Get Educated (The Sims 2: University Add-On (PC))

Member Name: blonde_girl774

Product:	The Sims 2: University Add-On (PC)
Date:	09/01/09 (290 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to Install & Fun to Play

Disadvantages: Can make The Sims 2 run slightly slower.

I rarely find the time to play computer games and the majority of them don't interest me at all. However a couple of years ago I discovered The Sims and since then I'll dig it out every year around Christmas time as it's the only game I really like. This year I decided to upgrade as I had a voucher for CD Wow and decided to buy one of the expansion packs to accompany the original game. I selected the University one as it was the one that caught my eye first.

For those of you who have never heard of The Sims then I better give you a little insight into what it's all about. The Sims came out for the PC back in 2001 and was followed by a modernised and updated version entitled (rather originally) The Sims 2 in 2004 with The Sims 3 due for release later in 2009. Since 2005 EA Games have introduced various expansion packs which allow you to add another aspect or dimension of some sort to the original game.

The game basically allows you to create and control people known as "sims" in every aspect of their life, from their hygiene habits to their employment to their love life. You can build and furnish their houses, control when they eat and even control when they create children! You can see them having conversations with their friends, arguments with their enemies and flirting with as many people as you choose. You're basically in control of your own little town.

The ultimate goal behind this game is that the main goal of life is to achieve happiness and you can achieve this for your sims by fulfilling their needs. All sims have eight main needs which include energy, fun, hunger and social to give you just some examples. The goal of the game is for the sim to achieve their needs and also climb the employment ladder in order to make more money to live on. It really is quite an addictive set up that will get you hooked!

The Sims 2 University

Technical Information

The University expansion pack was brought out in 2005 and can be found on Amazon for £9.98 for the PC version which seems to be the current price at most places. This game will run on Windows 98, 2000, ME and XP according to the accompanying booklet and also requires DirectX and 3.5GB of hard drive space. It recommends that you either disk defragment or disk cleanup before installing it too. Most importantly, you will need The Sims 2 for this expansion pack to work.

Installing the game is simple, insert the first disc and follow the instructions. You will have to select a language, enter the serial code that you can find on the back of the instructions booklet, confirm you wish to install the game and insert the second disc at some point as well. In total the game took about four or five minutes to install on my system which is Windows XP. After that you simply enter or start the game as you would have the original sims game.

What's it all about?

In The Sims 2 University you will have the chance to allow your teenage sims to experience the new "young adult" life stage rather than moving straight from being a teenager to an adult. After your sim has become a teenager and attended school you can choose to send them off to University by simply calling the University of your choice. They will then move to a new town and experience life as a student, going to parties, attending lectures and having a laugh!

There are three different campuses that you can choose to associate with your neighbourhood which all have similar features but just look a bit different. Each campus has an espresso bar or a coffee house, a lounge, dorms, residences and greek houses too. There are also additional features such as gyms and libraries as well, just the typical things that you'd expect to find near any real life university campus really to make it as realistic as possible.

Your sims have a limited amount of time at university, the timer is shown on the control bar and they will all progress through the typical American stages including freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. While there you have to make sure they do their academic activities which include attending a daily lecture, including their final exams, writing multiple assignments and also writing a term paper for each different stage of the university lifeline.

They can choose which subject to major in and this will influence what career they choose at a later life. Majors include psychology, art, biology, literature and history. You can monitor your sims grade progress on the control bar and you can influence this by making sure they carry out the various academic demands listed above. If your sims are devoted to their studies they can get a scholarship as if not they'll have to get a job while at university for money.

You can control where your sims live as well, the best place to start them off is in dorms as this is both cheap and socialable. You can apply for them to join a sorority and move into the various accommodation or you can rent them their very own residence although this will cost more money or simoleons. As mentioned before your sims can get a job on the campus, popular jobs include serving coffee in the coffee shop or tutoring other students.

After the time bar has run out your sims can graduate from university and then move back to their original neighbourhood. If they don't attend lectures they can also be kicked out of university which will result in them having to move back to their original neighbourhood as well. It's best to keep their grades on track as much as you can to ensure happy sims and to also ensure that they can gain employment when the graduate and return to their neighbourhood.

My Opinion

I really like The Sims 2, I seem to get myself addicted at Christmas and then have to wean myself off during January. Buying the Univerity expansion pack has certainly added an additional dimension to the original game by giving me new contexts to explore, a new age in the sim's lifeline and new activities too. I think it was worth the £9.98 price tag although I probably wouldn't have recommended buying it when it first came out and was nearly £20.

The game is suitable for anyone over the age of twelve and would probably appeal to both genders, although I know more girls who play this than boys. I probably wouldn't buy another expansion pack, certainly not until next Christmas anyway, as I personally find that nothing is quite as good as the original game. However if you're looking for a cheap game to revamp an old game then check this out... I'm eagerly awaiting The Sims 3 now!

Thanks for reading.

Summary: An expansion pack for The Sims 2 game.