Both GameSpy and Comcast had information pages with a little blurb of information about the PC expansion pack. Both PC pages have now disappeared, but Comcast still has a few information pages up for PS2 and GBA. The site does not list any of the next-gen platforms, but the Sims 2 Pets also appeared in listings for at least the GameCube, DS and PSP. All pages had "Hold for July 27" in the title, suggesting the official announcement will be made in less than 2 weeks from now. The description for the game probably comes from EA, as it was the same on both Comcast and Gamespy (thanks to SnootySims), and is as follows:

"For the first time ever, players can create pets for their Sims to love, train, play with and take to the park. Create-a-Pet allows players to mix, match and create the perfect dog or cat for their Sim. Labradoodle? Shnoodle? Puggle? Choose breeds and customize your pets. Put your pets to work in a variety of different careers including Show Business, Security and Service. Hang out in Central Park, the community center where you can interact with other Sims while shopping for various pets accessories. Play "doc" as your run the town Pet Care Center! Gain status based on your Sims pet care skills, from performing examinations to healing, playing and training."

Also, during these Hot Summer Nights EA has announced a 2006 holiday line-up of 20 new titles. The Sims 2 Pets is only briefly mentioned, and not even by name yet: "For a whimsical romp, players can get their paws on the new game from The Sims franchise."

Another article comes from the French INpact Virtuel, which has also removed the article with the screenshot below already. It gives a little more details about the game, although it's unsure which version it is about - PC, Consoles or Handheld. SnootySims has translated the French text to English on their Pets Info page, in which some of the key features are mentioned. In Create-A-Sim, you can choose different races of pets and combine them by picking the head and legs genetics, as well as the character. New races can be created thanks to the genetics in the game. There will be 15 cats and 30 dogs to begin with, as well as birds and guinea pigs. The game will be released on PC, Playstation 2, GameCube, PSP, Nintendo DS and GBA. Similar to the product pages at Comcast mentioned above, this seems to mean there will be no XBox/XBox360 version, or any other next-gen version of the game - at least not at the same time as the rest. The release is scheduled for October. PlayingZone.com even reports that EA has confirmed a release date of 18 October. This has not been confirmed by other sources though.

Continuing with more, there's some more proof of Pets being more than just the PC expansion pack, again from France: online shop jeuxpo had the PS2 edition of the game listed, but that too has been removed already. The pack shot that was posted with it can be found below - click the thumbnail for a slightly larger version. Finally, EA has created a new subforum in their BBS, in which you can post anything about Pawprints on the official site. The Glamour Life Stuff announcement there (more about that later) has a "mysterious" paw print next to it, which is very likely about the Sims 2 Pets.

As usual we'll keep you up-to-date with all the latest news about Pets. Note that so far there's still no official announcement or release date of the game, and that details are still somewhat sketchy. Thanks to SnootySims, L'Universims and SimFantastic2 for some of the links.

Written at 01:40 on Saturday, 15 July 2006 by ChEeTaH.