The Sims: Livin' Large

"A straight-up expansion with nothing fancy about it"

And so began the long list of Sims' expansion packs that I sold out on years ago. I'm not going to lie—the first Sims had a problem in which there wasn't enough “tangible” things to do to keep the game interesting maybe for a few weeks. Maxis decided to release this expansion pack to ease the pain, and I do give them props for sticking with the basics and not imposing a gigantic mode of play that's no fun at all (Sims: Vacation and Superstar come to mind), but this game did cost $30 at the time of its release, so it's all up in the air at this point.

The first and most apparent thing that Livin' Large does is presents you with multiple neighborhoods. In the original, you were constricted with the basic ten-house lot—now you can have five different neighborhoods, but unfortunately, Sims from different neighborhoods can't interact with each other. At least it keeps your brother's freak Sims away from yours. This feature should've been implemented into the original, but we were too “brainwashed” to notice.

New themes of furniture, housing wallpaper/floors, and clothes follow. One follows a disco 70's theme with bright-colored floors, paint, and even a neon-green sofa. Another consists of a medieval theme with cathedral-esque brick walls, stone floors, and stainglassed windows. Then there's a few odd-ball things like being able to dress your Sims up like Antony and Cleopartra, as well as in a purple pimp suit. Since this is early in the Sims series, any new content was vastly appreciated, so it at least had some value to it.

Some new items in the game are quite good and are must-haves in several households. One is the chemistry set, which can concoct potions that'll either raise or lower your Sims' needs or worse, turn him into Frankenstein's monster who'll autonomously destroy every breakable thing in the house. Another is the knome workbench, in which you can churn out lawn knomes and sell for cash. Yes, a Sim could make a living off of this if he constructs them on a daily basis, though they are rather abusable since you can schedule your own hours and don't need to make a ton of family friends to do this. Finally, there's the robotic maid that can clean your entire house and even cater to any Sims' dire needs, such as being able to cook meals or socialize with lonely Sims. It's a shame it costs so much, plus the game's original maid/gardener combo was much cheaper and more reliable in the short-term.

Then there's a couple of miscellaneous items to use. One is the genie lamp that allows one Sim to use it each day. You'll pick from two opposing things (Friends or Family; Work or Leisure) and the genie randomly decides to give you a positive or negative outcome—the positives usually being a pot of gold or a brand new pool table; the negatives being a pile of bills or a sink breaking, causing lots of unsightly flooding. Another item is the telescope which allows you to look into space and boost your fun (and logic) at the risk of being abducted by aliens (though you do come back six hours later). Then there's the vibrating heart bed and hot tub that allows for a little romantic action if you please. Other items include a crystal ball, an electric guitar, a gerbil in a cage, and a voodoo doll, among better generic items such as an Alienware-ish computer or a more comfortable toilet and shower.

There's five new career paths and they are Slacker, Musician, (Computer) Hacker, Journalism, and Paranormal. Like the existing ten career paths, there's nothing revolutionary about them, and you still need to make tons of friends just to get the best jobs possible. I love the Hacker career path because it pays tons of money, plus you get to dress as some Matrix-esque character at the highest level. Also I'm a bit shocked that the game lets you be a cult leader (via Paranormal career path), but since this is the Sims we're talking about, it's more pathetic than anything.

Livin' Large doesn't enhance the gameplay, which is a bit of a disappointment since anti-fans of the series still will dislike it even further. But if you are a Sims fan, then this expansion is absolutely necessary for the game. When you consider that the original only had the bare minimum of "features," anything new early on in the series was a good thing. Definitely one of the best expansions for the series.

Presentation: 8/10 – Well it's the same old Sims except with some new intro music.
Gameplay: 7/10 – A couple of new items and features, but nothing extraordinary.
Graphics: 7/10 – Same old Sims graphics except with a few new items to freshen up with.
Sound: 7/10 – Perhaps a few new voice clips but nothing immediately recognizable.
Replay Value: 6/10 – Yes, this will spark a little lasting interest in your Sims game for sure.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/08

Game Release: The Sims: Livin' Large (US, 08/27/00)