"Great expansion, but complicates things..."

Gameplay
Hot Date features several new gameplay items but the main feature of this game is the new downtown area. Getting there is as easy as selecting the new option from the phone, so new players shouldn't have a hard time getting there.Downtown, you will see your Sims wandering around eating dancing and whatnot. However, you are only allowed to control one Sim (The one who called the cab). Many of the new objects are only available downtown such as the shops and food stalls. Of course, wheres the fun if your Sim had to do all the work? You will find many NPCs ready to serve your Sim. For example, when you order a meal, you are shown to your seat, have your order taken by a waiter, have it cooked by a chef and delivered to you. Apart from the worker NPCs, you will also find 30 randomly generated sims walking around and for your Sim to date. Hot Date also features many new interactions. Before, choosing 'Talk' made you Sims just talk about what they like, choosing 'Talk' now gives you a choice between talking about interests or Gossiping. However, it seems that almost all the options will make another lover jealous. Friends are also harder to maintain as now group talk can have negative effects, along with a new long-term relationship bar. No longer do marriages happen overnight, you now have to fill BOTH bars (the long-term bar take reaaally long to fill up) before the option even appears.

Graphics
Not much to say here, the Graphics have not been changed, apart from a new maxis logo cutscene. The main cutscene however, remains the same. Which in my opinion, is quite stupid as it features beta items from the original Sims.

Sound
If you were finaly expecting your Sims to speak English, forget it. Sims will always talk (and sing) in complete SimSpeak (or gibberish, if you prefer). However, this isn't a bad thing, its a good thing! For some reason, it doesn't annoy you at all! Plus its entertaining too! Apart from the speech the music remains the same, so not much else to talk about.

Overall
Maxis have nearly reached total realism here,with the new interactions and moods. However, like life, it isn't as simple as before, becoming slightly more complicated. Overall, it still is a great game.

Borrow or Buy:
Don't be stupid! Theres too much in this game to just borrow from a friend! Do extra chores if you have to. Its more than worth it

Final Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/03/01, Updated 12/03/01