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News Archive - April, 2008
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Monday 7 April 2008
The Sims 2 FreeTime - Lifetime Obsession or Passing Fad? - Part 6
Written at 01:54 by Andy - 0 comments.

In the sixth part of our review of FreeTime, we look at the five new career tracks and the two new skill badges, looking in detail at the skills and personalities required in order to get a bit of an advantage in them. We also find out how this sim here is getting to wear such a unique suit.

The review continues here but if you want to start from the beginning, click here!

 

Sunday 13 April 2008
Eighth Expansion Confirmed
Written at 20:25 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.
Although the Sims 3 has already been announced, EA has confirmed that there will be an eighth expansion for the Sims 2. Through a teaser on the official site we now know that this possibly last expansion for the Sims 2 will take Sims to apartments:
"Your Sims are moving into a brand-new apartment and their lives will never be the same!

"Fun and drama await as your Sims discover apartment living - from getting along with new neighbors to meddlesome landlords, building their reputation to visiting new social hangouts. Take your Sims out of there serene suburban homes into hustling apartment buildings."
Check out the teaser below, click the thumbnail for a large version.

TS2 EP8 Teaser
 

Thursday 17 April 2008
100,000,000 !!!
Written at 02:20 by Andy - 0 comments.

"Thanks a million - times one hundred - for your creativity, loyalty, passion and feedback" is the message on the official site.

The biggest selling computer game of all time has reached an epic landmark. Since it began in 2000, The Sims has sold 100 million copies worldwide.

Rod Humble, Head of the Sims Division at EA Games, has posted a letter of thanks to the community, that you can read right here , announcing a special exclusive outfit available today to thank the community for its support and part in reaching this milestone. This can be downloaded from here .

Also, thankyou to all of you, our viewers for your support over the years. Watch this space as we intend to provide you with more of what you want.

 

Monday 21 April 2008
The Sims 2 FreeTime - Lifetime Obsession or Passing Fad? - Part 7
Written at 22:22 by Andy - 0 comments.

In the seventh and penultimate part of our review of FreeTime, we spend a week with the six established families of Desiderata Valley and visit some of the community lots in order to see how the expansion plays out from the Sims Division's perspective and see whether it does highlight the best of what this EP is about. We also find out who this cute little toddler is.

The review continues here but if you want to start from the beginning, click here!

 
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Wednesday 23 April 2008
The Sims 2 FreeTime - Lifetime Obsession or Passing Fad? - Part 8
Written at 05:33 by Andy - 1 comment.

As this review finally reaches the end of its journey, we look at some of the new objects that we may have seen before in The Sims 1, we let you know of the "brought forward" features that have come from other expansion packs, we look at bugs and glitches that are affecting gameplay and enjoyment and finally give our conclusions and thoughts as to whether this really is a lifetime passion or just a passing fad.

The review continues here but if you want to start from the beginning, click here!

 

Thursday 24 April 2008
Preliminary FreeTime Patch Available
Written at 11:13 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
Although not advertised yet at the official site, there is a patch for FreeTime. This patch was made available some time ago, but has been recalled due to installation problems with it, according to the German site and this BBS thread. That means the patch is being updated and still being worked on. Nevertheless the installation file is still available on EA's FTP server. So while trying it out may cause new problems rather than solving them (and unfortunately it is not known which bugs should be solved by the patch), you can try downloading the 17.4 Mb patch from here. Use at your own risk!
 

Sunday 27 April 2008
Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Review
Written at 22:33 by MissWendy - 0 comments.

Opening up the newest SP by Maxis, we look deeper into the Kitchen & Bath Interior Design stuff pack. Lets look at what new decorating touches can be added to your Sims homes.

Check the editorial out!

 
Tile Me Tender Sets
Written at 23:30 by MissWendy - 0 comments.

I have uploaded a selection of tiled walls, floors and matching carpets in a variety of colors. Happy decorating!

Click here if you'd like to see these sets and also more of my creations. Enjoy!

 

Monday 28 April 2008
New Submissions
Written at 01:07 by Andy - 0 comments.

As the next step in the renaissance here at "the Zone", we are proud to present two submissions from our viewers.

Josh Adams, who has been a fan of Sim Brother here from the beginning when it was done with "The Sims", has faithfully rendered the original series house into one for "The Sims 2". As I am the person who originally designed the house, I must say how impressed I am with Josh's work and how faithful it was to my design.

Melina has recently begun playing "The Sims 2" and after falling in love with a house in London that she saw on the British TV show "Grand Designs", she has created her own version of it right here. With a generally modern design, it has numerous features and has a lot of potential.

Thankyou to both of you for your creations. Clicking on the appropriate picture will direct you to its download page.

 

Wednesday 30 April 2008
EA Land (TSO) Shutting Down
Written at 00:28 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
After a couple of years, struggling to become popular, the end of The Sims Online is coming near. It was recently relaunched as EA Land, with a new economy and custom content. Driving force behind this was Luc Barthelet, once General Manager of Maxis. At the EA Land Blog Luc has now announced that as of 1 August the game will be taken offline. Subscription billing ends today, meaning 60 days of free gameplay for everybody. Paying members can also get a $15 off for any EA Store game, or three months of free Club POGO subscription time. About 30,000 pieces of custom content were uploaded by players of the game. Besides that the game got new features weekly, including web services resulting in integration with Facebook and more. After almost 6 years, that's all there will be. More information is in the team's special message and the official announcement.