The Sims 2 Nightlife

"There have been better expansion packs."

When the original The Sims game came out, it was a national phenomenon. It was only obvious that great expansion packs should follow. And so they did. We received 7 great expansion packs.

So EA asked themselves, what should we do next? Of course the answer was to create a sequel, The Sims 2. The Sims 2 was great! It had everything we wanted from the first game, plus everything we ever dreamed of having in The Sims.

So, being on a role, shouldn't EA be able to create worthwhile expansion packs for The Sims 2? Well, at first it seemed so. The Sims 2 University was great. However, fans were slightly let down at the release of Nightlife.

Nightlife was obviously supposed to be a copy of the expansion pack for the original Sims, Hot Date. However, that is all it is. Nothing else. Now don't get me wrong, because Hot Date was great. Its just that nowadays the expectations are so much higher that it almost seems mediocre.

Obviously, it is hard to rate an expansion pack without having some sort of bias towards the original game. But nevertheless, it just didn't live up to the standards.

Content
The game features many new things that belong in the "Dating" aspect of life. It includes many new items, such as a bowling alley or restaurant things, that your Sims can use to date.

Also are Vampires that you want to watch out for. If your not careful, you might just become one yourself.

The new content is very minimal, however it is all fun. It would have just been nice if the pack had featured more new content.

Game play
The Sims has a reputation of being addictive. Of course, with any new stuff, it will become even more addictive. So it should be no surprise that you might just be up at 3 in the morning playing.

However, you might just find that the stuff you are using isn't from the Nightlife expansion pack, but from The Sims 2 itself. Nevertheless, all of the stuff from Nightlife is there just in case you want to use it.

Sound
The Sims 2 is great because of the life-like sounds. Nightlife adds a lot more. We get to hear the sound of the city. It really feels like you are in the city.

Simlish, the language of Sims, is in full swing too. What kind of person doesn't smile when they hear their Sims say "Myshoono!!"?

Graphics
We get a new option in Nightlife to see the neighborhood around you. This has never been done on The Sims before, so it is really cool to see your next door neighbor's house, or the water tower in the distance.

So, Should I Play It?
Any avid fan of The Sims will buy this expansion pack no matter what. But I am just giving a warning that it isn't as good as what we are used to. It could have been a lot better.

My Score
I debated between giving it a 6 or a 7. In the end, I decided on a 6 because I just feel that it had so much more potential. EA is capable of better.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/06