Maxis has finally decided to release a concept that has been begged for from Sims fans since the birth of the Sims 1. Weather! Took you long enough fellas! Gez.
The Sims 2 Seasons is the newest Sims 2 expansion pack. It’s not like those crummy rip-off add on packs.
In the Sims 2 Seasons your Sims will have a bunch of new things to do. However like most of the expansion packs, the so-called ‘new’ gets old really fast, seeing how they don’t give you that much.
So my Sims now have 4 seasons. Summer, winter, fall and spring, all in that order too. However your Sims only get approximately 4 days to enjoy the new weather changes.
That sort of sucks, and if you want to change the weather you have to buy this big huge satellite and place it on your lawn to change the weather. The thing is gigantic, and ridiculous looking.
Before I rip this expansion pack to shreds let me explain the seasons, and the new activities your Sims can now enjoy.
1. SUMMER-
This is the game play you are used to. The Sims 2 always seemed to be set in summer mode. You could swim in the pool when you wanted, wear what you wanted, without risking getting the flu because it is cold outside. Summer in the Sims 2 Seasons is the same. However now if you dress your Sims in long sleeved shirts or sweaters they can risk overheating. My Sims however only seem to overheat in the summer time when they work out on an exercise machine. Other than that my Sims can walk around with sweaters on without any problems. If your Sim happens to over heat you can simply give him or her a shower, or you can blend yourself up a once cup of cold lemonade.
How do you make Lemonade?
This is also a new feature. Gardening. You Sims now have the ability to make greenhouses, and grow fruit trees. The fruit trees grow the fruit, and the new juicer juices your fruits into beverages.
Keeping up with your garden takes up a lot of time; so seriously don’t bother making a garden with more than 4 tiles. Your garden will always be unhealthy. No matter how much time my Sims spend tending to the garden, it never seems happy. However it will still grow fruits and vegetables.
What angers me is Maxis lack of instructions on how to go about getting more vegetable varieties. As of now I only can grow tomatoes in my garden. I figured if I joined the garden club, I would be given some new seeds for different veggies. No such luck. Maxis does not explain this to you, and they don’t even let you know if you can grow more than just tomatoes. Your fruit trees are limited to oranges, lemons, and apples.
Like I said if you happen to plan on having a family, or running a business, forget about gardening.
In the summer time your Sims can also now enjoy a few new summer dresses, a slide for the pool, a new rounded pool tile so you can get a round edged pool, and a new pool game to play while they are in the pool. Marco polo. It’s cute to watch them play it once, but always having to direct them to play it is annoying. I wish they could just do it on their own. It’s bad enough having to direct them in the pool, now you have to direct them how to swim, and play. Pretty annoying. You will also be given some summer patio furniture, and a new BBQ grill. No lawn mower yet! Dang it!
What else have we got?
There are fireflies that you will see flying around at night. Your Sims, if directed can catch them in a jar and put them in the house. They also give off a cool glowing light when they are placed inside of the house. However they die pretty fast. So it’s useless in thinking you can keep them as a new form of light.
THERE IS MORE:
Your Sims also now have the option to go fishing. You can only fish in ponds that you have placed on the lot. The ponds also have to be deep enough to support fish. You simply click on the pond and you are asked, what type of bait. I find this odd seeing how the only option they give you is a worm. If anyone knows how to buy different types of bait, please comment me. I think it is stupid to ask which bait you want to fish with, when only one type is available; but whatever.
So far I have only been successful in catching bass fish and boots. I don’t think there is anything else in the ponds. Bass and boots.
Oh yeah and now your Sims have the option to play catch, and throw water balloons at each other. Another little action that gets old quick, not only that, but the Sims will do this on their own all too much.
2. WINTER-
It snows. Surprise! It’s pretty easy to figure out when the snow will start. Your Sims will automatically get a new action with a snowflake on it. They get this action before it starts snowing, so it is odd. All of a sudden the snow falls. It also looks like it is falling inside of your house, which I find annoying. However snow will not fill your home, it will just look like its coming down in your living room. It’s also obvious because your computer will slow down when the snow starts. Once it starts though it will run normally again.
As soon as there is enough snow on the ground your Sims can go outside and play in it. They can have snowball fights, make snow angels, or build snowmen. Not only that but they can also freeze. Plus if one of your children happens to freeze they will get taken away. So watch your Sim kids temperature thermometers and make sure they are in the green and not the blue.
If you happen to have your thermometer fall into the blue, you can go inside and brew yourself a cup of hot chocolate.
-A strange event happened to me after building a snowman and not completing it. I had a rather large and fat penguin come up to the snowman and pee next to it, the thing then walked through my house and left. I guess this is the ‘surprise’ guest for this expansion pack.
I know the Sims Pets had Hilary Duff however she never visited me. Blah! Most of the time to get the guest celebrity to visit you, you had to pull off an extreme event. The penguin came out of nowhere.
-Your Sims will also get the flu a lot during this winter season. I wish Maxis would add in some medicine for my Sims. They lay in bed the entire season because they are too sick to go outside and enjoy the snow.
3. FALL-
My Sims didn’t even know it was fall. See if you don’t place any trees in your lot, you won’t even notice that this season is occurring. Without trees they can’t die. Your fruit trees will grow dormant, so they don’t produce leaves. You need to place the older trees on the lot for any of them to land on your lawn.
Once you have trees, and leaves you can now start raking the leaves up, and playing in them. You can also use the dead leaves to add to your compost bin, which you use as fertilizer for your garden.
There are also a few fall themes objects, but nothing special. Maxis still fails to give fans a friggin light up pumpkin for cryin’ out loud. Maxis could have really gone the extra mile with the fall season. Yet sort of left it alone. Just like spring.
4. SPRING-
Like fall, Maxis failed to add really anything here. It rains a little more and maybe you will get one lightning storm if you are lucky during the 4-day season. You are not given a raincoat though to go outside, which stinks, and an umbrella would have really been awesome. Nope, instead they sit out in the rain looking like a bunch of idiots.
Your Sims will not really interact or do the new actions available unless you direct them to do so.
I WANT A NEW JOB
The Sims 2 Seasons also comes with 6 new career paths, which I find to be neat. With all 6 new jobs your Sims can also unlock the career rewards. This is where we have an issue; some of the career rewards are identical to what old rewards only they look a little different. I was very disappointed in the new reward objects that were added. None of them are any good, and one career only gives you a stupid statue. It does nothing special at all, just sits there and takes up mass amounts of space.
WHAT DO THE NEW CLOTHES LOOK LIKE?
Baggy and stupid, just like all of Maxis’ clothing add-ons. All of the winter clothing is too big looking on the Sims. They have a few options, about 9. Before you know it everyone in town is sporting the same winter outfit, which is annoying. The website www.thesims2.com will tell you they now can sport hats and gloves and scarves. Hooey! If you want to have your Sims wear a hat you have to choose it while you create your Sim. So all year round he will sport a winter hat. Pretty lame. You really have to download clothing online to get a wide assortment. My favorite site has always been www.modthesims2.com
OBJECTS, GOT ANYTHING NEW?
Yes, however there are not many. You actually get more new objects with the add-ons. There are a few new lamps that are just hideous looking. They are too big, and look terrible on any nightstand. There are a few new statues, all of which are too big to place anywhere reasonable looking. There are no new items for children though, which is disappointing. I’m so sick of the same teddy bear, and toy box. How about a new swing set? That would be sweet, or a sand box? Maybe the next expansion pack will focus on the kids. Who knows?
YOU STINK!
What else stinks- when your Sims do an activity leaves, flowers, sun, or snow will now sprinkle around their heads and dance in a circular motion as they gain personality points. Maxis fails to let people know what this means in the game. The new graphic is there, but no one knows why? I am assuming that if you have your Sims spend time cooking in the summer, perhaps he is learning to do cooking more in the summer time than any other time. That is just a guess though? I’m stumped.
I was expecting a lot more for $30. Again Maxis fails to deliver. The idea was wonderful, and the initial idea actually came from Sims fans. However as soon as Maxis got hold of the idea it turned into a gigantic mess. The game focuses more on the summer time and wintertime. Fall and spring got totally left in the dirt.
Boo!!! Maxis Boo!!!!
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Taken from the box:
· Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista
· 1.3 GHz or faster processor
· 256 MB of RAM (512 MB RAM is recommended for Windows Vista or if you are running with a multiple expansion packs installed)
· 8X or faster CD/DVD-ROM drive
· Minimum of 1.5 GB of free hard drive space
· DirectX 9.0c compatible Video Card with 32MB or more memory required (64MB for Windows Vista)
I’d recommend saving your money on this one. It’s a waste. Not only that buy the guide. There is way too many things that go unanswered with this expansion pack. You won't even know how to use, or do most of the things available without it. What a rip-off! Can't even give buyers a small instruction manual?! Shame on you Maxis!
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