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Great Addition to the Franchise

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 339 / 347
Date: September 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I picked up my copy of Nightlife yesterday, as well as Prima's Nightlife Strategy book. The game is great. With this expansion, your sims have the opportunity to have enhanced social interactions with other sims. You can now see what sims are attracted to your sims. There is a new item in the relationship panel called "chemistry" and the sims with whom your sims have chemistry with are rated with a lightning bolt system - 1 bolt being low, 2 bolts being average and 3 being high. This helps if you're trying to get your sim a good match. You can also ask people about their skill levels, which will be helpful for me because there is nothing worse than picking up a sim who has low skills and thus contributes nothing good to the household.

You can now go out with groups of people instead of just one sim. This functions similarly to "throw party" in that the group outing is scored. (FYI-Dates are also scored) You can create and manage groups so whenever you want to go out with groups of people, the group is already preassembled.

With a new aspiration reward tool your sims can change aspiration. In the past this could only be done with a young adult sim while they were in college. However if your sim uses this object under the gold range their aspiration will automatically be change to "grilled cheese". They will only want to make, eat and talk about grilled cheese.

With respect to objects and building: I haven't used anything yet, however there are now 1/2 walls that you can build to break up a room a little bit, however it does not function in the same way as a full wall does i.e. if your kitchen has rotten food on the counter top and is separated from the dining room by a half wall, the dining room environment score will be affected. There is also a new driveway tool, new doors, windows etc.

I don't really like playing with cheats, but there are some new ones:
1 - You can give a newly created family additional funds without having to play with them. In the past you had to buy a house lot or a house, move them in and THEN use the motherlode cheat. So if I wanted to give Don Lothario $10,000 the cheat is "familyfunds Lothario 10000". You can insert a minus sign before the simoleon dollar amount to reduce a family's funds if you want.
2 - Give a family ALL the career reward items with "unlockCareerRewards".
3 - Maximize motives with "maxMotives"

This expansion pack is an "enhancement" pack. It takes simming to a whole new level.

Keeps getting better

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 124 / 137
Date: September 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

As depicted in our earlier previews, Nightlife offers a new downtown/city area that you can associate with your towns. There's only one, but it's loaded with new buildings, restaurants, stores, and entertainment centers. 125 new objects are available, most focusing on social interaction or community lot decorating. Sims can now build driveways and own their own cars, and they can form social groups or go out on dates. In addition, the inclusion of Vampires almost makes the pack.

Graphically, there are some new perks. Although it doesn't directly impact gameplay, you can now see neighboring lots from your own house -- this makes the game more immersive, since it doesn't feel like your house is floating in space anymore.

A new "Pleasure Aspiration" is now available as a Sim's life goal. Typically Sims with the Pleasure Aspiration live for the moment, their wants changing rapidly based on the situation, eager to do whatever fun thing is at hand. They're pretty easy to keep happy, but not very deep, which makes the new aspiration less interesting to play than, say, a family or popularity aspiration.

More objects and features...and bugs

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 41 / 41
Date: October 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

When I first bought this expansion pack and played it for a few hours, I immediately came on the amazon site and rated it at 4 stars. After playing it enough to feel comfortable writing a review, though, I find I have to give it 3 stars. Let me explain.

What I liked:

*New and useful objects
*Inventory slots! Want to keep something when your SIM moves out? Put it in their inventory and take it out when you get to the new home!
*Cars! Miss the bus or carpool? No problem! Hop in the car. Don't like the waste of valuable time that waiting for the taxi has become? No problem! Hop into the car!
*The New Pleasure Seeker Aspiration. Actually not a very difficult person to keep happy and it adds a bit more variety to a game that already has tons of it.
*The New Downtown Neighborhood. Just as the University Expansion Pack had you choose a University neighborhood to associate with your normal SIMS neighborhood, Nightlife has you choose a Downtown neighborhood to associate as well. There is only one Downtown neighborhood to choose from, but it is great as is! You can still create your own if you so desire, though.
*Vampires! Beware of night trips to Downtown! You never know when the local Count is going to search for entertainment in the same location that you choose...
*Group Outings and Dates. These add new activities to run your SIMS through which adds yet more variety to an already great game. It takes a while to get a feel for how to make them successful, but learning is half the fun!
*Turn ons and Turn offs. These add a little depth to your SIMS personalities. This enhancement had me a little worried at first, because I was afraid of how already existing SIM families would be affected. It turns out that when you install this expansion pack, already existing SIMS have a potion put into their inventory. Drinking this potion allows you to set the turn ons and turn offs so you can pick those traits that will keep your SIM family together (or tear them apart if you feel evil).

What I didn't like:
*All of the bugs that I observed after the University Expansion are still their with Nightlife.
*If an already existing SIM owned a cell phone, handheld device, or other electronic gadget then this disappears after installing the Nightlife expansion pack and you have to buy new ones for that SIM. THAT is an inexcusable bug!
*If you create a new family in the Downtown neighborhood and then want to move them into the regular neighborhood, well, there's no ultra easy way to do it (like the drop out of school option or graduation in University). The work around, I guess, is to make them friends with someone in the neighborhood and have that person invite them to move in.
*The price. Despite the quality of what is added, I still feel that this expansion pack is overpriced, especially in light of the bugs that didn't fixed.

In Summary:
If I rated the new additions on just the fun and value they add to the game I would give it 5 stars. The unresolved bugs cost at least 1.5 stars though. I took another .5 for the price. It really does pain me to give this only 3 stars, but being too forgiving won't encourage game developers to put forth the extra effort to make their products bug free.

The expansion packs keep getting better!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 23 / 23
Date: September 20, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I purchased the Nightlife expansion pack after using the University expansion pack for several months, and I have to say these add-ons keep getting better! Anyone who plays Sims 2 knows how limitless the game is in nature, but these packs add so much more to the game! This edition especially shows how receptive EA Games is to its customers. A few of the great additions this pack offers are...

-Chemistry: Sims are now able to match based on chemistry. You are able to pick your sim's turn-on's and turn-off's and "scope" rooms for other sims who match basic chemistry. Then, as relationships progress, you can track chemistry levels which will make or break the relationship.

-Pleasure Aspiration: A new aspiration has been introduced to create even more possibilities for your sims new party lives.

-Vehicles: Sims are able to buy cars which makes going to community lots more fun and realistic. Also, you can now build actual garages with driveways. Cars can also be equiped with alarms for an added effect.

-Community Lots: Now, you will be able to change community lots with extreme ease and speed by simply clicking on a lot across the street from the one you're currently at. This is far quicker than having to return to your sim's house and then out again to a different location.

-New objects: This will be very exciting to any avid Sim player! EA has obviously done their reseach and discovered people were trying to make their own sectional couches or boothes for dining. Now, these items come standard with no hassles required. Many new objects await that should definitely meet and exceed your desires.

There are many, MANY more reasons for this expansion pack to receive 5 stars, but I'll save you some surprises! Don't wait; Get it now!

So Far... The Best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 26
Date: September 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

While I am generally opposed to the "expansion pack phenomenon," I am at least tamed by cool stuff. The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack is so far my favorite addition to the series.

Of course, as with everything, there are pros and cons. Let's start with the positive, shall we?

PROS
1. Having your own car is sweet. Besides just being able to drive to work (late, if you want to), you can also cruise around in it (increasing your fun level) and performing the Woo Hoo. It makes for a central idea when going on a date, as you might imagine.

2. Did I just mention... you can go on dates now? It's a cool little feature of this expansion pack. It is basically a scenario process with a new interface. It is pretty cool, but is designed for only one thing, of course: romance. If you are dating around while married, you are indeed having an affair! But there are cool things you can attain from this interaction.

3. Nightlife also includes the non-romantic gatherings concept. You can formulate a group for the sole purpose of just hanging out or actually having a designed night out. In either situation - dating or group get-together - you can go out to dinner, go bowling, or go clubbing. These are the kinds of new aspirations and wants for the new aspiration: Pleasure.

4. Yes, the new aspiration, complete with lifetime wants and the daily fears. You will see that much like the whole nightlife lifestyle, it pretty much just coincides with the Romance aspiration, but requiring less Woo Hoo and more dating. But plan on being a Slacker or a heavy dater, nonetheless.

CONS
1. There are two special Non-Player Characters (NPCs) that pop up in the new Downtown neighborhood: a count vampire (usually named Count Jesse Hutchins, but there are countesses as well) and Mrs. Crumplebottom. If you ask me, both are relatively worthless. If you own the Open for Business expansion pack, my advice is not to construct a business in Downtown that has all the facilities you need to operate it 24 hours a day (like a shower, oven, etc.). The reason is that Mrs. Crumplebottom won't let you or your employees bathe. Oh, and she won't let you in a spa, either. (Bathing suits.)

2. The expansion pack will set you back some decent chump change. Why not wait until The Sims 3 comes out and then get The Sims 2 Complete Edition? It will only cost you $50 then, I would guess, and you get every expansion included. But if you can't wait that long and you don't need the cash, The Sims 2: Nightlife will keep you "busy" for a ton of hours.

Have fun.

Basic

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 23 / 25
Date: September 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

When buying this game, I wasn't expecting much. Just dating, cars, and a few more modern pieces of furniture. And I set my sights just right. When they say, "over 125 new objects" you assume that means furniture... electronics... etc. But I think that included in those 125 are wall colours... floors... and clothes for your sim. 50 of the new objects are things put in the home.

I was looking forward to dating my sims, to find just the right spouse. The turn-on's/turn-off's are helpful in the dating scene. You can make some Sims like fit sims, and vampire sims, but hate stinky sims. However the dating is almost primitive. There's a dating meter on the side of the page, with a time clock on how much longer your date will last above it. As the two sims get to know eachother, the date meter increases. You obviously want it above the GOOD level. If you find the two sims having a good time, their date will increase in time, and if their deep in conversation, the date will last until morning.

The Matchmaker is there if your having trouble finding that special someone. However, she does not give you much choice, and if you give her anything under... I'd say 2000 simoleons, your date won't be the best. Some sims also don't appreciate falling out of the sky and landing face first on the ground, and leave.

You can also travel in groups downtown. I was dissapointed to see, however, that there are very few group interactions. The group TRAVELS to their destination, then, once arriving, split up to do their own thing.

Cars, I was pleased with. You have a driveway you can plop 'em down on, or, if you have a precious sports car and want to protect it from the elements, store it in the garage. The garage can be attached or seperated from your home. There are five different types of cars, from a $950 clunker, to the $11,450 sports car.

One of the main reasons I bought this game was for vampires. You do see these around the town, but only late at night. Once you befriend a few, you just might become one. However, if your vampire-sim ventures out in the light, their aspiration meters plummet, and they soon die. So, they sleep in the day, party at night. A nice coffin seals out the piercing rays of the sun, but it is very difficult to sheild your vampire-sims from sunlight.

I have mentioned only the basics (mostly because everything in this game is basic), for there are also inventories, bowling alleys, and many other things that are left unsaid. However, I have a life, and the Sims 2 Nightlife to play, so I can't spend the rest of eternity explaining. I just mentioned the things I was interested in when reading reviews, and I hope I helped you too.

"As if Sims 2 wasn't addicting all ready"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 26 / 30
Date: September 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

A direct quote from a friend of mine as he watched my Sims explore the Downtown region contained within Sims 2.

WARNING: Review contains...spoilers? I guess that's what you can call them. Nothing plot related, though Sims doesn't really have a "plot".

Having never played a computer game with mulitple expansions, I was unaware the Sims 2 expansions built on each other. My Sims still have access to their Universities as well as Downtown.

Downtown is a fairly large community with tones of things to do. Resturants, clubs, parks, and more. With the taxi or personal car, you can choose to go JUST to the Downtown area and look around OR pick a specific place and head there.

Also with Downtown comes a possible solution to over-population. IF you connect a series of neighborhoods to ONE Downtown area, inhabitants of those neighborhoods can visit the other neighborhoods through this common link (something I was hoping for in University, but did not get...probably because the engine that allows this to happen was not working the way Maxis/EA wanted it to). It is quiet possible (though I have no yet tried it myself), that you can move familes from one neighborhood to another. PLEASE DO NOT quote me on that, this is just a speculation.

Now, on to the REAL stuff. 125 new items have been added, includined new clothing, new games, new building options, new trees and plants, etc. There are vampire couples, but much like the secret societies in University, you must get a certain number of "relationship point" with a certain number of them inorder to become a vampire. The number varies per Sim.

Cars are a nice addition, especially for those of us with Sim living on large lots or have a history of missing the bus. Cars can be parked on the street, down a drive way or in a garage. Again, I have not yet tried this, but it may be possible (with a personal car) to drop by and visit your neighbors. Again, PLEASE DO NOT quote me on this as I have not yet tried it. It is merely speculation.

Dating is fairly straight forward and gives your Sims a WHOLE new range of social interactions, including "Scope Room", which allows for single (and cheating) Sims to look for potential mates. Don't worry about calling the divorce court just yet, if you all ready have married Sims the expansion takes your pre-existing couple and does its best to mess them (if they turn out to be completely incompatable) with similar/shared interests. Turn ons/turn offs, are little traits that make your Sims hearts' flutter or make them gag. Having trouble finding that special someone? Hire a matchmaker and hope for the best.

Overall, it is a wonderful expansion and loads of fun! I am a bit disappointed that there were no new jobs added to this expansion, but since the proposed expansion for Spring 2006 is called "Open for Business" I will forgive this one minor oversite.

HOLY CRAP!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 20
Date: November 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

THIS GAME...OH MY GOSH! This is...THE BEST Sims game...EVER(I wouldn't know exactly...University doesn't work on my computer but...)! If you haven't gotten it yet, then you are SO missing out. I know you've already heard about it already but...

Pros:
-CARS!! One of the last things that I wanted! Now you can actually go places WITHOUT having to pay money for a taxi and wait for it to arrive while you Sim wants to go here and there and do this and that and by the time it gets there it takes forEVER to get them there and...I'm rambling...sorry...BUT IT'S AN AWESOME ADDITION!

-Dating...it makes the Sims life seem even more realistic than before! If you have a dream date, then they'll show up at your door and give you a boquet of flowers. If your house is already crowded, than this can be kinda annoying because you just don't have space to put that kinda thing anywear, but it's still a nice addition. If your date is a disaster however...well...they show up at your door furious and with a burning bag of dog poo. But yeah...dating is awesome combined with chemistry. Chemistry can either make your life a whole lot easier by unlocking actions earlier...or they could be completely repulsed by the person that you want them to love...but that's just another thing to add to their personality...which is totally real now by the way.

-VAMPIRES! I've been trying so hard to get one of my Sims bitten...and finally it happened! I now have a whole vampire family who are busy biting their freinds and spreading the epidemic of vampirism! When night comes, NONE of their needs go down! NONE OF THEM! Which means that you've got a whole twelve hours that they can use for maximizing skills! The bad part is that they can't really work, unless they have a home business I guess...but if you don't have Open For Business...then you have to use "motherlode"...a lot. And sometimes, with no needs to fullfill, it gets kinda tedious...BUT I STILL LOVE IT! Oh...and another thing...once morning comes...they have to get into a coffin quick! They start to die when they're exposed to sunlight, which gets kinda tough when you have an annoying little baby/toddler/kid who doesn't seem to understand that they're killing their parents when they wake them up because, A.)They need their diper changed, B.)They woke up from a nap, or C.)They want them to cheer for a report card.

-The awesome downtown. They've got tons of new places to go to! It takes FOREVER to load downtown then the place, but that can be solved by living in a house downtown. Then you only have to load the place, which takes considerably less time.

-All of the new outfits and hair. There are so many new choices! It's really cool! You can even have their hair dyed different colors by going to custom hair when they change their appearance.

Cons:
There's really not much...but I suppose...

-You can't save when downtown. Not a new concept...but it's still extremely annoying.

-The lack of vampires. I have a few Sims that spend every single night roaming downtown in search of vampires for the purpose of becoming one, and only one succeeded! ONE! Other times, I found one on a Sim that wasn't for that purpose, which made me really mad because if I had only been there with a one that was meant for it...

-Toddlers, kids, and teenagers can't be vampires. I suppose that it's because they have to go to school, but couldn't they have had a night school or a special school for vampires? I even had two vampire parents have a baby, and it wasn't a vampire...but I guess I'll just have to wait...

As you can see from the extreme lack of cons, this is an AWESOME game and I love it!

The best expansion for any Sims game yet!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 19
Date: November 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I got this expansion a couple of weeks ago and already have learned so much. There are so many new things including the new downtown feature, cars, and the ability to go on dates.

When i played this game for the first time I thought it was similar to what it would be like to play the first sims game with multiple expansions packed into one.

My favorite feture of this game has got to be the cars. They have opened so many possibilities and are similar to what you can do in a double bed with two sims.

Bowling, dates, and night clubs are the star of downtown. You can go on dates to any of these places. You can also have sims who crave the city life live downtown. This is a great feature for city-goers who need to just live there.

Bowling is something I haven't really had a chance to try but I expect it to be awesome. I have made many sims and have been able to accomplish that great dream date everyone dreams of having.

Another perk that I've noticed not many people addres is the turn-ons and turn-offs feture. You can choose two turn-ons and one turn-off. These allow the new service of the matchmaker to have an easier job of finding your perfect mate if you can afford it.

There are so many new possibilities included in this expansion pack and I can't even tell all the new items included. I can advise all big-time players that to cheat or not to cheat is truly the question. The answer for me was simple because I am a big cheater and it helped me with some little things so much! Promise me you will get this game!

This is the Best expansion yet!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 32 / 46
Date: September 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This expansion is definetly worth the money! There are over 150 new objects, cars included! Now you can drop your kids off at school if they miss the bus, and you can drive to work!Now your sims can go out on the town to eat dinner, or dance all night. this is a great game! If you want more info go to www.thesims2.com

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