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1681. The Sims 2 E3 Impressions

Written on Wednesday 14 May 2003 at 13:36 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

GameSpot has posted some first impressions of The Sims 2, from the E3 convention in LA. The exposition starts today, and we're hoping for some more screenshots. Until then, you can read this:

"First of all, The Sims 2 looks really good--at least that's what we thought based on what we've seen. It features a fully 3D engine with realistic lighting, as well as far more detailed character models for the sims themselves, who now can be seen making realistic facial expressions and moving about in an even more lifelike manner. The game's interface appears nearly identical to that of the original, though a few new "motives" (the statistics of your sims that you need to keep track of) have been added. The "social" motive from The Sims has been broken up into "family" and "friends," and a "mind" motive has been added, representing mental stimulation. The gameplay remains fundamentally similar to its predecessor--you can create and control your very own mundane little people, encouraging them to interact with each other and their homes in various ways. You can also build houses for them from the ground up and then fill those houses with all kinds of things you might find in a real home. And some weirder things, too. The Sims 2 isn't trying to mess with success. From what we've seen, the game is squarely trying to extend the original game toward logical conclusions."

It also tells about the six stages of life: from a "wee baby" your Sim will go into his "toddler years" to become a child, teen, adult and finally a "geezer". For those who don't like their Sims to age and die, there's good news too: you can turn off the aging option keeping your Sims the age they started with, like in The Sims 1.0 we know. The whole preview (which in fact tells some other things too), can be read right here. More E3 news will quite likely be seen later today, or else tomorrow or friday.

1682. The Neighborhood Handler 4.10 coming soon!

Written on Tuesday 13 May 2003 at 22:00 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Now Superstar has been released, I know you're all waiting for a new version of The Neighborhood Handler. I've been working on that quite a lot, and version 4.10 is nearly ready. However, I won't receive Superstar for another 10 days, which means I can't complete the Superstar compatibility yet at this point. I expect to have it all done in approximately 2-3 weeks. There are two major new functions to look out for. One is for those who have Unleashed and don't want to demolish a building to rezone it. The new "Rezone" function will keep the houses where they are, but it will change the zoning details of any of the 40 areas in the neighborhood. If you have a family in a home that you want to rezone to a community area, then the family will be evicted automatically (otherwise it will cause problems in The Sims). But, there are more great things... Read More!

1683. New Superstar Screenshots

Written on Tuesday 13 May 2003 at 20:35 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

IGN Seems to have had a first peek at Superstar already. They posted a bunch of new screenshots. Among those there are 4 screenshots, each showing the celebrities that come with the game: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera (not an actual screenshot, but a render), Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe. You can also see a shot of a quite busy studio town area. Besides all that, there are a few other shots and a render of a photoshoot. You can all find them right here. You can also find some older screenshots and movies there.

1684. Superstar released in the US [Update]

Written on Tuesday 13 May 2003 at 17:21 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Today's the day SuperStar has been released. Some people probably already bought it and aren't reading this, because they're too addicted to the new pack. Unfortunately, this isn't for all the people outside the US, as those still have to wait about 10 days before being able to buy the game. Here's a small part of the press release from EA about this release:

" A new cast of comical characters is also available to assist the Sims in their quest for celebrity. A fabulous fashion designer, a mega-hit record producer and a maniacal movie director are available for career critique. A capable butler, a savvy sushi chef, and a soothing masseuse will be on-call to administer to the every whim of a celebrity Sim. Life in the spotlight would not be complete without the glare of the paparazzi, the adoration of groupies, and the annoyance of an obsessed fan. This is all part of life in the spotlight in The Sims Superstar."

The first reviews will probably appear within the next few days, so we'll be making another review index soon. Stay tuned to The Sims Zone to find out about any reviews we find on the internet. That's especially for those who are still in doubt whether they should buy the game or not. You can read the whole press release right here. If you have Superstar and would like to share your first impressions with us and the visitors of The Sims Zone, then you can post a comment to this newspost. If you have any other comments about Superstar, then you can post your comments too.

[Update 22:00] The official site has now opened up the Superstar exchange as well. If you create a Studio Town area, you can share it with every player in the rest of the world (well, just the US at this point) there. You can find the exchange right here.

1685. Bustin' Out E3 Preshow Report @ Gamespot

Written on Tuesday 13 May 2003 at 02:48 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

GameSpot will be reporting from the E3 like many other gaming sites and magazines the next few days. However, GameSpot is posting preshow reports of several games. One of them, is the upcoming Bustin' Out expansion pack for the consoles (expected early 2004). Here's a bit:

"The Sims took place entirely at home, but Bustin' Out, as the title sort of implies, lets you get out of the house. Seamlessly, even: You'll be able to ride by scooter or car to new locations such as the Club Rubb dance venue (wooo, woooo!), the art gallery, and the Shiny Things Lab. The game will also feature numerous unlockable home objects, appearance-enhancing objects, unlockable missions, and more. Also, enhanced visuals should make this next version of The Sims look better than before."

The article has been released in 3 flavours, one for each console. The PlayStation2 one has the first screenshot with it. Both the GameCube and X-Box editions only have a different colour layout, but both don't have the screenshot. The text, the most important thing, is all the same though. It's up to you what link you click.

1686. Another interview with Jonathan Knight

Written on Tuesday 13 May 2003 at 01:20 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

There have been several interviews with Jonathan Knight, producer of Superstar, already. The game will be released in the US tomorrow, and today, "May XX", GameSpy has posted another interview with Knight. Here's a small bit from it:

"GameSpy: Fame - how is that implemented in the game? Does that have any impact on which objects you can use or get for your home?

"Jonathan Knight: Fame score is a brand new skill, and it works much a like a job level. Sims who sign up with an agent and start down the celebrity path will have five empty stars in their UI panel, which they need to fill in, one half-star at a time. Each new level comes with new requirements, new benefits, and new opportunities. Fame is a lot like a new career path, except you follow your Sim to their job and control their activities. If you're in an existing career, you'll have to drop out of it to pursue your dream of being a star."

Besides that piece of info, there is a lot more to read about gameplay issues. For instance, Jonathan tells that Studio Town works pretty much like Downtown; you go there whenever you like, and you can earn money there. There's no Energy to get there though, so you can't stay there too long. Time at home will be frozen while your Sim is in Studio Town. If you don't go to Studio Town often enough, your agent will drop you and you'll have to look for a new one to get hired again. Besides all that, the obsessed fan, new NPCs (Non-Playable Characters, like the new Butler), new objects and new music are being discussed. You can read the whole thing right here. It certainly is an interesting, and worth those couple of minutes it takes to read it.

1687. More Bustin' Out Screenshots

Written on Sunday 11 May 2003 at 19:07 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Sterics has submitted the news that there are some new screenshots of The Sims Bustin' Out, the expansion pack for The Sims on the consoles. That pack was announced last week and we'll probably find out many more details from the E3 this upcoming week. It's still a long way to go to its release though, as it's expected only by early 2004. If you're interested in it though, then be sure to check out these new screenshots on Sims Express, a Spanish (?) site about The Sims and SimCity. You can see Sims on a motorbike, near a pool ready to dive, climbing a wall, and finally some Sims on a dance floor.

1688. The Add-On Handler 0.1.2b

Written on Saturday 10 May 2003 at 01:28 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Another major bug was found in The Add-On Handler (TAOH) a couple of days ago, which occured if you didn't have The Neighborhood Handler (TNHH) installed. TAOH uses some code from The Neighborhood Handler, but I forgot to fix a few things in it making TAOH depend on TNHH. Sounds confusing, but basically it means you needed TNHH if you wanted to be able to install houses and areas. That bug has now been fixed (thanks to Wolfgang for reporting it), and a new version of The Add-on Handler, version 0.1.2b, has now been released. There are also a couple of other minor bugfixes, and some upgraded graphics using a new font. If you have The Add-On Handler installed already and want to upgrade, or if you don't but you do have The Neighborhood Handler, then you should download the upgrade version of TAOH. In all other cases, just download the full version of TAOH. Well, if you want to check it out anyway. Although this new version was released only 3 days after 0.1.1b, and just 10 days after the initial release, the next version probably won't be out for another few weeks. It will probably be June before 0.2b sees the daylight.

1689. EA reveals E3 Lineup

Written on Friday 9 May 2003 at 00:12 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Electronic Arts has announced their lineup for the E3 next week. We'll be following the Sims games and tell you whatever other gaming sites visiting the E3 have to offer. There are 3 Maxis games in the list: The Sims 2 (Release: early 2004), The Sims Bustin' Out (Release: early 2004) and SimCity 4: Rush Hour (SimCity 4 expansion pack, release fall 2003). We'll be focussing on the first two games. The Sims 2 will be shown Tuesday 13 May, but it's unknown when we'll hear more of the Bustin' Out expansion pack for the console version. With the exposition being later than 13 May, there might be more The Sims 2 news after 13 May from the E3. We're looking forward to it, but are you too? You can see EA's complete E3 line up right here. EA has also launched an E3 site at www.ea.com/e3. If you want to see a complete linup of all publishers (which hasn't been updated for the past few days, so it's not up-to-date at this point), follow this link to GameSpot.

1690. New The Sims Expansion for the Consoles [Update]

Written on Friday 9 May 2003 at 00:02 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Yes, there's indeed going to be another expansion pack for The Sims. However, unlike the ones we know so far, this one's for the Console edition of the game. It's called "The Sims Bustin' Out". There will be new locations to visit, 40 new characters, 80 new social moves, and 10 new careers. This expansion pack will also be shown at the E3 next week. This is what's said about it in EA's list of E3 games:

"The Sims are returning to the console and this time they're getting out of the house and exploring all-new outrageous locations around town. Players can choose a variety of new paths as they lead their Sims through life's big moments. Along the way, players can unlock and collect hundreds of new objects and social moves exclusive to the console. Play, work, and socialize with a cast of more than 40 new wacky characters and climb through 10 new careers including Mobster, Athlete, Mad Scientist, and Fashion Victim. The Sims Bustin' Out will feature two-player and memory card support, so bring your Sims over to a friend's house. The game is scheduled for release on the PlayStation 2 console, Xbox, and the Nintendo GameCube™ in early 2004."

You can read the whole press release right here at EAGames. It's certainly something to look out for if you have The Sims on one of the consoles. This expansion pack is in development for PlayStation 2, GameCube and X-Box simultaneously and will be released early 2004. Quite a wait, but it looks like it's worth it.

[Update 23:30] The official site (of the PC version) has also posted the press release, along with one screenshot, as late SimDay item. We're showing it below. For the press release on the official site, follow this link.