The Sims: Livin' Large

The Good
Well, first of all before I write this review, I would like to say a disclaimer. I have already wrote a review for the original Sims and I recommend you read it first before you even consider reading this. In this review I am only going to discuss the importance of the expansion and if it is worth it if you already have the original. For a full review on The Sims please read my other review.

I would like to say that out of all The Sims expansions out there I thought that this was probably the most necessary. As I had mentioned in my review of The Sims, a lot of the game’s content comes from expansions and this is probably the most important of them. It nearly triples the amount of items you can get and does nearly the same for the heads and bodies that you can use. What I do find bad is that because this game was the first expansion ever to come out for this game, people have nearly forgotten about it. What is even worse is that it is the most important of all the expansions to get, and without it you are missing out on probably some of the most important items in the entire series.

This expansion nearly triples the amount of items that you can buy, some of these the most important in the entire series. It also adds new bodies and heads to use for you Sim characters. Along with the items, it expands your number of neighborhoods to 8 (I believe that is the number) and adds new career paths that you can throw at your Sims that varies game play. It also adds new methods of communication, more actions, and more hilarity. It’s all in here.

Not only this, but most of the items that have become pop culture symbols of the entire Sim series originated in this game. The Serv-o-bot, the grim reaper, the chemistry set, and thelawn gnomes all came from the expansions. Also, the Frankenstein, the guinea pig cage and painting, and the sad clown that comes to your house all come from this game. And who could even forget the telescope that gets you abducted by aliens? And of course, the clueless mythical genie, who sometimes does more harm than good. All of these things have become synonymous with the game The Sims.

The Bad
The only bad part I can think of is that it still did not give the option of going over other people’s houses. It also does not include optional locations like downtown or vacation areas, so you are still stuck at your own dull boring house. This still bothers me that only new items and other things like that were added, a no new modes of play were available like going over a friend’s house.

The Bottom Line
This expansion, though probably long forgotten, is easily the most important. No Sims fan should ever, EVER go without this expansion because many of the items are very important in the game and some even define the series itself. The game is at its cheapest price: I saw it a few days ago on a bargain bin rack for 5 dollars. At the price, there is no reason to go without this game at all. If you love playing the original The Sims and don’t have this game then I highly recommend you get this game because you don’t know what you are missing out on.

The Good
The original Sims title had plenty of extras that could have been put in, so I'm glad that Maxis have put some work into an excellent expansion pak for my current favourite PC game. One of the key elements in this game is the larger neighborhood, which allows you to create 50 families in total, which comes as an advantage for not only the lastability of the series, but easier playability (more friends to make, more to work with, more to destroy!!). The fact that there is so much more to do then what was available before makes this a very worth while purchase, especially the Genie!!

The Bad
The only thing that is missing, in my mind, is a Car!! I suspect that in the near future, Maxis will eventually develop this into the sequel, and I hope that they do add that trusty Garage. No home is complete with out one!! And how about a selection of different cars to drive. Imagine having your own Ferrari, or Dodge Viper sitting in the car port. Now that would be fun. And maybe owning your own business would add some more fun to the game too. You could call the sequel "Sims in the City"!!

The Bottom Line
If you have The Sims, and are looking to revive your Sims career, this is worth buying. Then again, if you are yet to play the original, buy both. Trust me, it's worth it.