The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack Reviews

• Great Addition to the Franchise

  
  By A3BY05N9ZWS2HM on 2005-09-16
  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

  
  By AU2IUU2WBJRTQ on 2005-09-19
  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

  
  By A3Q5QOWMVPTAN2 on 2005-10-19
  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.
  
  
  

• This is the Best expansion yet!

  
  By on 2005-09-13
  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
  
  

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

  
  By A254QHAFNBGU4R on 2005-09-16
  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.
  
  
• The expansion packs keep getting better!
  By AODOJ1UOO7HYR on 2005-09-20
  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!
  
  
• Basic
  By A1GQEYD0WO37S0 on 2005-09-24
  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.
  
  
• Just OK
  By AE7NO2GD4093V on 2006-03-28
  Let me say first, that upon seeing Nightlife advertised, I had no interest in it whatsoever. However, the expansion was given to me, so I gave it a whirl. Unsuprisingly, it is exactly how I expected it to be- just ok.
  A longtime Sims fanatac (I own the first Sims and all of its expansions), I've been a bit disapointed with the Sims 2 in general. Sure, the graphics are stellar, but the load times are ridiculous for your average gamer. Unless your pc is seriously tricked out, you will have to spend a looooong time waiting. Furthermore, Sims 2 failed to revolutionize the original Sims, all it really did was improve the graphics and alow the sims to age. (Which takes waaay to long as well).
  But I digress. Back to Nightlife. The game doesn't add anything really cool or interesting to the game. Some of the objects/building accessories are kinda fun, and it adds a number of new skins (suprisingly, no *special* pajamas). Regardless, the main draw for the game is missing - the downtown is nothing the Sims gamer is new to, and frankly, its kinda gotten old, boring, & tired. The cars are cool, but a bit overhyped. For some reason a husband and wife can't share a car, and its very difficult, if not impossible, to fit two driveways onto one small or medium sized lot (not to mention expensive). The blind date thing is ok, but not a really significant add on. Overall, its just ok.
  
  
  
• So Far... The Best
  By A26G35WR7QCFR2 on 2006-09-01
  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.
  
  
• The Sims Nightlife
  By A1A1A9R4TMFKPJ on 2005-09-14
  The new expansion is going to be great. I just want to give a little more info for those of you who dont think its WORTH IT! You get cars for the first time, there are new interactions like slow dancing, and longing gazes. I even read you can change your aspiration, sort of like an epiphany. When the sims go on dates they have a date meter or if they go alone can find a date because they r now "attracted" to sims according to interests and zodiac signs. New hairstyles and clothes, and of course all the new items. Shoot, thats enough for me im coppin first thing Thursday.
  
  
• DO NOT BUY UNTIL A PATCH IS MADE!
  By A2VRD1OIY2I9TB on 2005-10-02
  This expansion pack contains numerous bugs! Moreover, it DOES NOT FIX the numerous bugs that were contained in the previous expansion pack, University.
  
  If you have a remote toy car on a lot it causes the blank memory bug. If you have too many NPCs coming to a lot it can cause the portal that generates NPCs to cease working and invisible NPCs to generate on your lot causing the memory to overload and the game to slow down so much that you think your PC has stopped running. (This is known as the NPC/Slow Down Bug) If you have too many characters and Elders die then you can end up with what they call the Elder Bug which results in an elders image remaining in the lot splash screen after they die, no tombstone and no inheritance.
  
  These are KNOWN bugs and are not caused by viruses, spyware, adware, computers that need upgrades or third party hacks. Moreover, that's just a SMALL SAMPLE of the bugs in this game! Just search their official BBS on The Sims 2 official website for "patch" or "bug" and a host of posts by their customers will show up. They are far too numerous to list in one review!
  
  It seems that Maxis/EA is more interested in producing expansion packs that are too buggy to run properly than to create a quality game.
  
  It is anyone's guess if these serious problems will be fixed in an upcoming patch. I wish I could get my money back!!!
  
  
• HOLY CRAP!
  By A77X3YKBRP6H5 on 2006-11-16
  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!
  By A1BXL0ADI83GZ6 on 2005-11-27
  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!
  
  
• the best expansion yet!
  By A36S1SZXD4WJYY on 2005-09-16
  Fans have been wanting cars for 5 years now!!! If your a sims fan then get this expansion cause youll love it! Its got night clubs,vampires,new houses in downtown area,dining,dating,group fun, also some new furniture,new clothes, new hairdo's,cars(i love the cars cause now you can take the kids to school and take yourself to work or to downtown. This expansion is worth it! You will have a blast playing it!
  
  
• OMGOMGOMG!!!~shauna~
  By on 2005-11-06
  im not really under 13 but ya. okay i just got the sims 2 nightlife a week ago and it's been awesome. some people were saying that it was lame, really slow, and had lots of bugs. i was wondering whether or not i should install it, because my computer is already slow at loading the game, i don't want to make it even SLOWER. but i took the risk and installed it. boy was that a good idea! this game rox my sox! so far, no problems! the game hasn't had any bugs (knocks on wood) and seems to even LOAD faster (knocks on wood again). okay well lemme tell u bout some of the awesome features!
  
  they have cars! sure there's only five different cars to chose from (a crappy small one, a truck, a mini van, a sports car, and a compact), but the paint jobs make it all worth it! they have awesome paint jobs too, or in my opinion anyways ;).
  
  uhhhhhh, the new clothes. if there's a part of expansions i look most forward to, it has to be the clothes. the adult girls have the best selection. they are suhweet! really awesome dresses. there is some gay-ish clothes for the guys, tho. like electric colored vests.. kinda weird :D.
  
  the fact that they can have dates! i made two people, and had them go on dates, and now they're married! they've already gone on 4 or 5 dates, and all of them have been dream dates too, which is awesome. they have some really funny options when you're dining out: play: throw food, steal a bite Flirt: feed a bite, caress hand Kiss: blow a kiss... if you're in a booth: those plus Hot Kiss, and Love Talk.
  
  there's lots more things new, like objects. for the full description of everything new www.thesims2.ea.com. :D
  
  
• Sims 2 Nightlife
  By A1K7KFNBTUJUFE on 2005-10-17
  I am a great-grandmother, age 71, with a husband who is an invalid. Playing The Sims 2 games are my "escape from reality." The new Nightlife expansion is amazing. The new restaurant scenes are very real and the addition of the vampires adds to the fun. I look forward to each and every expansion pack as they are released. Anyone of any age who is looking for just plain fun can't go wrong buying these games. You can let your imagination go wild.
  
  
• Shocking! Deserves 0 Stars but option not given
  By A32TE3G4OJT28G on 2006-03-30
  I am appalled that anyone would consider this an appropriate game for a young teen... let alone someone who is nearing the end of their teen years! Since when do we encourage our teenagers to go out on the town, tell them it's alright to have one night relationships, to dabble in stuff that is better left alone? I'm sorry.... but this definitely is not a game I want my daughter (or even my son) to have! Here is a quote I read on Amazon about the game: "Ahh, hedonism. Choose the all-new Pleasure Seeker life aspiration for your Sims and live vicariously through your characters. Deliver these Sims all the blissful amusements the world has to offer--hot dates, fancy parties, fine dinners, hot tubbin', and more--these Sims know how to live it up. Be careful, though! These pleasure-seeking Sims are terrified of pain, embarrassment, and effort, so anything outside of the realm of "PARTY!" is probably going to deliver quite a blow to their fragile egos." What parent in their right mind would want their teenager exposed to this?
  
  
• overall, pretty good, minus the bugs and gliches
  By A232RE0L1NRAFR on 2005-09-17
  This is by far the best expansion for either the sims or the sims 2. I think it make the game only that much more enjoyable...that is when the camera is skipping around. The cars were an awesome addition, as well as the turn on and offs, it makes finding a date that much easier.
  
  Overall, this expansion pack make the sims 2 that much more addicting, I already missed a few classes because i was so engrossed in this game.
  
  
• I have played this game until my eyes couldn't take the computer screen anymore!
  By ATUEUZZL25K1M on 2006-01-01
  I absolutely love this game. I look back at University and the original Sims2, and I think "how lame" compared to Nightlife. Even the teenagers get to drive around in cars and go places. The blind date feature is also an outstanding way to meet new sims around the neighborhood, or even sims that don't own a house and are just there for your entertainment. Another awesome detail about this game is that you can live either in the normal neighborhood, or you can buy/build a small house Downtown where all the action is. Trust me, this game is worth the trouble of buying it.
  
  
• *gawk*
  By on 2006-03-10
  Fans of the Sims 2 and The Sims 2 University will freak for this game! If you like games where you can control characters, make sims go on dates and party outings, this is the game for you! If not, this is STILL the game for you! Every age will love this game. If you don't have the Sims 2, wait until you do and then come get it.
  I can't believe how much fun it is!
  
  New social interactions, new ways for your sim to make that speacial someone fall head-over-heels in love, new hair and clothing, new ways to decorate your sims custum house.
  
  Sims can now be vampires! Wow. The new coffin lets them not be burned by the sun.
  
  With four words I could have written this reveiw.
  
  GET THIS GAME NOW!
  
  
• Disapointing ..very disapointing
  By A2NSNZ9N8VWI0G on 2006-04-22
  I was looking forward to Sims2 Nightlife and when I recieved the first thing that I noticed was the packinging. There was no jewel case and that the cd-roms were one on top of another in a container that resembled a dvd case. Considering that jewel cases are to prevent the disks from being damaged, this concerned me. I then installed the game and the problems really began. First it would not install because of the patch from EA games that was installed for Sims2 University. So I had to unistall everything then re-install. Then when I get the game loaded up the graphic quality was not as good as prior to installation and the game ran much slower. My system exceeds the recomended requirements and all upgrades to drivers on my graphics card had already been done as I have had problems with Sims games in the past and know the drill. The downtown was a disapointment. I was expecting something at least similar to Sims Hot date. This paled in comparison to the former. All I can say is that after this I will NEVER buy another Sims2 add-on again. Do not waste your money on this its not worth it.
  
  
• The best game ever
  By on 2006-05-25
  I think this is one of the best expansion packs that the Sims 2 came out with. It was lots of fun. It has bowling alleys, parties, the new socials are good, and the new cltohes that they have are fabulous. I if you're getting an expansion pack for Sims 2 I would definatly suggest this one.
  
  
• A lot of fun; adds a lot more layers of activity to the game
  By A1ZKV91007HD15 on 2006-06-29
  The Sims 2 Nightlife brings a whole new world of personal interactions to your sims. In a way, I noticed showing chemistry/attraction between people (or a lack of it), makes the game easier to navigate. There are great new styles, and a whole host of new interactions between people. It is a lot more than the expansion pack "Hot Date" developed for the first Sims. You'll love playing it! Oh, and there's vampires!
  
  
• Yay for working cars.
  By on 2006-08-03
  Say bye bye to those pesky carpools. You can now drive to work and drop your kids off at school. The turn ons and turn offs aren't really what I expected. I wish they added more turn offs. Like eyes for instance. They could of also added drop toddlers and babies off at day care function to get rid of the pesky nanny.
  
  
• Great Expansion
  By A1APQRBUPJH6BJ on 2006-03-11
  This is a great expansion to The Sims 2. As mentioned in other reviews there are several new cheat codes. The most useful ones being familyfunds and maxmotives. The maxmotives one I use several times it sets all the motives such as hunger, tiredness, comfort, environment etc to maximum. This is really useful when you want your sim to do something but they wont because they are tired,bored or hungry or even worse all of the above. The sims can now own their own car and have a garage to put it in. Make sure they fit it with an alarm because it can be stolen as I found out the hard way. There is also a downtown area with a variety of stores, clubs and gyms.
  
  
• A must have expansion pack...
  By A1R8RV5DVGO6A6 on 2007-06-29
  Nightlife is a MUST HAVE. The downtown is great, though there is some pointless businesses like the art museum. You get new clothes, and a new aspiration. I didn't try out the new aspiration yet, though.
  
  I had a lot of fun sending my Sim on dates, and utilizing all the new features. This game is defiantly something you want to have with your Sims 2 collection!
  
  Their are vampires in the town, a male and a female. I'm not sure if they have more than just two yet. I haven't tried out being a vampire yet, but I will soon! There is a CRAP LOAD of new stuff in this expansion. Everything from wall designs, the new 'rugs' feature, garages, new pre-made house lots (I love the townhouse!). New designs, paintings, and a lot of new entertainment and party things. (You can make your own disco lounge with awesome light-up dance floors and a DJ booth with stobe lights.)
  
  They have new clothes as well, a lot more for woman than men, but both have a fun new outfit fit for any off the wall person. There is also the new 'smoothing' tool for your lawn, now you wont have those hills that seem more like cliffs! It makes the hills more like rolling meadows. XD
  
  You can see your neighbors, but you'll have to turn that option on in the settings first! Its a great new feature, feels much better (I hated the fact it felt like the Sims were just floating on a small flat square green planet..)
  
  I personally enjoyed the amount of new options the sims get, now they can 'primp' themselves, ask other Sims specific questions! And get answers! Such as: 'do you like what you see?' 'what do you want?' what do you fear?' what is your job?' 'How much money do you have?' 'What turns you on?' and more.
  
  You also can gain influence points and influence other Sims to do things like 'kiss...(any person in the room)', Talk to anyone in the room, play with them, you can even have them CLEAN YOUR HOUSE or GARDEN, even serve your household a meal! Now thats some influencing!
  
  There is a LOT of new meals as well, though I'm not sure if you can learn to cook these yourself yet. Either way when you go out and order, you get way more than just 'spaghetti or macaroni and cheese'. There's stuff on the menu I never heard of. (lol)
  
  Overall, I can't tell you everything that is in this expansion, besides the fact that I'm very happy with it.
  
  
• Life for my SIMS just keeps getting better...
  By A329D3O3MW98L1 on 2005-09-30
  Life for the SIMS keeps getting better and better. The last expansion pack allowed them to leave home for college, join fraternities, earn a degree. Now Nightlife lets them visit or even live in a whole new downtown neighborhood, replete with casinos and karaoke bars, discos and diners. Dating has now become a more rewarding venture than ever before: SIMS have turn-ons and turn-offs to such things as hair color and physique. They can order dinner and slow dance and go on group outings. In one of the best improvements, they can now own cars, which they can park in their own driveways or garages. This expands the building options tremendously, and makes it fun to build even more realisitc homes. SIMS can even Woo-Hoo in their cars now. Even the seemingly minor option to move gravestones to another lot was inspired, allowing the creation of cemeteries, a great way to memorialize those SIMS who have passed on.
  
  As always with SIMS expansions, one always wishes for more objects and clothes and hair styles. There are some of these, and they're great additions, so I cannot honestly complain. The only glaring ommision is the absence of motorcycles to accompany the cars. I am still happily exploring Nightlife--I had fun with my first "bad" blind date just last night--and do not expect to run out of things to explore for a long time to come. I've only just sent some SIMS to a karaoke bar to sing duets and play black jack. They have yet to hit a bowling alley or hook up with any vampires. There's still a whole world to explore.
  
  
• From enjoyment to obsession!
  By AQMUXDDCLJSSV on 2005-10-11
  Just picked this up last week, and it really is an ENHANCEMENT pack, as one of the other reviewers commented. I didn't feel that the University pack added a whole lot to the overall game, but the Nightlife really does!
  
  It really seems that the social interactions are enhanced all over the place. Sending e-mail and chatting on the phone (or online) really seems to boost the friendship points more than before, so those friendships are easier to maintain. Of course, there are tons of new options for interaction when you are face-to-face with one of your Sim pals, and their reactions to one another are stronger. If your Sim doesn't get along with somebody, they REALLY get upset with each other! I had a Sim that was mad at my character actually run past my house and steal my newspaper! Of course the Sims that like each other REALLY like each other too, which is always the most fun. ;-)
  
  The cars make getting around easier, you don't wind up cooling your heels while waiting for the taxi - you just click it and off you go. Unfortunately, you can't pick up your friends to go with you unless you take the taxi, but it's usually easy to meet everyone at the community lots. I still wish you could command it to visit a friend's house instead of only being able to invite your friend over!
  
  The only reason that I'd give this 4 stars rather than 5 is that the new downtown area is SO involved, intricate, and busy that it slows down most systems pretty dramatically when you visit the new locations. It's still workable, but not as much fun. HOWEVER, all the new downtown objects are available so that you can build your own restaurants, karaoke bars, bowling alleys, coffeehouses, stores, etc! I've recently begun construction on a tropical paradise with a thriving downtown scene and it has been a lot easier than I expected. The ones I built are not quite as intricate as the preloaded downtown, and my system has no problem whatsoever navigating them.
  
  I've enjoyed playing Sims 2 on and off since I got it last year, but this expansion pack really kicked up my obsession. Prior to this, I only played with the people and furniture and never even painted a room! Now I'm designing beach condos, parks, retail stores and bars, and of course still having a blast with the fun new outfits, haircuts, and furniture included with this pack. I can't stop thinking about what I'm going to add next and who will be the next lucky resident!
  
  I'd recommend it HIGHLY, as long as your system is very up-to-date with lots of RAM and lots of space on your C:\drive. It's a memory hog (with all that detail, it's no wonder).
  
  
• Absolutely Breath taking!
  By A2R6HINQ8EQ0FD on 2005-11-27
  This game is by far the best Sims game, regardless of version 1 or 2, to date. You drive cars, you become a vampire, you have a matchmaking service, this game has it all, Downtown included! This is a must-have Sims 2 expansion pack! There are many more attire choices, many more items, and also did I say cars? Cars are one of the many "best part"s. You get to finally make a driveway and park in the garage. Poker tables, bowling alleys, restaraunts, everything! This game must be purchased!
  
  Gameplay - 5
  Graphics - 5
  Fun - 5
  Excitement - 5
  
  
• An 11 year olds point of view
  By on 2006-10-20
  My aunt bought me this game about a month ago and it is very, very awesome! The game is very similar to The Sims Hot Date because both the expansions add a downtown and the vampires are totally awesome! I will make a sim and give them a vampire costume and move them into a spooky house in downtown. Downtown has a spooky house alredy there for you it is called the House of Fallen Trees and it has an extremly large basement with two coffins in it! At about 12'o clock I will get the cruising on to downtown and they will befriend a vampire and become bit and I have my vampire. There is also cars on this game so you dont have to wait for the carpool or taxi and the cars are very awesome so you can turn on the radio and there are about five differnt cars! This is one of my most favorite games and I have also The Sims 2,and the University,Open For Business,Family Fun stuff ,Glamour Life Stuff,and my mom ordered me The Sims 2 pets yesterday and it was shiped out yesterday! The only thing I dont like about this game is if the sims energy bar is real low and they are eating they will fall asleep with their face in the food,but other than that the game is very,very,very awesome!
  
  

• The Sims 2: Nightlife (Prima Official Game Guide)
• The Sims 2 Revised: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
• PC Gamer (1-year)
• The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack

• The Sims 2 University Expansion Pack
• The Sims 2: Open for Business Expansion Pack
• The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack
• The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack
• The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff