#96
20th Jun 2008 at 4:09 PM
Can't say I particularly have a most favorite or least favorite EP... I love aspects of each one of them, and have problems with each of them, so they're all kind of equal in that way. If I had to say any one of them honestly enhanced my gameplay the most, though, it's probably Seasons because it was the first one that really gave me something for my Elder sims that honestly fit to a retired lifestyle (otherwise, they tended to just sit around all day, watching tv or playing chess and making frequent trips to the bathroom).
University . As long as I'm not playing it for the sake of grades, it's actually really interesting to play through a sim's college years. I have a lot of fun making the frat boy who's constantly going around to the community lots or throwing parties, neglecting his classes and classwork until right before the final exam, when he realizes, "Oh crap! I'm going to get a D!" and does an assignment at warp speed. Or the artsy kid who spends most of the time painting and going off to cafés. Or the group of friends who decide to start a band in their downtime, playing at parties or school amphitheaters. Basically, any little things that honestly let them live a college life. The objects are both cute and quirky as well as practical; I loved the addition of handheld electronics, the Groovy theme is versatile in that it could work in dorm rooms as well as in kids' rooms (or if you feel like putting together a Bohemian-themed household... or feel like making some hippies), and the Medieval theme works very nicely in some more gothic-themed homes or if you want to put together a chapel or graveyard. New careers made for nice choices, and the addition of lifetime wants was cute (although I never bother with them anymore). The downside, of course, is all of the NPCs who just waltz on in at any hour of the day. Cheerleaders and mascots coming up in your face, trainers waltzing in (and then congregate at your bubble blower) and yelling at you until you drop and give 'em 20. Well, that and it can get tediously boring if you just play it to everyone a 4.0.
Nightlife . Without a doubt, added some of the most fun things to do when taking your sims out and about. Nightclubs were possible before it, but not as practical and certainly didn't have their own flavor and ambiance. Restaurants and diners were a very welcome change, particularly for any of my sims who 'don't bother' learning how to cook (I do have a couple of them who subsist on pizza, Chinese food, and instant meals). Dates and outings are particularly interesting, especially when you're not trying to constantly get perfect ones (I do kind of love the flaming poobags when you've had a disastrous date), and chemistry added an interesting twist to getting sims to like each other, and fury is always kind of amusing to me (I kind of laugh at sims stealing your newspaper, or kicking over your trashcan, just to get revenge on you). On the other hand, I don't particularly enjoy the vampires, especially since they always tend to start brawls in the middle of dance clubs in my game, and it can be too easy to get rich just by going on a few dream dates because of surprise gifts (and the post-date bonus if you have a good or dream date is way too good; in a test once, I managed to have a couple go on five dates in a row, with the controllable just asking for a new date again and again at the end of each one before the other sim could leave, without either needing espresso or passing out). The objects added were pretty awesome, loved the addition of cars (they turned out to be a godsend for some Captain Hero or other who missed his 'carpool' due to a traffic jam of kids at the doorway and couldn't get to work any other way), and a lot of the clothes were really nice... but others were very touch-and-go.
Open for Business . This one added a nice dimension to the game. I liked that it actually took children into account, honestly, by giving them the lemonade stand as well as having craftables for them to use. The floral arrangements, I felt, were nicely done, and while snapdragons make things way too easy in a household, they do work nicely in a restaurant or bakery's kitchen, if only to keep the chef from quitting on you really quickly. I like the challenge that small businesses provided, the struggle to stay afloat with having to restock, pay employees well, keep customers happy, and hopefully get a good review. Talent badges were a nice change from standard skills, as well, and I was really, really happy when I saw the bay window. Also, the ability to lock doors was a very neat idea. My only real complaints about it are that a lot of items are too specialized (it's tough to find too many places outside of toystores to use the Storybook build objects sometimes, in spite of how beautiful I feel they are, for instance) and the customers can get too whiny sometimes. Also, the differently-shaped roofs, while cute, are hard to work with. They don't subject themselves to the same standards of other roof types (for instance, placing a roof on the floor above where a conical roof is doesn't remove part of the conical roof, so it'll cover inside of a room) and, unless I'm remembering wrong, roofslopeangle does not apply to them, making them difficult to fit in.
Pets . The builder in me loved this expansion for a lot of the different features that it gave. Also, the more sleek, modern look of the Atomic Age furniture was a nice addition to give different flavors to homes. As for the pets... I really think they're pretty adorable. I love when a mama cat will nuzzle one of her kittens, for example, and the way that the sims talk to them. That they're uncontrollable can give an extra element of surprise, and I even kind of like the strays (even when they tear up the yard), because it was something unexpected. Also, pets really do help out with single sims who can't seem to find time to make friends to keep their social levels higher, and even in families, the kids really seem to love them. However... the novelty wears off way too quickly a lot of times and then you're just left with sims who only want to do things related to their pets, or to strays that they happened across once in the park.
Seasons . Weather was a fabulous touch to the game, as well as any unexpected issues that it causes. Walking around outside in a rainstorm? Suddenly, bzzzzzt, lightning strike. I've had a lot of unexpected deaths due to weather-related accidents in my game, and it really makes for a more interesting change. As I noted above, I loved the addition of gardening and fishing to the game because it gave something for my elder sims to do with their time that really fits with the whole retirement lifestyle, but also because it gives you the chance to play families that don't get jobs and instead have to make their way with a tiny little home and a garden, growing their food themselves and surviving just with that. Winter's coming? Let's hope you've got a good stock. Fishing was also cute as a family bonding method; I know that, when I was growing up, my father taught me how to fish, and even though I never really went fishing with him for real, he'd take my brother with him, so I tend to have Family aspiration fathers take their sons with them to fishing lots that I create as a little Saturday trip. It's a cute way for them to spend the day. The seasonal activities were also a really nice touch (jumping into leaf piles, marco polo in the pool, roller skating and ice skating, snowball fights, snow angels, and snowmen... it's all stuff I remember doing as a kid). I even like most of the seasonal bonuses, and the Country furniture is beautifully done (and the racecar set is adorable for little boys' rooms). I loved that there were new careers; it'd been a while since we'd gotten any new ones, after all, and it filled some of the gaps and voids. However, I find that autumn can make things way too easy (the only thing I like going faster is homework for the kids, so that they can go off and do their own thing). Also, the penguin was cute the first two times he came around. Coming into the houses regardless of locks (I've had him get past every single one) whenever he pleases is annoying at best, especially when he sits there thrilling at your fish hanging on the wall for hours.
Bon Voyage . I actually really like the vacations, as long as I stick to shorter ones. A nice beachside getaway as a reward for a hardworking family, or a family camping trip up to the mountains, or spending those simoleons on exploring the Far East...I liked the different touches that came with each place. I love having sims start to learn some of the vacation habits, but not complete learning them, because then they go and spread them around town and you've suddenly got a townfull of wobbly people attempting to bow or hang loose, every last one of them doing it wrong; it gives me a little chuckle. And, yes, giving them bad vacations can be just as amusing as giving them good ones. (Also, I particularly like that you can go along for honeymoons now.) I've had sims 'give' vacations to their family for special events, like a husband booking a trip for the family because his wife got promoted to CEO, or one of the kids grew up from a toddler into a child or child into a teenager, so let's all celebrate. I've even had retirement vacations. Also, the beach lots are stunning, jewelry was a nice addition, and the new objects are beautiful. On the other hand... there can be too many vacation wants sometimes, long vacations become tedious to the point of ending the vacation early (I attempted one seven-day-six-night vacation, never again), and I'm not too fond of Big Foot. I'm also yet to run into the Unsavory Charlatan, which kind of upsets me.
Freetime . Very, very fun, I have to admit. I love all of the new interactions that were added, the objects are fantastic, and it gives the sims a little bit more personality of their own. The idle animations are superb, I love when artsy sims pause to size up an area, or musical sims start whistling or drumming on their legs or doing ballet stretches (I've got one teen girl who spent most of her time on the ballet bar, so it's really adorable when she starts doing those stretches). I love the career additions again, I'd been wanting dancers and architects for a long time. I do, however, have a little problem with the amount of hobby-obsession that they have (watch a movie once, and they'll want to watch one constantly), and I'm at the point of never choosing Knowledge as a secondary aspiration ever again if it takes over one more sim's primary aspiration (I've got Family sims who just had kids, are spending all of their time with their family, I keep trying to get them to roll wants off "play with (child's name here)" or "talk to (child's name here)," anything involving the children, and all they ever roll up since picking a secondary aspiration is "reach Cooking level 8" or "maximize Cleaning," or something therein). Also, hobby enthusiasm decreases way too quickly. I could have someone with max arts & crafts, she'll paint three pictures in a day, and then the next day she'll sleep in, make herself a salad in the afternoon, and suddenly, "_____ is losing enthusiasm in Arts & Crafts." Bwuh? Also... lifetime aspiration benefits come way too quickly unless you purposely keep their moods down; I personally hate permaplat (part of why I don't pay attention to lifetime wants anymore), and I've had sims reach it in their early teens because their parents paid attention to them as toddlers, and once a child gets an A+, they're never out of platinum, so their LTA meter just keeps going up and up and up and up and up.
And as for Stuff Packs, I've got all but Family Fun Stuff (considering just grabbing it at some point, though, if only for making more kids-themed bedrooms), and I'm really glad that I did; the objects and clothes are usually pretty nice, and they fill in some niches that are otherwise left out. Kitchen & Bath was a godsend, because those are two sections that usually seem left out in the expansion packs. I honestly kind all of them for the little bits they add; Celebration Stuff was great for me because my sims are always throwing parties for things, so it gave me some more ways to decorate. I admit the Holiday pack (I've only got the first one from '05, never got the mini-pack add-on in '06 to complete it) was mostly ignored for me until I got Seasons... now I decorate their houses up for the holidays in winter. Teen Style is fantastic for me because I love playing teens... Glamour Life had a lot of more modern-style objects that I love to use in a lot of homes... they all have their uses for me, so I'm pretty happy with all of them.