User Reviews (1 - 11 of 28)

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This game emphasizes being popular and being in business

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 24 / 30
Date: December 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The person who said that this is a chat room masquerading as a game is right on. The emphasis is on popularity -- there are lists of 100 most popular sites, etc. Many of the features of TheSims are not there. Goal seems to be to set up your own business. Those who like chat rooms will perhaps like it. Those who like a family/relationships game may not. The user interface is also not very good. And, frankly, I think the graphics are POOR. I played it from a 2400 mhz machine and it was so slow to construct anything it was frustrating. Everything is on their servers, which also is irritating. One can't work on anything in the game offline. Online the action goes on; there is no way to pause to just go to the bathroom, or find and read instructions. It appears defaults are set so that there is no privacy -- people automatically enter your home as though it were a business unless you specifically set up things otherwise. Perhaps some will like defaults being different from TheSims, but I found that everywhere there were differences, I preferred TheSims. It was almost as though whoever designed this game didn't like TheSims. If that was Will Wright, we are lost :-(

The Sims Online is for those who don't like games

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 21 / 26
Date: January 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a game for people who don't like gaming.

Anybody who thinks this is an actual online extension of the original Sims will end up disappointed.

There is no real Sims World, no dowtown areas to walk around in.
You can't even walk in the neighborhood your house is located at.

This is nothing but a boring, tasteless chatroom thats extremely shallow and uncreative. I'd rather donate the monthly fee to charity because there are plenty of places to chat for free.

I was hoping for an actual game with challenges that balanced with the social aspect.

This is nothing but a pointless giant chatroom where roleplay consists of people making fools of themselves.

A total and complete Rip Off

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 20 / 22
Date: February 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I buy games not only escapism but for the challenge.

This shouldn't even be marketed as a game, if they have no
intentions of completing it. This is nothing but a chatroom with some inside gameplay thrown in so that it can be called a game.

This game is boring, what little gameplay it has is shallow
and the majority of players are rude and obnoxious.
I thought when people get older they grow beyond having cliquish-highschoolish behavior and engaging in bathroom humor. Apparently I was wrong because there are a great deal of adults apparently living the life they never had in highschool, online.

This game lacks everything that made The Sims fun and needless to say I truly regret not listening to those who warned me not to buy it.

Save your money. TSO is a chatroom masquerading as a game.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 19 / 27
Date: November 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

As someone who has playtested this, I can safely say that
this game in the state that its currently in, will not be complete for potential players to invest in this by its rlease date. It can barely handle 16 players at any particular site.
The game content is boring and and the objectives pretty shallow.
Why invest in a timecard for a game that is really a big chatroom when there are online places to chat for free?

Pay?!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 18 / 24
Date: December 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Yep, thats right...The Sims online is not free to play online. Thank goodness i hadn't purchased it yet because the idea sounded awesome and i love online games. but not when i have to pay to play online. Hopefully the other companies won't try and capatilize on this idea because that will ruin any fun we have left playing games.

Horrendously Pointless and Boring

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 14 / 19
Date: March 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I just unsubscribed from this monstrosity of a game so I can honestly say that in its current unfinished state, it is not worth the monthly fee. The game play is extremely boring to the point where you either fall asleep in your chair or leave to complete other tasks while your Sim works on a skill.
The object of the game is to strive to get on the Top lists and become either the most popular or wealthiest.
The strict limits and lack of game content doesn't make those objectives easy to accomplish and diminishes what little fun the game has. All I did when I played was try to build my sims skills up, chat, and watch some players engage in extremely weird and often crude behavior toward other players.
Everything that made the original Sims fun and exciting is non existent here. Perhaps if this game had not been rushed, it would have been more fun to play and there would be more to do than just skilling centers, dance clubs, etc because currently you're better off with the offline version as there is more to do and especially since they're taking way too long adding new content in this game.

A Half-Baked, Half Hearted, Half Complete Game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: April 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you're a chat addict and wish to experience chat in an animated way, then this game is for you. If you're expecting a game as fun and as creative and as exciting as the offline version, then The Sims Online is not for you.

This is basically an incomplete game wrapped around a pretty chat interface. They released it far too early and have only begun to really start adding game content the last month and a half.
The strict limits and rules discourage any sort of creativity.

Its definitely not worth it. The game will not only bore you ..., it will stress you out. ...

Gamers: Don't Waste Your Time And Money

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: February 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The game itself is a remarkable accomplishment in itself. However, there are a few things you should know before investing your time and efforts.

Parents should be aware that there is alot of gang symbolism involved in the communites these days. Part of building up your character includes obtaining special actions when you choose to make a new friend. If someone decides to make you an enemy, you lose these special actions and friendship links. The bad players that join these gangs do so for the sole purpose of making enemies to rob people of their special actions. Maxis and EA has lost all control of this and people are leaving the game rapidly. If you unknowingly move into a neighborhood these people don't like, you can be hit to the point of losing all of your friendships.

The other drawback is that in order to be a popular property you have to keep visitors coming in and staying. If you work hard enough you can be a top property. However, several of the players (mostly the online gangs) buy several accounts and keep non-roommate characters at their properties constantly. If you want to pay for four or five accounts and do this, you have a chance of achieving this game goal. Unfortunately, an honest player will never have a chance to make most of the game goals.

Aside from this, the actual technology behind the game is short of amazing. There are some graphic and system glitches, but nothing major.

Paying For A Chat Room

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: January 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I was really looking forward to this game, until I found out theres a monthly fee. First you have to buy the game THEN pay money every month just so you can role-play in a chat room. Ha! I think not!

One big popularity contest

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: December 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I've played The Sims Online for over a year now. It gets worse and worse all the time. The only reason I keep it is because I have one friend that I can only get in contact with through the game. There is too much drama, people take it way too seriously. And "mafia" families are everywhere trying to con everyone out of simoleons or ruin reputations of innocent sims. I would not recommend this game to anyone!!

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