved; they won't turn on radios just as a family member is going to bed but, strangely, they do occasionally put their dishes on the floor.

Another big change in the series is the concept of the lifespan. Now Sims are born with the traits of their parents, families grow, and Sims grow old. Not only does this go hand in hand with aspirations (growing up is the first aspiration that a baby Sim will have), it provides a limited time with which your Sims can achieve their goals.

The Universal Control Panel helps you manage your Sim family.

A Family Affair
The Sims 2 not only lets you create just about any type of Sim in any type of family, build elaborate houses, and even create a neighborhood from scratch, but it also allows you to start the game in medias res, with premade households. These families all have backstories that are smart spoofs of soap-opera plots--lots of scheming, romance, ghosts, and family fighting. Parents of teens shouldn't worry, though, because nudity is tastefully blurred out and "woo-hoo" between Sims takes place completely under the covers. The ESRB has given this a Teen rating. If The Sims 2 were a film, it would likely land between PG and PG-13.

The makers have included some nice tools to help share the universe you've created. For example, you can capture in-game stills and video to show friends the private moments, family interactions, and house parties of your Sims. You can even package a household to share as a blog or an album on a special Web site.

The Sims 2 is for patient gamers. Like life itself, the game is filled with mundane details, like getting ready for work and doing dishes. The game also demands a level of creativity from its players that the run-and-gun game genres wouldn't know what to do with. But those who stick with it will be rewarded with an absorbing, amusing diversion and a virtual family history that they've created themselves. --Porter B. Hall

Set Up a Sims 2 Machinima Studio
Amazon.com contributor Porter Hall reveals how you can make movies using the Sims as your actors. See his guide to setting up a Sims 2 Machinima Studio. ... Read more

Features

• Build dream homes and design neighborhoods with new building options
• Lifestyle simulation where you manage your Sim's dreams and fears over a lifetime
• Mix Sim genes and see physical and personality traits through the generations
• Control the camera and capture the action into mini movies
• Generate unique Sims with the new Create-A-Sim feature

Reviews (6)

The Sims2 for Windows
Hi, I have the sims2 game. My friend and I really enjoy playing it! It is so much fun. People just need to try it out and see if they like it!

The Sims 2
Yes, I am a Mac user, and yes, I can't wait until May 30th!!
I have played The Sims 2 before, and it is SO COOL!! I love to go to the park, stand under the trees. It feels like you're right there with them!
I may not have to wait, though, if I get the Windows computer I've been wanting so badly. And if I don't get that computer, then I'll just get this on May 30th. Oh, lucky me.
Well, anyway, I've always liked building the houses, and now I can make so many changes (especially when I do the cheat -- hee hee!)
All my friends like The Sims, especially me. So I root the sequel on!

-- Nina S.

The Sims 2 for Mac - Why the Wait?
I've waited since the slightest infromation of the Sims 2 to get it, with much impatience. And now, I find out that it's not coming out for Macs until May 30th? I really, can't wait this long. All of my friends have it and I just watch them play it in raging jealousy. So not fair. I wish Maxis would have waited until May 30th to release the Sims 2 for Mac and PC, then I wouldn't have to watch all of my friends play it and brag and stuff. I played it at my friends house, and I was glued to the screen until I had to go home! I can't...wait...until...May...30th. I'll be so mad if Maxis pushes it later for Macs like they did for PC!!

finally...
Well I'm really excited that they're coming out with sims 2, but does it have to be in may? the 30th? But luckily I'm getting a new computer, so I really don't have to wait. But its a really good game, and you guys should enjoy it.

Super game
Sims 2 is the best game I've played. Now you can actually choose the color of your Sim's eyes and hair, choose what type of cheeks, eyebrows, nose, chin, lips (ect) you want!!! And this time, Sims actually GROW UP!! It's much more reallistic than the other Sims. May 30th is waited with impatience.... ... Read more

Amazon.com

After the incredible success of the life-simulation game, Sims 2, gamers have eagerly devoured a variety of Sims 2 expansion packs. Get ready for another addition, with the after-dark installment--The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack--intended to send your Sims on an epic night out.

Enjoy the hedonistic side of life while you cruise the nightclub scene.

Play your cards right, and you could meet the Sim of your dreams.

Get busy with the DJ station, one of over 125 new objects and items.

Right out of the box, your characters will be ready to hit the town and all the swanky spots. Whether they're cutting a rug until the morning light, flirting with the opposite sex, or getting nowhere throwing gutterballs at the bowling alley, the Nightlife expansion pack will deliver an unforgettable night on the town. With Nightlife, you'll have a better opportunity to discover the chemistry between Sims. Will two people click or clash? Is there a future beyond the night or is it just a steamy affair? If you're ready to add a fun, romantic, splash to your Sims simulation, then look no further than Nightlife to lift your spirits and start the party.

Your Sims' romantic attraction is now based upon personality, life aspiration, and zodiac signs. After you size up a mate and determine likely compatibility, try to throw your Sims' love life into the red zone with new, romantic social interactions such as the longing gaze, the slow dance, or the dramatic dip kiss. If you've done well, success might bring your Sims a romantic gift. Strike out and your Sims might just get a pile of hate mail.

Ahh, hedonism. Choose the all-new Pleasure Seeker life aspiration for your Sims and live vicariously through your characters. Deliver these Sims all the blissful amusements the world has to offer--hot dates, fancy parties, fine dinners, hot tubbin', and more--these Sims know how to live it up. Be careful, though!These pleasure-seeking Sims are terrified of pain, embarrassment, and effort, so anything outside of the realm of "PARTY!" is probably going to deliver quite a blow to their fragile egos.

Partying doesn't just happen. Looking good and hooking up with the right person takes work. Whether it's a girl's night out or an important, romantic date, your Sims will need to get dolled up and dressed to kill for their epic evening in the all-new downtown area. What's the mood? With all the new choices, they can mellow out in lounges, kick up their heels at hipster nightclubs, enjoy candlelight dinners at fine restaurants, or hit the bowling alley with the guys. No matter how they feel, Nightlife has something to offer.

Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack has tons to offer to help your Sims live it up in fun and style. The pack delivers over 125 new objects and items, including a DJ station, a photo booth, a karaoke machine and more. With all the choices your Sims should be ready to impress. Plus, there are loads of exotic new Sims to mingle with or even date, such as vampires, hot waiters and others. So get out there, have some fun and find romance--even if it is just for a night. ... Read more

Product Description

Prepare to experience the wild ride of life through the eyes of your Sims.The Sims influenced the gaming world like no game before it.Now comes The Sims 2 with a lively 3D world, realistic Sims, and new gameplay that will let you control your characters across a lifetime.As you manage Life's Big Moments, they'll earn a Life Score that measures how well you are playing each Sim.Your Sims will have more awareness of their surroundings, be able to form more complex relationships, and be e ... Read more

Features

• Sequel to the hit lifestyle simulation
• Manage your Sim's dreams and fears over a lifetime
• Mix Sim genes and see physical and personality traits inherited down through Sim generations
• Movie-making feature lets you control the camera and capture the action into mini movies
• Also available in CD-ROM Edition

Reviews (825)

A Must buy
This game was one of the few games that i play all the time. The sims 2 is an inprovement to the sims because firstly the sims would all was pause and i would have to wait for awhile befor i could play again. There are great graphics and it is a very realistic game that can intertan you for hours on end. The only proplem is that if you do not have a fast cumputor or even if you do the game takes awhile for it to load. This game is worth the money and i think shouldcost more because it is worth more.

Fun for a teen
I played this when I was nine. To me it was the thing I worshiped. Yeah, yeah, it was fun, but it was so inappropite. I mean I can play this, but it`s really for a teen. Come on it`s not for just a girl, yeah, fine I`m a girl, but that doesn`t mean only girls can play this, so take that back whoever said that. I`m not a teen, I`m a preteen sort of. Well it`s lots of fun and my friends love it, so get this game and don`t just wait for another review. If you hate this and you took my advice, which you won`t hate, than say this review was not helpful. This is a great game!!

Fun... for a GIRL
Basically a doll house, fun for a girl. I found it boring, but hey. I guess I was intrigued by the idea that the Sims might get down with each other. But when it comes to controlling little dolls in a little house, and shopping for little clothes for them, that really does not interest the masculine brain.

AMAZING
I haven't got this game yet but i've been on it at a friends house. And i can guarentee you 1 thing. You will LURV this game. It has many good graphics and if you get this you will never ever want to get off the computer. Pretty much everyone in my year has this game and no one ever stops talking about it!! All i hear is man this game rocks or Totally sweet!! You can make your own family or have one that was already saved. you have a certain amount of money. You can adopt children or make your man and woman try for them!! I have never been on a game like this most of my games are on horses but this will be like the first non horse game i've ever had!!

You can also build extentions to your house. once youv'e got a certain amount of money you can move into a really big house and sell your old one. However if you have kids you must remember to look after them!! If you don't all these things will come up and say like: What kind of parent laeves a child starving or something like that. you can go into town and go for a swim or you can get a job and hire a nanny. You can order a taxi or call emergeny services if theres a fire or your shower needs fixing. when your toddler becomes a child they will automatically go to school. You can also get jobs at like schools or you can be a security guard to earn money.

The worst thing is that i'm not allowed to get it until the end of my exams which are i two-three weeks so i better start revising.

Oh and buy the way buy it!!

A Great Game Made Even Better
I've been playing sim games since the early 1980s, starting with Utopia for Intellivision.Each game has taught me something.Each one helps us understand what the scholar Peter Senge described as "systems thinking."Through sim play, I've deepened my understanding of economics, business, city a regional development...the list goes on.

Now comes the re-release of The Sims, the most popular sim game of them all.I was delighted with its emphasis on individality and creativity.

However, like with the Sims 1, this game teaches us systems and more.In the Sims, the key message was balance.The Sims cannot achieve maximum levels of "win" without an appropriate balance of work, leisure, physical and mental needs...

Sims 2 helps us personalize this even more - something I would not have thought possible.But the essential message remains:balance is key for the "win."

What will we see for an encore?? ... Read more

Product Description

SimCity™ 4, features new simulation and graphics engines, new regional game play and thenew ability to track the lives of individual Sims as they go about their daily routine, SimCity 4 isthe most realistic, powerful and personal SimCity experience ever. Lay the groundwork for theircities by molding mountains, carving valleys, seeding forests and laying rivers. Build a worldclasscity with stadiums, airports, universities, and real-world landmarks. Feel the rhythm of thecity: peaceful protests and rowdy riots, noontime crowds and nighttime calm. Control everyaspect of your city and see the results for better or worse.

• Sculpt mountains, gouge valleys, seed forests, and bring forth animals to create a world allyour own.
• Summon volcanoes, release tornados, and call down meteors and lightning.
• Build a world class city with stadiums, airports, universities, and real-world landmarks.
• Deploy emergency vehicles and join in the action as they battle blazes, mobs, and more.
• Place your Sims in your city to get the inside scoop on what's going on around town.
• Connect a massive region of SimCities, each sharing and competing for resources.

Features

• Create and control the most life-like metropolis you can imagine
• Take your Sims from "The Sims" into your SimCity
• Dispatch police cruisers to fight crime, send out the Mayor's limo to quell a rioting mob, or cap an erupting volcano threatening your citizens
• Form mountains, carve valleys, plant forests, raise oceans, and more
• From mellow traffic flow to commuter hell, noontime crowds to nighttime calm, partygoers to troublemakers, the movement in your city is ever-changing and unpredictable

Reviews (28)

Should be Crash City not Sim City
I bought this game for my son and I am now spending many minutes a day rebooting his MAC computer. The game locks up the entire system and requires a hard reboot each time. If this was an automobile from GM of Ford the roads would be littered with wrecked cars. Don't waste you money.

Great game, but you need a patch to fix a performance issue
I played all the previous versions of Sim City back in my bad oldWindows days and really enjoy the game.But for some reason this version will paralyze even a fast Mac.I'm running this on an iMac 1.8GHz G5 with 1GB of memory, and after about 10 minutes of play I have to quit and restart the game because the response becomes impossibly slow.Very frustrating.Haven't tried the updater yet, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

UPDATE (Apr 05): Installed the updater and it appears to have fixed the slow response problem.

Very Good...if it has update!
I have noticed many people have said just how bad Sim City 4 is. The thing to solve these problems is to get the updater It will make Sim City much better!

Graphics not a problem...if you fix them!
Lots of these reviews complain about the graphics on this Mac version.I had the same problems too - unexpected crashes and VERY slow game performance, on a pretty new G5 tower.

Doing two things will fix these issues.In the game's video/display options panel, switch off the page scrolling, and reduce the graphic detail.That's all it took to have this game running great.The manual should cover these quirks but it doesn't.

One final tip - learn the keyboard commands (found on the back of the manual) as it will speed up gameplay hugely, and totally compensates for no scrolling.

Not worth it!
Ok so i was a fan of Sim City 2000 which I found a demo of on a CD I didnt know i had. So I put it in and played Sim City 2000...and played and played and so on so I soon got the full thing. I became addicted to it. When Sim City 4 came out, i wanted it so much but I only had a mac. When it came out I bought like the first day! When I played I was sooooo dissapointed. nothing seemed to work right, the airplanes shadows became square and the streams on the airplanes was stretched all the way across, it kept crashing, and the industrial zone turned white, edge scrolling messed up sooooo slooooow. When I played it on a PC at my friends house, it was beutiful! Not a single bug! I ditched the game and played 2000 again finding it much better. Now I only play for like 10 minutes before getting bored. Seiously on this, NOT worth spending $40-$50 on this pathetic game. Maxis should be ashamed of themselves to take so much care in the PC games then throw it on a mac bugs and all. NOT worth it! Keep your money while you can! In other words, it doesn't take good graphics to make a good game. So get with it Maxis!! ... Read more

Product Description

There has never been a better time to buy the game everyone is talking about.The Sims Deluxe Edition combines into one premium edition the most popular PC game of all time, The Sims, as well as the top-selling Sims expansion pack, The Sims Livin' Large, and a host of all-new exclusive features and content. ... Read more

Features

• Includes:
• The Sims: Create an entire neighborhood of Sims and run or ruin their lives with the full version of the best-selling PC game of all time. Help your Sims pursue careers, make friends, and find romance - or make a complete mess of things! Open-ended gameplay gives you the freedom to set your own goals and chart your Sims' destiny.
• The Sims Livin' Large: With over 125 additional items, five additional career tracks with 50 additional jobs and a cast of wild characters like the Grim Reaper and the Genie, this best selling expansion pack puts your Sims into outrageous situations and settings.
• Sims Creator: Recreate every Sim you can imagine with this powerful tool that allows even the novice users to customize every detail of how their Sims look. Even put your own face in The Sims!
• 25 plus Exclusive Objects

Reviews (183)

Would be five stars except for Sims 2...
This pack contains the game that started it all.Here, even more room is made for individuality and creativity.

What do we learn from the Sims?

1.Deferring gratification is essential for a "win."
2.Money isn't everything - but it isn;t evil, either.
3.Energy is limited but renewable.
4.Balance is crucial.Spending all time and energy on one thing is rarely good in the long run...

Wonderful, wonderful game.

Boooooooooorrrrrrrrring!!
I've heard so many people rave about the Sims over the past couple of years that I finally decided to break down and buy it. This is one of the few times that I have to say I honestly have no idea what the big deal is all about.

The Sim is a "people simulator". You create little people, plop them down in a house and control thier lives. You buy them clothes, furniture, make them meet people. Just about everything real people do. And that's basically the problem.

The thing I that I found least entertaining about the Sims is that the whole game revolves around what I call "micro-managment". Every last little detail you have to scrutinize. Though some might find this appealing, I found it tedious and boring. It makes me feel less like I'm playing a game and more like an accountant. The game is also quite slow paced. Even if you speed up time, the game can move too fast and then you can really lose control over the game.

The gameplay consists of a "point, click, and watch" formula for gameplay. You click on an object, your Sim person will walk to it, use it, and then go back to being idle. After time if you develop a pattern the Sim person will do things on his own, but that takes a while. After endlessly pointing and clicking and watching, I started to do things like try to set my Sim person on fire, or not have him go to the bathroom for a while. It is rather fun to torture your Sim person but it wears thin after a while.

The graphics are good. The Sims speak in some kind of jibberish. And there's lots of Sim skins available for download on the internet.

All in all I'd have to say that I really don't get this game. Maybe it's because I'm more used to games like Metal Gear Solid and SOCOM that I have trouble playing a game of this type. I tend to like having more direct control over the outcome of a game. The Sims made me feel like I'm a spectator. I'd have to say pick this up only you find a really good deal. Otherwise it's best to take the $20 you were going to spend and pick up something else. Sorry, but this is one I can't recomend.

simy
this game is simulated life.Why is it "fun" to do the dishes in a game, but not in real life?who cares?it is!so, but now or die now.

simulated people
The Simms stands for simulated people.A simulation is like the real thing but on the computer.You dont move around a maze like Mario.YOu have to take care of you're SIMMS PEOPLE!!You have to feed them and give them windows and jobs and make them go to the bathroom.It's like your a scientist whocontrols the experiment which is people. And notice didnt say you are GOD Peo-PLE so you cant get made at me.

Now some warnigns about the game.Peoplewho play the Simms like to talk about wht there simms did that day and who they met and how they are doing.YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU'RE SIMM OR THEY WILL DIE PEO-PLE!!!!iF YOU THINK YOU CAN PLAY IT A LITTLE BIT and put it away then it is not for you.Go get Halo Half life or another first person shooter!!Part of the fun of the simms is being with people who now about it and want to talk to other people abbout how there Simms are doing!!!

Also it is very addicting!!!!

ALo you can kill your sim by putting them in the pool and taking the ladder away!!!

Kinda Fun, but mostly ANNOYING!
Overall, the concept of this game is fun and the writers had some really good ideas and it's funny in some ways. But what I HATE about this game is that you spend more than 70% of the time making them go to bed, eat, and go take a bath/shower!!! Like, I get it, but enough already... They have so little energy that you never have time to do anything fun. One or two activities, and they're down on the floor. WHAT?! Ha, don't even bother getting them a job b/c you will see them again...Just stick with the cheat codes. If this game did not have this one flaw (ie energy would last longer) then it would be awesome. I'm buying Sims 2 and I really hope that this will not be as big a problem!!!! Grrrr.... ... Read more

Product Description

Includes: The Sims, The Sims Livin' Large, Sims House Party, and The Sims Hot Date.

In The Sims create a one-room bachelor pad or a 40-room mansion with easy-to-use house design tools. Choose from hundreds of items to keep your Sims happy, including swimming pools, giant-screen TVs, and even a hot tub!

With The Sims Livin' Large put your Sims into the most outrageous situations imaginable. With a wide range of wild and crazy objects, careers, and building styles, add even more zaniness to your Sims' lives.

In the Sims House Party make The Sims one big party! From luaus to raves, host parties that will drive the neighborhood crazy! Build the ultimate theme party with unique party items, party with cool new characters and mix and mingle your Sims in new group activities.

Rock the house! The Sims Hot Date you can play matchmaker to your Sims! Wine and dine or crash and burn! See how well you can play Don Juan with your Sims. With brand new characters to meet and date, over 40 new one-on-one interactions and over 125 new items, the stage is set for the ultimate romantic interlude!

Features:

• Over 600 items to furnish your home and make your Sims happy!
• Choose a career for your Sims, an astronaut, an award-winning actor, or even an international spy
• Build a tacky little loveshack, a creepy castle, or a high-tech "home of the future"
• Rock the house with a variety of music and dance styles
• Enjoy a passionate picnic in the park or try your luck on the cuddle couch

Features

• Use the game's powerful architectural design tool to build dream homes for your Sims
• 4-pack includes The Sims, Sims House Party, Sims Livin' Large, and Sims Hot Date.
• Build a simulated neighborhood and run--or ruin--the lives of the people that live there
• Unlimited open-ended game play allows you to help your Sims develop and mature
• Let your Sims pursue any of 10 possible career paths

Reviews (3)

HORRENDOUSLY SLOW and unplayable....
... this has been a horrendous waste of money.After 2+ hours, I can't get the game to run on my computer, despite the fact that my machine far exceeds the system requirements.there's a 1-4 minute lag between when you click a button and when the action occurs, and in a game like this (there's a LOT of choices to make and clicks to make on objects) it's completely unplayable.

STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!

Great Buy!
As you have probably read, the Sims is one of the best games ever made! When I saw this pop up as I was ordering Hot Date, my heart jumped. Bad for me, lucky for you- I've spent almost 100 bucks on all of these games buying them separately. This is a bargain! Of course, the Sims is so much more fun with these expansions. It just stinks that this wasn't out yet when I purchased the Sims 5 months ago... :-)

Bargain
I didn't get this case of games, but the sims is a great game, and buying all 4 games for 50 bucks is a bargain. Each game is about 20-30 dollars, get the party pack for more the fun and less the money ... Read more

Product Description

Personality and good looks give each Sim a unique appearance and lifestyle. Keep Sims happy as swinging singles or loving parents. Choose careers, make friends, fall in love, argue with the neighbors, or shoot hoops in the backyard. Build the home of your dreams, buy over 150 different items to add and enhance your Sim's life. Create an endless variety of character and family. Exchange photo albums and family stories with gamers from around the world. Take care of your Sims or they'll fend for themselves.

... Read more

Reviews (99)

This Sims Game is Great !!!!!
This was the first computer game I ever got and it was the bomb! It was great in all 4 corners. But one thing I didn't get was why don't the people just speak english. Anyhow this game was the BOMB!

STOP!
look people this game is cool and all the things you can create but stop!!!! before buyiing don't buy only the sims buy an expancion pack because after a while you want more and you would like better houses and all of that I recomend you to buy "living large" or if you like dates you should buy hot date but stop and think research to see what you would like that your sims do but please don't buy only the sims because its very limited and belive me you would like more

other than that the game is great

Sim up a family and simmer down!!!
The Sims is for people who like to goof around, create and have fun! You can make people, choose the color of their skin, their age, their personality, male or female, clothing etc... It's a must have! You build or buy a house, and create their environments and furniture and lots of stuff. There's a cheat code to get you tons of money, but i can't tell you! Ha! Anyway, the sims has it's own type of addictive game playing, and everyone will love this! But i'm saying about 10 and up, although it depends how you canhandle some...things. Even though the sims is rated T for teen, there's nothing wrong with it, and you'll love it!!!!!

Simania
The Sims is a fantastic game, and I had wanted it for a long time. Every time I saw it it was for Windows and PC. So I was pretty excited when I found it in a tiny MAC shop. The first night after I bought it, I made a single sim named Monica who moved into a one room bachelor pad. Monica now lives in a mansion with her husband and three kids. The surprising thing is that I did it all without a cheat code. The Sims truly is a game of strategy. I have pushed relationships to the extreme (marriage) and others to the lowest (Coronation Street style fights). I have made kids get A's and go to military school. I have made people who go to work in limousines.

And I am still no Sim pro. In other words, one does NOT need cheat codes to get their Sims to the top. This game is definitely worth your while.

Sim World Rocks!
I'm a late bloomer and just got this game with the expansion pack 'Livin' Large'.I just didn't want to pay $50 for it for Mac and finally found it on ebay. I can't tell you how much fun I'm having! I'm still on the tutorial and will play that until I can really get a feel for the game. I dreamt about my sims, I became so addicted in such a short amount of time. I haven't found any drawbacks yet. The only thing is I can't seem to figure out how to delete windows, and I'm not sure how to build upper floors.

The game is very complex and not only does it take up hours in game play, it takes up hours in figuring out what to do -- which is a good thing because Sims are smart, and the way they interact and react is hilarius. You have to keep an eye on them though, my male Sim was heading to the TV when he was supposed to be going to work and I had to redirect him. But it's SO MUCH FUN, I can literally stay up until two and three am playing. Some reviewer posted a money cheat and I'm going to try it because it takes my Sims too long to make money for me to make them happy. They ask me for stuff I can't afford to give them until THEY bring home the dough. Again, EXTREMELY FUN AND ADDICTIVE TO PLAY, and not for anyone who doesn't like to sit at a computer playing for long hours or who wants to just dive in and play without learning some standards first or understanding complex game play. This is better than Zoo Tycoon (for mac). I wish I had more games like this (for mac) to compare it too. I want Sims 2 for mac! ... Read more

Product Description

Add a pet to your Sims family, get a job, explore the expanded neighborhood with 30 new residential lots and five community lots in this Sims run wild. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: Control every aspect of Sims life in this highly addictive VR universe
• Platform: Windows 95/98/Me/XP

Reviews (361)

A somewhat spotty EP
MIXED FEELINGS
Ever since having bought Deluxe back in 2003, I've been a diehard fan of the Sims, and I've enjoyed both Hot Date and House Party. I have to say, though, that I have mixed feelings about Unleashed, which on one hand expanded the game wonderfully, but on the other hand, screwed things up considerably.

WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT UNLEASHED
What's good about UL is the obvious-- if you ever wanted your Sims to have pets, this is the EP to get. You have your pick of animals, from traditional favorites (dogs and cats), to more exotic animals like iquanas and turtles. UL also expands the game considerably, adding an additional number of lots to the original ten lot neighborhood, as well as a new place to visit (Old Town), and a chance for your sims to live off the land as farmers by allowing them to grow vegetable gardens. You also get new Maxis families (Hicks, Burbs, Goth Sr.s), interesting new NPCs, a beautiful set of New Orleans-inspired objects and furnishings, not to mention a new batch of surprise visitors (mostly of an animal-like nature) to deal with. One last good thing is that if you like to build houses for the heck of it, you can now build and peak inside of them without having to move a Sim in first or use the Rosebud cheat.

WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD
Okay, here's where the mixed feelings come in. I found the game very buggy. Before I bought this EP, I had to deal with the 360 shuffle (a bug where the males of the game will turn around 360 degrees before washing the dishes or picking things up). It was no big deal pre-UL then because it didn't happen too often. With UL, not only does this condition worsen, it afflicts the women too! They will almost always turn around full circle or make two extra steps to the left or to the right before doing anything! There's a patch at the official Sims 1 site to deal with it, but it doesn't treat the problem at all.

Another thing I didn't like about UL were some of the creative changes Maxis made to the game. You know, there's a good reason behind the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." You could wind up spoiling a good thing otherwise. Maxis seems to not have heard of it, because it made some "fixes" to the game that soured me completely to this EP, despite my liking some of its other qualities.Major change #1: if you thought it was annoying when the sinks flooded constantly, you're just gonna *love* how the puddles now seep under objects, forcing you to go into Buy Mode to move them in order for the sims to clean them up! (No, this is not a bug, as commonly thought! Maxis actually thought this cute idea would make the game more realistic!) Major change #2: the women walk significantly differently than before, with stiffly held arms, butts sticking out and hunched up shoulders. This new change irked fans of The Sims so badly, they coined a term for it-- the Gorilla Walk. There's a patch at the official site for the first change (the puddling under objects), but no patch for the 2nd change. The Gorilla Walk didn't really bother me too much, but it's one of those changes that was really unnecessary and took away from some of its earlier charm.

There are so many other things like that I found frustrating about UL (to the point of uninstalling it after a week), but space limits prevent me from listing them all. At any rate, as you can see, although I was pleased by some aspects of UL, I was frustrated by other aspects of it. In fact, this was the first Sims 1 EP I was severely disappointed with. I'm almost a little heartbroken, because while some of the new stuff in it was astounding and added a lot to the game, the bad ideas and bugs totally killed whatever excitement those new things brought. Don't get me wrong: UL has a lot of good points, but some of its flaws at times detract from what's good about it. So it's three stars from me.

The Sims is my favorite PC game!!*_*
Sometimes, I enjoy playing Playstation, but I like Sims better. It helps me learn more a bout saving money. Sometimes, I do a cheat to get lots of money but I don't use that so much because the game is about using money and life time, not about getting cheats to win. But if you want to know the cheat, I may tell you. First, in the middle of the game, you press the Shift key, the control key,(Ctrl) and the C button. Then, you write "rosebud" to start and then !;!;!; (keep on doing it). If you one to get money MORE faster, you press !;!;!;!;!;!;!;!;1 ( keep on doing the same thing and at the last part, you do a 1.)

I like getting pets especially when the family in the house is bored and quiet. My favorite part of the game is, buying pets. shopping and building buildings. I usually name the pets in regular dog names. I also like big and fancy houses with a BIG back ground. Once, I had 4 birds, 4 iguanas and four of each pet. (Good thing I learned english to understand the game!)

At the first time I played Sims, I thougt there were no actions and I didn't know that much english. So, i made fire in the house a lot of time. Then years of practicing, I became better and better. Now, I don't have space to build stuff!

The Sims Unleashed gets a five star rating
The Sims Unleashed is just what the game was missing. Bringing pets into the picture changes everything. A much more challenging game, The Sims Unleashed is a must have!!!!! With all of the new land, parks, cafes, and plots, The Sims Unleashed is sure to get your tail wagging!!!!!

if you love animals u will love this game!
well i got the double deluxe game a year ago and i got bored with it, but this one is more fun but to be honest save the money for the sims 2 it's 10 times better than the original!

Good Expantion Pack
This is a good addition to the Sims. It is fun Having Pets in your household. Sometimes your yard gets infected by rabbits and it's good to have a cat to kill them. Dogs scare away those pesky racoons that always invade your yard and mess up the trash can. Eventhough having dogs and cats is fun, I usually get other animals that aren't as hard to take care of. This is a really good expantion and I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description

With a new magical, carnival-themed location, over 175 new items, and a host of quirky new characters, Makin' Magic is the largest Sims Expansion Pack ever. New gameplay includes making, gathering, and questing for ingredients to brew magic spell recipes. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Family
• Mission: Your Sims can now harness the supernatural, casting playful or mischievous spells
• Platform: Windows 98/2000/XP

Reviews (87)

Not the best Sims expansion...
I found magic to be very inconvenient and expensive to use.As in all other Sim games, it is hard to keep your Sim happy for more than a few days, and also make enough money to live off of.It is only fun to go to a premade house and play with the premade sims, but that's not the point of the game...

They should make this for the Sims 2
Sure, it will make #2 unrealistic, but it is a whole lot of fun! Imagine how great the graphics will be if this was a Sims 2 expansion pack! I could only imagine how many more spells and reactions there will be if this was made into a 2 expansion pack. But, being it is still in old school form, it is a pretty fun, pretty addictive game. I can't believe how much the price went down!

Get it while the getting's good. You won't regret it. It combines a sort of Harry Potter-type world, complete with roller coasters, mummies, a skeleton maid, and magic crystals.

Ouch
I'm so glad I don't own this expansion pack, but I was "fortunate" enough to experience it at a friend's house. I found it extremely silly. The Sims is already pretty fake (as in most expansion packs really don't offer a whole lot as it seems to in the store), with expansion packs building on this characteristic, but Makin' Magic overdoes it completely. Maxis and EA probably came out with this expansion pack after seeing such a huge response to spells and fantasy and magic in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the like. In a way it clashes with Livin' Large. Both of them have "halloween" themes about them and the supernatural and blackmagic occuring. Through hearsay, the only things I can remember from the top of my head found in Makin' Magic is the ability for Sims to own a vineyard and something called MagiCoins. Also, potions can enable your Sim to be a rockstar instantly as well as make any Sim fall in love with yours.

I truly don't recommend this. It's as good as cheating by getting everything you want through brewing potions and such. It took me long enough to get addicted to the Sims, but this is so exaggerated. My Sims collection stops at Superstar.

Beware, your sims are witches and wizards, AWESOME!
this being the grand finale for the original sims, they made it grand! they gave you new powers, you can now control other sims lives completly, and not just the ones you create! you can cast love spells to make the process of love a little quicker, mind control sims to make them do as you please, transform gnomes and flamingos to come alive for an amount of time, and if someone annoys you, just turn them into a frog! you have all new items and and a new town. you can also do another spell that makes the game all worth it! if you have the sims 'Unleashed' you can transform your pet into a new sim to add to your family! it gives you new looks for your sims, and an all new currency! 'Magicoins' they let you buy spell items and new houses in Magictown that give you special powers and items you get in the regular game. this is by far the best expansion they have came out with!

Brilliant Idea!
Whoever thought up this one sure thought up a winner!!It's so fun to try out each spell.It sure takes a long time to get boring because you have to find all those ingredients!It takes longer than you might think.
There are also new objects and a whole other world- Magic Town- to explore!You can earn MagiCoins (to buy ingredients) by performing magic tricks and so forth for the crowds there.It's very cool.Just make sure those spells don't backfire on you! ... Read more

Product Description

The Sims Unleashed ... Read more

Features

• Add a pet to your Sims family: visit the pet store and adopt a dog, a cat or another pet
• Expanded neighborhood with 30 new residential lots and five community lots featuring parks, a cafe, shops and market
• Fifty new jobs in five new careers: Animal Care, Culinary, Circus, Fashion, or Education
• 125+ new items: grow a harvest of vegetables in the Vegetable Garden or get soaked trying to wash your pet in the Pet Bath
• This expansion pack requires full The Sims game to play

Reviews (23)

Unleashed is WICKED!!!!
I've been wanting sims unleashed for like, ever. Finally, I had a enough money to buy it. It's really awesome having pets, on two occasions my sim-pets had puppies. It stinks that you can't control your pets actions though. All you can do is watch them. I like all the new objects (pet bath,dog bed,ect.) In old town, it is always sooooo slow. It's a bit screwed up. Anway, overall this is a fun game. I recomend it.

P.S. I can't wait for sims 2!!!!

Feeling great when Unleashed was "unleashed" in stores
When I first got The Sims Unleashed, I couldn't wait to see what it was like. I loved it and right now, at this moment, I am creating houses and huge mansions with the style of a real house. Will Wright has once again made a hugely entertaining Sims expansion. And the best thing about this game is that it never ends; so you will never be saying that you won the game. I'll treasure The Sims Unleashed along with every other expansion-along with the regular Sims game. I can't wait to see what brilliant idea pops up in Maxis's head next!

REALLY COOL
I don't have this game but i am going to buy it on ebay today. Ihave played it at my friends house's a lot and it is awesome! The dogs are so cute! It's really cool!

The Sim's Unleashed
Tataly Awsome game dude.
My sims liked the cats and birds best. The dogs kept trying to bite their shoes.
Totaly Radical. Dude.

The Sims Unleashed
I loved this game.
I thought that the fish were boring but, I liked the rest. ... Read more

Product Description

Live dream of being a Rock Star, Movie Star or a Supermodel, live the dazzling lifestyle of a celebrity and advance through ten levels of fame—if you can. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: You're a superstar in this game about making it big in the celebrity industry
• Platform: Windows 95/98/Me/XP

Reviews (156)

Awsome!
Here are some cheats that cheats that will help!

first save the game at your house. Hold down Ctrl+Shift+C and the cheat box will come up type move_objects on and then go to buy mode and click on your sim and delete them, go to live mode and click their face and they'll come back refreshed and you can continue practing etc. and this is a way to help you become famous faster.

Fame all around!
The Sims Superstar is ok, if you want to become famous! But if you want to stay at home and have parties then you have to get another expansion pack. Once you begin trying to become famous you have to visit Studio Town reguarly, and practice which gets boring really fast, thats all i have to say :D

a great and entertaining game
The sims superstar is such a great expansion pack! New features and ojects allow you to explore the sims world more. the new objects are great to and fufilled my every sims need. Im very addicted to it though. Its exciting to be a celebrity but its hard to get to be one. I liked having my sim play piano or guitar do a photo shoot or do kareoke. definetly a must buy :-)

its was good
it was good but its not easy to be a success in this game

Been There, Done That but to No Avail...
I fell for the very flashy (I own the Collector's Edition), orange cover art of this game, and I completely bought everything it said to me, but I've been a bit disappointed. The Sims Superstar can start to lag and be very tedious especially once your Sim has achieved 2 stars. The modelling for swimwear and winterwear is endless, and I always hope in vain after every shoot that the chart would be upgraded for my Sim to have 2 and a half stars. I'm still in the midst of playing it and none of my Sims are superstars yet.

I recommend you to install this expension pack or if not, sign up with the Talent Agency only if your Sims already have high points in Creativity, Body and Charisma for you to go into the nuts and bolts straight away. It's almost impossible to work on it after you've signed up with the Talent Agency as Body for instance tires Sims out easily, and they tend to sleep the whole day away, and once they wake up, its their Fun that's lacking which takes half a day to satisfy, soon its back to their Energy bar dropping again and there won't really be a time to go to Studio Town which isn't all fine and dandy since postponing trips might cause your Sims to drop or lose star power all together.

Also, I recommend your Sim having a roommate. It's the social bar that's usually close to being empty through frequent visits to Studio Town, as other sims ranking higher than yours won't bother talking to you and other sims who are ranking low would only wantto hug you or ask for autographs. The fame-seeking sims are usually tired to bother going all the way to Downtown just to exchange a few words with their friends which could boost the social relationship immensly, while having a roommate is much easier. A quick hug or kiss will do, and the social bar's already a pale green.

I got off well with this expansion pack, and it was fun to watch my Sim progressing from a nobody to a somebody, but it's been quite stagnant for a while, which is boring. Still, it's not bad, maybe a little patience is required, that's all. ... Read more

Product Description

Trial and error game, which encourages personalized solutions to problems. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Role Playing
• Mission: Micromanage the lives of a family of virtual people

Reviews (54)

Great Game
I really enjoy this game. The only thing I don't like about it is they put limits on build and buy modes. I almost always end up at the limits and needing to buy more lights or something. They need to drop that. They also need to release a console version of Unleashed expansion from the PC line.

I'm playing this 24/7
The Sims is a great game cube game.I didn't play on my game cube very much until I got this game.In this game, you can play two games: Get A Life or The Sims.In Get A Life, you start out by living with your mom, but later you get your own house and a job.Then, you need to get a promotion in your job so that you can be room mates with the "cool" people.It's hard to get a promotion, because in order to get a promotion, your Sim has to be happy.He/she can't be hungry, dirty, tired, smelly, etc.In The Sims (different then Get A Life but still on this game cube CD) you can create people in your own neighborhood, create houses, and put chairs, TV's, computers, and any household item in the houses.You can make friends, throw parties, order pizza, insult neighbors...but life doesn't go so smooth.Sometimes there are robberies at your Sims house, and you can lose your job if you aren't careful...

This game is great, and I know what you just read above is confusing, but if you get this game, you'll love it.

The Sims
This is a great game.Getting jobs, having houses, and getting to know your neighbors is great fun! You get to have pets, go to parties, and design you own house.The creativity is infininte.
I would recomend it for 13 and up because of sugestive themes.

Cant get far
Well I do have to admit it is fun at first in Get A Life (single player story mode).But on the 3rd level it suddenly jumps to a horrendous pain in the back (can't say what I want to say here).You are somehow supposed to level your character's job level, throw a party (may I add it must be a good party), make a friend at the party and ask to move in with them, and keep watch on your stats.The stats are the biggest problem because your character needs you to tell him/her what to do and when to do it, so basically they will wet themselves if you dont tell them to take a bathroom brake.But also your stats screw with improving your job because he won't practice/workout/etc.if something is too low in his stats.Also it is very difficult to throw a good party whe you need to work, and keep watchin your stats (this word's startin to bug me).I hope this helps you make the right decision, but if you go your own way and beat level 3, tell me how lol.

Should have been much better
Dont spend your money on this game. I bought it because it looked fun. It is a bad game. The gameplay itself seems to be the biggest flaw. The 'get a life' mode is boring because my sim refuses to look for a job. Why cant my sim talk to the people outside like the mailman? Maybe I dont get the game. ... Read more

Product Description

The Sims: Double Deluxe is the ultimate compilation. Double Deluxe includes "The Sims," "The Sims: Livin' Large," "The Sims: House Party," "The Sims Creator Tool" and exclusive Double Deluxe content. ... Read more

Features

• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Genre: Strategy
• Mission: Create and develop your own unique person by choosing from hundreds of characteristics
• Platform: Windows 95/98/XP

Reviews (29)

Well Worth The Price!
Just like the title states, this is well worth the price!
This includes the original The Sims, The Sims House Party EP, the Sims Livin' Large EP, some bonus objects, walls, and floors, and The Sims Creator tool.
If you don't have any of The Sims games, this is the perfect place to start.The Sims and the two EPs have so much stuff in it for a Sims novice, you won't need the other expansion packs for years!It's virtually impossible to get bored with infinitely many possibilities.
The Sims Creator is a program where you can make Sims skins.My sister is no artist but she made some pretty good Lord Of The Rings clothes for the LOTR heads she downloaded.It's a good thing to experiment with.
Buy this if you don't have it; you won't be sorry!

SIMS BY FAR
THE SIMS IS THE SIMS HAVING THREE EXPNSION PACKS IS BY FAR THE THING.THEY MAKE AOT OF MONEY U KNOW U LOSE AND EXPANSION PAK U BUY ANOTHER ONE./BUT WITH THIS SET THERE NO NEED. BUT STILL POPLE WOULD DO THE SAMEE.THEY CONTIUNE TO BUILD UP CAPIAL FORM THIS.

Good game not so good playability
Good game with lots of neat objects and items. The iteractions are cool too. Everything you need to throw a great party. But you get bored of it after a while, and don't get it and plan on not spending more money on another expantion pack. The Sims Makin Magic, Bustin out, and Hot date give you a lot more to do so you are never in a position where all your mood bars are full and you dont have something to do.

Greatest PC deal/game of all time!!!
I first recieved Sims DOuble Deluxe as a Christmas gift. Much to my dismay i needed Windows XP to run it. I waited patiently and when the game did work, I found myself staying up late to play it!
First of all...
GRAPHICS 9/10
This game has some of the best graphics I've ever seen. Unlike other games it also does not need to load thest graphics.
GAMEPLAY 10/10
With fires, moods, and work, you are kept alert and on your toes. With buy and build mode, there is no limit to how big your home can be!
SOUNDS 8/10
The only problem...repetitive music. It's not bad, but not good either.
REPLAYABILITY 10/10
Like i said, you won't want to turn off the PC!
EXPANSION PACK ?/10
I haven't loaded it yet.
OVERALL 10/10
This is a great game and i think you would be a fool not to buy it if you can.
Need I say More?

I love it except for...
First off I have to say that I became one of those addicts after I first got this.I'd spend hours and hours playing it and playing it,trying to get my people happy and rich and so on.Its a really great game EXCEPT for those of us who get so addicted we wanna add on more expansion packs,such as oh say Hot Date.The Hot Date has enough problems on its own,I'm not saying it isn't fun but the sounds usually hard to get right if you can get sound on it.I tried to point on Hot Date after Double Deluxe and its just a pain.I've been doing nothing but installing and installing and nothing works,always telling me I've got the wrong CD or it wouldn't play for this reason or that reason.So my advise to you is that if you buy Double Deluxe,don't try to install the Hot Date Expansion Pack after it because thats just impossible.Oh yes,for those of you who can't seem to get it uninstalled,goto the Sims official website and download the SimsEraser. ... Read more

Product Description

Add a little magic to your Sims' lives. Cast spells, hypnotize friends, and even turn a neighbor into a frog. Perform magic, quest for ingredients, and unlock spell recipes. You can craft charms, animate minions, and add magical decor. But watch out, spells can go haywire if you're not careful. Either way, the neighborhood will never be the same.

Features

• 175+ New Items
• Use the charm maker, charms are more than just pretty decorations.
• With the Baker's Oven, bake cakes, pies, and other surprises.
• With the Skeleton Closet, knock for help cleaning up around the house.
• Use the Spookshow stage to raise the dead and bring down the house.
• Customize spooky and crazy rollercoaster rides for your Sims.

Features

• Expansion pack for The Sims game
• Sims have magical abilities to use for fun or evil
• All new magical, carnival-themed destination
• Over 175 new items and a new cast of characters
• For 1 player

Reviews (4)

One of the Best Sims EVER!
This game is so incredibly fun. I loved it! I'm a Sim fanatic already, so this was totally wicked! I think it is their best yet! You get to do all sorts of fun things...own dragons...make vampire lookin sims...turn neighbors into toads...you know what i mean!

Good expansion pack for a great game!
The Sims Makin' Magic is VERY fun.You have tons of new objects,like a Baking Oven and a Honey making station.When you get to your lot,a man appears and puts a box out on your lawn.It contains magic ingredients and things like that.Your Sim has to open it to acess the ingredients.Your Sim can go into Magic Town.Magic Town has......well,magic!Your Sim can do quests to get ingredients(Mara,the Fairy Queen is one person you can do a quest for.)for spells.You can also build in Magic Town,and there are 3 lots you can move into,only you have to have a certain amount of MagiCoins to move in.(Bummer!)Spells include Beauty or Beast,where you can change your Sims look.The look goes away after you take a shower of go to bed.I reccomend you get it!

A very respectable game
I don't own it for mac, yes I will admit that. But I have played it on a PC. and i have played on a mac... (ok.. I don't own it at all... my friend does, on mac AND PC.) This is probably the best expansion Aspyr has come up with on the long run. (exepting Unleashed... if you don't own Unleashed, don't buy this till you own Unleashed) This expansion kept me up for hours, (i managed to fall asleep right before I NEEDED to be awake) and after i found all the new stuff, I was amazed. Yes it is a chunk of memory but it is entirely worth it. The graphics were slightly enhanced, (yay) and there are surprises everywhere. (only two or three were bad) over all, I truly hope you get this expansion, (your gaming life will wonder were this has been) and if you do get it enjoy.



there is only 1 (ONE) downside. when you are in magic town, the speed slows down and becomes a bit choppy. if you have a few hundred Megabytes still, you won't notice it.. (YAY macs)(haha PC's you all heve choppy problems... haha) but if you are empty, you'll notice this. I would reccomend cleaning up your hard drive a tiny bit before installing this.

enjoy

WooHoo!! It's out on the 25th!
YESSSHH!THE SIMS MAKIN MAGIC is out in TWO days! My friend (who uses a Windows OS) says that it's REALLY fun and the new skins are cool.My other friend says that it's a waste of thirty dollars.So my first friend said that the second friend isn't at all creative!And there's this other person that says its the best!I guess I'll buy it, probably after hearing some reviews.I bought the Sims Superstar as soon as it came out and it had 1 bug in it that kept me from going any higher than 3 stars, so I had to find a patch, but ASPYR didn't have one and I was all mad, but I downloaded this thing where I could edit the starpower.Yes, I think I'll buy it. ... Read more

Features

• Expansion to Sims 4 allows god-like control over city infrastructure
• Players take complete individual control of roads, rail, air, waterways, and even vehicles
• Choose from modern European or three historical architectural eras
• Introduce new disasters into your city
• For 1 player

Reviews (25)

They will gladly take your money...again.
Since the makers of the original SimCity 4 never actually fully patched that version, they tell you to buy Rush Hour to solve the issues existing with that main version. Throwing in a few additions that could have been made available for download, you must buy this expansion in order for the game to even work with ANY future elements they may provide. Newer building tools or the rare new structure will simply not work with the stand alone version.
But the "situation" even goes much deeper than that-
Problems were not only not fixed, but were actually HIDDEN by the game designers. Observant players of the original SC4 would notice cars driving in circles or driving a highway,leaving and re-entering it at each exit! With Rush Hour, they merely lowered the amount of time automobiles would be displayed so players would think there are no problems. Very sneaky Maxis! Many gamers are none the wiser. It is truly amazing the game developers could get away with such practices... and laugh all the way to the bank.

god like powers
This is the best game since GTA. The best thing to do is name streets and roads and neighborhoods and districts. I wish you could make a ethnic neighborhood then it would be really fun. You can make suburbs like the big city can be very blue collar and crime ridden and bad schools and one suburb can be white collar with mansions and excellent schools depending on what neighborhood you pay most attention to, just one of the best games ever made.

A Must Buy... if your conscious is flexible..
This expansion is a must purchase.It's more than the features they describe, they've refined and improved just about everything is seems from the regular Sim City 4.

My issue however is that there are so many aspects that you get in the expansion that were missing without it (such as say, the ability to click a button to make a certain building historical, which you could do in previous Sim Cities), it really kind of left a bitter taste in my mouth buying this.The ORIGINAL Sim City 4 should have had many of the polished aspects of the expansion.This isn't just a ton of cool new features, this expansion makes the game complete.

Kinda clever.. sell an incomplete game, then make you buy the expansion to get the full product.So it's a must purchase, but I blow my nose at you so called "computer coders", you and all you're silly kinnigits... pbhhhhhtthhh....

Sincerely,

A Frustrated Gamer Who Knows He's Not Going To Be Sleeping Tonight Because of the Darn Game

(or just Graham will do)

A tremendous improvement
I have been waiting for Maxis to improve the transportation features, and finally they've done it!!!I can now control traffic more efficiently in my city by knowing what paths citizens take to and from work.This allows me to determine where I should place new roads, mass transit lines, stations, etc.The monorails allow you to have a much more futuristic city, only you can't build monorail lines over elevated freeways.The surface freeways and elevated trains also make city transportation systems much more realistic.If you have SC4 and don't have Rush Hour, I highly recommend that you buy it now.It is worth every cent.

All the bells, whistles, and sirens a city should have!
After purchasing SimCity 4 and hearing of the Rush Hour expansion, I didn't know what to expect--after all, I just payed $40 for the stand alone version.Yet, to my surprise, RH added a tremendous ammount of gameplay and realism that wasn't available with SimCity 4.While the U-Drive it features are alright, I am extremely impressed with the tremendous addition of ground level highways, (I wanted these for a while now) Chicago-style "el" lines, monorails, and a new slew of roadway tools.Mayors should also take note of the new building sets, greatly improved gameplay performace, and more realistic play.Rush Hour is more than a simple add-on, it's a sequel to a great game. ... Read more