| Game Reviews From a Parental Perspective! | |
|
|
|
| Home | Forums | Review Archive | Columns | Feature Articles |
|
Home >
Review Archive >
Video Games
> Results: Sims 2: University
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Scroll down for our Kid Factor. 
The Sims was a landmark success and a hard act to follow, but Maxis proved up to the challenge and created one of the finest sequels in years. But then, you already know that don't you? You have the Sims 2 and you're reading this because you're interested in the expansion pack? Of course you are, and of course, you knew it was coming, because Maxis and Electronic Arts know how much you like new content and dollhouses for your little simulated people to play in.
University is the name of the new expansion and it adds pretty a new age level for your sims. Young adulthood. Now you can take your sim-family, raise the babies into toddlers, kids, adolescents and then send them off to college for an interesting diversion in the house-bound life cycle. (Or you can just create young adults and jump right into College.) The pack adds College themed objects and items, décor, situations, and opens up new career paths for the kids who make it through school. While College Life isn't quite as fun, or risqué, as players might want, the new additions to the game are probably worth the money for hardcore Sim fans looking to enhance the virtual lives of their families. First of all, this isn't the Collegiate experience some players might remember. It bears little resemblance to films like Animal House or Revenge of the Nerds. It's an idyllic version of College, where things don't get out of hand and the kegs are filled with "juice." College is organized like a neighborhood in the original game. There are dorms, libraries, gyms, student unions, and more, and each can be visited by hailing a cab. The problem here is obvious, the developers still haven't cut down on the load times enough so going anywhere becomes a major chore and, who takes a cab to class in College anyway? Because of this, most of your Sims time will be spent in the dorms. Those cramped living spaces where students sleep that are smaller than your average closet. They're bigger in this game, and the joint is always jumping, so slow-downs occur on all but the most powerful PCs. The same thing would happen to the regular Sims 2 game if you had parties all the time. The parties are a little risqué, but not as much as some older gamers might hope. The game is still rated T-Teen after all, but that doesn't mean wild behavior can't be observed at Sim U. Mostly this means pranks like water balloons and pillow fights, maybe some pixilated streaking, and, like the original game, discrete and cartoonish Campus sex. Dating is more interesting in the dorms and, like the original game; homosexual relationships are still possible if that's the way you want to guide your sim. The overall effect is slightly rauchy, like a PG movie, when some fans might have been hoping for an R-Rating.  New concerns and aspirations add some depth. Grades are paramount, but so is money. A Sim can get a job at the café to line their pockets and afford more - ahem - juice kegs. A musical element has been added, including instruments. Sims can learn to rap or play guitar to improve their social life and make some money. There are 11 Majors and Sims who graduate get a boost in their profession, they start at a higher salary than in the regular game. Class occurs off screen, so most of your management will be keeping your students studying and making sure they unwind with some parties or other shenanigans. They can even pledge to a sorority or frat house, if they like. New stereo tunes and a sports TV channel are just superficial additions to the game.  New objects include: a pool table, treadmill, cell phone, arcade games, MP3, and players can even buy a bonfire for some outdoor fun. New themes let you decorate your dorm like a D&D inspired dungeon, or a groovy 1960's pad. Kids can go to school as soon as they've completed their teen years. With the pack installed you get the option for Young Adulthood, which is only available with the expansion pack, and then you can follow them to school. It features the same balancing act as the original game, deserves, wants, and aspirations all vying for attention against the grueling clock. Sim-Students are just as apt as their parents to go a little nuts trying to pass classes, earn money, party, and have a social life. As a standalone experience University doesn't quite live up to the Sims 2's high grade point average. New stuff like pranks, even streaking, isn't that much fun and the whole experience feels like a lot of work. But taken into a larger context as a pack that expands the lives of your virtual people, its fun to send little Mary Sim off to College to get that career she's always wanted. As an expansion pack to the main game, this is a terrific product, pity that the years spent in school aren't as exciting as they can be in real life, but taken as part of the game as a whole, University is still an enriching experience. 
Despite the Teen rating, the Sims does deal with real life in a frank manner and this is College life, so it's a bit "realer" than some parents may be ready for. It isn't immoral, it's maybe amoral. In that, if you like, you can make your Sim a lothario, you can cheat on significant others, you can torture them, cause them to die in pitiful ways, and, inevitably, there will be "nude patches" that will let you see their naughty and normally pixilated portions. Also, the Sims do have sex. "WooHoo" (as it's called in the game) is done beneath the sheets, with cute fireworks graphics and gasps and moans that sound more like a good tickling session than anything hot and steamy, but it's there, so be aware of that. Once again Maxis has tackled complex social issues by simply not addressing them. Homosexuality and gay marriage/adoption are possible in the game. Culture warriors should know that all of the above are voluntary. Your Sims won't flirt with the same sex without you first ordering that behavior. So, in a way, The Sims are unlike real homosexuals in that, in the game at least, it really is a "choice."
Expect streaking, pillow fights, parties involving alcohol, lots of flirting and other Collegiate shenanigans I somehow largely missed while in College myself. But also expect the usual tongue-in-cheek manner the series is known for. Get Sims 2 University from Amazon and help GamerDad - It's cheaper than tuition! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "Sims" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Sims 2: University |
Read the GamerDad 2007 Holiday Guide!
|
Please Note: GamerDad is not intended to be read by anyone under 18. We stay clean, but be warned! Content Management System developed by Redbird Solutions. |
