The Sims. Is it too much?

[Oberfuhrer Hamm]

I remember in, what was it, 2000 when The Sims came out. It was one of the first PC games that I bought when I started my era of PC gaming. Anyways my point is, is the Sims getting to be just too much? At first, it was just the game itself. Then the Livin' Large expansion pck came out. Then, because the Sims is "The best selling PC game of all time", Livin' Large was followed by House Party, Hot Date, Vacation, Unleashed, and now Superstar (I think it is called). At first, an expansion pack or two was neat and added on cool stuff to the game. But with 6 expansion packs, each one costing about $40CDN, it is just too much for me. The original game still costs full price, and in some places is even more expensive. Lets do a bit of a tally here (these prices are rough approximations,vary from store to store, and are Canadian. I haven't checked these prices in a little while. Also, I am unsure of the price of The Deluxe edition, which is the game itself and Livin' Large in a bundle, so it is not used in this tally.)

The Sims: $50
Livin' Large: $34.99 (I believe, most stores around me don't stock this anymore)
House Party: $34.99
Hot Date: $34.99
Vacation: $34.99
Unleashed: $34.99
Superstar: $34.99

Total: $259.94

That is insane! Most The Sims fans have bought the expansion packs 1 by 1, but imagine if you were new to it. Ouch.

This all being said I do like the Sims and most anything else from Maxis, but it is just too much for me to handle.

Anyways, I rant too much. 8-) Here it ends.

[grayejectbutton]

Yes, it is way too expensive for a game that's more than 3 years old. A great game but most games even only a year old are reduced in price. It's a rip off, it really is, and EA knows it but they make money on it so who can blame them for keeping the price high?

I bought the Gamecube version - it's not as good as the PC version but at least I can't be tempted to buy any of the over-hyped, artificially inflated priced expansion packs.

[oesiii]

Well their marketing obviously works, the game seems to be popular with men and women. If I were you I would join Maxis as a profit-sharing employee or buy some stock. This is America after all :D

[Raedon]

No one I know paid full price for any of that.. I think I spent a few bucks to play Sims on ps2. Whatever.. boring consept.. play as human..

Rather play AD&D type fun

[Achika]

Babbages only charges $29.99 USD per expansion and we don't carry the regular Sims anymore. I believe we have the Deluxe Edition for like $40-45 USD.

I can play a few hours worth before shelving it for a year and playing something else.

[zmeston]

Well their marketing obviously works, the game seems to be popular with men and women. If I were you I would join Maxis as a profit-sharing employee or buy some stock. This is America after all :D

It doesn't just seem to be popular -- it's the best-selling PC game ever, and the expansions are the best-selling expansions ever. EA is legally required to milk it for everything it's worth.

Incidentally, EA proclaimed that the upcoming Makin' Magic is the last expansion pack for The Sims. Next up, The Sims 2.

And EA and Maxis are hard at work on the next console version (The Sims Bustin' Out).

-- Z.

[maxlords]

Don't know, but my wife likes it. I think it's a ridiculous game and I'd never consider playing it, but as long as she's happy, I feel the $50 was well spent. I'm only gonna buy the expansions for her if they get super cheap used though.

[ubersaurus]

The sims is worth a few laughs if you have a dark sense of humor and enjoy tormenting the sims. Case in point-my friend was playing the game, and the sim couple he had going had lost their jobs and refused to go out and get new ones, so he took away all of their furniture, running water, food, bathrooms, carpeting (put down gravel), and said simply that if they got jobs he would give them everything back. Well, they didn't, they died, so as a final insult, he buried them in a wall in the house. The next family was just plain hilarious, the weird stuff he'd have them do, like call the cops, throw parties, put them in rooms with no door for a while...

[Kim Possible]

Its a neat concept and nice novelty for a few hours, but beyond that, its a snooze fest to me. Real life is complicated enough, to play a game about real life? Nah. I'll pass.

However, my wife loves it, plays it all the time.

As for is it too much? Yeah, I mean look at all those damn expansion packs. Somebody said milking it, and they are dead on. Its too much. SIM-everything is too much for me.

[chadtower]

So, uhm, who the hell says you have to buy every expansion pak anyway? You? What a dumb complaint.

[Oberfuhrer Hamm]

So, uhm, who the hell says you have to buy every expansion pak anyway? You? What a dumb complaint.

You don't like it? Well, I didn't force you to come in here and read it. :roll:

Besides, even if you don't buy them all, it is still expensive.

[Raedon]

I only buy used games.. Snoogins :-D

[davidbrit2]

Cripes, what's with the pricing? It's not like it's made by Blizzard.

And these IRC quotes from bash.org sum it all up.

http://www.bash.org/?58620

<Arcturus|BuF> The Sims is the only game where you can kill someone by trapping them between strategically placed toilets

http://www.bash.org/?102113

<Has_Bean> And very soon, they shall have an aisle in the toy store devoted to it
<Has_Bean> Aisle 6...the sims expansion pack aisle

[tynstar]

If I pick up the Sims what system should I get it for? PC, X-Box. PS2, GameCube? Which one has the best interface?

[SoulBlazer]

The console versions of the game are a little different then the PC one.

Someone else can explain all th details fully, but in the console versions you have more of a 'purpose' -- that is, a series of 'quests' or tasks to get done.

You start as a low life leacher still living at home with no job and no girlfriend. Your Mom gives you one final loan and tells you to hit the road. First you need to find a place to live.....then get a job.....then start decorating the place.....and so on.

It's more of a organized game romp then the crazy, do what ever the hell strikes you, PC version.

Rent one of the console versions first and see what you think of it.

(The TV commercials were pretty funny, also. :D )

[Oberfuhrer Hamm]

Cripes, what's with the pricing? It's not like it's made by Blizzard.

Those prices are in Canadian dollars, but take them with a grain of salt.