We're getting close to the E3, but even though it hasn't started yet quite a bunch of new screens and a new trailer have been discovered on the net. First the trailer: this is the second trailer since the E3 trailer last year, and has quite a lot of in-game graphics. It starts off with a Sim watching Sims 1 stuff happen on his TV, after which it goes on and tells you some highlights of the game. It can be downloaded exclusively from IGN. Secondly, there are 5 new screenshots available on IGN as well. Showing science, some odd art, a slumber party, kissing and a thief, these 5 screens are worth a look. There are also a couple of old ones from the Swedish site, but they haven't really been discovered until now. The same site has revealed the minimum system requirements for the Body Shop (which are similar to those for The Sims 2 itself):

• Windows XP/2000/ME/98
• 600 MHz Intel Pentium III or AMD K6 Processor
• 256 MB RAM
• 450 MB free disk space
• Graphics card with at least 32 MB
• DirectX 9.0b

Note that for each of these goes: the more the better. Besides all that, James Magenta has e-mailed me saying the latest issue of GameMaster states 24 September as release date for The Sims 2. This has been unconfirmed and is yet unofficial, but not totally unrealistic with the latest rumours, from EA Europe, saying September 2004. Click the thumbnails below for all the new screenshots from IGN and the Swedish site. Thanks go out to SimsZone for this news.