The Sims: Hot Date

"Just when we thought The Sims was over, maxis pulls another one out of their hat."

Intro

The Sims started off innocently enough. A house to manage, a few sims to manipulate. Then came Livin' Large, which introduced us loyal sim fans to a world of voodoo, crystal balls and a genie that should be sued for malpractice. House party got our social lives going, and rocked our world with some funky new tunes.

And they've done it again.

Overview

Do your sims have ''it?'' The charisma and good looks needed to excel in the expansive, expensive and somewhat cruel world of dating? Cruise the strip and find out downtown. Flirt, hug, kiss, er, slap. Better tell the cab to wait, 'cause you won't be there very long without some serious dating skills. Welcome to Hot Date, the new expansion pack straight from Will Wright's imagination to your computer screen.

New Things

Hot Date introduces new objects like the pond, the ''love tub'', the lover's swing and the cuddle couch as well as new objects only for downtown, like waiter's podiums and clothing racks. New characters also populate downtown, with plenty of NPCs (non-player characters) to interact with, like barmaids, waiters, janitors, and ''townies'' (sims that live downtown that your sims can marry). A plethora of new architectural objects is also included in the game as well.

Gameplay

Hot Date is the latest expansion, and really takes the player's focus off of work and even children- they'll be having too much fun downtown! It's very easy to get downtown, simply call a cab, so it won't be too difficult for new players. Once your sim is downtown, you can go shopping, have dinner, and play with tons of new items. Besides skipping sometimes, the gameplay is fairly smooth.

Glitches?

I, as well as some other players have noticed numerous glitches in this game. Most don't harm your game at all, but can be annoying (why can't I delete this #^%$ing table?!). Never fear though, because I have personally e-mailed these problems to Maxis and they assured me that patches would be coming out very soon. Don't let this stop you from purchasing this awesome game.

Graphics

The graphics in this game are the same as the graphics in The Sims. The graphics in The Sims are amazing. Utterly amazing! Ok, maybe not utterly amazing, but good enough. Highly detailed objects and sims.

Audio

Amazing. Utterly amazing. Clear sound, great music, cool sound effects- it has it all.

Buy the game if...

You are interested in new objects, skins and interactions.

Don't buy it if...
You are grossed out by kissing.

Worth the $40?
Defenitely! This expansion is so much larger than House Party and Livin' Large. It is almost a game in itself. In my opinion, it is good enough and large enough to cost even a full $60.

So...Should you buy it?
Yes! Now! Run to your nearest Wal-Mart. Hurry, this puppy's going fast.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/02, Updated 01/02/02