The Sims Hot Date is the new and exciting expansion pack from Maxis/EA Games, following on from the success of The Sims, Sims, Livin’ it up, and Sims House Party. Hot date was released in the UK in November, and according to an assistant in PC world in Derby has sold well, and as I write it is number 12 in the Amazon.co.uk ‘Hot 100’ PC games. I eventually bought via Amazon.co.uk, as they offered one of the best prices around for the game (16.99 pounds sterling).
~~ THE TECHNICAL STUFF ~~
There are a few system requirements for this game:
· Windows 95 or 98 · The Sims installed · 266 MHz Intel Pentium or AMD processor · 64 MB RAM (128 MB is recommended if running other expansion packs) · 4x CD/DVD-ROM drive · 600 MB free hard disk space, for game saves · High colour 2MB video card with DirectX 7.0 compatible driver · DirectX compatible sound card · Keyboard & Mouse
Got all of those? Then you may begin!
I found the installation of the game was easy, with none of the problems reported by other users (crashes etc.). All I needed to do was to find my Sims House Party disk (easier said than done in our study!), and insert it after first inserting the Hot Date disk. Maxis recommend that if you buy the other expansion packs (House party, Livin’ it up) after Hot Date, then it is best to uninstall all the Sims programmes, and to install The Sims, Livin’ it up, House Party, and Hot Date in that order.
Having successfully
installed Hot Date, the game is yours to play. An auto run feature will guide you through the start-up process.
~~ THE NEW STUFF ~~
Now the fun starts. Hot Date still has your families living in the various lots. There are 8 in total with a possible 10 houses in each neighborhood. Yes, you can be responsible for up to 80 families! Just like the previous games, you create your own family members and Maxis have added to the array of bodies (skins) and Heads for you to choose from.
Once you have created you family, you then move into a Maxis created house, or build your own. This feature has also benefited from a slight revamp, and now boasts a larger range of floors and walls for you to select from. Trust me cyber-decorating is no easier than in real life. Also in the build mode now are two brand new tools. You can now create water areas (ponds, lakes, or seaside), and lay grass, which you can make greener if you like!
So you have your family, a house, a pond, and green grass. So what next? Buy some things to fill the house – silly! Again Maxis have added more objects for you to buy, and this time has placed them in easy to navigate categories, and sub-categories. For example there is a decorative goods section, which is divided into rugs, paintings, flowers, etc… The possibilities are vast, but do not forget to add the essentials to your house, as Sims need to eat, sleep, go to the loo and wash, to remain happy.
Once you have your dream family and house, or if you would like to download one, you can visit the Sims exchange and browse through the myriad of available options. I do recommend that you take look at this, even if you do not fancy uploading or downloading, as some of the houses are fantastic. I can only presume that the people who built them spend most of their lives living in SimVille or have degrees in architecture!
The main new feature of this expansion pack is however the addition of Downtown. Here there are 9 Maxis designed lots (which you can alter, totally rebuild or keep), which provide your Sims with somewhere to go alone, or with a date, to shop for gifts, read magazines, gamble on the slots, dine, drink, swim and generally have fun. Downtown is a 50$ taxi ride away, and this transfer of arenas takes some time, as your house is saved in its current state and you are ‘driven’ to the lot of your choice to the accompaniment of some jazzy music. Your Sims money is available for them to spend downtown, but make sure they have plenty of energy so that they can have lots of fun. I f they have a date in Downtown, then the tip is to keep the blue crystal above the Date head as blue as possible, as this means that they are having a good time. At the end of the date this might be the difference between them dumping you, or going back to your place!
In Downtown you meet some new characters including the Blonde Bombshell, Femme Fatale, Dream Boat, Lounge Lizard, and Jock. All of these are able to interact with your Sims. So go ahead and strike up a conversation, dance the night away or just get smoochy with anyone who looks willing! One down side of Downtown is that you are unable to save the Downtown game. This means that if you are getting along with that sexy guy from the bar, then all your efforts will be wasted if you need to go home, unless of course you can get him to go home with you.
Downtown you will find lots or new objects, such as the hot dog stall, magazine rack, flower stall, ice ream counter, picnic basket, lover’s swing, cuddle couch, and my personal favourite, the Fish Pond. Here you can hire radio-controlled boats, or feed the fish, and this seems to be the ideal place to meet up with some of the new characters.
On thing that I would say about Hot Date is that it would not particularly be suitable for young children, and does carry a 15+ recommendation on the box. Some of the activities that you can get your Sims involved in are rather adult! You can seat you and your date in a restaurant and admire them, play footsie, cuddle, gossip, embrace, kiss, or if you are lucky, make out! Just don’t overstep the mark or you could be blown out, and have a taxi ride home alone, unless you can get lucky with someone else…
The types of interactions you can now have with other Sims has increased massively both in the Downtown area and at home. Below are just a few of the 40 new social interactions included in Hot Date…
~ Greetings - You can now choose how to greet a person, and wave, shake hands, or kiss with varying degrees of passion!
~ Hug – Either friendly, or if the mood takes you, intimate.
~ Ask – How are you? How’s work? What are you into?
~ Flirt – Checkout, sweet talk, or growl! Just watch out, you may get a slap!
~ Entertain – With a joke, or that puppet from your pocket!
These are just a few of the ways for you to have fun with your Sims families. Of course a lot depends upon how you manage their lives, but Maxis have created a good add on game which I am sure will keep Sims addicts like me going for the next few months. I really like the new additon to the Sims series, although I still feel a bit lost when I go Downtown. Having a whole new place to go, and new people to meet can sure make your Sims lives extremely complicated!
So what next for the Sims? Who knows, but I recommend visiting www.thesims.com for all the latest news, access to loads of ready made houses and families, and possibly the chance to have a say in the next expansion of the game!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Hot Dateis the third add-on forThe Simsand is probably the most value for money; rather ... more
than just a few more items and a couple of extra career paths you get to explore the altogether friskier side of sim life... dating.The first addition to the Sims u...
Postage & Packaging: £1.94 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Jetzt können Die Sims völlig neue Erfahrungen machen durch Verabredungen! Mit aufregenden ... more
neuen Charakteren, Interessen und einem neu gestalteten Innenstadtbereich mit Restaurants, Geschäften und Parkanlagen holt Die Sims Hot Date die Sims von der Cou...
Postage & Packaging: £1.94 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Jan 4th, 2002
very helpful by (100%):
