The Sims 2 - Seasons

By now, I'm sure many of you have heard a lot about the Sims and the Sims 2. In these games, which both have many expansions, you are able to control the lives of virtual people, called "sims". In the case of The Sims 2, these virtual people had wants, as well as basic needs (food, sleep, potty, etc.). It was left up to the player what to do next. The latest expansion to the ever popular Sims 2 did not disappoint. This expansion, Seasons, added hours of gameplay and gave fans just what they have been asking for.

What Seasons brings to the world of Sims 2 is, well, seasons. Your sims now have four different seasons that you can change at any time. You can make seasons occur in any order you want. You can even create desert neighborhoods (where here in the real world, it's likely to be summer all year), or an arctic type neighborhood where it is winter all the time. There are many possibilities to play with. The game looks great, and the animations are fantastic. With Seasons, you will see snow, rain, hail, and thunderstorms. Beware of lightning; a sim in the wrong place at the wrong time is liable to be struck! Be sure to dress your sims appropriately when sending them outside for prolonged periods of time. Your sims can now get sunburns, heatstroke, and can even freeze.

Each game season lasts 5 days, and the transition from season to season look wonderful. For example, when winter ends, and another season begins, the snow and cold weather will not just come to a sudden stop as the season changes. The seasons flow together quite smoothly, so it is not uncommon to experience a light snowfall or two in the early days of spring, etc. The sims feel the changes in the weather, as well as see them. During winter, your sims may want to spend more time with their family, while the summer heat may prompt them to go out with their friends. Romance blooms in spring, and sims tend to be more school, work, and skill oriented in the fall.

Seasons adds many new activities that your sims are sure to enjoy, giving them an excuse to get out of the house. Have your sims build a snowman or pummel their friends with snowballs when the weather is cold. Play a leisurely game of catch with another sim, catch fireflies and butterflies, jump through piles of leaves, and enjoy the summer sun with the new pool slide and a fun game of marco polo. Fishing is a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Invite some friends over and cast your line. All of these activities give your sims boosts to their fun and social meters. Skating rinks, both ice and roller, are another new addition to the game. These objects give your fun meter a boost and increase body skills.

Farming is also possible with the Seasons. Your sims can now plant crops and grow their own apple, orange, and lemon trees. Gardening can be a relaxing and welcomed alternative to the otherwise fast-paced lives of your sims. Your sims' gardens need to be tended to regularly, watered, and protected against pests. Have your sims plant a vegetable garden or run an apple orchard. When your sims' crops are ready to be harvested, you can either sell them straight away or have your sims stock the fridge with them, make tasty drinks with the new juicer object, or even make potions! Eating fresh food from the garden gives sims an extra energy boost, as well as fulfilling hunger needs much faster than the usual groceries ordered over the phone. You can even build greenhouses for your sims, which not only look neat, but protect those precious crops from the elements (and allow you to have fresh veggies all year round).

Have your sims call the Garden Club if you think their gardens are up to par. You could win prizes, and enjoy other benefits from being a member. Using too much pesticide may result in your sim turning green, and not just in the thumb. Plantsimism is a condition your sims can aquire from using too much pesticide on their crops. Plantsims have exceptional gardening skills, and a nifty green skin tone to boot. Instead of motives like food, sleep, bladder, and so on, these special sims display needs such as water, sunshine, and love (which is basically the equivalent to the social need). If you fail to take care of your plantsims, they may wilt.

Another wonderful addition Seasons brings to the game is fishing. Fishing can boost fun and social, if you have your sim fish with another sim or group of sims. Sims can fish at any water hole, if it is deep enough. Your sims have different kinds of bait they can use, depending on how skilled they are at fishing. Different bait helps catch a variety of different types of fish, which you can use to stock the fridge or mount on the wall of your sims' home.

This fifth expansion pack includes many new objects and a variety of tweaks and changes to the original game. A whole set of country furniture and decorative objects are available to decorate your farming sims' homes with. A new category of clothing, "outerwear", has been added to ensure your sims stay warm during those cold wintry days. You can now set a different hairstyle for each clothing category in Create-A-Sim (rather than constantly changing your sims' appearance) and a few new hairstyles, as well as winter hats, have been added to the game. Several smaller improvements, such as the ability for your sims to save leftovers, have also been added.

The Sims 2 - Seasons is a must-have for all Sims 2 lovers. While this expansion does not offer tons of new objects and destinations (although there is a new rural neighborhood added called Riverblossom Hills), it makes up for it with the beautiful animations and plenty of new activities. There is so much to do with this expansion, and even the most casual players are sure to enjoy the laid back feel this expansion seems to radiate. I would suggest this expansion to anyone who enjoyed The Sims 2.