Will Wright talks about his house that was brough down by a big fire in 1991. Eventually, it was the inspiration for The Sims. See? Everything bad leads to something good.

This made me so happy! I’ve been trying to figure out the name of the band for a year, but with my annoying old PC, there was always something wrong with my game. I felt too tired of playing it, then the PC was broken or my sounds card didn’t work and the game refused to show me the track list for The Sims 2. So I ended up with a song I had no idea who its artist was.

Now I know the band is called The Perishers. Fi-na-lly!

Here’s my little bonus for everyone who loves the Simlish version just like me. You can download it as an .MP3–I converted it with iTunes. I have a few more Simlish songs in iTunes and I’m willing to convert most probably all of them, but now I really don’t have time for that. Maybe some other time.

The Perishers — Sway (I wanted to upload the file to Spring4Sims, but I always got an error. No idea what’s wrong, so MediaFire link for now.)

I love this – Maxis makes Maxis-match pictures of actual albums. I found this at strange_tomato’s blog and I was amazed. Beck is one of my favorite musicians and it’s so much fun to see that his album cover is featured in The Sims 2. The other album covers are, according to strange_tomato, by Radiohead, Aphex Twin and Belle and Sebastian. Isn’t that cool?

There are three important things I’d like to either point out or ask you. Please, don’t be shy to write a comment!

1. Plasticbox from MTS has written a post where s/he says that users playing The Sims 2 with their “Tiger” Mac OSX (version 10.4.11) might have trouble running the game after QuickTime is updated to version 7.6. I’m not a Mac user (unfortunatelly), but I though this could be useful information for some of you.
2. One of our readers - maxmack - has posted a comment today that Maxis will release some information about the “re-evaluation” of the release date. S/he says that Maxis should give official info tomorrow. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I’m really curious because I’ve already pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition. What do you think?
3. I’ve been getting emails and comments asking about accessories in The Sims 2. Simmers are looking for downloads that are Bon Voyage compatible i.e. accessories display under “Jewelery” slot, not under “Glasses”. Do you know of any site that offers any accessories labeled as “Jewelery”? If so, let us know, please!

Here it is! New creepy Art Deco objects from Sims 2 Store. I usually like the new Maxis objects, but for some reason, I don’t think these turned out really well. Maybe if the objects had other colors? Maybe. There are also some new hairs and skins, but I think the previous ones were much better. Anyway, I hope we’ll see something better next time.

But anyway, let’s get to the point: as a huge fan of Apple products, I couldn’t notice an artwork of Datarock, the band that was featured in The Sims 2 Free Time EP. I really really loved the Fa-Fa-Fa song, it seemed funny and when I just saw the cover on Apple’s site, it was a huge temptation to get Datarock’s album. And now I really don’t feel bad about having it.

The music is not really what I listen to in general, it’s kind of a electro-rock, but it’s really good. Get it if you can! Or at least Fa-Fa-Fa, it’s just too good to not have it!

Guidelines:

• Submit your Sim, Lot or Story using our Exchange.
• If you have a video/machinima piece, you can upload it to YouTube. Please let us know when you’ve uploaded it by emailing us at simsvideo@ea.com
• Make sure to include “Holiday Showcase 2008″ somewhere in the title or description.

Deadlines:

• We’ll be taking submissions through midnight PST Sunday December 21st.

Are you going to participate? More info here!

Click here to see the brand new items!

One of the best things that come with the game is a new cheat setQuarterTilePlacement [on | off]. What does it do?

Basically, it makes the buy/build mode grid just like the one in The Sims 3! Yup! With the cheat, objects can be placed anywhere on the grid. It is so cool. To better explain, you could say it dives the current grid into 4 more pieces so there is 4 times the amount of grid to place objects on. I took two pictures to show an example of how easy it is to use and how cool it makes rooms.

Pictures here and here.

Make sure to press CTRL + F before typing the cheat! It won’t work without it!

EAxis has also made a new trailer for the game.

Look! The gardens of eden! The new screenshots from The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff really make me excited. I love making landscaping in The Sims. It’s one of my favorite parts when building new houses, because without it, the lots look really dull. But nice flowers and plant can make it very colorful and full of life. One day I want to have a big garden (but please no vegetables, that’s the annoying part of gardens!). For now I can build it in the game. Or at least I’ll be able to give it a lot of new options soon.

The new build themes look spectacular. I’m glad that EAxis has decided to cover the art-deco theme. I wonder how the mansard roofs work like? I hope they’re habitable just like any other dormers. That would be really nice.

Also, speaking of building and stuff like that, I shouldn’t forget to announce that tomorrow there’s a new interview with Tanja from Lifestyle for Sims. She builds awesome architecture pieces and if you visit Spring4Sims more regularly, then you’ve probably noticed her houses in the Top Downloads category. So make sure to welcome her tomorrow and write a nice comment if you like her site!

Read the interview or watch the video on YouTube!

Don’t you just love the wheelbarrow with flowers? It’s just perfect! My Sims who have big gardens with greenhouses, fruit trees and vegetables will definitely love them.

The fans look also lovely. I really do hope they’re animated though. Don’t disappoint me, Maxis! I’m still not sure what are the solar panels good for, though. Any ideas?

Just look at the garden – it looks so beautiful and colorful! I love it! I think this stuff pack is a real-must have. It’s nice to see that Maxis has found what are people asking for.

The new video for Hot N Cold looks just amazing. You can see a lot of aspects from the previous games, which also make the game look funny (like the social bunny or the ancient soldier). You can download the Simlish version song from InfiniteSims.

What does Perry says about it?

“Being a gamer myself and a big fan of The Sims, I had a blast recording ‘Hot N Cold’ in Simlish. The essence of The Sims is all about creativity, community and humor which is also the foundation for making great music, so it’s a perfect fit.”

If you’d like to see the video in better quality, look here.

Via: InfiniteSims.com

EA Games has officially announced Mansion & Garden Stuff Pack today, so the previous rumors has been confirmed. Mansion & Garden Stuff will most probably be the last stuff pack for The Sims 2 games.

What can you expect? Garden stuff such as new flower beds, shrubs, sunflowers or even new build mode tools in three new styles (Moroccan, Art Deco ans Second Empire).

See pictures and read more in the official report:

Design impressive estates and meticulous gardens for your Sims with three all-new styles. Infuse your Sims’ mansion with the intricate beauty of new Moroccan designs, add a touch of retro-modern style with stately and new Art Deco elements, or build in the imposing new Second Empire style. With a host of new architectural and landscaping items to choose from, your Sims homes will look more stunning than ever!

Features

• Re-create your Sims homes into luxurious mansions. New items including exotic columns that create stunning new archways, chic ceiling fans that add an element of cool, or sweeping grand staircases that make a bold statement.
• Completely reinvent your Sims’ gardens with a colorful foundation of flower beds and shrubs including delicate irises, cheerful daylilies, and bright sunflowers.
• Choose from three new themes to re-imagine and re-make the exteriors of your Sims’ estates.
• Moroccan-Transform your Sims’ homes into imposing Moroccan palaces with lush Mediterranean gardens.
• Art Deco-Build luxury estates that are classic yet bold with this glamorous “Old Hollywood” style.
• Second Empire-Create grand manors and sculpted landscapes with this romantic and elegant theme.

New Items

• Choose from a variety of bold sculptures, fountains, and topiaries to add an artistic element to your Sims’ relaxing garden hideaway.
• Architectural elements include solar panels as well as all new windows, doors, roofs, and fencing to build the mansion of your Sims’ dreams.

Living in Apartments

The lives of our Sims has changed a lot with the newest expansion pack – now they don’t have to live alone but with other NPCs in their apartment! Personally, I was looking forward to this feature for a very long time and I’m very happy to see it in my game.

Living in apartments brings a lot of advantages for your Sims – they don’t need too much money for the start, they can have a roommate and if you’re good friends with your land lord, you may even get a discount on your rent.

Talking to the landlord can lead to lower rent.

Of course, apartments bring some restrictions. You can’t access Build Mode fully and the number of characters living in one apartment is limited to ten, while you can have six pets/roommates at maximum. For example:

• you can have 6 Sims and up to 4 pets/roommates,
• 4 Sims, 4 pets and 2 roommate,
• 8 Sims and 2 pets/roommates etc.

My roommate is moving in!

Having a roommate brings an advantage of paying less for the rent – half if you have one roommate, third if you have two roommates etc. You can find a roommate using the newspapers or computer. When your roommate moves in, you have to take care of his needs: there’s a satisfaction meter that will show you how good your roommate feels about living with you. Basically all you need to do is to provide them stuff that will fulfill their needs and have a good relationship with them. You wouldn’t believe how easy it is.

It’s easy to keep your roommates satisfied.

When you’re choosing a roommate, it’s recommended to pick a neat one so you don’t have to clean up after him/her all the time. But if you don’t choose wisely, there’s nothing to worry about – you can always tell your roommates to move out. Or if you like your roommate, you can always merry him/her. Then the roommate will become a playable character just like your Sims.

Landlord can be also very handy; while having your own house requires taking care of it, the landlord will do everything for you instead. He or she makes the daily chores, takes care of outdoor plants or even repairs something if it’s broken. Also, your landlord make a party every Sunday making some grilled food or at least ordering a pizza. And as I said, if you befriend him, he can make a discount on your rent.

However, you might run into trouble if you make too much noise in your apartment or your roommate refuses to pay for the rent (this happens when his or her satisfaction meter is low). So, watch out for big parties after 10 o’clock, or even playing the piano late at night!

If your neighbors make too much noise, Sims will bang on the wall.

And last but not least, if you have children and good relationship with your neighbors, you can ask them to babysit! They will do this for free and will stay in your apartment until you tell them to leave.

Social Groups & Reputation

The new expansion pack brings another cool thing that has never been featured before: social groups. If you read the first part of this review, then you probably remember I said that Belladonna Cove, the new ‘hood, is divided into three main parts for low, middle and high society.

I guess you can assume this lot belongs to the low-class Sims.

There are five social groups with different social classes you can find in different lots (depending on how the lot is set up – see cheats here to set up your lots for social classes):

• Gearheads (low),
• Bohemians (low or middle),
• Jocks (middle),
• Techs (middle or high),
• Socialities (high).

You can recognize these Sims mostly for their clothes or what they like to talk about.

Your Sims can also gain a good or bad reputation depending on how they socialize on community lots. If they get on well with other Sims out of their house/apartment, their reputation will grow, if they will argue with everyone, it will go down. If your reputation is high, you can get another advantages such as a boost in relationships with strangers you’ve just met. And you can never know when you need to know somebody new, right?

My Sim’s gained a good reputation!

Apartment Life Objects

Apartment Life has brought a whole heap of new objects. You can find there many underground-like objects for Gearheads but also a lot of nice objects for Socialities, such as antique sofas and other matching furniture and a few clutter objects. Apart from that, there are lots of new walls & floors (really nice ones I can tell).

Gearheads' apartment is furnished in industrial style.

Let me highlight some very special objects for you:

• a mysterious bookcase – this is a really nice object; you just have to put it in the walls and when you make your Sims read Mysteriously Mysterious Book, you can get in the second room (which can have no door and be a secret room!),
• lop pet – lop pet is a small dog your Sims can cuddle and enjoy in their apartments even if you don’t have Pets expansion pack,
• playground objects for kids & toddlers – these objects has been a long-awaited thing! Now your kids finally have some more activities to do,

• new mirrors that allow you to brush teeth and wash your face,
• a folding bed – it will save a lot of space in apartments,
• a big aquarium for fish lovers,
• and a stand-up microphone.

Apart from all of this, there are tons of new build mode options:

• new vents, ducts and radiators (they are located in the Buy Mode though, so you can access them in apartment),
• nice renaissance windows and moldings,
• built-in wardrobes (also with mirrors) in which Sims can WooHoo,

• spiral stairs,
• visible and fully editable ceilings,
• and a new option – movable wall hangings.

I think the objects and new build stuff is far more than any fan has been asking for. The objects look really good in the game and they are actually very useful (unlike many of them in the previous expansion packs). Maxis has finally shown that they can make even a good-looking stuff.

Living in apartment gives a lot of advantages, too, but there’s one thing that you should not forget about – every single square meter can be very precious now. If your Sims suddenly find a passion in playing the piano, it might be a problem and you might need to move them somewhere else.

Related Links:

• The Sims 2 Apartment Life Review: First Impressions, Belladonna Cove, Families, Lots & ‘hood Decorations (Pt. 1)

The newest Exclusive items from The Sims 2 Store include 17 new objects in spooky/Halloween style. You can find there new windows, doors, pillars, lamps, crazy-smiling pumpkins and small decor objects. There are also new hairstyles such as nice casual ones or other that match the spooky theme, and new clothes.

However, The Sims 2 Store is still not available for other countries than USA and Canada and the files are not compatible with Macs.

First Impressions

Right after you install Apartment life, there will be a nice icon on your desktop. I think Maxis has made the best icon even. Well, it’s just in really nice colors and looks very neat.

I can’t really say much about music because my sound card is broken right now, but I think that it’s still quite various on what people think about the main theme song. But most players says the music is really nice.

Just like in the previous expansion packs, even Apartment Life has the The Sims 2 Luncher. Also, when you start the game, the Custom Content Dialog window will open if you have some custom content in your game.

New Neighborhood – Belladonna Cove

Apartment Life brings along a new neighborhood – Belladonna Cove. It’s quite a big ‘hood with three different parts depending on which social group lives there (low, middle high). I think one of the most impressive thing about it is a statue of Bella Goth holding a crystal in her hand.

It’s still not sure whether there’s any new Bella Goth mystery included, but there are a few reasons why the ‘hood is called Belladonna Cove:

• Bella Goth mystery,
• bella donna means beautiful woman in Italian,
• “belladonna” means deadly nightshade in Italian,
• belladonna is a plant that witches use for witchcraft. The plant is also known as deadly nightshade to Italians that used this plant to put on their eyes to make their pupils bigger which was considered attractive.

One thing most people will agree with me is that Belladonna Cove looks beautiful. You’re going to love it’s districts. There are quite a lot community buildings and classic houses, too.

Meet the new families

The new ‘hood is filled up with new characters. Comparing with Free Time, not only there are much more of them, but it seems that Maxis has really worked on their personal stories, too.

These are the featured families:

• Rutherforth - Geoff Rutherford knows all the right people but he’s a bit of a rebel. He and Connor Weir became roommates so they could afford a place in the best part of Belladonna Cove. But sometimes they are at odds. Connor wants the party days to end so he can find his true path and start the family of his dreams. Geoff just wants to have fun.
• DeBateau - When Jessica left him Armand spent a few months sulking and thinking the sun would never come out again. But when he adopted little Tara, she convinced him otherwise. He couldn’t be more proud of his heir!
• Baldwin - Isabel and Benjamin have a great life together – things are next to perfect right now. Will Isabel’s uncle, Carlos, (and his wild exploits) bring shame to the family name?
• Cleveland - Jason and Martha lead a very comfortable life. They wonder a bit about whether Justin’s friend Tara is “distracting” him from his school work, though, and about Uncle Geoff squandering the family funds. After all, a privileged status should never be taken for grated.
• Contender - Carlos had a career that was the stuff of legends but even more legendary were his romantic pursuits. Now that he’s thinking about retirement he’s trying to focus on his niece Isabel and her family. But his romantic nature is still strong and Belladonna Cove is filled with such interesting possibilities.
• Cordial - Samantha and Kimberly had such bad sibling rivalry they were asked to leave the pleasant, little town in which they had grown. Realizing that things between them needed to change they pursued a variety of self help ventures. While trying to find new ways to bond with each other, they made some mysterious new friends. Will calling on the power of their new found friends bind them closer together or pull them more apart?
• Cho - Vivian finds being a single Mom challenging. Work is demanding and when she gets home Etsu wants all of her attention. Vivian still wants to find true love again. She wonders if she can find time to spend time with that nice man down the hall.
• Riley - When Timothy Riley moved to Belladonna Cove he wanted to start a new life and make a solid future for his daughter. Then, he met Vivian Cho and now he hopes they can join forces. He thinks Sally would enjoy having a little sister.
• Patel - They say women glow when they’re pregnant and Ana is no exception. She can’t wait for her new baby to arrive and is already dreaming about having more of them. Ramir hopes his heir will want to follow him into politics.
• Green - Gabriel has known Chastity since elementary school. Now that they are adults they’ve moved to Belladonna Cove and become roommates. Gabriel is so busy trying to learn everything there is to learn he hasn’t noticed that Chastity has become a bit of a wild woman. Will she try to use her wild ways on him?
• Peterson - When Armand DeBateau demanded an heir Jessica Peterson knew it was time to leave. She just didn’t want to be tied down when Belladonna Cove was so filled with romantic possibilities. Of course when she left Armand she also left his vast fortune and standing in society. Can she make her own way?
• Gavian, Goodie, Newson (in the family bin)

Neighborhood Decorations & Specialty Lots

Maxis has also added new neighborhood decorations that will make your ‘hoods look more realistic than ever before. You can find there new dead trees, little lake, different alleys, tower blocks, bus stops or new billboards.

And if you’re trying to find new apartments for your custom ‘hood, look under Specialty Lots. This has confused me a little because I was trying to find them between the other houses.

• boolprop AptBaseLotSpecificToolsDisabled [False/True] – When false, you can use Build Mode in apartment lot.
• changelotzoning [residential | community | apartmentbase] – This changes the zoning type of the lot. Before rezoning a lot using this cheat, make sure there are no Sims currently living in the lot. To use this cheat, enter the lot that you would like to rezone, and then enter the cheat, choosing one of these zoning options. Note that zoning a beach lot into an apartment lot will severely corrupt the ocean and lot terrain and is strongly not recommended.
• printLotClass – This prints the lot’s class (low, middle, or high) as well as the corresponding numerical lot class value.
• changeLotClassification [low | middle | high] – This changes the lot classification of the lot. The lot will remain this classification until the following cheat is used.
• clearLotClassValue – This clears any “changeLotClassification” cheat used on the lot and sets the lot class to the correct calculated value.
• boolprop ControlPets [on/off] – This cheat from The Sims 2 Pets will also allow you to control your roommates.

If you needed any kind of help with The Sim 2 Apartment Life, I think pretty everything is described and explained in Prima Official Game Guide which you can also download for free.

• Apartment Life: Producer Walkthrough
• Apartment Life: Fan Event Previews, Release Date & Soundtrack
• Apartment Life: New Comic Strip – New Pictures
• Apartment Life Pre-Order in Germany with Special Gifts
• Apartment Life Preview on GameSpy
• Apartment Life: New Trailer, Comic Strip & Offical Date Release Comfirmed!
• Apartment Life: Comic Strip No. 2 – German, French
• Apartment Life – New Screenshot & Art Picture
• Apartment Life Comic Strip on the Official Site
• Apartment Life Comic Strip – Meet the Tekkies Family
• Lots of Exciting Info about Apatment Life!
• It’s Official: Apartment Life This Summer, New Pictures
• Apartment Life: the Very 1st Picture by MaxoidShannon
• The 8th Expansion Pack is Apartment Life

Today I checked the EA Store again and the Stuff Pack 9 is definitely removed, but Stuff Pack 8 is unavailable. This can only mean that Maxis is working on a new SP!

(Click the picture to enlarge.)

What makes me personally not optimistic about this is Maxis’ The Sims Store. Maxoids has said that new stuff will be available there once a month. Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Check out the EA Store now, the links might not be available (in case it’s just an error). (And if they will go down, here’s the proof – click the picture to enlarge:)

The most important thing is that the game will be released on the 26th of August, not on the 28th of August! The news about the delay were untrue, according to Infinite Sims.

Fan Event Previews

There were a few other Fan Events organized by EA games. And they brought us a lot of new informations about the game, which is really lovely. Makes me want to have it right now.

• Sims Network (English)
• The Sims Zone (English)
• SnootySims (English)
• DMS2C.net (English)
• MammaSims P1 (Dutch)
• MammaSims P2 (Dutch)
• GibbieSims (Dutch)
• Sim Sense (Dutch)
• SimPlanet2 (Dutch)
• MariStation (Spanish)

Apartment Life Soundtrack

If you like to sing along with the music in the game (and Simlish doesn’t discourages you), Apartment Life will bring you some new tunes. Here they are:

• “Everything” – A Cursive Memory
• “Getting Better” – Bob Schneider
• “Radio” – Castaneda
• “Fancy Footwork” – Chromeo
• “Battle Royale” – Does It Offend You, Yeah?
• “Sweet About Me” – Gabriella Cilmi
• “Club Soda” – Ghostland Observatory
• “Where Would We Be Now” – Good Charlotte
• “Violet Stars Happy Hunting!” – Janelle Monae
• “Crazy” – Jem
• “Mad Pursuit” – Junkie XL feat. Electrocute
• “Hot N Cold” – Katy Perry
• “Ghosts” – Ladytron
• “Mozdulj Mar (Mondulo Mar)” – Lola
• “Ona Odna (She’s Alone)” – Ranetki Girls
• “This Is Not A Test” – Shock of Pleasure
• “Brainless” – Sunny Day Sets Fire
• “Good Day” – Tally Hall
• “Come My Sunshine” – The Comas
• “Divebomb” – The Whip
• “Not A Love Song” – Uh Huh Her
• “On & On” – Vanilla Sky
• “Can’t Believe My Eyes” – Wainwright

Join us on August 7, 2008 for The Sims 2 Apartment Life Chat. The game team will be here to answer your questions, choose between one of these chat times:
10:00-10:45am PDT
4:00-4:45pm PDT

Here are the newest pictures from Apartment Life. Again, the story is a little bit… erm, boring but it’s a nice showcase of what you should expect – especially when you look at the new objects, which seem quite nice to me. Anyway, you can read the comic strip in German and in English for now.

While the American EA Store hasn’t announced any special gifts/objects with pre-ordering, the German sites will offer a computer, TV wall with living chair and TV with loudspeaker respectively.

I think it’s quite possible that American stores will offer gifts as well. We might see the special offers on the Internet soon.

Via: dieSims.de

“What makes the building restriction so interesting is the impact on the way the player plays The Sims. As any apartment dweller can attest, every square centimeter is valuable real estate in apartment living. In our case, we tried cramming the Gavigans, a pre-made family of three (two adults and a school-age boy) into a one-bedroom apartment. We ended up having to carefully select every piece of furniture from the type of home entertainment system (IKEA’s Expidit TV storage unit) to the upright piano we put next to the boy Isaiah’s bed… which was out in what was obviously meant as a dining room. It really makes the player think carefully about their Sims’ stories, as everything in the apartment has to support their personalities.”

Don’t forget Apartment life is coming out on August 28th! Stay tuned for more info, I’m sure there will be more previews or Maxis might even release new pictures.

Personally, I hoped to see more from the video, but yeah, I guess that’s it. I thought it would be more informative. And BTW, now it’s sure that Apartment life is coming out on August 28th.

Also, there is a new comic strip available in German and in English, too. I wonder why the comic strips are not on the official site first. Any ideas? (Oh, and notice the furniture looks quite nice!)

I thought I’d give it a try but you can’t use any custom content and this kind of turned me off. Well, maybe next time.

I think it’s a pity that you can’t own a business on an apartment lot. But maybe some hacks will make it possible.

How many roommates are possible in a family?
You can have one roommate per household.

When 4 families live on a lot and there are still some apartments, do NPC families uses them or will they be empty?
NPCs will move in to become your neighbors.

Can toddlers now go to a community lot?
Toddlers are bound by the same rules as previous expansion packs, but we have provided them some more fun on their home lots.

Has a neutral witch her own spells or a mix of spells of good and evil witches?
Neutral witches begin with neutral spells available to them and then choose to align themselves with either good or evil magic. More spells of a given nature will become available to the witch. Neutral spells can be cast by all witches.

There are no shops possible on an apartment lot. But can Sims run their own business on an apartment lot?
No, but if you have Open for Business they can still purchase a community lot and run a business there.

Can the Sims use the helicopter to go to work?
Yes, they will be able to use the helicopter to go to work.

Via: SimTimes.de, InfiniteSims.com

If you’re interested in some Apartment Life info or you just drool for some teasers, there’s something little for you. Official sites of The Sims 2 – Die Sims 2 and Les Sims 2 – have posted new comic strip. They are not yet available in English, but should be soon. If you understand any of the languages, good for you – go ahead and read them (click the thumbs to enlarge).

Via: DieSims2.de, Sims2.fr

MATY has decided not to share them, but Internet is much bigger than just MATY, isn’t it? I found a site called Free Sims Store Stuff where you can download the exclusive downloads that are not included in any stuff packs.

What seems rather funny to me is that Maxis and EA Games were making nice gestures against paysites only few months ago but now they’ve become one. I must say that I liked stuff packs more than this. After all, stuff packs are available for everyone and everywhere. When we think about it, The Sims games are for kids and do all kids have credit cards to buy stuff on-line? I don’t think so. Also, from what I read on MATY, the objects will cost much much more that all stuff packs together. And I think that’s the worst thing about it.

I’m in hunt for new EAxis objects right now. First of all, I just couldn’t resist new objects from Castaway Stories. Well, we all know that Maxis asked to take them down when Numenor from MTS2 has made them available – but now there are some brand-new Castaway Stories objects available from InfiniteSims.com. There are a lot of them, with pictures. Just follow the link to download. Our thanks goes to devilsrop, Havelock and Kabuto fom More Awesome than You!.

Another thing you can get excited about are hidden lamps from IKEA Home Stuff. I just don’t understand why there is always something hidden in the game. Why can’t Maxis just put the stuff in the game right away? The lamps can be downloaded from MATY!. Also, don’t forget some of the objects were a bit buggy and didn’t support Free Time. You can download bug-fixes from MTS2.

• “Tinker” interaction is now available on the “Garbage Ninja by Kitchensations”, “Big and Brown Dishwasher by Romantic Notions”, “You Got Feets Bathtub”, and “SuperJet Corner Shower by Sleek Sensations”.

• Updated SecuRom version to resolve an issue where some players started their game through the launcher or clicked on the game executable, but never saw the game splash screen on monitor and fixed emulation problems players were experiencing.

• Added a new command line option “-blackfont” to make in-game fonts appear in black.

• Updated game code in order for The Sims 2 FreeTime to be compatible with The Sims 2 Store Edition. For users who have The Sims 2 FreeTime Expansion Pack installed, this patch must be installed in order to run The Sims 2 Store Edition with The SimsTM 2 FreeTime Expansion Pack. This patch runs automatically if FreeTime is already on your computer and you install The SimsTM 2 Store Edition on top of it.

Via: InfiniteSims.com

As you might have noticed, there’s a new add on the official site: Shop for your Sims! (or something like that). Lately I’ve heard some rumors about store like this, where you could actually buy stuff for your Sims. It’s quite known that Maxis’ stuff packs are really not that popular and they don’t sell very well. Also, they seem too expensive.

And that’s why we were given a chance to “shop new stuff for our Sims”. The store offers “thousands of objects from stuff packs and EPs”, plus some new objects. Those who haven’t bought stuff packs, yeah, they might get a little excited. I do like some of the stuff packs but since I have all of them, there are only a few objects that got me excited.

Talking of something new, yes, there are new objects. There are some really nice hairs – I mean really nice hairs – which is even suspicious because Maxis never sometimes makes really good hairs. I found only one nice hair for male adults but tons of hairstyles for females. God, I just want them right now!

One of the things that will probably bring you to The Sims 2 Store are 6 downloads for free. Yes, you’ve heard me, for free! But don’t get too excited. They are lame. Seriously. Maxis should tease us better because for these it’s not even worth to register. I think only the painting is worth it, but that’s just because I like modern art.

There’s also one thing on my mind – are those objects protected? How? I mean, if they are just Sims2packs it’s easy to share them. And sharing would mean no profit for Maxis. Well, maybe we’ll see the objects on BOOTY soon.

And last things I’d like to mention – the store is now available for US & Canada only. Other countries are not supported yet. Also, Mac user are out-of-game again. I feel for you, guys!

Finally it’s going to be worth it going out with kids – I must say the stuff for kids looks amazing. Maxis has also posted a new art picture.

Only few days ago I posted a translation of the first comic strip that was posted on German site Die Sims 2. Now it’s finally in English. Click the thumbnail to read it or visit TheSims2.com for even bigger pictures.

It’s finally here! The long-expected stuff pack is hitting the stores in the US and should come to Europe soon as well. If you don’t want to wait, you can directly download it from EA’s site for $19.95.

I think this stuff pack is going to be pretty popular and demanded. Who doesn’t really like IKEA? The company offers modern home design for everyone. And it’s good even for the Sims.

First part of comic strip is released on the German site Die Sims 2, but still not on the US site. Click the thumb to enlarge and read the translation (it might not be faithful) here:

1. Peter and Mary rent a new apartment in the heart of town in Belladona Cove.
2. Both of them are looking for new job opportunities in the advertisement section of newspapers, so they can pay for the rent.
3. When Mary comes home, the apartment is already furnished. But where does the money come from?
4. Because Peter spent all his money for the furniture, he couldn’t pay for the rent.
5. Peter can only manage the situation and get some money for the rent after begging in a nearby park.
6. Peter and Mary celebrate their first payment for rent playing console games in the evening.

Well, as you can see, the story is a bit lame… but pay close attention to screenshots! (See Die Sims 2 and click the pictures to enlarge.) There are shown some new skins but also new paintings, spiral stairs, new fence, hairstyles and objects.

Watch the video at EdenStyle.it.

Well, it seems that days of The Sims 2 will get shorter. Limited editions such as this one most probably means that there won’t be much more (if there will be anything more at all). But what I do hope for is that EAxis will release a complete collection of all games and stuff packs in one package. This is actually something I hope will come true.

I’d like to point out a few highlights that seemed the most interesting to me:

• Belladonna Cove – the name of the new neighborhood, also some new ‘hood decorations
• new community lots: coffee shops, library, groceries
• new gestures (interactions with Sims): High Five, Earthy Hug, Fake Out, Kiss Kiss Darling and Tough Handshake
• new interactions between kids and toddlers (Huddle) and some new objects for them
• 4 families can live on one lot, only one can be controlled; plus you can make space for NPCs
• families can be visited (yay! that’s what I wanted all the time!)
• paying for apartment is like paying for hotels in Bon Voyage, the landlord will also take care of broken items
• you can find new roommates online or in the newspaper
• you can buy dogs but Pets EP is not required
• Sims can build a reputation on how they interact with others and there will be social groups, too
• new building tools: spiral stairs (3 styles, each has 3 recolors), 2×1 built-in wardrobes, new roofs and cornices, windows (in renaissance style), ceilings (they will probably be editable in HomeCrafter Plus), industrial stuff – vents, ducts, heating/cooling (provide benefits if you have Seasons EP)

The very special highlight – Magic comes to Sims!

• witches (both males or females) are divided in 4 categories: good, neutral, evil or even atrociously evil
• for each group, different type of apells and clothing is set (atrociously evil witches have a green skintone, too)
• depending on skills you can make spells, potions or craft different items (throne, floor light, wall light and ceiling light)

Get some more information here:

• TheSims2.com
• EdenStyle.it
• SimPlaza.de
• TheSimsResource.com
• Sims2Mmaniacos.net
• SimParool.nl
• SterelingSims2.com
• SimTimes.de
• Urbania-Sims.com

(Pictures taken from The Sims Resource.)

• 1st picture – there’s really nothing special except the new objects, hairs and skins.
• 2nd picture – notice the pipes and vents behind the two dancing Sims. Cool, isn’t it?
• 3rd picture – new painting and furnishing, plus open windows – wow! Will we be able to open the windows? If yes, will it work with Seasons – will it snow inside if you let them open?
• 4th picture – at first I thought it’s a big door and behind it, there is a TV screen. Then I thought, hey – it’s a mirror! And now I think it’s actually a wardrobe – the door seems to be something between mirror and door, doesn’t it?
• 5th picture – nothing special except for the Sim putting down the newspaper… duh, I just don’t get it why he’s doing that.
• 6th picture – now this is what I call an apartment (or a great house!)

Post your comments on what you think!