Now Seasons is out several of the major gaming sites have reviewed and rated the latest expansion pack. The first to do so was 1Up. Their short review tells about the fun coming from watching how each season has its influence on the game. That's about all too, nevertheless they do give it a score of 8 out of 10. Read on for other review information, which are much more in-depth.
The first of those, and probably the biggest review yet (besides our own of course), comes from Eurogamer. They explain how rain would be expected to be nothing more than a graphical effect in the world of the Sims 2. Instead the weather affects the Sims' behaviour, but also the smoothness of the game: snow is such a dramatic effect that even on high-end computers it'll drag the performance down. The review also tells about the slower need decay when Sims are outside, as well as the seasonal boosts in relationships and skills. Gardening and Plant Sims are also explained, but the expansion is mostly full of small additions and refinements, like being able to pay all bills in one go, or the new pool additions. On the negative side, there are still issues like Sims getting stuck, including a house in Riverblossom Hills where Sims tend to get stuck in the same corner over and over again. As a whole the expansion pack is a strange one - it doesn't redefine the Sims gameplay, and the rain is only nice for a while. There's enough in it for the fans, but newcomers might be better off with one of the earlier expansions, says 1Up. The final score of the review: a 7 out of 10.GameSpot discusses the expansion in far less depth. They mainly mention the effect to the Sims the seasons have as a welcome addition to those who get frustrated by all the micromanagement that normally needs to be done. The gardening and fishing doesn't go very deep, but is just good enough. Altogether, similar to what 1Up said, the pack doesn't add anything ground breaking new, but it is a welcome addition to the series. A 7.3 is given in the review.
Next up is Yahoo! Games. They say the latest expansion is one of the better, together with University. The world of the Sims comes alive by the weather. Rather than affecting only a few Sims or just some aspects of the gameplay, Seasons is there throughout the entire game. The weather effects also improve the aging introduced by the Sims 2, giving it all a "powerful visual backdrop." The review also mentions Riverblossom Hills, and calls the fishing somewhat disappointing: it's just your Sim standing at the side of the pond, waiting for a fish to bite, to put it up on the wall or to cook it. Gardening on the other hand is more interesting, more like a mini-game. The real pay-off for this game comes from selling crops and winning awards with them. The main drawback to the series is the price: you end up paying about $200 for the base game and all expansions. The best combination is the base game with University and Seasons, according to Yahoo!. Their review gives the game a 4 out of 5 score.
Finally we have GameZone, which only recently published their review of the pack. According to them the weather can be annoying, but does add a new flavour to the gameplay. They say the gardening - tending for crops and the gardening club - is one of the main driving points of the pack. The club can reward you with money or the wishing well. The review also mentions the gift-giving that's now possible, as well as hacks that may no longer work with the new expansion. The water-balloon fights are out of control according to GameZone, and although the weather is nice, lightning setting a fountain or pile of dirt on fire seems a bit too unrealistic. The expansion does what it's supposed to do: build on the experience of the base game. Read the review to see why the game scored 8 out of 10 points.
Written at 20:04 on Tuesday, 20 March 2007 by ChEeTaH.
