Bob the Sim looked around his room. It was empty, boring and lifeless from his negligence and ever-growing beer gut. So Bob worked out, threw in a Jacuzzi and added some flashy neon lights for ambiance. Soon, the hot neighbors were knocking at his door, begging to hang at his phat new crib.
Ah, nothing beats the life of a Sim.
Then again, life just got even better, as the best-selling PC game of all time is making its way into living rooms everywhere this spring.
Software publishing giant Electronic Arts and developer Maxis recently announced a GameCube and Xbox version of "The Sims" will join the recently released PlayStation 2 edition as the next step forward in the wacky world of Sims.
"Bringing the No. 1 selling PC game of all time to a variety of console platforms gives players a whole new Sims experience," executive producer and Maxis Studio CEO Sinjin Bain said. "Console players and Sims fans alike are going to enjoy the redesigned controls and exciting new play features."
One new twist to the franchise is the "Get a Life" mode, a mission-based mode that players can win. The first set of goals is simple: borrow money from Mom, learn to cook and fix the TV. Soon, it gets a little more sophisticated with creating a circle of friends, getting hitched, entering a career and building the phatest pad to live the ultimate vida loca.
Chris Bray, president of Spartasoft, a student organization devoted to video game development, thinks this feature will help draw in more action-oriented gamers.
"A lot of people are turned off by a game as open-ended as 'The Sims,'" Bray said. "But the addition of goal-oriented game play will help cater more towards the console audience. And even if sales go down from the PC version, it will still be a top-selling console game."
The new "Sims" will still share characteristics with the PC version, with no goals or time constraints. You still have to work to keep the Sims alive by not letting them die in house fires, giving them enough sleep so they don't pass out in the middle of roads, and help them answer nature's call so they don't pee in their buddy's new pool.
Also for the first time, two players can control their own Sims in the same environments, and compete their second half against each other. Players can battle in games that trash the other person's party, makes the most friends or cons the most money in a given time.
A noticeable difference from the PC game is the graphics, as the console games are built with polygons rather than sprites like the PC version.
It's an entirely 3-D world that harnesses the full power of the console, with new levels of customizable details previously unavailable.
"The possibilities in the world of 'The Sims' are limitless, which is what makes it so addictive," zoology senior Danielle Fleszar said. "It's unique in that you can control every single object, give people numerous actions and emotions, and make them do the things you would normally want to do, like go on vacation."
The console editions also include a cast of wacky neighbors and creatures that can't be found in the original "Sims," including a monkey butler who can be unlocked to serve a Sims' every whim. There's even an unlockable strip poker table.
"I'm not so old that I don't remember college, and let's just say that some of the characters in the game might really hit home with your readers," Bain said. "Besides this little tidbit, I'd suggest they get the cheat codes. I am amazed that people have been able to hack so deeply into the game to turn on and off some of the 'censored' aspects of the game."
As for what's next for "The Sims," only time will tell, but according to Bain, things are definitely looking good.
"Oh, we have lots of big things planned in the world of 'The Sims,'" he said. "But these are things we don't talk too much about too far in advance. Loose lips sink ships, or something like that."
