The Sims Deluxe Edition

Rating:
Summary: You don't need extra sleep, but it is really addictive!
Review: When The Sims first came out to rave reviews a few years ago, I promised myself I'd buy the thing if it was ever released in a cut-rate deluxe-box format. Well, this fits the bill, so I finally broke down and bought the thing.

And this turned out to be the most overrated game I've ever played. I'm sure you all know the theme and basics of the game, so I won't bother rehearsing them, but I will point out several absurdities that make this game an artificial exercise in finding different ways to accomplish whatever the computer forces you to accomplish.

1. You have to do the same thing over and over, and it gets boring. Relieving your Sim's "Bladder" bar by going to the toilet is an obvious example, but there is so much other routine nonsense to handle that you find yourself clicking the same commands day after day: taking a shower, cooking food, calling friends over to your house, talking to them, talking to them, talking to them, now and then watching TV with them, but then having to stop watching TV so you can talk to them yet again in order to raise your "Relationship" score with them. I'm amazed that so many reviewers called this game "engrossing." There are maybe ten things you do in this game, and you do them over and over and over.

2. If you DON'T do these commands, your various mood bars will rapidly start to suffer; this will harm your overall "Mood," and that in turn will cause your "Job Performance" to deteriorate and your interactions with other Sims to fail as well. Since when is your job performance determined by your mood? That's an example of what's wrong with this game: it's not really about directing a simulated human being's life; it's about figuring out the best combination of commands to keep your Sim's mood bars high. That's very artificial.

3. These commands themselves are also unnatural. You can't sit and talk with someone; if you're sitting on a couch (thus raising your "Comfort" bar) and want to interact with your friend (and thus raise your "Social" bar and your "Relationship" score), you have to stand up first. But this immediately causes your "Comfort" bar to drop. (For that matter, your friend can't even sit on the same couch right next to you, because the couches aren't "group activities." Your friend has to be sitting on a DIFFERENT couch.) Also, anytime you leave your house, your "Room" bar drops precipitously, so if you're doing anything outdoors, you're not likely to be in the best mood while you're doing it. That's absurd. In real life, my mood doesn't deteriorate when I'm outside playing basketball, and it doesn't improve afterwards just because I walk inside my house.

4. You can't ever visit anyone else's house. Now and then neighbors drop by to visit (often helping themselves to your food and amenities), and you can always call someone up and invite him or her over. But no one ever invites YOU over. So your whole life is spent inside your little sim-house.

5. Some of the random events are annoying. I got hit with a miserable clown who wouldn't leave my house and made me miserable too; he wouldn't stop bothering me until I called the "Clown Catchers" (who look like Men in Black) to remove him. The first time, it was kind of creative and cute. But then it happened again--almost immediately afterwards. That's just annoying. Same thing with the burglar who breaks into your house at night and steals your furniture: the first time he stole some stuff, I thought it was clever. The second time, it was only a sign of how impoverished this game really is. Couldn't they think of other random things to happen to me before hitting me with a crazy clown and a burglar TWICE?

6. Acquiring "skills" is no less artificial. Don't even think about cooking anything on a stove unless you've read some cookbooks first, because you're virtually guaranteed to start a fire. (I've never read a single cookbook in my life and don't consider myself a gourmet, but I'm able to make a simple and nutritious meal without burning the house down.) Need to improve your "charisma" skill? Talk to a mirror. And talk some more. And talk some more.

No thanks. I'd rather play something else instead.

Rating:
Summary: You need a lot of memory!!!!!!
Review: It's a great game, except when you are always haveing to make them goto the bathroom, sleep etc.

Rating:
Summary: Where's the cash?
Review: This is a good game (see my other ratings for each individual EP except Unleashed), but if I were you, I'd buy the Sims Double Deluxe instead. It's the same thing but with a few different objects and an extra expansion pack. There may be a few extra items that you get with Deluxe that you don't get with Double Deluxe, I'm not sure, but probably nothing worth the price difference and that you couldn't download online.
Always consider your alternative options!