"Not my favourite expansion pack, but still worth a look"

Introduction

I am a big fan of the Sims and have four of the expansion packs - including this one. This game puts an interesting angle on the game - namely becoming famous. I got this game along with the Makin' Magic Expansion pack, and added it to my computer the moment I got one that could handle it all.

Gameplay - 6/10

The main addition here is the inclusion of the Studio Town lot, which all Sims can go to. "Celebrity" Sims get to go free while Average Joes must pay for a taxi.

Out of all of the expansion packs I have, this is the only one that I could actually term to be "satirical". Your Sim starts off ordinary, and has to make their way to the top, and on the way you discover just how fickle fame can be. When you're a "nobody", you get treated with contempt, very much like some struggling celebrities do in real life. People won't take your Sim seriously (try and act for a director when you're a "nobody" will just guarantee your Sim will get a flea in their ear.

I was somewhat disappointed by the fact that you cannot have a job and become a celebrity at the same time - and since it take a bit longer to get money as a celebrity, you probably won't want a whole family full of celebrities. But I guess it's just like real life in that respect. Your Sim's only way to gain stars is to go to the Studio Town and try various acting opportunities to slowly build up respect, and after a while you'll have to deal with fans, and even receive awards.

However, the disadvantage I found was that Studio town seems like little more than the Downtown lot from Hot Date, with acting opportunities added, and I rarely send my Sims to the area for any other reason. There are some nice added amenities, such as steam baths, and more varied restaurants (although many of these additions I found myself able to add to the existing downtown lots).

My favourite addition in this expansion pack is actually the Satellite Dish, which adds a considerbly wider variety of TV shows than the previous versions (your Sims finally have a sports channel, for example).

Your Sims will also get a celebrity magazine, which comes on a daily basis, but more often than not, this just ends up as an extra trash item that needs to be constantly binned.

The Studio Town is a nice addition, and even includes various celebrities - who show up randomly - but you may find yourself losing interest fast, as you will rarely be going their with your "ordinary" Sims.

Graphics - 7/10

The new locations actually look very impressive and well - designed, as do the new TV pictures you can get by installing a satellite dish (watching the same ones can get very boring after a while). There are some nice animations when your Sims are trying to impress others (using a puppet, for example).

Sound - 6/10

Most of the sound is no different from that from the original, but some of the added sounds are fantastic. I particularly like the Hollywood-style music that plays on the Studio Town view screen.

Play Time/Replay Value - 7/10

Strangely, I didn't feel quite as addicted to this expansion pack as the previous ones I had bought. This was possibly because I bought "Makin' Magic" at the same time, and also partly because the only reason I usually go to the Studio Town lot is for the acting opportunities. The studio town lot is cool, but if you have a bunch of expansion packs, you may end up forgetting it exists completely.

Final Recommendation

If you feel you must have every expansion pack, but this, but I didn't quite find it as compelling as some of the other Sims' expansion packs. It may be largely from the frustration of getting the required skill levels, and still finding my Sims failing miserably. But worth a look anyway.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 06/20/05