The latest (and likely final) Stuff Pack for The Sims 2 has just been released. The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff Pack includes unique building elements to help you create mansions and gardens for Sims in three architectural styles: Moroccan, Second Empire and Art Deco.
Click here to find out more and buy your copy of The Sims 2 Mansions & Garden Stuff Pack
Finally the news we have all been waiting for, The Sims3 will be released on the 20th February 2009.
If you need more of a reason to write that date in your diary now, then check out the new video here.
There is a great interview on gamespy with Rod Humble, the man in charge of the Sims franchise. The most pleasing part of the interview for me was him acknowledging how frustrating load times can be:
The biggest thing that annoyed us, frankly, were the loading times.
The only disappointment is there is still no word on a release date beyond ‘some time next year’. My guess is it will be later in the year rather than earlier.
Your Sims are moving into a brand-new apartment, and their lives will never be the same! Adventure, fun, and drama await them as they meet new people and explore their new neighborhood. Will they take their kids to the local playground, mingle in coffee shops, or hit the park to learn from the breakdancers? Close quarters mean new opportunities-move in with compatible roomies for a thriving social life, advance your career with the right social network, or find true love just down the hall. Whether they live in artsy converted lofts, the ultimate studio bachelor pads, or luxury apartments with their own butler, your Sims will experience all of the excitement of apartment life!
Features:
Move into the perfect apartment: a spacious loft, a cozy place for a young couple, or a multi-bedroom flat-share with friends.
Mingle with Sims from all-new social groups: stylish socialites, artsy bohemians, sports jocks, gadget-collecting techies, or edgy gearheads.
Take advantage of apartment life: form social networks to make new friends, advance their careers, or look for love.
Build your Sim’s new reputation meter: with a good reputation, your Sim can find the right friends to help them achieve their goals!
Control multiple households: will you make your Sims live in happy harmony or comical conflict?
EA teased it, and now Games for Windows: The Official Magazine is giving you all the full blown coverage. The April/May issue of GFW will sport a world exclusive cover story of the newest entry in the second best selling franchise in all gaming.
Some of the details from the 12-page preview:
The biggest change to The Sims 3 is that it takes place in a wide-open, constantly changing neighborhood — a much bigger sandbox, if you will, and a much more complex simulation. The town and park you see on the cover image to the right (click to enlarge) exist in the same seamless space as your Sims’ household, and what you do outside your home now matters as much as what you do within. (Yes, previous expansion packs added out-and-about activities, but they were always separate sub-games. Here, everything’s completely integrated.) The game also sees a major shift in how Sims’ motives are handled: Individual meters indicating bladder and sleep-deprivation levels are replaced by a new system of discrete moods, the aim being to get players off the treadmill of fulfilling primal eat-sleep-pee-repeat requirements so they can focus more on, well, going out on the brand new town.
1UP will be home to all sorts of coverage of the game in the coming weeks. From a community Q&A to a podcast with Sims Studio head Rod Humble, you’ll find out everything you want to know.
And don’t forget to keep checking back here for the latest news as we approach the release day later in the year
Now your Sims can rediscover the joys of leisure time! Awaken your Sims’ true passions in life as they discover and excel at all-new activities. Whether they’re tossing a football with the family, practicing ballet, restoring cars with friends, or building train sets, your Sims now have more ways to build skills, enhance friendships, and make their lives more successful.
Craft new, unique items for your Sims to use in their daily lives including clothing, pottery, and more. Your Sims will even unlock secret rewards by mastering their hobbies and advancing all-new careers. Explore a wide variety of new hobbies that will change your Sims’ lives!
Features:
Discover your Sims’ passion from a wide range of new activity types, from sports to science to arts and crafts. All-new hobbies include basketball, soccer, restoring cars, ballet, even searching for stars and planets!
Hobbies offer lifetime rewards. As your Sims master new activities they’ll unlock aspirations, earn rewards, and uncover secret lots.
Once your Sims build up their skills, they can sell their arts and crafts or see how they stack up against the competition by entering dance, food, and video game contests!
All-new group activities are a great way for Sims to spend time with family and friends. There are even special activities for kids and toddlers, including an activity table for drawing and playing with blocks!
Hobbies can be full of unexpected moments, especially for Sims with low skill levels. Your newbie Sim might sew a bear with one eye, make a lopsided jar on the pottery wheel, get poison ivy while hiking, or who knows what?!
