A Look Back: the Sims
It was the early 2000s before we were introduced to the world of cable. We watched shows on channels that could be picked up using the antennae on our television. Depending on the time of day and clarity of the signal we could pick up some interesting stations.
One of the stations we picked up had a nice collection of shows ranging from a horror matinee that was like a throw back to Elvira and classic cartoons that most haven't seen in ages. There were even moments where music videos played; however, this and the prior weren't my go to show in the afternoons. Can't recall the name but do know the focal topics of discussion revolved around video games.
It was this show that introduced me to various games including the ever popular series known as the Sims. The only game that was played with the name sim in it was Sim City and that was played in Keyboarding 1 during break days. Outside of that the game was a complete mystery.
Here was my chance to get a Sims game only I wasn't aware of the second installment; which is what was delivered since they kept most of the games stored in the back. The Sims 2 game that was purchased was for the PlayStation2 game console. Didn't think much of it till after the trip when the game was first plugged in.
The mechanics were a bit foreign to me as there were lots of locked items that, to me, shouldn't have been locked. There were restrictions to where you could go which I'm sure weren't present in the PC version. Not only that, the game had decoration limits where if you had too much stuff on your lot, a fire will mysteriously appear on the property.
Needless to say, my gameplay with this version ended on a sad note. Fortunately there was a LCD light at the end of the tunnel. This light was the Sims Social.
It seemed a little iffy especially with the 2D graphics but that was easily overlooked. Like all games of this nature you are tasked with creating your unique looking avatar for playing through the game. Your go to guru in game was a character named Bella Goth.
Sims Social was filled to the brim with eye candy and that eye candy went for a lot of simoleons. Things started out okay but it quickly turned into a race to going flat broke. Your home is quite small but there was an option to expand to larger sizes.
Unfortunately these expansions called for gold which could be purchased with real life cash. To make progress more sluggish you needed friends to help with the construction. This is where things started to get a bit annoying for me.
After a while the game started to become less fun and more work. There were some missions that breathed additional life into the game but as always milestones weren't achievable without lots of friends and cash; that high end walk-in closet would've made a nice addition. Dunkin' Donuts was the last mission I remember participating in and I managed to get a kiddie pool filled with donuts.
Eventually I drifted away from the Sims Social to Sim City Social.
A little bit of every career field and varying skill sets were experimented with. The trait system was nice and the workaholic trait became my favorite as it allowed me to work from home when I didn't feel like going in; especially during late nights where my sim was compelled to read till the cows came home. Farming and real estate became favorites for earning extra simoleons.
One of my memorable moments was starting my home on a little hill that was within walking distance to the beach. After getting work and saving as much as I could a decision was made to move closer inland to be closer work; i.e. extra sleeping time. The move was welcomed but did make it a habit to visit the beach at least once a week or so to get some down time.
Sunset Valley was a welcome change of scenery compared to what my exposure in Sims 2 for the PS2. Stayed within this town for a while till the introduction of Riverview which wasn't fully explored as everything I had was wiped due to a tech hiccup. It was fun while it lasted.
Some time later an announcement was made of a new installment to the franchise titled The Sims 4. I was curious about the newcomer to the franchise and thought I would do some investigating and came across a YouTube video featuring a familiar character of whom I met in the Sims Social -- Bella Goth. It was with this video that I learned there was an actual storyline within the Sims franchise.
Platformers, racing, RPG and fighting games are what occupied the bulk of my gaming time. When I was introduced to the Sims, that gaming time frame was occupied by what seemed like endless gaming sessions. The Sims 2 was okay even if you were restricted to a single lot with limitations on how much stuff you could have.
Sims 3 pretty much took over where my other gaming fix left off. It was an open world environment which is what I wanted in the previous installment. There were no restrictions nor limitations and if you wanted some extra items you could obtain them via the DLC page.
Despite the basic package there were opportunities to obtain additional items for customizing your in-game experience; Riverview was a nice and welcome addition. Would love to share the pictures of my game progress and achievements but my online account was deactivated due to inactivity. Who knows, I might be able to get the game again some day; preferably a physical copy rather than just the digital.
One of the stations we picked up had a nice collection of shows ranging from a horror matinee that was like a throw back to Elvira and classic cartoons that most haven't seen in ages. There were even moments where music videos played; however, this and the prior weren't my go to show in the afternoons. Can't recall the name but do know the focal topics of discussion revolved around video games.
It was this show that introduced me to various games including the ever popular series known as the Sims. The only game that was played with the name sim in it was Sim City and that was played in Keyboarding 1 during break days. Outside of that the game was a complete mystery.
Socially Sims
During a trip out of town, an adventure of sorts was taken to explore a breath taking mall complex. Three stores were visited and one of them was GameStop. What started as a window shopping venture turned into an actual shopping trip.Here was my chance to get a Sims game only I wasn't aware of the second installment; which is what was delivered since they kept most of the games stored in the back. The Sims 2 game that was purchased was for the PlayStation2 game console. Didn't think much of it till after the trip when the game was first plugged in.
The mechanics were a bit foreign to me as there were lots of locked items that, to me, shouldn't have been locked. There were restrictions to where you could go which I'm sure weren't present in the PC version. Not only that, the game had decoration limits where if you had too much stuff on your lot, a fire will mysteriously appear on the property.
Needless to say, my gameplay with this version ended on a sad note. Fortunately there was a LCD light at the end of the tunnel. This light was the Sims Social.
 |
| Kristy - Sim City Social |
Sims Social was filled to the brim with eye candy and that eye candy went for a lot of simoleons. Things started out okay but it quickly turned into a race to going flat broke. Your home is quite small but there was an option to expand to larger sizes.
Unfortunately these expansions called for gold which could be purchased with real life cash. To make progress more sluggish you needed friends to help with the construction. This is where things started to get a bit annoying for me.
After a while the game started to become less fun and more work. There were some missions that breathed additional life into the game but as always milestones weren't achievable without lots of friends and cash; that high end walk-in closet would've made a nice addition. Dunkin' Donuts was the last mission I remember participating in and I managed to get a kiddie pool filled with donuts.
Eventually I drifted away from the Sims Social to Sim City Social.
Simming on the PC
Sim City Social became my sim fix till it and it's counterpart were terminated. Players of the games weren't too happy about the news but we eventually moved on. While browsing the internet about the history of the sims franchise I discovered that there was a third installment that had an open world base which I loved as I couldn't stand being restricted to a boxed off area.A little bit of every career field and varying skill sets were experimented with. The trait system was nice and the workaholic trait became my favorite as it allowed me to work from home when I didn't feel like going in; especially during late nights where my sim was compelled to read till the cows came home. Farming and real estate became favorites for earning extra simoleons.
 | |
| My avatar from Sims3 w/DLC hair. The most successful of the sims created as they dabbled in a little bit of everything. |
Sunset Valley was a welcome change of scenery compared to what my exposure in Sims 2 for the PS2. Stayed within this town for a while till the introduction of Riverview which wasn't fully explored as everything I had was wiped due to a tech hiccup. It was fun while it lasted.
Some time later an announcement was made of a new installment to the franchise titled The Sims 4. I was curious about the newcomer to the franchise and thought I would do some investigating and came across a YouTube video featuring a familiar character of whom I met in the Sims Social -- Bella Goth. It was with this video that I learned there was an actual storyline within the Sims franchise.
A Sim by Any Other Name
I'm not what you call a die hard fan or a serious gamer. On occasion I will set up a gaming zone and play for an hour or more. When my console put in storage for a while, I turned to the PC to get my gaming in.Platformers, racing, RPG and fighting games are what occupied the bulk of my gaming time. When I was introduced to the Sims, that gaming time frame was occupied by what seemed like endless gaming sessions. The Sims 2 was okay even if you were restricted to a single lot with limitations on how much stuff you could have.
Sims 3 pretty much took over where my other gaming fix left off. It was an open world environment which is what I wanted in the previous installment. There were no restrictions nor limitations and if you wanted some extra items you could obtain them via the DLC page.
Despite the basic package there were opportunities to obtain additional items for customizing your in-game experience; Riverview was a nice and welcome addition. Would love to share the pictures of my game progress and achievements but my online account was deactivated due to inactivity. Who knows, I might be able to get the game again some day; preferably a physical copy rather than just the digital.
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