The Sims 2: Open for Business Expansion Pack Reviews

• Great fun except for some major bugs

  
  By A2AMTEB5UZEOXE on 2006-03-05
  There are some things I just love about this new expansion pack. It's great to be able to easily choose the formal wear when our sims get married, I was getting really bored with that default wedding dress. As a result I've downloaded many beautiful wedding dresses from the fansites. And finally we're able to change appearance for the toddlers without needing a hacked mirror. Yay! Thanks Maxis. Also with this expansion we now get a twins cheat AND a food to increase the chance of twins. Maybe now there will be a slow down to the influx of all the twins threads on the BBS. Maybe not, but a girl can hope can't she?
  
  The businesses are really neat in some ways but I'm not so much into the tycoon thing. It's very challenging and sometimes it seems frustrating to let your sim have a social life outside of their business. It is fun though.
  
  It's a shame about the bugs emerging. They're so bad that they could potentially toast neighborhoods that gamers have worked so hard on. Here's just a few I've seen around-
  
  -Sims getting "stuck" while at their community business. When the taxi arrives to take the sim home the sim won't get in the taxi. Instead the sim waves his or her arms in the air and yells like there's a problem. You have to wait for the first taxi to leave, then call for a taxi to take the sim to another community lot and then home. Supposedly this happens when you save on the business lot. I didn't save, just did some remodeling of the lot and this happened anyway. Thankfully I had not taken the sim to the business in his car, otherwise he could have been lost in some sort of limbo until we get a patch.
  
  -Bakeries are really messed up. Dessert items disappear from the owner's inventory, making it difficult to restock. You can only make desserts during certain hours. In real life bakers start before sunrise so sim bakers should be able to also. And like the other review mentioned the sims who buy the desserts cannot eat them. What's the point of a bakery then?
  
  -The new Mission furniture is beautiful but seems to have some problems. The loveseat shows as black and doesn't have any of the color or wood options like it's supposed to.
  
  -Some business lots completely disappear like they never existed. Gone, poof. I'm not sure what's doing it but it could be related to problems with assigning uniforms. It hasn't happened to me yet (knock on wood) but I'm definitely not assigning any uniforms until more information's out. Hopefully this will be addressed in the future patch too.
  
  I know there's a couple other bugs I'm forgetting at the moment. At least it appears that Maxis is right on top of this and will hopefully have a patch in just a short amount of time. I'd recommend if you love the sims like me go ahead and buy the game but watch out for the problems. Read the BBS over on the official site to stay updated on the bugs and the workarounds. Others may want to wait (hopefully just a week or two) until the patch comes out.
  
  

• Fun new addition to the growing Sims 2 library

  
  By A3AKZZ6SB06RB5 on 2006-04-26
  Before the Sims 2: Open for Business, Sims owners could be in control of every aspect of their sim's life, save for one: work. They would make relationships, gain skill points, go to college, even become vampires, but for a few hours every day they would dissappear from view, leaving a hole in the day for the game's players. Well, that's not the case anymore. With Open for Business, you can now govern their economic ambitions, too. What it becomes is a fun, if more challening than expected, mini-game that tests the micromanagement skills of Sims players.
  
  You can open up any number of business types: from bakeries to furniture stores to salons. You can even charge sims to just come over and hang out at your place if you want to. The flexibility is there for you to sell almost anything (because that's essentially what it all comes down to); I personally found it easiest and most profitable to sell televisions and artwork (somtimes in the same store), but you can do whatever you want. You can hire managers to do the work for you, you can buy real estate and sell it, you can sell cars; there truly is a lot to do in the game.
  
  Now there are some game imbalances to take notice of. First of all, you need a truckload of cash to start a business. Without cheating it's usually quite difficult to pull the money together to start even the most basic of businesses. It would have been nice to have some sort of investing process, where you could invite others as investors or even stock owners, but as is, it's a pretty basic business simulation. The second imbalance comes when you do eventually create a successful business: it's so successful that you have more money than you know what to do with. Granted this isn't really a gripe, but it's certainly in stark contrast to the beginnings of your business.
  
  The actual running of the business can be one of two things to different players: a fun, challenging break from normal sims gameplay or a boring, tedious excercise in micromanagement. I personally felt the former, but I could see why it could be tedious. Not only do you have to worry about your own needs, you need to worry about giving your employees breaks, and making sure your customers are happy. Also, they are in constant need of reminders why they are in the store in the first place; the sheer number of times I used the "sell" command on various customers is staggering. However, this is all exectued quite well, and it is really rewarding to see repeat customers coming in everyday to buy your cakes and pastries (although it gets a little suspect when they buy a new television every day). I enjoy the challenge and feel that most people will. It's a departure from the guarranteed-to-win dating mini-game from Nightlife, also.
  
  I also have to mention the awesome robots that have been re-introduced to the series. You get to build your own robots from the ground up, from cleaning robots to fully functional Servos that work as people without needs (with the exception of the occasional recharging).
  
  Other people are having trouble with bugs in their games, but I have yet to run into any (other than standard Sims 2 bugs). I did find it particularly difficult to run some businesses, though - i never could get that trendy new nightclub/salon off the ground. Oh well.
  
  Pros:
  Great new mini-game for Sim owners
  Adds a lot of new content and options
  Fun
  Rewarding businesses
  Robots!
  
  Cons:
  Lots of micro-management
  Some might find the challenge a turn-off
  Buggy for some people
  Slight game imbalances
  
  

• More Fun and Variety with some more Frustration.

  
  By A3Q5QOWMVPTAN2 on 2006-05-08
  I'm still not tired of playing Sims 2 and it's in large part due to the immense replayability that the original game had plus the additions of these expansion packs. Open for Business adds a number of new things to a game that already has loads of replayability and variety.
  
  Pros:
  
  -New Items
  -Ability to run a home business (despite the negatives below, I do have to give the sims team kudos for adding this ability).
  -Ability to buy real estate and own community businesses.
  -Ability to hire townies
  -robots
  
  Cons:
  
  -Bugs! What does it take to get some clean, well tested software these days?!
  -Running a Sims business is quite challenging. I play pc games as a way of resting and relaxing from a hard day's work. Running a sim business in Sims 2 at times feels more like work than play especially once the business starts having loads of customers coming in.
  -The number of townies available to hire doesn't keep up with the business' needs.
  -As with the other expansion packs, I felt the price was a bit high for what was added.
  -The "own 5 successful businesses" lifetime aspiration. Running one is such more work than play, but 5? Any Sim of mine that comes up with that aspiration, gets their head stuck in the ReNu gadget for the purpose of getting a new one.
  -As pointed out by others, sending someone to work a full day at a community business and then having them come home at the same time that they left is kind of wierd (of course we already had that with the original game and Nightlife with Sims going to community lots. University at least kept the Semester clock running).
  
  Despite the fact that the Cons got more space than the Pros, above, I think this is, overall, a good addition to the Sims 2 lineup. If you want to fully enjoy the business operation side of this expansion, I would suggest creating a new neighborhood, associate it with custom University, Downtown and Business neighborhoods (that way you don't have to deal with all of those pre-made sims) and then run only one family. Keep the initial family members employed at the standard jobs that came with the original game, getting promotions and rewards and then build up a large income and pool of friends. Once that is accomplished, then you might get a younger member of the family to start a business with a good supply of capital and Townie friends to hire. That takes away the two most challenging/frustrating parts of running a sim business and allows you to concentrate on the fun aspects of the game. That's my two cents anyway. 4 stars for fun (the "work" as opposed to "play" frustration that running a business gives at times in the game led me to take a star away), 3 stars overall (Lost two stars due to bugs and price).
  
  

• Adds to the Sims experience while fixing pesky Night Life bugs

  
  By A3SIBMZ9GIV6HL on 2006-03-02
  One of my biggest concerns regarding Open for Business was that it would drag down loading times and exacerbate the bugs I've been seeing since Night Life came out--no more work uniforms, Sims arriving home from work (sometimes even getting promoted) and not getting money for it, townies getting stuck on my property and unable to move...
  
  I've had the game one day so far, and I'm happy to say that those particular problems have been done away with. Not only that, but the installation process and loading times are surprisingly quick and painless for such a vast expansion pack.
  
  Game performance on the large business lots, I've found, is a tad bit less jumpy than it is on the large Night Life lots: Fewer hangups when you rotate the camera, fewer split-second paused screens. The smaller business lots run almost like a normal house-lot.
  
  The expansion pack itself is every bit as fun and addictive than the others, if not more so. Your Sims now have the option of buying an already-established business, starting one from home, or purchasing an all-purpose starter lot to make the business of their choice. Running a business itself is challenging enough to be fun, but not so hard that you feel overwhelmed by all the duties you have and 'little things' that you, as manager, have to keep a constant eye on.
  
  

• The expansion packs keep getting better!

  
  By AODOJ1UOO7HYR on 2006-02-28
  Your Sims Get Down To Business...
  
  Now your Sims can create their own businesses. They can design their own clothing boutique, beauty salon, florist, high-end electronics shop, bustling restaurant chain, or virtually any other type of business. Hire your staff as the business grows and put talented Sims to work making toys, running the register, crafting floral bouquets, giving sales pitches, or manufacturing robots. But watch out for slacker employees and be prepared to fire them on the spot. From clever tinkerer to master craftsman, develop your Sim's talents to best suit your business needs. Will they build a thriving business empire or become eccentric entrepreneurs designing the next big thing?
  
  *Create Thriving Businesses:
  Open up shops selling just about anything from clothing, electronics, and toys to flowers, baked goods, robots and more. Customize any business to your choosing by tailoring the store theme, layout and prices. Hire employees with high sales skills and employ independent managers to run things while your Sim is away. Watch as your business grows from a mom and pop shop into a booming empire.
  
  *Be The Boss:
  Train employees, promote the best, and fire the rest. Cater to different customers including browsers and loyal shoppers. Dress your Sims in outrageous mascot outfits that resemble Knights, Ninjas, Gorillas, and more. Promote your best employees, but beware of slacker workers and be prepared to lay them off without hesitation!
  
  
  *Learn The Tricks Of The Trade:
  Customer is king. Develop your Sims' sales skills and determine if your employees should use a hard sell or drop the price to close the deal. Win the Best-of-the-Best Award to establish your Sim's business rep. Will your Sim's business make more money selling low quality products at basement rates or luxurious goods at scale-tipping prices?
  
  
  *Turn Talents Into Cash:
  Arrange flowers, make toys, and create robots to catch thieves at home or clean up the shop. Develop master-skilled Sims to make the most prized and expensive goods. Settle for an entry-level crafter and churn out pet bricks or faulty toy robots. Just bring home the bacon any way you can!
  
  
  *More Than 125 New Items:
  Stock up on essentials for your Sims' business, including display cases, a beauty salon chair, a toy workbench, a floral station, cash registers, and more. Complete your shop atmosphere with awnings and elevators for easy store navigation, or matching uniforms for all employees. With all the new items, there will never be another dull day building a business!
  
  
  Highly recommended to all! Remember, you must have The Sims 2 before getting this expansion pack.
  
  
• If you like this maybe you should start a real business
  By AU2IUU2WBJRTQ on 2007-02-01
  The great thing about the Sims series has always been the way it lets you take on challenges you could never imagine pulling off in real life. Open for business continues this tradition by allowing you to create almost any business you can imagine. Ever wondered how a composite nightclub/gym would work out? Give it a go!
  
  Opening a business is a little more challenging than many of the activities the Sims series has offered thus far. I wouldn't exactly call the process straightforward. One of the first items you're going to need to open your business is an open/closed sign. Without this there is no way for customers to know that you're open, or employees to know to come to work. The funny thing is that this oh so important piece of inventory is hidden away in the catalog, where you might just have to stumble across it by accident. There are more such glitches such as you have to call up employees to hire them, yet they magically know when you flip that open/closed sign that it's time to start their working day.
  
  
  Once you start your business though, and work through the hitches in logic, the game really does get intense. You're going to have to have some support to start almost every business, simply because of the cost of the cash register and merchandise. It's not all plain sailing once you have those things either.
  
  
  
  Not only do you have to work hard for the money, you may even have to take on employees. From the scrupulous to the scurrilous, it is your job to supervise them and make sure that they're on task and making you money, rather than costing you it. Bad employees can make a marked impact on your business, as their mood effects the customers and therefore your rating. If you manage to get a good team going, and keep them happy with their hourly pay, which you must pay them hourly, then you have come a long way towards getting that business off the ground.
  
  The better your business is known and regarded, the better the rewards. You can get lower prices on wholesale items, which is oh so life like. It's always the ones who don't need the money who get the discounts. You can also gain social skills which makes meeting new Sims more rewarding and easier. The star rating system ensures that you will always know how satisfied you are keeping your customers, something many businesses would kill for in reality.
  
  The expansion hasn't stopped just at game play however, there are 125 new items, and Robots have been added to the mix. Robots are great fun, and oh so eager to please. Like a 70's sci fi dream, they cook, clean, and try to anticipate your every need. Then, like every 70's sci fi distopia if they get mad they trash the house and run off with another robot.
  
  The new items add an extra level of customization to the game, which means it looks better than ever. The sound ranges from some great music to the funniest effects ever, and is, as one expects, an integral part of the game experience. If you don't speak Simlish yet, perhaps this expansion will give you a few more clues, as you listen to the radio burble away, or perhaps an angry customer raging at you because of a lazy employee.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• A control freak's dream game
  By A1OA65HXZIINHR on 2006-04-12
  I love this game - and I'm 54 years old! The pace of running a business (successfully) is a bit frantic, but hey, it is in real life too! Be sure and read the instruction booklet thoroughly - there are a lot of little in's and out's new to this game, and you'll want to know what they are if you want your Sim's business to operate smoothly.
  
  My ONE complaint is the different in time from Sim's home to Sim's store. For example, wife stays home and husband goes off to work at his business at 7am. Husband works all day and comes home - and it's still 7am! Makes it difficult to get sleep/awake sequence to tie in with running a business.
  
  Otherwise, it's great. I'm here to buy one for my son (since I won't share mine!)
  
  Joan
  
  
  
• I almost didn't even buy it
  By A3FKQNE9NSF7W3 on 2006-10-27
  I am a huge Sims freak. For months I just looked at OFB sitting on the shelf thinking that I wasn't really all that interested....maybe I wouldn't get this one....but then Pets came out and I got hit by the desire not to have missed one of the expansions and not wanting to have to start from scratch if I ever got OFB later and would have to reinstall the whole Sims block on my hard drive. So I bought it, and ohh man, I wish I had gotten it sooner. Now I've got dozens of ideas of cool new businesses and I don't know where to start. The actual game play of running the businesses is totally different than I had envisioned it. It's Sims in a whole new way, it adds a new dimension in how we as players, and our play style, effect the outcome and success of our Sims. For once, our timing and choices in dictating Sim behaviors/interactions actually become a key part in the success of the business. It also add an aspect of real business management, deciding pay wages, trade skills, employee duties. It's still Sims, with all the same wonderfully addictive feel and game play, but it's in a whole new arena and more challenging. Same great car, new street to drive on. I recommend it to any Sim-ers. Even if you decide against actually running a business in game, your Sims will still love all the new shops, actions, items, and so forth.
  
  
• Another piece of the pie...
  By AWVQR7YYTYJ1L on 2006-09-28
  It's interesting how the Maxis empire has evolved over the years. The very first expansion pack way back when was pretty revolutionary - it seemed like not very many companies were doing such a thing as releasing expansions. And back then it gave what the users were demanding - new objects. Today our demands are much higher as consumers, yet Maxis still doesn't *entirely* listen. It seems like with the Sims 2 their strategy is to release one new aspect of the game that fans have been wanting for ages - while still leaving out a big chunk of things people desire.
  
  In this case Maxis decided to 'answer' to something people have been asking for - the ability to follow their sims to work. No you can't follow Bella Goth to her job as Mayor of Sim City or whatever, but you can now create businesses - either in the home or by owning a community lot - and manage virtually all aspects of them, from the pricing to the staff to the merchandise.
  
  Virtually anything can be made into a store, or if you want, a recreational facility. Having other expansions, particularly Nightlife, is helpful in this respect. In terms of stores my first shop was a lamp store (super random) but you can do anything from clothing to groceries to furniture to art to a bakery. As a result many of the new objects in the game are designed for displaying these items.
  
  There is also the opportunity to build toys, flower bouquets, or robots if you want to design a store around one, or all of these items, thanks to new tool benches. Which leads me to one of the features of the game - talent badges. Your sims can now work at one of seven skills - including toy making, sales, and operating a cash register - to earn bronze, silver, and gold talent badges that will make their businesses that much easier to manage.
  
  As well, as your business flourishes you earn rewards that can do anything from boost your reputation to give you wholesale discounts on items in the store. Aside from building a basic "buy and sell" type store you can also open restaurants, clubs, lounges, gyms...with these you have the option to place a small machine that charges visiting sims by the hour if they want to stay on your lot.
  
  Ultimately, The Sims 2: Open for Business is great if you want to add a new dimension of GAMEPLAY to your Sims' world. The challenge of mastering a store, never mind a million different types of stores, can be frustrating, but it's also fun and exciting to see what can happen. I've learnt something new with every business I've owned, and you can own multiple businesses, as well as keep a regular job if you so please.
  
  In terms of CONTENT I wouldn't say buy this pack if that's what you're looking for - there are about 3 or 4 new hairstyles for men and women, and a handful of outfits which are tailored to the "set uniform" option for store owners that lets you theme your employees in everything from uniform ninja looks to gorilla heads to chef hats to matching tops and tees. Furniture-wise it's the same, not too many new things although the floors and walls have been updated with a lot of practical new styles, unlike the crazy ones found in past expansions.
  
  Overall I'd say this is my favourite expansion in terms of gameplay (University is monotonous and dates are too easy to 'master') but it wouldn't be nearly as fun without the content added in the previous expansions. I think it'd be nice if Maxis offered fans a 'full package' of new services in each expansion - new content & gameplay that's satisfying for a 6 month period at least, but it looks like you'll just have to limit your gameplay so you don't get sick of it for now.
  
  
• New and Exciting Possibilities
  By AEXWJJCHPY6SA on 2006-03-07
  While this game is sort of light on the new objects, it comes through big-time in game-play. There are great new interactions you learn through rising through the entrepreneurial ranks in your business, valuable new options to perk people up, give motivational speeches and network. And it blows the community lot aspect of the game wide-open, really making it interactive and fun... the world of business is wide open: they didn't just limit us to 3 types of businesses. Now you can sell a bunch of stuff you make, pretty much anything in the catalog, run clothing shops, hair salons, and markets, and then build admission based businesses where sims pay an hourly fee to be on your lot and partake in the opportunites for fun and social interaction.
  
  They also added a couple of excellent architectural features: half floors and elevators. I wouldn't mind if they made an entire pack of architectural stuff.
  
  Overall, I think an excellent expansion pack.
  
  
• Great, but takes a while to get the hang of it
  By A3ATKIU6MZZ4MU on 2006-04-11
  I think this product is a lot of fun, the best of the expansion packs for the Sims2 so far, but to me it took a lot more time to get familiarized with this pack and all the ins and outs of playing it than was the case for me with previous Sims products.
  
  THere are many great things about this expansion pack: you can own your own business, and this fortunately is really left up to the individual player- what types of businesses you can have are really up in the air. You can sell things, make things, give makeovers, or just provide any environment that is so nice that people want to stay there (gym, lounge, what have you). In order to be successful, the owner and his/her employees or family members have to work hard, and master all the small parts of business, making them work together. I have found it to be lots of fun, but more challenging than other Sims games.
  
  
• THE BEST EXPANSION SO FAR!
  By AWZOA5S3UT15F on 2006-04-11
  This is by far the best SIMS 2 expansion! If you don't have any expansions, at least get this one! Love it, I opened up plenty of shops and business is doing goooood! You get to open up your own shop from the community lot or run a home business. You decide what store you want to run: floral shop, toy store, clothing store, hair salon/spa, restaurant or all of the above! You can hire and fire employees, change their wages, assign the employee's outfits (new outfits included in this expansion). You decide what to charge on items you are selling at your store and what items to sell (some new items included in this expansion as well). A definate must buy for all Sims 2 fans!
  
  
• Another Great Addition To The Sims
  By A1R68SGICYVGI2 on 2006-03-06
  I can honestly say that I love this new expansion pack. It is so nice to be able to leave for work and actually see what your Sim is doing with their days. I have yet to experience any of the bugs that have been talked about here, but the one thing I found that I do not like is that, like in the other expansion packs, when you come back from downtown, it is the same time as when you left. So, if you go to your business at 9 a.m. and stay downtown working until 9 p.m., you are obviously exhausted, hungry, smelly......but when you get back home, it is still only 9 a.m. and your day is shot to hell. I have yet to have a family with this expansion pack, but I do not see how I will be to handle a business and a family with this game.
  
  With all that said, I definitely suggest buying this!
  
  
• Get ready to get down to business
  By on 2006-03-22
  "Open for Business" is a great expansion for you and your sims you only require the Sims 2 to play this great expansion. If you like making a big business empire or driving other people's business down the drain this is the thing for you!
  Open for business has great graphics. New objects such as.... *Flower Arranging work station to arrange the most exotic flowers in a great big vase.
  *An electronics work station to create robots that help or destroy you with your life.
  *Toy crafting work station to invent the most craziest toys like.. evil jack in a box.. electricuting kites and much, much more....
  
  Get this game or preorder it and get a free download with mascot suits!!
  
  Enjoy! Happy Simming
  
  
• SUPER fun!!
  By A1S4WFRPMNCVXM on 2006-08-04
  With the Sims 2: Open for Business, you get to create any business you like, or buy one from the brand-new town, Bluewater Village. New families live there along with so many different shops, the possiblities are endless! You can also have a home business, which I like because you don't have to go to the community to play the shop. Also, if say a women owned the business, then got married and had kids, once the kids are teens, they can work at the shop and so can the husband. A new feature which saves time, is an option for the phone, instead of clicking the phone and then "Community" there is an option now called "Call Taxi" where you can go to the exact location immediately, instead of going to community, THEN clicking on the shop. Ofcourse, same with any other expansion pack, there are a lot of new items, including smaller dressers, which I also like, to save space. There are also new haircuts and many more clothing styles. People can also have talent badges which new bosses will like to know of. You can also have chemistry with Sims now, having little hearts or x's above their head when they see a sim they are very attrated or unattracted too. I think its extremely fun and you should buy it! :D
  
  
• for "help"
  By on 2006-05-05
  get sims 2 for your b-day. its the base game. then get nightlife expansion. nightlife has cars in it and dating. univercity is boring. open for busness is kinda hard.
  
  
• Great! It's interesting!
  By on 2006-07-28
  At first I was a little upset, but then I really loved it! Sims have special options for old items, and "Public woo-hoo" in an elevator is now an option. The Sims can run any buisness basically, even a pool you have to charge for. There is more furniture, and you can sell almost everything! Also, a new cheat called, "Maxmotives" will max your sims needs. The sims even have "turn ons and offs" to see how compatible they are with others. It's so fun to make movie thearters, malls, hair-dressers, flower shops, and party stores! You'll never run out of new things to do! And for concered parents of the "public woohoo" and "public try for baby" I'll have you know that the sims don't really "do it" it's more of some kissing and a play fight.
  
  
• Awesome Game
  By on 2006-10-20
  A very great sims the best so far that I have! I have had The Sims 2 Open For Business for about Two months now and I love this game so much and I have had my sims buy stores or start a home business. One thing I dont like about this game is when business people come and usualy say my business is bad and they will let others be aware that my business is bad. I recomend this game two all I hope they like it as much as I do
  
  
• pretty good fun
  By A2TXKCS4PZGAGZ on 2006-03-04
  I've had the sims open for business for two days now... went to pick up a copy the moment it came out, and it was for $24 bucks! Anyhow, the game takes a while load, but overall, rarely any bugs. I tried to run 2 business in one lot, resturant and toy/flower shop. And let me tell you something, it was almost impossible with 8 employees! stick with one shop that sells one service. also, employees tend to need to take breaks A LOT. it was almost impossible to keep my employees happy when you have a busy shop, especially a resturant, because once you're opened for businness, a lot of sims come in and you really dont have time for them to breaks. Also, the host/hostess are annoying because they never do their job and they're on the phone all the time. if you were to play a resturant, have your own sim to be the host/hostess instead of NPC. i had to use one of my hacked objects that max out all of their needs in order to satisfy the demand.
  some of the new items are pretty cool, overall its pretty fun.
  
  
• Needed more!!!!
  By A2Y6W7EQWEWA2B on 2006-03-07
  I have had a great time playing this game so far but it can be annoying. One thing I found that stunk was that when you use the boolprop cheat at a store and then choose one of your workers to raise his/her mood they well stop working for you. I hate leaveing at 9 in the morning for your store and then coming home at 6 and its 9 still at home. I hope the patch come soon cuz these bugs suck. I am very upset that there are not hardly any new items. For the price of the game we should have gotten alot more. It is also very hard to run a business. It is a ok game but needed more work done on it. It realy is not much it is not realy worth that much money. I know I may of not of bought it if I knew there was just this in new stuff. I would just wait for the next Sims game to come out or wait for the patch but if you like to do alot of work then in all means buy it. Good luck and have fun if you do buy it.
  
  
• Even better than I thought!
  By A2NZJCTLBHRNHN on 2006-03-14
  This is an awesome expansion pack! When I first heard about this expansion I didn't think I would want to buy it. Because I enjoyed Nightlife so much I didn't think it would top it. Once I installed it I was amazed at what this game had to offer! It is definetly worth the buy. This game has cool new things you can make and do! It also incorporates some things from the original sims games, such as the music and servo robots! Its lots of fun! I agree with some of the reviews, it does mean longer hours of gaming. I like that too!
  
  
• Good, Clean Fun
  By AA8AX8YWP7MJV on 2006-07-03
  The Sims 2 OFB Expansion Pack is probably more for simmers who like a challenge and who have experience playing the Sims and the Sims 2 games. Open for Business can be extremely tricky and boring if you are one of the simmers who rely on cheats and boolprop tricks, or if you are new to the games. DO NOT use this game as a starter...anotherwards, don't just think you can try it for the first time without playing the Sims 2 first. If you happen to be experienced in the game, then it's a great challenge and can have great rewards if you are patient.
  
  
• A Great Game!
  By on 2006-09-03
  My sister got Sims 2: Open for Business for her birthday. As Sims fanatics, we wanted to control how our Sims worked. In the Original Game, we even made pool centers- complete with hot tubs- but we would have to use cheats to get any money; we couldn't charge other Sims for hanging out. This expansion puts a whole spin on the game, adding in an whole new part to the Sims. As previous review said, for a couple of hours a day, your Sim would just drive off in a car, and come back 9 hours later saying that he's made $374.
  
  There were some problems, however. We had to get a new video card to run the game without it crashing the computor, because the requirements aren't listed on the box.
  
  Another problem was that you had to go to a community lot to own a restaurant, making loading time tedious.
  
  One more thing- the Open/Closed sign! This is a must-have for your business, unless you use boolprop cheats. I spent an hour looking for it, and eventuly found it in the Decorations space. Sims 2 is a very organized game, and this kind of let me down.
  
  All in all, this game is really fun, despite the new bugs. I would recommend you get this game along with Nightlife, because it opens up so many new businesses.
  
  
• Better than the Apprentice
  By A2JTFSX9HYVLS7 on 2006-03-14
  What a pleasure to see the consequences of your business decisions, both good and bad played out. I much prefer this game than watching reality shows where an obnoxious personality may stay longer just to drum up conflict. It's fun too.
  
  
• My Expierence Of The Sims 2 Open For Business
  By AYFNQP0U5HLMV on 2006-03-24
  I like this game in thesims2.com there are videos all about the basics about the expansion packs,stuff packs and about the sims 2 running a home business is hard however because your sims do so much stuff that they could not manage it but if you save time for your sim to manage a home business you might as well exactly help your sim manage it do not leave your costumers alone because the stuff that they already bought they will drop the plastic bags with the stuff that they already bought it is just the same as running a busines at the community lot that the sim purchased promote only the people who really work hard also you might as well give them a break or let them stay home for the day restock the items also if your employees are just playing or not doing anything or not just taking it seriously you might as well fire them sometimes in the business perks you have to pick the one with more value and quality for the customers if you make discounts in your shop there might be a chance for more coustomers to come in your store you may like to also make your prices cheap also people like stores with cheap prices always help your coustomers and make sure you have enough employees make sure your in the right track of having employees and managing your business the best store is with the best profit remember follow the right track!
  
  
• GREAT!!!!
  By on 2006-08-26
  Finally maxis makes a game where we can have our sims create a shop, and sell whatever WE want, in front of our very own eyes. Not like before,where you could make the shop, but that was it. Now, you are in charge!
  
  This game is kinda like a tycoon. You decide prices and what you sell, as well as who your going to hire. You could have a lazy, horrid worker, or your could have a golden badge, hard working employe.
  
  You can create-whether it be a bowling ally, toy store, or bakery! You can have them pay to go in, you can have it free to go in. You could have a real cheap shop, or you could have a way too expansive shop.
  
  With nightlife, you can buy any place in downtown, as well as sell cars, so if you get this, get nightlife. I also would say you should get the stuff packs, they have some pretty cool items.
  
  
  
• Great for the first twelve hours...
  By on 2007-05-19
  Overall, I've been extremely impressed with the quality of these new Sims 2 games. I love The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack and my recently purchased The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack. I mean, those are great. But, with this one, I think they went too far.
  
  First of all, I couldn't wait to start my own business...the online reviews gave promises of haircutting salons, flower stores...everything. I opened up my game and was ready to play. When I got going, however, I had a lot of trouble making these stores they had talked about. I couldn't figure out how to give someone a makeover, though I tried many times.
  
  The main problem with this game is that it is JUST TOO HARD to maintain a store. You have to hire employees who don't come in when they're tired. I choose to run businesses from home in little shacks next to the house so my people could go to bed when they got tired. I ended up getting hooked on the cheat: boolprop testingcheatsenabled true/false, which allows you to make all of your Sims happy or gives you forty friends, and basically every cheat you could ever think of. (NOTE: IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN HOOKED ON THE BOOLPROP CHEAT, DO NOT DO IT. IT TAKES AWAY FROM THE POINT OF THE GAME. I'M TRYING TO STOP USING IT, BUT IT'S REALLY HARD BECAUSE IT MAKES THE GAME SO EASY.) Anyway, it's just too hard to run a business.
  
  I decided to stop making businesses and now I'm just using the regular occupations. It's a lot more fun and manageable. Plus, the newer games, like The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack and The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack add great new career tracks, like law, education, music, etc. They're great.
  
  I've found that this game was a total waste of money. As you get addicted to the Sims, you just keep throwing down the dollars for whatever new game comes out. That's what I did for Sims (1). This time around, though, I'm considering which ones I really want. I didn't get The Sims 2 University Expansion Pack or The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack...they seemed like a waste. Sims The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack is a fun addition and The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack is one of the best ever. So, get one of those. Skip this one...it's not worth your 29.99 bucks or whatever unreasonable cost they gave it.
  
  
• the sims 2 open for bisness is grest
  By on 2006-03-08
  i love this game i play on it every day when i caome back from school it is great i am so glad they made the sims games i don't know what i would do if i didn't hve my sims games.
  
  
• Entertaining and slightly challenging
  By AT24X0T3W3PCT on 2006-08-23
  I really enjoy the Sims, but after a while of playing the same game, it does get a little repetitive. This expansion definitely picks up the pace. Being a business owner is rather difficult because now you not only have to take care of your Sim's needs, but you have to take care of all your employee's needs or they will quit on you! Have fun!!!
  
  
  
• Very difficult to play.
  By A1JXH1FUWN6W2F on 2007-01-19
  I am addicted to the Sims1 and Sims2 games. But the Sims2 Open for Business is very difficult. This game could be fun, but it takes a lot of thought. It is for the very serious gamer with lots of time on his/her hands. I am sorry I spent my money on it.
  
  
  

• PC Gamer (1-year)
• The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff
• The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack
• The Sims 2: Apartment Life

• The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack
• The Sims 2 University Expansion Pack
• The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack
• The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
• The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack