The Sims 2: Nightlife
July 7, 2006 | _Dustin Smith_ (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
_
Click to enlarge_ (http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=688#)
Every family has its special traditions such as going to Grandma's house for
the holidays, filling up on pie, and then eating more two hours later so that
getting out of your chair becomes a chore. Or perhaps one Friday a month you
would get together to play _games_
(http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=688#) with your family only
to end the night in a frump because you
barely had any properties and to top it all off you had to be the thimble.
Thanks to the team at Maxis, the _gaming_
(http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=688#) world has the
tradition of a new Sims expansion getting
delivered every six months or so. The newest entry on the Mac into this
celebrated series is The Sims 2: Nightlife, in which your _Sims_
(http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=688#) can now go downtown
to impress
their dates with flashy cars and even flashier dance moves (that is if they
have
dates). The focus of this expansion is obviously social interaction, and
Maxis accomplishes this with flair by giving our Sims chemistry, which gives
us
an indication of which Sims our little guy—or little lady—will hit it off
with the best. Fortunately, Maxis didn't stop there, throwing in a slew of new
items, animations, sounds, and a few extra goodies to keep us coming back, at
least for a little while.
How does it happen? Two people, never having met before, end up feeling like
they've known each other for years. Almost like love at first sight.
Fortunately, Maxis has captured this aspect of life and inserted into the game
by
giving Sims chemistry. This chemistry takes the form of lightning bolts that
appear with the other Sim's _picture_
(http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=688#) in the relationship
panel. The more lightning bolts the more
chemistry and attraction both Sims have toward each other. The new useful
"scope the room" command lets you quickly find Sims yours has chemistry with
so
it does not turn into a trial and error session finding your Sim's next
hookup. While talking with Sims that have chemistry with yours, lightning
bolts
will appear in the speech options as well, giving you a strong indication of
what to say to your potential date. This makes finding and building
relationships with someone easier, thus making it quicker to gain family
friends which
leads to quicker promotions leading to more money, and by now you get my
point. I really did enjoy that feature a lot but it does pose the question:
"Is
making friends now too easy?"
Talking to other Sims is also quite enjoyable because you can get to know
them better as some of the lightning bolt options are on some questions such
as
"What's your job?" "How much money do you have?" and the old classic,
"What's your sign?" It's a shame more pickup lines are not included in the
Sims'
vocabulary. But you can ask, "What turns you on/off?" which is another nice
feature in Nightlife that helps round out your Sims. When creating your Sim
you
can now select certain features that allow your Sim to be more selective
about who they are attracted to; features such as hair color, fitness level,
perfume, glasses, face make-up, and more. If you get tired of being turned-off
by
brunettes just stick your head into the ReNuYuSenso Orb and give your Sim
new turn-ons and turn-offs. If you have a current character you can have them
drink their one-time ReNuYu Porta-Chug to reset their turn-ons and turn-offs.
If your Sim is really hitting it off with someone, be brave and ask him or
her on a date. If they agree it'll start a mini-game that will pop up a meter
in the upper-right corner rating your date from lousy to dream date. Play
your cards right and she'll be putty in your hands, although you'd really have
to try to screw your date up to make it lousy. Near the bottom of the meter
is a tab you can click that will show you what your date is wanting at that
moment, much like your own aspiration meter. This way you just do what she
wants and it will be a dream date in no time. Watch your hygiene though; my
first
date ended miserably because I didn't have my Sim shower before he went
downtown so by the time I asked her on a date my guy was permeating green
gases
from his clothes. It definitely made me laugh. If you are needing to get to
know people fast you can call groups together and either go "Just For Fun,"
which will let you relax with friends, or "For an Outing" which will behave
just
like a date, only with a lot more people. If you have a couple Sims that
don't get along it can make the group's mood plummet quite quickly, but if it
does go well it's a great way to make a lot of fast friends. Friends fast.
Whatever.
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