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It's too early

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 14 / 17
Date: January 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The game has certain strengths. As a chat room, it does well. For once, I don't get PMed by people who are gays or looking to cyber. It's great to form neutral friendships with people from all cultures, gender, and faces. As someone new to online games of this nature, it was a good experience. Just be careful as all the pitfalls of online friendships/relations apply here as well.

If you are looking for objective/goal-oriented style of games then this is not the one for you. While it has been argued that goals are limited by one's imagination and creativity, I beg to differ. Everything about the game is social. There is absolutely nothing for the person who wants to achieve anything else. Building businesses and such are merely excuses to create more social lots for people to hang out. The "best" businesses are the ones that are the most popular (calculated by the most number of visitor hours the lot has) rather than most profitable (many are actually bleeding cash).

Player-Player economy is as good as non existent. All cash comes from the big hole in the sky. There's also no point in accumulating so much as you would find nothing to spend on after crossing a certain threshold.

Finding people to "roleplay" within the game is also like looking for a needle in a haystack. The most common kind of roleplay is that of "hubby/wife" roles. Again very social, and subjective, so I'd keep kids/spouse out of this game. If you are lucky and do some earnest searching you may find that cliche of movie fans there, but as I said - they are the rare ones.

I'm giving a one star rating because the game has been released too early. It lacks content and features that would keep people online for more than a month. It promises so much and yet delivers so little. It's saving grace is that it's pretty stable at this point with minimal game crashes and lags. Oh and yes, that great chat room.

Buy this if and only if you enjoy chatting (and are willing to shell out [$$$] a month + whatever the going rate for the s/w is). Otherwise, stick to the Offline The Sims. It's more bang for the buck.

The Best Game I've ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 17
Date: December 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

TSO is both the best and worst thing that's ever happened to me. I've had more fun than I've ever had without getting out of a chair, but it's also made me stop doing things I should be doing in favor of playing. I'm hooked for life. Not only does it have all the features of The Sims offline, but it has soooo many more. There are about 4 times as many outfit choices as The Sims for PS2, plus there are the pets, and the NPCs (Non-Player Characters) who provide loads of entertainment. There are the jobs, which you actually get to go to, the places, which are created by players, and so are unique and always interesting, and the people!!! The other TSO players are the nicest people I've ever met. It's truly this big online community, and people are always helping people. There are even mini games like pizza making and band that require teamwork, and reward the group with money. It's just like having another life!

The downsides:
-you practically have to learn a new language (afk, g2g, mazing, greening, skilling, that kinda stuff)
-you have to stop and green all the time, which is where you fill your motive bars, this can get a bit tedious
-there are mean stupid people, despite what I've said above. I've never been in a city that doesn't have "mafias"

However:
-you will learn TSO lingo fast, as long as you're not afraid to ask people what they're talking about
-you get used to greening, and just learn to entertain yourself while greening by chatting (TSO is like one giant chat room, only way more interesting)
-most of the people are great, and you can always put "ignore" on people you don't like, and they can't bother you. :)

I promise you will love this game. People have written songs about it. (Visit purplefreak.com) It's fabulous.

Not the best online game experience

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 15 / 19
Date: March 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I've played this on and off since January and am planning
to unsubscribe, as the gaming style of this is just not for me.

I also feel a bit cheated and ripped off because features that were advertised on the box of the game are being put into the game three months after the release!!! Some of those features are only available in the test center as the bugs need to be worked out of them before they can be used in all of the other cities.

Basically, this is just a very boring game with not much to do for the price. The game doesn't capture the same type of fun as the offline version.

The gameplay is extremely boring as well as pointless. Once you've maxed out your Sims Skills and achieved your goals, theres simply not much else to do and the object limit *discourages* creativity.
Other than trying to become the most popular or to get your property on the top 10 list, there is not much incentive to continue to play.

The extreme limits of this game limit any open ended play.

You can't do anything with just a few people. To have any kind of fun you have to be in a house full of people.

You can't build and re-build and re-re build, which is one thing that would keep me playing. You can't do these things due to the money issues.

There is no point to playing once or twice a week because
there are no short-term goals to accomplish .

You can't even take a break from the tediousness of the game and explore, because there are no places to walk around. If you're bored you either go to another house or to your own property.

Besides making money and chatting what is the point to this game?

I'm tired of going to Sim discos, Sim motels, and most of all silly, fake Sim weddings. I don't know who this game is marketed to but it certainly wasn't for me. I guess what I expected was the same type of value and unlimited fun I've had with the offline version that I could have shared with my friends and not some mindless and depthless chatgame experience.

Sadly disappointed

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: June 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I was a beta tester for TSO for a couple of months. During that time I had a blast. I think maybe it was because it was simply something new to do. I met a lot of people that I had a lot of fun with. I'm also one of those people who frequents chatrooms a lot, so the uber social aspect of this game was not a hindrance to me. I even bought the Charter Edition for 70 bucks I was having so much fun.

However, unfortunately, that's all this game is, a chat room. There are so many free chatrooms on the internet these days, that it doesn't make sense to pay for it. Granted, there are interactions such as hugging, kissing, tickling, dancing, and others. They are fun for awhile, but it's not really enough to sustain something that calls itself a game.

As a game, TSO is infinitely boring, mainly because there's simply nothing to do. There is a complete lack of content. There are so many restrictions placed upon you. Whoever heard of a casino resort that was not allowed to have a dance floor and dj booth? Yet, stores are allowed to have free showers for a stinky patron and a free bed to use when a shopper gets tired. Apparently the creators of TSO thinks that's how the real world works. Then there's the property object limit, which is insanely low and includes everything from floor tiles to windows. There are tons of properties that have everything outside because they've reached the limit and can't put walls up, windows in, or light fixtures. The only real goal is to make your business popular to end up at the top of the Top 100 lists. But, even that goal is problematic. Because it's the only goal, people will do anything and everything to get there. It is a complete hindrance to any economy whatsoever. People offer free food and facilities to their guests. People won't charge for goods and services. Stores sell at or below cost. Casinos set their slots to pay out as often as possible. All because they want to have as many guests on their lot as possible.

After countless hours of boringly raising your skills, most of which you will spend AFK, you will spend countless hours trying to make money by chipping away at a gnome or writing on chalkboards, also AFK. The economy is based on job objects. The makers of TSO try to force group socialization down your throat by making skilling or money making easier in groups. But, since everybody is AFK (away from keyboard), there's really nobody to socialize with. It's impossible to have a real job. Not only does the game interface not support it, but people will refuse to pay for a meal at your restaurant, or a room at your hotel. Why? Because everybody offers everything for free to get on those lists. There is no real ability to be an entrepreneur. The most successful people basically offer as many bribes as they can afford to retain as many visitors for as long as possible. And, since nobody ever has to pay for anything, people eventually acquire vast amounts of wealth. What do they do with it after they've built their windowless, lightless house? Give it away free to other people so that they can get higher visitor hours and rise up on that god forsaken top 100 list. There is no economy, no politics, no government, nothing fun to do or goal to strive for. The only reason people play is to either get on those lists, or because they don't want to leave the friends they have made.

And then we get to updates. A "major" update (which is mostly back end improvements, and possibly a couple of new interactions or objects) happens about once every 45 days. That's hardly enough to keep me or most people interested considering the fact that when it was released it hardly had anything to begin with.

The message boards on the game are strife with complaints. There is a lot of censorship. You aren't allowed to ever discuss exploits, if you are suspended, or if any body has ever done anything wrong to you. The moderators claim that it only makes the situation worse. While I have never had any disciplinary action for doing any of these, it still appears to me as if there are things they don't want us to talk about because they have something to hide and would rather people think that everything is going well.

Then of course there's the problem of account cancellation. Any online game or service worth its salt will allow you to cancel online. TSO reminds me of AOL (which I also hate) in that respect. You have to call a number, stay on hold for quite a long time, answer questions, and deal with pressure to stay. They'll probably offer a free month the first couple of times you want to cancel. And, then, even when you do cancel, just like AOL, it's distinctly possible you will continue to be charged. It's all a HUGE hassle to bleed as much money out of you as possible before you start threatening a lawsuit.

The only reason I am still playing is I dread having to call up customer service. Although, I'm sure I will cancel soon, no matter how many free months I am offered. The only reason I gave it two stars out of one is because I felt it was a great effort at first. And a first time player may have a lot of fun with this, especially if you like chatrooms. If you think it's worth spending [item price] initially, and $10 a month for a glorified chatroom, then by all means buy this game. If you actually want a GAME that has goals and purposes, stay as far away from this as possible.

Over hyped game that offers little of what it advertises

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 12 / 14
Date: February 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I just threw decent money away on this fake game and boy do
I feel cheated and ripped off.

Aside from chatting (which I refuse to pay monthly for out of principle) this game is basically a huge bore.
The gameplay is not only mind numbingly boring, but extremely reptitive beyond the point of no return.

Contrary to other reviews, while you can build properties they neglected to tell you that in order to get anywhere in this game
you need a multitude of roommates and enough patience to survive the boredom of the few job objects that pay money.

A couple hours of Sims online play include skill building, playing with others with the jon objects, and lots of chatting.
And if you don't constantly keep your Sims needs up, they revert to when you just started. And finally you can either chat or stand or sit in silence watching players engage in some rather creepy role playing some of which is definitely not appropriate for children. Everyday you play, you repeat the same things over and over as there are still features and objects that have not been implemented in the game.

This is definitely a game for non gamers and for people who are obviously not internet savvy enough to realize there are 3D internet chatrooms you don't have to pay for.

This is definitely not an open ended game with unlimited possibilities. This is a game where everything is limited.
And its not worth the money.

The Fun fades fast....

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

I regret buying Sim' online. I paid full price for it and I even regret that more.
I enjoyed it at first, you could talk to other Sim's or send them a message.
Building and furnishing a house was very difficult. Everything was priced out of reach.
Building your skills was a very long process. If you could find a good study group with fun "Sim's" it was less painfull.
The final straw was was the people behind the sims. The rudeness, stealing potions, and the problems off the boards. The game got boring fast.
Not to mention the gliches and the updates taking forever...
My advice is save your money. This isn't fun for long.

Where is the role-playing?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 12 / 14
Date: July 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Previous posters have amply covered the mind-numbingly dull nature of this game after the initial blush has worn off. I searched for weeks to find contests that featured something besides random chance and doing repetitive tasks until everybody's bladder bursts, but to no avail.

My big complaint is the complete lack of role-playing. When I started, I created a character with an amusing look and a humorous pretend description. I was the only one. Most everyone else has descriptions describing their musical preferences and sexual orientation, and a link to an online photograph (look at your own risk, usually). Generally in a text style that mixes CaPs aNd lOweR caSe 2 B KooL.... Yawn....

No one wants to pretend, no one wants to play act. Most conversations center around how hard it is being unpopular in high school, or how hard it is to have to stay home all day and clean the house and cook dinner for the kids. I learned quite a bit about the personal lives of complete strangers, some of it alarming, without ever wanting to. And I am supposed to pay for this privelege?

I think the nature of the game, as a mirror of real life, will always limit its potential. No one wants to branch out and play a game, they just want to sit around and Green, and Contest for $$$, and work on their Skilllllz....

It is stunning in it's breadth the first few days, when you see how many places you can go and how many people you can meet, but just wait...boredom is right around the corner.

Save your time and your sanity!! AVOID!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 13 / 16
Date: May 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is the worst example of a multiplayer game I have ever played. I was looking for something new, I thought this game would be cool to try out and was excited about it being touted the "Greatest multiplayer game of all time". Instead I find I am participating in a mindless animated chatroom experience with a few game elements thrown in for good measure.

I am extremely dissapointed and it will be a long time before I even consider buying another EA product The Sims Online was obviously released too early. It has never ending patches and glitches nearly 6 months after its release and the little gameplay it has is extremely repetitive.


No new 'real' content has been added and what little is added is completely useless in significance and 'does not' encourage future gameplay

The game is only about 50% complete and has very few of the features it claims it has on the box even!!!

This so called game, is mindless, pointless, and aimless. Save your money for a real game that has actual depth.

Ten dollars a month FORGET IT

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 22 / 34
Date: February 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm truly a sims lover. I have every expantion pack and sims 2. I just recently got this game because I didn't have it and I saw advertisment on the back of some Sims games. It looked cool that you can talk to other people online and that you can make friends. Also you can share a house with a husband or a best friend. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun right?? Well I got the game thinking that it was a lot of fun. When I opened it up and discovered something that was not said in the advertisements. If I wanted to play this game it would be ten dollars a month. That is just as much money as it costs to buy this game. I told my parents that it was 10 dollars a month and the first month free. My parents said no. Listen to me and don't waste the money buying this game in the first place.

That's what I got for not listening to other reviews

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: May 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Well ok, I did not want to listen to the 174 amazon.com reviewers all telling me that "The Sims Online" is terrible.
I bought it, installed it, gamed it for about 20min with 2 of my friends and you might already get the point: it's plain horrible.
Install takes forever, adjusts your graphics setting to a minimum (albeit only temporary but still, give me a break!) and when finally in the game you see...nothing really. You will have to chose a piece of land and start building your house. So far so good. You will also need to get out and make money of course but unlike the other Sims games there is no preprogrammed work "mechanism"; you have to go out and find a job, working with other Online Sims. Neat idea if only there were other ppl online. One of my friends was a little more persistant in trying to get something for her money but ultimately threw the towel because she ran out of money and was unable to find other gamers, open shops or work places to replenish the funds.
I think her Sim starved to death.
By the way, those of you who think there's a 30 days free trial period better watch your accounts, a tab (holding, pending whatever you may call it) is placed on your account after 25 days for $... and it will stay there for two more days even after you cancel the game!
Anyway, onwards to the best part, the cancellation: easy I thought and clicked my way to my account, happily hit the "cancel game" button and found out that I had to call a toll free number to cancel!!!
After having been on hold for 16min (by that time I was angry enough to check such details) I was finally connected and pestered by the guy on the other end as to why I wanted to cancel the game before I was given a cancellation number.
Let me put it this way dear gamer who wants to try "The Sims Online": there are now 175 people telling you that this game is beyond rediciolous, outdated, boring and very customer unfriendly. Please do not become person 176 warning others, save your money.

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