(PC) Apartment Life

Apartment Life is most similar to The Sims 2’s first expansion pack, University. In University, Sim teens can add an extra phase of life – young adult – by attending college. Living in an apartment building in Apartment Life is a lot like living in the dormitories in University – only as an adult, with the ability to have children.

Just like non-playing character (NPC) dormmates in University, your Sim family may have up to three other families living on the same lot in inaccessible portions of the building. How does this benefit you in any way? First, instead of randomly generated NPCs, you can populate the apartment building with your own playable families. Further, if your Sims are concerned with popularity, having other Sims around for interaction really helps a decaying social meter. With the new reputation meter in Apartment Life, however, social interaction matters to everyone – not just socially minded Popularity Sims.

Most of you are probably enjoying the pack, but I’m still left without it.  It looks to be a great expansion, no doubt at that.  I’m just to cheap to purchase it for $30.  I still need to pick up Ikea Stuff as well.  But I’m holding off until Toys R Us has the Sim games on clearance for half off, then I’ll make my steal

finish the review at Suite101

It’s odd recommending an expansion pack like this with The Sims 3 coming out early next year. Yet if you’re looking for more content to tide you over until the next game, Apartment Life certainly works as a solid expansion. It doesn’t completely reinvent the style of gameplay you’re used to, but it does make enough interesting tweaks and additions to warrant a look. And if this does turn out to be the last bit of official content released, it’s not a bad way to go out for such a venerable franchise.

IGN gives the game an overall 7.7, read the full review

The maxiods conducted an interview with their very own Goopy GilsCarbo on The Sims 2 Apartment Life.  The interview can be found on their forums from the official Sims 2 site.  Oh, Maxoids…you are something else :)  Below are a few sample questions:

Goopy:  Will there be motorcycles in the game?

Lakshmi: There are a few motorcycle enthusiasts on the team who always insist we need to get the Sims riding on motorcycles.

Shannon: But we did a couple test runs and our Sims kept falling off the bikes. We felt it was too dangerous for us to give them free rein.

Lakshmi: We have to think of their safety.

Goopy: Here’s a very popular question: what, if anything, does the Bella Goth mystery have to do with Apartment Life or Belladonna Cove?

Lakshmi: All of the people in the town feel so bad about what happened to Bella that they commissioned a statue of her.

Shannon: And when you are not playing the game, they all surround the statue and hope for her safe return.

Read more of this funny interview by checking out these threads:

Goopy Interview with the Maxoids Part I

Goopy Interview with the Maxoids Part II

Goopy Interview with the Maxoids Part III

For those who are still sitting on the fence determining whether Apartment Life is worth the purchase, then watch the following video.  Hopefully it will help you decide