The Sims (2000)

All of this just works. ― Todd Howard

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The Sims (2000)
File:The Sims.jpg File:The SimsConsole.jpg What they do with their life is up to you!
Genre(s): Life simulation Platform(s): Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 Nintendo GameCube Xbox Release Date: Microsoft Windows January 31, 2000 PlayStation 2 January 14, 2003 Nintendo GameCube, Xbox March 25, 2003 Developer(s): Maxis Publisher(s): Electronic Arts Series: The Sims Successor: The Sims 2 (PC) The Sims Bustin' Out (Console)

The Sims is the first game in the life simulation video game series of the same name, developed by EA Maxis and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.

Gameplay

The Sims is a sandbox game, in that the game lacks any defined goals (except for some later expansion packs and console versions which introduced this gameplay style). The player creates virtual people called "Sims" and places them in houses and helps direct their moods and satisfy their desires. Players can either place their Sims in pre-constructed homes or build them themselves. Each successive expansion pack and game in the series augmented what the player could do with their Sims.

Why It Rocks

1. You can create your own houses with advanced building tools.
2. You can create custom characters called "Sims" which you can control to make your unique story, or just play around with.
3. Lots of furniture and customization for building buildings.
4. Lots of replay value.
5. The console version improves the graphics and is mostly in 3D, and added a story mode.
6. Tons of jobs and lots of ways to make money.
7. You can be friendly or mean to other Sims.
8. Kids can even make money if you get them to have good grades in school.
9. Tons of DLC and expansions you can buy for the game.
10. Although the gameplay music is rather poor, the menu music is good.

Bad Qualities

1. The console version limits how many Sims you can create: in the PC version you can create eight, but in the console version, there are only four.
2. The console version's story mode starts at Mom's house, the Mom is playable but she is limited to cooking and cleaning up messes (she even makes her messes, and forces your sim to clean them). She is brown, but her skin color never changes to match your Sim's.
   • However, in The Sims Bustin Out, her skin color does alter to match.
3. Sims sometimes act like idiots in this game raging if they wake up and don't get enough sleep, walking in on Sims using the toilet with free will if you only have one bathroom, and more. It's even worse if you have the console version, in which you can make your Sim touch the bug zapper. Thankfully they were made smarter in the later games.
   • If their needs go down, they will always complain to the player.
4. The background music every time you play gets annoying and is used frequently each time you play. Especially the kiss music. In addition, the burglar music is FRIGHTENING to listen to and will play randomly when expansion packs are added to the game.
5. The game mechanics are a bit too simplistic in comparison to later titles as there are only three life stages.
6. You are unable to take even a single day off while on a job, which can be a massive chore in managing your Sims' moods, especially if trying to progress through the story. Strangely, kids also go to school every single day, which is strange and unrealistic at best.
   • And unfortunately, this is also true in both its sequel (unless your Sims have kids) and in The Sims Bustin' Out until vacation days were finally implemented in The Sims 3.
7. Managing your Sim's mood is egregious, especially if it involves getting your Sims promoted without causing your Sim to become too hungry, depressed, angsty, tired, etc.
   • This was at least rectified in both The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 where managing your Sim's mood becomes much more forgiving.

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