The Sims Getaway. Maybe its time we should. (The Sims - On Holiday (Expansion Pack) (PC))

Member Name: Devil_04

Product:	The Sims - On Holiday (Expansion Pack) (PC)
Date:	03/06/02 (514 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gets Sims away

Disadvantages: Little to offer

I got the Sims Vacation just a few days ago. I’d always been tempted as I have all of The Sims Expansions, and this naturally completes the collection. So, after it was out for a few months, I thought “what the hey?!” and got it. I wasn’t expecting anything amazing due to reading reviews that say it is “fairly average”. I am slightly disappointed even after expecting an average pack.

Hot Date I loved for the first three hours, then I despised it and uninstalled it, then I re installed it and am happy! It brought many new aspects to the game – among which was the one I hated – the new relationship bars. You have a short-term one and a long term one. So you could get 100 on short term but only 10 on long term. And seem as short term went as fast as the old just single bar – it took about 10 times as long to marry, which put me off. It makes it harder and a challenge to make friends, and so in that respect it makes the game slightly interesting again. And the obvious thing Hot Date brought was Downtown.

But it also brought something Vacation sadly doesn’t – new objects for both Downtown and the home. Downtown I don’t visit often due to having work, and the price it costs. I’d rather buy a new bath for my Sims to enjoy rather than a quick feed and getting rejected three times. And so the fact we got about three new single beds – which is brilliant due to the only single beds before that were the hospital ones or the kids one – was great, so that my single Sims could sleep comfortably without having to shell out for a massive Double Bed. Plenty of new objects arose in the form of seating and tables – new desktops, new chairs, new tables, booths to be used in the home, cuddle couches, swing seats for the garden and plenty more. A new range of floors and wallpaper was cool too, and to top it off things like the pond were a great touch.

With Vacation yo
u get about 10 new items to use in the home. Two or so new double beds that fit with the “wooden forest lodge” or “sandy beach resort”. A new table here and there. A few new chair designs. And one bath/shower unit. That’s about it. So due to barely any objects at the house, Vacation Island would have to be one heck on a place to make up for paying out an amount that you can now buy the original game for.

Vacation Island isn’t a horrible place, but it is kind of boring. You can use the lots already provided, or make your own. The things to do there are for a while fun. Playing water balloon fights, carnival games, going snowboarding or playing on the slides at the various places is all cool. Booking in gets you in the mood for a good few days. On my first night I sent my single sim to the toilet, shower and then bed. Then at night time, everyone else just left. Even though there was about four hotel suites, my Sim was the only one that used any of them – and she could use all of them. That was the first problem. Why go to the effort of making a wonderful lodge with nice rooms – when only the Sim(s) on vacation use them – and they can use any. They should have everyone stay the night, and when you book in you can choose your room (and price goes up or down accordingly depending on room features), and only be allowed in that room.

By day two you experience everything else you haven’t done already. Once again you go to bed, get up, have a buffet breakfast (isn’t as interesting as it sounds, believe me!), and then you are getting edgy because its becoming like a normal Sim day (food, toilet, shower, bed). So you are up and ready to do more things on Day Three when you realise there is nothing else to do. Watching them do the snowboarding again is tiresome. You get them chatting to people – but they are happy with their job, and don’t have time for new friends. So its time to
go. Nothing else to do. So you pack up and leave.

And that’s about it. Vacation is fun, but once you are on your 5th Vacation its already boring. Taking your household of six is hard to try and keep track of them and get them all feeling good, so they comeback worse off, $2000 out of pocket and all you have to show for it is a souvenir. Which actually is one of the nice features about the game – you collect points each time you find something with a metal detector, fishing or by playing the carnival games. But it takes lots of money to gain enough points just to gain enough points for the bottom souvenir. So once you have forked out all these dollars, and got enough points for your souvenir, you take it home and put in on one of about 4 souvenir holders. Then you can remember your vacation in front of everyone or friends that are over. A nice touch.

Overall, this isn’t a great expansion pack. The lack of new objects, the simpleness of Vacation Island is annoying too. For example – the whole household must go. Even if one is at work they have to wait until they get home. Its $40 per night per person if you book in. So you are looking at $320 per night for a full household. Plus $50 per person per day on food, and $50 per person per day on activities or thereabouts. So overall, for a household of eight, its $1120 per day. If you are on a five day holiday – is it worth paying $5600? Especially when they don’t get much out of it at all? If you have no Expansion Packs yet, I’d say go for Hot Date based purely on a new area (Downtown) and new objects for the home. House Party and Livin’ Large compare with this one. Possibly Livin Large being a little better than the other two. As throwing party’s is also a costly, boring process!
If you have the current expansion packs, you may as well buy this – but maybe when it goes on sale. Don’t expect any new items – just let the very few
be a bonus. Just expect another way for the Sims to get out of the house. If you love Downtown to death (I think its fairly average with good and bad points), then you’ll like Vacation Island. Otherwise, wait for a sale.

Summary: