That The Sims 2 launch will be big is no surprise. There will be several oppertunities to play the game early - at least in the UK. If you can go to London somewhere between 1 and 5 September, you can visit GameStars Live for 10 pounds. If you use "eagames" as password when booking your tickets, you'll even get 2 tickets for one. But EA will also show the game on several other locations when they tour through the country. These are the dates and locations to visit:

• Victoria Centre, Nottingham: 6 - 8 August
• Festival Place, Basingstoke: 13 - 15 August
• Bullring, Birmingham: 20 - 22 August
• Bluewater, Kent: 27 - 30 August
• West Quay, Southampton: 10 - 12 September
• Arndale, Manchester: 17 - 19 September

For more information visit the official Mall Tour page. EA in other European countries might also be going on tour. Check the official site for your country to see if there will be an event which you can visit.