The Sims: Livin' Large

"It's a Livin'"

I doubt anyone is surprised that The Sims received an expansion pack so quickly after its initial release. Obviously its immediate, unprecedented success created prime conditions for more content but considering the other variables, such as the suspiciously few number of items in the game and EA's reputation for being the greediest company in the business (at least at the time the game was released…), it is no surprise such a perfect storm coalesced into an actual product so quickly. And what, I hear you asking, is there to be gained from Livin' Large? Well, for all intents and purposes it is nothing more than a big collection of new items.

Admittedly, it is kind of hard to criticize Maxis for not going out on a limb with their first expansion and risk screwing up their newfound cash cow. And seeing as how Sims are a very materialistic bunch and items were what really made the game interesting, it is not much of a surprise that an expansion pack would focus on giving more buying options to players. As one might infer from the title, the items contained within the expansion pack revolve around some wilder types of items that will help your Sims really live it up.

Rattling off an entire list of the added toys would be pointless but there are several things that stand out from the rest. The first of these is the robot. For fifteen thousand dollars, players will be able to purchase a robot that cleans, gardens and does all the other chores around the house. While the investment is a bit steep and the same services were available for less in the base game, it does allow you to trigger this whenever you want. This means you won't have to suffer through living in a disgusting house until the maid arrives in the morning. Sadly, the robot never seems to suffer a circuit malfunction and go on a killing spree… but maybe that's for the better.

Some of the other items include a Heart bed, like one you'd see in a sleazy honeymooner's hotel. This introduces a new interaction option that allows two adults with a high relationship score to “play in bed”, which gives Sims a huge fun boost at the cost of hygiene. While it sounds like fun, there is a risk of creating a new family member in the process… (Way to ruin your Sim-life, dummy!).

Sims can also buy a chemistry set (hilariously called the Concoctonation Station) and play around with chemicals. They won't burn their eyebrows off, but they can create a variety of potions. These potions can do anything from maxing out motives, causing the Sim to fall in love with another or even turn the drinker into a FrankenSim that goes around breaking everything.

A similar item is the Antique Lamp which contains a genie (naturally). The genie has a variety of spells which can give Sims more money or increase their relationship scores. Unfortunately, he's a bit rusty and his spells have a habit of backfiring and doing the opposite of what they were supposed to.

The Crystal Ball is one of the most risky of the new items as it can add or subtract a personality point from the user. After using the item, Sims will get a riddle. Figure it out and meet the requirement and the Sim will get an extra personality point. Screw it up and they'll lose one. Players will definitely want to save the game before playing with this.

A minor oddity of the expansion is the guinea pig. Players can purchase this little bag of disease and filth if they're so inclined, but I wouldn't advise it. Sims will have to keep its cage clean so the guinea pig stays happy. If they neglect this duty, its cage will inevitably fill with poop and the next time a Sim comes around it will bite them. This usually transfers some sort of horrible guinea pig germ to them and they'll actually get sick. From here players can use the Concoctonation Station in the hopes that an antidote will be created or just stick to old fashioned bedrest.

As you can see, many of the items introduced by Livin' Large are as dangerous as they are useful. Many of the items can have some seriously disastrous effects if you're not careful. For some reason, I feel a little burned by this because it feels as if Maxis is punishing players for buying their game. Another of these additions are cockroaches, which can spawn if you don't keep your house in pristine condition. While the new freak-out stomp animation is hilarious, roaches occur all too frequently especially if there are only one or two Sims in a household who can't keep up with the cleaning. Even my two stay at home people in a family had trouble keeping the insect swarm at bay.

There's one new addition which can potentially save your Sims, at least if you're terrible at the game. Death (the man, not the event) can now make an appearance if a Sim is about to die. Other Sims can interact with him to plea for the life of the dying Sim. At this point you'll have to play rock, paper, scissors with him to determine their fate (what did you expect, some grand quest?). If you win he'll resurrect the Sim and if he wins, he might either take them anyway or give them partial life as a sort of lobotomized zombie.

Building options have received a slight boost as well. Two new decorative themes have been included, a swinging sixties look and a medieval theme. There are also some associated decorative items such as candelabras and stained glass windows.

Five new jobs have also been added to the game and, like the base game, these really don't affect anything aside from how much money a Sim earns. And, more importantly, only one of these new career paths eclipses the old ones in terms of potential salary. However, the jobs themselves are pretty interesting and perhaps the coolest is the Slacker career. Master all the requisite skills and your Sims will get to be professional party guests (of course the salary is miniscule).

Finally, Maxis has given players four new neighborhoods to populate. You can switch between these at will, but Sims from one neighborhood won't visit another and for some reason you can't even relocate them to a new town.

If you were expecting Maxis to solve any of The Sims problems, you'll be sorely disappointed. Namely, Sims are still painfully stupid and have problems navigating their own houses. They get confused easily, randomly forget what they were doing and freeze up when they encounter someone else rather than just walk around them.

THE VERDICT
There's a decent amount of new items here, although much of it is more dangerous than helpful to your Sims. Beyond that, Livin' Large doesn't add any new mechanics to the game, nor does it refine the rough areas of the base game. Basically, Livin' Large is nothing more than an expansive batch of new items. A slightly modified version of the typical expansion pack warning is in effect here – If you really, really loved The Sims and just want more items, Livin' Large will scratch that itch. If you didn't like the game or aren't interested in wasting money on a bunch of items, you won't miss anything by passing this one up.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/30/09

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