The Sims 2 - Open for Business

The Sims 2 - Open for Business introduces a whole new concept to the popular Sims 2 game for PC. While the third expansion to this top-selling virtual game of life may not be wonderful for the more casual Sims 2 player, it is certainly a wonderful addition to the player who does not mind putting a little work into their gameplay.

The Sims 2 and its first two expansions, University and Nightlife, covered almost everything with their exciting new interactions, destinations, and objects. They brought a realism to the game that was not quite present in the Sims 2 by giving you the option to further educate your sims, or let them cut loose in the nightclubs and bars that came with Nightlife. However, the thing that has always been a mystery, for both The Sims and its sequel, was work.

When a sim gets a job, they "go to work" everyday and return home a few simoleons (the currency in the sim world) richer, but the work they did was always left to the imagination. What did they do? Where did they go? You have never seen your sims lift a finger, and aside from the occasional dialog box where you get to choose the decisions made in the workplace, you really have no clue what goes on there. Open for Business changes all of that.

Your sims now have the opportunity to start their own business! Starting a business is the easy part. If your sim is a little short on cash, you can start by opening a home business and building from there. You can also purchase any community lot and run a business from there. The possibilities are nearly endless as far as what kinds of businesses you can run. To start a home business, just pick up the phone or look on the computer. Want a community lot business? Purchase one by using the phone or computer.

What kinds of businesses can you run? The answer is anything you want. Any content in the buy mode catalog can be sold for simoleons, as well as crafted items that can be made with the new workbenches. With these new items, you can craft custom toys, flower arrangements, and even robots to do all of your chores for you! Open for Business can be played alone as the only expansion to The Sims 2, but I recommend purchasing Nightlife before purchasing Open for Business. Having both expansions gives you more options, such as the ability to run nightclubs, bowling alleys, and car dealerships.

Open for Business introduces talent badges, which are helpful when trying to make a big sale or running a cash register. Sims earn talent badges from experience, so the only way to earn them is to make your sim try to sell items or stand at a cash register all day. The crafting workstations also give your sims talent badges. If your sim has no talent badge when he or she begins crafting items, your sim will only be able to craft the simplest of items. For example, at the toy-making workstation, your sims can craft things like sprinklers in the shape of an octopus, as well as small objects that your sim toddlers and children can sit on and spin at various speeds. However, a sim with no talent badges can only craft the "Sir Bricks-a-Lot", the sim version of a pet rock. Each talent badge brings new items for your sims to craft, as well as making them better at doing it. Different talent badges require different skill points, which are not specified anywhere in the game or manual. This is both disappointing and frustrating during gameplay.

After starting a business, you can either hire employees, have family members help out with the business, or try to have your sim do it all themselves. While having a sim do it all or having members of the family do it for them is less expensive, it is not always practical. Although hiring employees takes money, it might be the best way to keep your wits, in the end. Running a business is a lot of work, and can sometimes be very frustrating. This is why, as stated before, this expansion might not be a hit with the more casual players that enjoy just sitting back and watching sims live out their lives as the sims see fit. Once employees are hired, you can have them come in to work by using an open/closed sign (purchased from the decorative section in buy mode) or use the phone to call them in. You can then assign them uniforms and jobs. Keep their pay fair (you can check this in the top righthand corner of the screen, under employee information), their moods good (by giving them breaks when they need them), and keep
your relationship with them up, and they will be far less likely to start slacking off or quit.

When you start your business, it will begin with no customers and no ranks (popularity). To gain ranks and customers you must keep the business running smoothly, with stocked shelves and happy customers. Your business gains "customer loyalty stars" if the customers had an enjoyable experience in your store. The more customer loyalty stars your business receives, the more popularity it gains and the more customers will check it out. If your business does well enough, you might even get a good review in the paper, which is wonderful for business.

With the Sims 2 came aliens and ghosts, with University came zombies, and with Nightlife came vampires. Open for Business is no exception to this trend of monsters roaming the sim world. Now your sims can build robots. There are robots to handle the gardening and cleaning, but there are other robots. Sim sized robots. Robots with a mind of their own. If your sim has a gold talent badge in robotics, your sim can create these extremely creepy, life-like robots. Have them turn the robot on, and it develops a personality, wants and fears, and needs. Like sims, robots can make friends, fall in love, and even get married. Unlike sims, robots are able to do chores without much effort, and they actually enjoy doing it. However, if you fail to give these living hunks of metal a chance to "recharge" (or stand outside in the sun for awhile), they can go a bit...crazy.

Open for Business might not be for everyone, but for those of us that are die-hard Sims 2 fans, this expansion adds many exciting new options to play with. This expansion is not recommended to those casual players who do not want to put effort into it, as this expansion can be difficult at times. This expansion can add hours of play time to what was already a very engrossing game.