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671. UK Chat with Tim LeTourneau
Written on Friday 6 January 2006 at 18:42 by
ChEeTaH -
1 comment.
Tim LeTourneau starts touring through Europe on Monday, and naturally he'll be in the UK as well. Although there's no fan event this time, like there
was with Nightlife, Tim LeTourneau will be joining a webchat this time. The chat will start next monday 9 January, at 7pm GMT (that'll be 8pm in most of Europe, 2pm CET or 11am PST). As fan of the game you'll be able to ask Tim questions about Open for Business, the third expansion pack for the Sims 2, yourself. More details can be found in the
announcement. If you're unable to join the chat, feel free to
submit us your questions until 11 January.
672. Open for Business European Packshot
Written on Thursday 5 January 2006 at 22:33 by
ChEeTaH -
0 comments.
Although the box artwork for Open for Business was already
discovered in November, we now have the official pack shot for the expansion pack, as it will be in Europe. Although the Nightlife box still shows the old "EA Games" logo, the Christmas Party Pack already had the new logo saying just "EA". Open for Business will be the first full Sims expansion pack in Europe with that same new logo on it. We've reduced the size of the artwork to a resolution that's easier viewable, which you'll see when you click the thumbnail below.
673. Open for Business: Ask Tim LeTourneau
Written on Thursday 5 January 2006 at 22:07 by
ChEeTaH -
21 comments.
Expansion pack 3 for the Sims 2, Open for Business, was
announced yesterday. Similar to what we
did with Nightlife, we'll be getting the opportunity to talk to Tim LeTourneau, senior producer of the expansion, about the game. He's going to tour through Europe again next week to show the expansion pack to fans and press, TSZ included. You can now send us your questions about the expansion pack by posting a comment to this post, or by
sending an e-mail. We can't guarantee that all questions will be answered, but we'll do our best. You have until 11 January to submit your questions to us, so
start asking!
674. Open for Business Screenshots and Movie
Written on Wednesday 4 January 2006 at 21:47 by
ChEeTaH -
0 comments.
The official
announcement earlier today marked the start of the usual flood of screenshots, movies and information about the new Sims 2 expansion pack, Open for Business. A few have been released before, but now Maxis has also released four screenshots and a video on the
official site. The trailer shows the key features of everything that's possible, including many of the new objects. Between them is also a robot that looks like a remake of Servo, the robot-maid that was introduced in Livin' Large for the Sims 1 - we'll most likely find out more about that soon enough. In the background is a new remix of the Sims 2 tune, but naturally it's a matter of waiting to find out if that will be in the game too. There's a lot more to see in the movies, especially when it comes to all the objects.
Watch it to see for yourself. Also check out the screenshots by clicking the thumbnails below.
675. Sims 2 Mobile Trailer
Written on Wednesday 4 January 2006 at 19:57 by
ChEeTaH -
0 comments.
Although the mobile version of the Sims 2 is available already (through your carrier, e.g. Vodafone in Europe), EA has released a new trailer of the game. It's posted on
IGN Wireless and can be streamed or downloaded from the
media page. It's a one-minute trailer, that IGN posted twice (once with, once without thumbnail).
676. Open for Business Press Release [Update]
Written on Wednesday 4 January 2006 at 15:51 by
ChEeTaH -
0 comments.
Although the title has been known for a while, and the first screenshots have been posted as well, until now there hasn't been an official press release announcing Open for Business yet. Today EA sent out the press release announcing this third expansion pack for the Sims 2 on PC. Senior Producer Tim LeTourneau is quoted in the press release:
"The Sims 2 Open for Business is truly an innovative and fresh addition to the franchise. It allows players to build their own business from the ground up, exploring a whole new economic landscape while pursuing their dreams of commercial success. For years players have been asking for the ability to play with their Sims in a work environment. Now they will be able to do just that, unlocking not only their Sims business potential but their own as well. It's really a whole new way to play the game. Whether you're a clever tinkerer or a master craftsman, your dream store can become a virtual reality as your Sims world becomes open for business!"
The press release mentions several key features, like the possibilities to open up various shops, "
from trendy clothing boutique to blooming floral shop, a bustling restaurant perhaps, or become a mogul with an original business of your own design." Your Sims will need to create and craft items to sell, and you can dress up your employees in wacky outfits to entertain customers. The expansion will be rated "T" for Teen by
ESRB, just like the other Sims games. For more details, check out the full
press release.
[Update 18:00] The European version of the press release is out now too. In that version the
PEGI rating of 12+ is mentioned. That means the rating will, as expected, be the same as for the other expansion packs.
677. International Outfits
Written on Wednesday 4 January 2006 at 15:44 by
ChEeTaH -
0 comments.
The
official site has put three downloads in the spotlight again. This time these are three fan-made Sims: "
African Dawn" by TracyMare from South Africa, "
Øst- Telemark Raudtrøyebunad" by MissChrizty from Norway, and finally an outfit from Thailand by Srikwan01 called "
Traditional Thai Luxurious Blue Dress". All files are now available from the official
exchange and through the new intro splash at the frontpage. You need to have your copy of the Sims 2 registered to see that intro and to download the sims.
678. The News of 2005
Written on Saturday 31 December 2005 at 18:22 by
ChEeTaH -
0 comments.
It's the end of the year, and this is almost newspost number 2500. Time for an overview of what happened in the Sims world in the past year. From Hot Coffee to stamps, we've dug through our news archives and picked the top 3 of news topics for every month of this year. If you'd like to know what was big this year, or do you just want to look back at another year of the Sims? Then read the
2005 News Overview. Want to read more? We've still got our
News Archive with all items of the past four years in it. So enjoy the read, and have a good new year!
679. Merry Christmas!
Written on Saturday 24 December 2005 at 13:53 by
ChEeTaH -
2 comments.
With the festivities being just a day away, it's time for us to wish you all a merry Christmas. Don't forget your Sims, and go to our
Files section to surprise them with some
gifts or
clothes - or of course some of the downloads that were made for you in previous years. Have a good time with your family and friends, and enjoy yourself. We'll be back after Christmas, but you can keep visiting us whenever you like, for downloads and more.
Merry Christmas!
The Sims Zone Team: ChEeTaH, Andy, Jendea, Matt, MissWendy, Neil, Nicx, Starrats, Steve and Sumit
680. New HolidayCast
Written on Saturday 24 December 2005 at 13:20 by
ChEeTaH -
0 comments.
Just like with
Thanksgiving, Maxis has created a podcast from one of the stories on the exchange. This time dlg1012 is responsible for the
story "
Grandma got electrocuted by our Reindeer." One of the Maxoids narrates the story, without a special guest now. Go on and listen to the
podcast if you want to know how Grandma got electrocuted.