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271. Sims 2 Screens and Artworks

Written on Saturday 30 July 2005 at 00:08 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

EA has released a whole bunch of screenshots for the Sims 2 on various platforms again, as well as a few artworks. For the consoles and PSP we have five screenshots each, whereas there are six for GBA and DS each. Other than that, there's one artwork for the consoles and another three which are said to be for both the GBA and DS in the same time. This could mean that the GBA and DS versions of the game feature the same characters. The artworks have been resized to fit your screen a bit easier, the rest is all in its original size. Click the thumbnails to see those large versions.

272. HSN: TeamXbox previews the Sims 2

Written on Friday 29 July 2005 at 03:33 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

We already posted about GameSpy's preview of the Sims 2 on consoles, TeamXbox has also posted a preview of the XBox version recently, after watching the game at EA's Hot Summer Night. In the preview, TeamXbox reveals the name of one of the areas: "Cliffside Retreat." Of all consoles it'll look the best on the XBox, which will get support for High-Definition graphics. About the Direct Control the website says it still feels great. It feels much more like a console game now. Also, the layering system for clothes is mentioned - you can give Sims three layers of clothes. This kind of customization is better than any other release in the series, says the editor, and some features might be taken over from the PC version. As you make new friends, you'll also unlock new clothes, similar to previous Sims games on the consoles. The food creation system is necessary to, besides feeding your Sim, complete some goals or make friendships with other Sims. Some combinations of ingredients might even be lethal, and the ghost of a Sim who eats such a meal will haunt the cook for it. All in all the conclusion is that this is the best Sims game ever on the consoles, as it has a better feel of a console game, and new features that aren't just "throw-ins." A video interview with Scot Amos about the game is expected later. Read the preview for details for now. Thanks to Planet The Sims for finding the link.

273. Discussions about Sims 2 being a "Porn offering"

Written on Monday 25 July 2005 at 02:20 by ChEeTaH - 9 comments.

The news that The Sims 2 would be unsuitable for Teens has made a great impact in the community. In our previous post we already pointed to several discussion threads. Almost all fans of the game who have participated in discussions disagree with Jack Thompson. Read on for a very brief summary of what's generally been said in the discussions, as well as some links. Read More!

274. TSO Released in Europe after all? [Update]

Written on Saturday 23 July 2005 at 23:17 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Almost three years after the initial release, and many confusing messages back in 2002, it's been fairly quiet around a European release of The Sims Online - it wasn't expected to come anymore after all these years. Even after a Japanese release the game was never seen in Europe, except for those who downloaded the trial and then subscribed using a credit card.

Now TSO fansite TSO Mania has found two shops in the UK that have the game up for pre-order. It will be released there on 25 October 2005, according to those sites. There hasn't been an official word from Maxis or EA about this yet, which means that so far these are merely rumours. It's also unknown if the game will be released in the rest of Europe, just the UK, or if these rumours are false. If there is any news, we will let you know. Thanks to our affiliate WorldSims for the tip. Also see this thread on Sims Online Stratics.

[Update 26 July, 22:20] A more definitive answer has been given by the press department of EA UK, through a member on the Stratics forums. There are no plans to release TSO in the UK or Europe, not now or ever. People in parts of the world where the game hasn't been released will have to use a free trial to subscribe and play the game. For more details see the second page of the mentioned thread.

275. "Sims 2 Worse than GTA Hot Coffee Mod"

Written on Saturday 23 July 2005 at 03:59 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

Lately there has been a lot of discussion in the gaming industry regarding the latest edition of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game, San Andreas. In all versions of the game sex scenes made by Rockstar were available, only locked out so they never appeared during regular gameplay. However, a small patch made this content available. The game in its current state had to be rated Adult Only in stead of Mature by the ESRB. Now Rockstar has taken the game off the shelves and is producing a new version without the content in question, so it can be rated M for Mature again.

Now Miami attorney Jack Thompson, who was on the forefront of making San Andreas rated Mature, is after The Sims 2, T-Rated (Teen) by the ESRB. According to Thompson, the game shows full nudity including genitals - although that is all custom content, not included in the game or made by Maxis or EA (whereas the content was made by Rockstar in GTA). Thompson claims the game includes all the detailed content in the game, as he read on gaming sites. He also says a cheat, which does indeed exist, can turn off the censor easily. The fact that not only adults, but also children can be seen naked this way - though without downloaded content without any deatils - "much to the delight, one can be sure, of pedophiles around the globe who can rehearse, in virtual reality, for their abuse." EA too responds that when the blur is removed, all that is revealed is a "mannequin-esque smooth body."

According to EA's Vice President of Corporate Communications Jeff Brown, says it "is nonsense. We've reviewed 100 percent of the content. There is no content inappropriate for a teen audience. Players never see a nude sim. If someone with an extreme amount of expertise and time were to remove the pixels, they would see that the sims have no genitals. They appear like Ken and Barbie." Thompson doesn't buy this, and says even Ken and Barbie like content should not appear in the game. It's no different than San Andreas, although worse. He also claims that EA is fully cooperating with the modding community to allow the Sims to be a pornographic game.

Currently the Sims 2 and The Sims 2 University (and previous Sims games) are rated T for Teen, which means 13+ by the ESRB. Nightlife is set to be rated the same. In Europe, PEGI has rated the original game for ages 7+ with depictions of violence. The University expansion pack has been rated 12+ with depictions of violence and nudity, as well as sexual references. The same will go for Nightlife. If the rating will actually be changed, or if the game will be banned, is not yet sure, although many don't think Thompson stands much of a chance. It is rumoured that China has already banned many games, including the Sims 2, but so far we've been unable to verify this.

We've had no word directly from Maxis concerning this matter yet. Fans are generally upset about the matter, and find trying to ban the game ridiculous. Many are disgusted by the nude Sims though, and the fact that some might be downloaded with other Sims on the exchange. A discussion can be followed in this thread, this thread, this thread, this thread, this thread, this thread, this thread and quite possibly many more on the official BBS. There are probably also many discussions on other fansite forums. To read the original story, read this article at GameSpot. Thanks to TheSidDog and Laku for submitting some of these links. For discussion about this topic, you can enter a comment to this news post, by clicking the "comments" link. You need to be registered to place a comment. Naturally we'll keep you posted on the latest news about this issue.

276. Updated Sims 2 Patch

Written on Friday 22 July 2005 at 02:25 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Maxis has updated their Sims 2 patch by adding a few things that have already been fixed in University. SnootySims has found it. The new patch includes a fix to prevent accidental deletion of data files, support for Hungarian languages in the package installer, and it'll fix that hacks don't affect the game globally, but only the lot they're put on. The new version number is 1.0.999, and it seems the patch is the same for both the CD and DVD version of the game now. You don't need this patch if you have University installed already, a patch for that expansion pack will be released later. For more information see this BBS post by MaxoidKane. You can download the patch from the Updates page.

277. Expansion 3 about Business?

Written on Wednesday 20 July 2005 at 02:32 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

A new survey has appeared on the official site, asking about the future of the Sims 2. It's a follow up of an earlier quiz which already mentioned several ideas for expansion packs. The survey is biased to one idea, namely one about your Sims running their own business. The survey will probably go offline soon, when enough people submitted it, but the information has already been posted in this thread at the TSR forums and this thread and another thread at N99. Read on for the mentioned ideas for expansion packs and more details from the survey. Read More!

278. HSN: The Sims 2 (Consoles and Handhelds) Previews [Update]

Written on Saturday 16 July 2005 at 04:28 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

There aren't just videos, but also several previews of the Sims 2 on the consoles and handhelds. Both GameSpot and IGN checked out the games at EA's Hot Summer Night event, and have written articles about them. Read on for the details.

[Update 2:40] IGN has now also posted a preview of the PSP version. The information in the specific paragraph has been updated. Read More!

279. HSN: The Sims 2 (Consoles and Handhelds) Videos

Written on Saturday 16 July 2005 at 03:47 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

After yesterday's footage, there are now several more videos of the Sims 2 on consoles and handhelds. There's also a video interview from GameSpot with producer Scot Amos, who talks about the console version of the game (PlayStation 2, GameCube and XBox). Read on for all the details and information about the videos. Read More!

280. Strangerhood Studios on TV

Written on Friday 15 July 2005 at 05:02 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

It's been fairly quiet around the Strangerhood lately, a sitcom series which is made with the Sims 2 and published on the Internet by Rooster Teeth Productions. The team has been busy making six episodes for Strangerhood Studios. It features the same characters as the regular Strangerhood series, but follows a different plotline. You can see the episodes on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). It's supposedly the first machinima series on broadcast television. The first three episodes can already be downloaded. Two from the Strangerhood Archive, or all three from the IFC website. There's no word yet about when the other three episodes will be available for download, if ever.