Sunday 2 July 2006

Waterfront Home

Written at 06:31 by Jendea - 0 comments.

Waterfront Home

I just posted a new modern-style residence with plenty of space for entertaining and a moderate price. Happy simming.

Click on the picture to check out this home or you can also find more under my section:jendea

Tuesday 4 July 2006

Deck Seating

Written at 05:11 by Jendea - 4 comments.

New object: the Backless Deck Bench. To make your sims' backyard gatherings more comfortable - economically - just 100 simoleons.
Includes eight recolors.
Happy simming!

Check it out by clicking on the picture or you can find this object and more in my section under jendea

Sunday 9 July 2006

Glamour Life Stuff Pictures and Info

Written at 03:23 by ChEeTaH - 2 comments.

After several mentions on online shops of the upcoming stuff pack, known as "Glamour Stuff" until now, there's now some more concrete information regarding the stuff pack. The Thai EA site has published a product page of the stuff pack, which contains some basic information as well as some screenshots. As far as rumours go, mostly from pre-order pages (which no longer exist), the mini expansion will be released late August. The screenshots also reveal a more detailed name: in the right bottom corner the logo is displayed, with the title "The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff" 'Srikwan01' on the official site's BBS ('The T' on TheSimsResource) has found the page and posted some information in his TSR blog. You can find that text, as well as some item descriptions in the Read More part of this post. Click the five screenshot thumbnails to see larger versions - the other images are the Thai logo, as well as a few artworks of some of the 60 objects in the pack. Thanks to SnootySims for the find.

Read More!

Saturday 15 July 2006

Summer Downloads

Written at 00:48 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

MaxoidMoonBelly has created some summerwear for your Sims, featuring the Aloha Bunny and the Surfer Bunny. The Aloha Bunny Swimsuits and Surfer Bunny Swim Trunks are created for children and older Sims. In total that makes 8 downloads, all of which contain a Sim wearing a piece of summer clothing. Along with the downloads, in her blog MaxoidMoonBelly explains a little bit about how the clothes were made. Check out the Summer Downloads to get all the files to make your Sims ready for this summer as well.

Sims 2 Pets Info, Screen and PS2 Packshot

Written at 01:40 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Several bits of info about the Sims 2 Pets were revealed the past couple of days. Not only for the PC Expansion pack, but there's also more proof that the Sims 2 Pets will be the new console and handheld games as well. There's some information about the expansion pack, a screenshot, a small article and a preliminary pack shot of the PlayStation 2 version (in French). Read on for all the details. Read More!

Glamour Life Revealed

Written at 02:53 by ChEeTaH - 4 comments.

Following rumours of only a few days ago that the second Stuff pack for the Sims 2 would be called "Glamour Life," Maxis has confirmed that to be a fact, by revealing details of the pack on the official site. A product page has been created, on which you can find 17 screenshots, 33 item renders, 2 videos and the system requirements. All of that is accompanied with the following description of the pack:

"Your Sims can now indulge in a glamorous life with this collection of luxurious furniture, fashionable clothing, and extravagant décor items. Create lavish homes furnished with the finest modern bedroom, living room, and dining room sets. Turn heads in the neighborhood as your Sims show off elegant gowns, red carpet formalwear, and cool casual styles at their next big soirée. Your Sims will live the high life with 60 new items including pop-art paintings, sectional sofas, a high-end stereo, fur coats, and more!"

As with the Family Fun pack, Glamour Life will contain about 60 items (objects, clothing, etc), of which roughly half can already be seen through the image renders. A release date has not yet been given, although the intro flash on the official site mentions August. Whether earlier rumours saying mid-August or else late August are true has not yet been confirmed. The price of the pack will probably be similar to that of Family Fun Stuff: around $20/£10. Availability through EA Downloader has also not yet been confirmed. You can find all screenshots (including some earlier ones, in higher quality, as well as one featuring the logo) and all item renders in the Read More part, or on the official screenshots respectively renders pages. You can also check out the two videos showing the features and the system requirements. We'll keep you updated with the latest about this stuff pack as soon as the news comes in. Read More!

Stuff Pack 3: Festive Holiday?

Written at 03:05 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Even though Stuff pack 2: Glamour Life has only just been announced, it seems like there are already plans for a third Stuff pack to be released early December. The British shop Play.com has a listing of "The Sims 2: Festive Holiday Stuff" at the price of £7.99 (about $15). This is the same price as the Family Fun and Glamour Life packs, suggesting that it will indeed be a full Stuff pack in a holiday theme, slightly bigger than last year's Holiday Party Pack, which had 40 instead of 60 items and was slightly cheaper. An official announcement of the pack is still a long way from now, and details probably won't be officially revealed until the last quarter of 2006.

Tuesday 18 July 2006

Pets Announcement at July 27?

Written at 02:44 by ChEeTaH - 8 comments.

A couple of days ago we reported how a temporary information page of the Sims 2 Pets at GameSpy had "Hold for July 27th" in the title, hinting towards an announcement date of July 27th, when the PC expansion pack and console/handheld game will be officially announced. Now there's a new hint towards that date. A month ago, at 15 June, Don Laabs, Senior Producer for Maxis, wrote a letter to the community. In that letter he wrote "the official announcement is slated to happen in several weeks." Now Don's blog has a little message saying "'Several' = 6.00." Counting 6 weeks from June 15 is indeed exactly on 27 July, which now is most likely the date when Maxis will officially let us know more about Pets and pawprints. Naturally we'll report about anything happening on and before that day regarding the game, so stay tuned for details.

Monday 24 July 2006

More Glamour Life Renders

Written at 07:19 by ChEeTaH - 5 comments.

At the announcement of Glamour Life Stuff several artworks of items were published on the official website. The official German site has posted a couple more different artworks, recolours of items already posted previously. Click the thumbnails below to see the renders in full size.

Pets at EA Store

Written at 07:36 by ChEeTaH - 6 comments.

Maxis is still holding the announcement of Pets back to probably July 27th, but the EA Store has already put the game in their product listing. There are 5 versions of the game available for pre-order, namely PC, PS2, GameCube, DS, GBA. The prices are $29.95 for PC, DS and GBA, and $39.95 for PS2 and GameCube. Several brief decriptions are included with the listings. On PC, pets will include dogs, cats, birds and more, but Create-A-Pet only exists for dogs and cats. Training is available, and pets will also be able to get a job in Show Business, Security or Service. On the consoles there will be 22 dog and 15 cat breeds, as well as guinea pigs. At Town Park you can find other Sims with pets and buy items for pets. The console game also seems to be the classic freeplay - whether there's a storymode is not said. Finally, you can also share pets through a code to hand to your friends. On the DS version, you have to run a pet clinic, and by treating pets you unlock newi tems. On the GBA you have to take a career in Pet Care and go through different jobs. Read more for the precise descriptions. Read More!

Thursday 27 July 2006

Glamour Life Wallpapers

Written at 07:44 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

With the Glamour Life Stuff pack coming out next month, Maxis is promoting it a little bit by releasing three new wallpapers for on the official website. While they may not be reproduced here, you can see some small samples below. This time, rather than coming in high resolutions like 1680x1050 and 1280x1024 as well, the wallpapers are only available 1024x768 and 800x600 sizes. All three are to be downloaded from the wallpapers page, where you can also find all previous Sims 2 (and expansion packs) wallpapers.

Expansion 4 Chat Tonight

Written at 07:50 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Tonight Maxis will hold an official developer chat once again, this time about the next expansion pack for the Sims 2, most likely called Pets. There are several rumours saying the pack will be announced today, which means more news might - and probably will - arrive within the next couple of hours. The chat will be held at 3pm PST (11pm in Britain and Portugal, midnight in most of Europe) and will last 30 minutes. Producers of the expansion will answer questions, so if you want to know more be sure to get to the chat in time. Maxis has not yet announced who exactly will attend the chat, but all will be revealed on the chat page once the room goes open.

Pets Announcement Time

Written at 11:11 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

It's already been rumoured that the Sims 2 Pets will probably be announced today, 27 July. More confirmation and even an exact time comes from Maxis. In a post on the official BBS MaxoidDrea of the Web team has posted a message to check the official site for an announcement at 9am PST (5pm in Britain and Portugal, 18:00h for most of Europe). With all the previous hints it seems that the new expansion pack and console/handheld game will be announced at that time. Stay tuned to this site for more details, as we'll be right on it as the news happens. Thanks to Brewcrew4191 and NEON88888 at SnootySims for the tip.

First Pets Screens

Written at 17:29 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

Although we're less than 2 hours away from the probable official announcement of Pets, the first couple of screenshots have already been leaked. There are a couple of PC and a few Console screenshots by the looks of them. The first 6 are from GamesRadar which has already put them in the entry for the PS2 version, even though only the second and third look as if they're for that platform. A few other small ones of the PC edition were posted by WingedElf on the GameSpot Forums. Thanks to SimSational for the links. Check out the images by clicking the thumbnails below.

Pets is Official [Updated]

Written at 19:03 by ChEeTaH - 6 comments.

The Sims 2 Pets will be released on PC (Expansion pack), PlayStation 2, GameCube, Nintendo DS and GBA (Separate games) on 17 October. The PSP version, similar to the PS2 and GameCube version will be released about a month later. All versions feature dogs and cats, with Create a Pet as base to create them. Pets will need training and using codes you can unlock unique accessories in the games. The gameplay for all versions is open-ended, like the classic freeplay mode. On the PC there will be generations of pets, including the genetics, and careers for your pets in Security, Show Business or Service. On the consoles, PS2, GameCube and PSP, there will be a central town park where you can head over to with your pets, shop for pet items, and socialise with others. The DS version is all about managing a pet care centre, where you have to take care of other Sims' pets. Selling pet products gives you even more simoleons. Finally there's the GBA version, where you have to take care of the town's pets as well, in Barkersville. Again, teaching tricks is one of the tasks, but in this version you'll also be able to participate in tournaments and championships to win prizes.

Along with the announcement, EA has released a trailer, screenshots, artworks, pack shots and the logo, all of which you can find right here. For the trailer, please pick a high quality version (15.1 Mb) or the low quality version (4.0 Mb). Read more for all artworks, screenshots and packshots! As you can see on the pack shots, the European Pegi rating for all console and handheld versions will be 7+, compared to the 12+ rating for the PC. The American rating is still pending, although The Sims Zone has learned from Maxis that it'll be E10+ for the consoles and handhelds, and as you can see it's T for Teen for the PC expansion.

Check out the press release from EA for some more details, as well as the official product page. Also make sure you don't miss our preview later today, or the developer chat!

[Last updated: 27 July, 19:30] Read More!

Friday 28 July 2006

Our The Sims 2 Pets PC Preview

Written at 00:14 by ChEeTaH - 3 comments.

About a week ago The Sims Zone was over at the offices of EA's Sims Division (aka Maxis) in Redwood City, California. The reason? To check out the Sims 2 Pets on various platforms. The game became official today, and after reading all the first bits of news about it, you can now read a complete 2-page preview of the PC Expansion pack. Armed with 148 pictures of the game, we dive into the first details of the yet-to-be-finished expansion. It's only a start, as more previews for other platforms will follow soon. For now, enjoy the preview.

Take me to the Pets Special now!

Sunday 30 July 2006

CNet News Interview about Pets

Written at 00:45 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Earlier this month EA held its annual Studio Showcase event (previously Hot Summer Nights and Camp EA), where they showcased the latest titles of the upcoming year. One of the games that EA showed was the Sims 2 Pets. CNet News was one of the websites to attend the event, and they've published a video interview with Robin Hunicke, developer on the Sims 2 Pets. She talks about why she joined EA's Sims Division, the difference between expansions and stuff packs, and of course about pets. She says how you have to train pets to become your Sims' companions. She also says how, like children in the game, pets offer the protection of being taken away rather than dying when you don't treat them well. The interview is almost three minutes long, and contains some gameplay footage as well as some from the Studio Showcase event itself. See the interview for yourself for more details.

IGN Previews Pets

Written at 01:53 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

Along with several other websites, IGN has published three previews of the Sims 2 Pets. One covers the PC and Console (including PSP) versions in one, the DS and GBA each get separate previews. Altogether there are 4 pages of text for you to read about the upcoming Sims title. Read on for some of the key highlights mentioned in the previews. Read More!

Pets Preview (PC, Console) and Video (PC) at GameSpot

Written at 02:44 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Just like IGN, gaming site GameSpot has covered the Sims 2 Pets. Rather than writing several different previews though, there's just one preview which covers the PC and Console editions, and the differences between them. One of them is in the Create a Pet. Where the PC version sticks to collars for pet accessories, pets on the consoles can also have hats, sweaters, hoodies and tiny shoes. When it comes to living with the pets, you can train them to be good, or destructive, depending on when you scold or praise them. Pets can also be traded between neighbors, or you can adopt one from the animal shelter. You can also make dogs and cats have careers, to have them bring in some money. Exclusive to the console edition is the downtown area where you can purchase items for your pets, and meet other pet owners. The preview is one page in size.

Besides that, GameSpot has posted a slightly different trailer of the PC version. This video shows a few extended scenes from the official trailer. On the GameSpot Trailers page, watch or download "Official Movie 1" to see it.

Pets First Look at 1Up

Written at 03:04 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Many gaming websites have previews of the Sims 2 Pets. We've already mentioned IGN and GameSpot, but there's also 1Up which has posted a preview of the PC Expansion. They start off with saying how three types of the pets in the pack - guinea pigs, birds and fish - aren't much more than glorified objects. When it comes to the dogs and cats though, there is much more to do. Starting with customising them from face to body, and giving them a personality. Pets also have needs, similar to those of Sims, but no aspirations. 1Up also mentions that you can't directly control your pets, and that they don't die of anything but old age. They can also chase up the guinea pigs, but won't be able to catch or kill them. The caged pets can only be scared to death by the bigger pets. Finally they briefly mention training and careers, and the lack of cats to be able to play chess against Sims. Read the complete preview for more information.

Pets interview with Rod Humble

Written at 03:24 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Executive Producer Rod Humble of EA's Sims Division recently got interviewed by GameSpot. The interview - naturally mainly about Pets - has now been published. Humble starts by saying how Pets is a result of what the community really wants. They try to make the first expansion pack in the year, the spring one (e.g. University, Open for Business), to be a new experience to the Sims fans, while the second expansion pack (Nightlife, Pets) focuses more on what the community wants to see in the game. The differences with Unleashed are also briefly mentioned, as well as why the Pets title is coming to all platforms at around the same time: to make the console franchise move forward a bit more. All platforms except Xbox or Xbox 360. Since the general focus is more on the next-gen console, Maxis decided to stick to all current platforms instead, excluding the classic Xbox since it doesn't make much sense releasing a game for that. In the future there will be next-gen titles though. The interview continues about the various games that are in the make, and the difficulty the Sims franchise is having on getting in the top 5 sales on consoles. Overall they do sell pretty good over time, but the handheld franchise is more popular still. Going on about the next generation consoles, Humble says that more plans will probably be announced in the next year or so. Small expansions using micro-transactions (purchasing objects for a small price, for example) for those consoles might be possible, though it's not yet determined in which way that'll work. Finally Humble talks about what Will Wright, the original designer of the Sims games, still means to the team, and where the franchise will go in the future. Many more details can be found in the actual interview.

Pets Puzzle Game

Written at 03:42 by ChEeTaH - 3 comments.

After the announcement of Pets, the official site has had a few updates. First of all the intro splash has changed with a new theme, but there's also a new mini-game. On many pages you'll find a picture at the bottom of the left sidebar, which takes you to a puzzle page. Your task is to complete the screenshot by moving the pieces around. Check the image below for the reference screenshot.

Pets Chat Transcript

Written at 04:09 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Last Thursday Maxis held a chat about the Sims 2 Pets on PC. In that 30 minute chat several questions about the expansion pack were answered. For example that there will be about 35 dog and 15 cat breeds in the base game, and that there are five levels in each of the three careers for pets. You can also run a pet store if you have Open for Business, and to bathe your pets you'll need to use the regular bath tubs that are already in the game. Pets also have motives - as we already knew - but no aspirations. Also the family limits seem to have changed a little. Where it used to be a maximum of 10 sims and dogs or cats combined per household, that limit has now changed to 12. That can be a combination of up to 8 sims and up to 6 pets, though these limits might still change during the testing phase of development. The werewolve seems to be the new creature for this expansion. Another thing that pets can do, is sleep in one (double) bed with your sim. Besides the known pets there will also be a spraying skunk, and to prevent strays you can lock gates to stop animals coming through. There will be new music in the game as well, though Maxis didn't mention what it is. Naturally, when a pet dies, they'll get a tombstone as well. Their children will appear in a family tree as well. Dead pets can be resurrected, though they won't be able to return as zombie, even though they might appear as ghosts. To keep pets alive, there's the "Kibble of Life" which extends their life much like the Elixir does for Sims. Newborn dogs and cats come in litters with up to 4 puppies or kittens. There's more than that though, although most other questions were already answered earlier in for example our preview. Take a look at the full transcript for all the details.