Dancing llama mascots, joz buzzers and toga parties...just another day at Sim university (The Sims 2: University Add-On (PC))

Member Name: candyfloss89

Product:	The Sims 2: University Add-On (PC)
Date:	06/07/09 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cool new objects, lots of new social interaction features

Disadvantages: Stupid and unfunny pranks, university is boring and far too easy, nothing like real uni

Another Sims expansion pack, and this time, your Sims are going to university! I wasn't at university when I first brought this game but I am now. How this it compare to the real university experience?

WHAT'S IT ABOUT
Well it's pretty obvious really! It gives your Sims the chance to study at university! Degrees mean better jobs for graduate sims and there's a whole new "young adults" life stage added. How will your Sim cope with the stress of living away from home?

NEW OBJECTS AND FEATURES
Ok, so it may seem a boring premise for a game if you don't want to send your sim to uni. Luckily, EA realised this and included lots of fun new objects.
Your sims can now watch a new TV channel, Sim Sports. There's also new styles of music for the sims radio, including college rock. And Speaking of music, your sims can now play new instruments including an electric upright bass, a drum kit, and a guitar. Have them play their instruments to earn creativy points or make them perform for tips to earn some extra cash. The pool table is another welcome new object because not only can sims play pool, but they can also use it to perform tricks or hustle for simoleons. A bonfire, treadmill, cell phone, MP3 player, and arcade games are also new objects.

UNIVERSITY LIFE
The Sims 2 University comes with three ready-made universities, each with its own layout or you can create your own university if you wish to. Each campus is divided into separate areas, like dorms, libraries and student unions.

Teens' grades, skill points, and job performances are even more important now as they directly affect how much scholarship money sims will receive at university. This money can be the difference between living in crowded dorms or having your sim rent a nice home for themselves. Chose from several different majors depending on what career you want your sims to go into after graduation.

During each semester, your sims will get homework assignments to complete and classes to attend in order to get your academic-performance rating high enough before the final exams. Do well and you could get on the dean's list and recieve a grant! Graduating Sims can then enter career tracks partway through instead of starting at the beginning like regular sims. Other bonuses for college sims include new career paths and two extra want slots.

DISADVANTAGES
It wouldn't be a Sims expansion packs without the compulsory stupid features! We've had spontaneous combustion from hot weather in The Sims 2 Seasons, random pets digging up your lawn every night in The Sims 2 Pets and Sims University brings you stupid pranks that aren't, and never were, funny! Surprisingly unimaginative and boring, pranks include water balloons and Joy buzzers and the novelty of seeing these pranks wears off extremly quickly. Streaking Sims are midly entertaining at first but what's with the llama and cow mascot, who take great delight into running into your dorms and doing a stupid dance about 5 times a day?! I know it's only a game but university life is NOTHING like this.

The pressure of rigorous course schedules and intense studying that comes from being at university is replaced by fairly easy academic demands meaning it's all to easy for your sims to graduate with first class honuors without you even having to try hard to achieve this. And what of students notorious drunken antics? Well, your sim students can drink juice...thats it. They cant get pregnant either which is stupid since they are classed as "young adults" now.

College life is dull and long. Sending a sim to university seems like such a chore that I'd rather just have my sim advance up the career ladder through making friends and earning skill points.

ADVANTAGES
I like the fact that your sims can get a part time job, serving coffee in the dorms. You wont get payed much but it's a nice option for cash strapped sims.

Sims can also choose to join either a fraternity or a sorority. These houses are generally larger and full of nicer objects than crappy dorms so they'll see like mansions to your sims! In order to join one of these exclusive societies you do have to be accepted by the existing members. This is actually quite challenging because you have to build up a good relationship with all the existing members. I like the challenge because its about the only challenging part of college life which is unrealistically easy in this game! You also have the chance to throw tofa parties if your accepted, which is fun if not a bit odd!

SUMMARY
The new objects are worth buying the game for, even if the university experience itself sucks.

Summary: Worth it for the objects but your unlikely to want to send many sims through uni!