The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff Reviews

• Why didn't they add this in with the Business expansion?

  
  By A3OIC7GUFY941R on 2006-04-15
  I'm going to try to give a fair review of this pack for those of you considering it. But this is going to be hard, so please bear with me.
  
  This "Stuff" pack, released less then a month after "Open for Business" came out, is minimal at best. I bought this, going against the advice you see here by other reviewers. I was sorely lacking for some kids room ideas, having done "Alien Rooms" and "Soccer Rooms" to the hilt. As a long time Sims fan, I generally don't like downloading objects from the internet fan sites, as I've heard stories of viruses being in them, and also them ruining your saved games. This stuff pack seemed to be a happy medium. I would be able to get new objects for my Sims, without introducing a entire new part of the game, as in the previous expansions.
  
  Something about the best laid plans - they never work! I bought this today, luckily at a less expensive price then Amazon, at Target. I installed it, and made a "Sea" and "Castle" theme room for my Sims. That took all of 15 minutes. This is the problem with the pack. Those rooms are neat and spiffy, but to totally go through an expansion pack, trying all the different options within 15 minutes, means to me that it's not worth the money. The clothing options for adults are limited to 3 outfits each in the Hawaiian style. There's no new adult things, just a few minimal decorating objects. This pack would have been better named "Kids Fun Stuff" because it's truly about the kids.
  
  My opinion comes down to save your money. I know people are going to be miffed with this pack and probably sell it in Amazon.Com marketplace for alot less then it's selling for now. If you must have this pack to complete your collection, my advice is to wait.
  
  If Maxis/EA wants to release stuff collections like this one, I would think a downloadable pack on the internet for about five dollars would be reasonable. 20 dollars for a pack like this just isn't fair to your die hard Sims fan. Considering that an average Sims player forks over 50 for the original game, 30 for each expansion, this was an unfair move to capitalize on a weakness of the game. (Weakness being lack of good kids stuff)
  
  Just my two cents :o)
  
  

• save you money

  
  By AL66W0H5A29VQ on 2006-04-22
  Save your money and get free stuff from all the great sims sites online. I have never had a virus problem and not once had my game crash because of something I downloaded. That's why I run an antivirus program. I have loads of stuff, from clothes to objects to homes, why would I waste money on this product? Maxis made stuff is always so boring anyway. Especially their clothing. It is awful.
  
  

• Stuff This

  
  By A26G35WR7QCFR2 on 2006-08-22
  I already made the decision not to buy these "stuff packs" as soon as I saw the Family Fun Stuff Pack (FFSP) come out - I knew right away it was a rip-off. It is an insult to our intelligence. However, a girlfriend of mine thought it would be cute to purchase it for me since she knew I was into The Sims 2, but she didn't know any better and surprised me.
  
  After installing it, my pre-observation proved true. Here is the rundown of what the Family Fun Stuff Pack offers simmers:
  
  1. New music. If you run the game off the FFSP disk, you can hear new musical scores at the load-up screen, but not elsewhere.
  
  2. New clothes. There are three everyday outfits of Hawaiian theme for each age group and gender to wear. (Nice hula shirts and cargo shorts.) The kids get new pajamas. Whoopee.
  
  3. New decorations. Like ocean navigation? You get some nice looking sailing motiffe stuff to hang on the walls or place on an endtable. The best decoration, in my opinion, is the towel rack which I place in all my bathrooms. The wallpaper additions are for kids only (medieval/dragons and underwater/sea life).
  
  4. New furniture. It's all kid stuff: dressers, beds, and lamps. (Anyone who uses the floor coverings (under the Rugs tab) are creating a ridiculous room, I'll tell you that much.)
  
  The main problem with this Stuff Pack (SP) - besides the fact that all the material should have been included in the Open for Business expansion pack (EP) and NOT sold separately - is that you are extremely limited with what you are given. In all reality, you will make two bedrooms and use up 90% of the items to do so. Then you will wonder why you dropped $20 on such a rip-off perpetrated by the Maxis gang.
  
  If The Sims 2 wasn't such a solid game, I'd recommend a boycott. Maybe just boycott the SPs and EPs.
  
  My only recommendation is that you purchase ZERO expansions and stuffs for The Sims 2 until The Sims 3 is released a couple years from now. Then, when they offer "The Sims 2 Complete Edition" - which will include all their rip-off expansions and stuffs - you can buy it for $45 (guessing). Otherwise, if you don't like to spend money wisely, this SP is for you.
  
  

• Maybe later

  
  By A2AMTEB5UZEOXE on 2006-04-16
  Originally when stuff packs were mentioned as an option in the Maxis surveys I was quite excited. The idea of buying a CD chock full of objects sounded like a great deal. But here's my problem. Family Fun has 60 objects, that's it. For $19.99 here at Amazon. That's not such a great deal to me. That's .33 cents per object. I think the face masks, the floor globe and the Hawaiian clothes are nice. The other stuff is plain icky. I like realistic furniture, crayon green, hot pink or purple is not my idea of realistic.
  
  And apparently there are bugs with this stuff pack. If you choose a Family Fun outfit in Create-A-Sim the outfit will disappear from the outfit choices. You have to have the sim buy the outfit at a clothing store until the patch comes out. It's pretty disappointing that a patch is needed for a stuff pack.
  
  If this pack drops $10 perhaps then I'll think about it. Otherwise with the beautiful custom content made by sim fans out there and most kindly shared for free I could easily pass on this pack.
  
  

• 20 bucks for THIS?????

  
  By A2151JPM1BH907 on 2006-04-14
  I cannot believe this!!! I am a Sims 2 addict, and I am stunned with this new way to make a little money on EA's part! This Family Fun Stuff is a joke!! You get three clothing items for women, three for men, 9 for teens, and a bunch of useless costumes for the kids! And the "MUST HAVE items" it claims on the box are ridiculous. Yes, they are cute, yes, they could be useful at some point....BUT I dont think this was worth the $20 I had to put out for it, and you can download a bunch of custom content on most sites for FREE. The worst part is I can't get my money back. I can only exchange for the exact same thing. I am aware that this was not a full expansion, but give me a break! I will NEVER again buy one of these "add-on's".
  
  
• "Fun" is a bit of a misnomer...
  By ACATP91AD9IF0 on 2006-04-16
  I considered the Holiday pack to be overpriced, and that at least included 2 new NPCs, new objects with new interactions, a new way to die, fireworks, etc.
  
  This pack? Gives you a minimal amount of furniture, some clothes and facepaint, and lots of bugs.
  
  Frankly, for the same amount of money, I could easily get over 10 times the amount of new objects/clothes/hair from fan pay sites that do not mess up my game. Not to mention that the majority of fansites out there are free, and if you spend some time with google, you can easily find much higher-quality custom content.
  
  (Incidentially, downloading new objects/clothes/hair has never screwed up my game. I've also never heard of a site that carried a virus. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that it is possible for mods - ie, files that modify how some aspects of the game work - to be packaged in with lots. Most custom content sites take care to provide clean lots, but not all of them do).
  
  
• Maxis takes advantage of loyal sims players
  By ARMSF621HHMTS on 2006-04-22
  Before issuing this pack of new items for Sims game, Maxis ran several surveys on their web site. The question always was would you spend 14.99 for 40 items or 19.99 for 80 items. Somehow they decided on 60 items for 19.99. How they decided on that I don't know.
  
  Second, there is every indication that most of these items should have been and would have been part of the Open for Business expansion pack until EA got greedy and decided to release this as a separate set.
  
  Clue number one: Open for Business was the first expansion pack to only require one disc instead of the usual two. Why? Do you really need me to answer that?
  
  Clue number two: in Open for business there was a "Fantasy Items" folder but only a very few items for it in the expansion pack. All of the Fantasy items for that folder are in this twenty dollar rip off.
  
  To make matters worse, this pack was released with a major bug in it where if you dress your Sim in CAS then insert them into the game, you lose all of the new clothing items from the Family Fun Pack. A patch has yet to be issued. (04/22/2006) It seems more and more software developers are using their customers as beta testers.
  
  I know that EA poured a massive amount of money into The Godfather game, but it would seem as if they are trying to recoup some of that investment from the loyal Sims players who have supported all of the expansion packs. Well, not this guy.
  
  
• No bang for your buck
  By A2U4PRI8GFMTJM on 2006-04-14
  I love the Sims and was excited to read about this new fun pack, but when I loaded it I was very disappointed. It had some new wallpaper, flooring and decorating things but I was expecting much more for the 20.00 dollars I spent on it. Don't waste your money.
  
  
• Okay
  By A39FQKED6OLTZU on 2006-05-28
  Although this game doesn't introduce anything drastically new, I knew what I was getting. So its not as exciting as the expansion packs, but its still there. I agree that I'm more looking forward to a "glamour pack" because that sounds more enjoyable, but Maxis actually enriched the family feeling with this pack. It's not as good as the expansion packs, but I'd still encourage getting it, just because you can.
  
  
• I don't think so
  By AAEQ9HC1NPJRM on 2006-05-25
  Well I checked this out on several sources before thinking about buying it. I went to a friends home and saw that she had it so I took a hands on tour. This is the biggest waste of money I've seen so far by Maxis. I personally download alot of content off fansites that are 100% better than the offerings in this "edition". I've even dabbled in making my own objects,recolors, etc for the game. I think this should have been included with one of the other packs instead of a stand alone, or at least offered fro free at the official site. I've been playing sims since the very first pc game came out and this is a disappointment for us long time gamers.
  
  
  
• Very poor value for money
  By A304E27OJD49GL on 2006-04-15
  Title says it all - very little added to the game for too high a price.
  
  
• Disappointing and Waste of Money
  By A3OYP87EECWWSM on 2006-05-03
  I always look forward to receiving my Sims 2 Expansion packs. I'm really disappointed with this one. Sims 2 Family Fun is just some new items, nothing spectacular and really, the Christmas bundle pack was cheaper and better. I think EA is really taking advantage of people on this one. I think $19.99 is alot for what you actually get in the game. I'll be sure to read ALL reviews before buying anymore expansion packs or bundle packs;(
  
  
• Stuff Packs?
  By A260K02FP0BQ43 on 2006-04-14
  Stuff packs? All they sound like to me is a way to make money for EA and Maxis.
  Please...stick to the real stuff, like expansion packs (Nightlife, University, Open for Business). Please.
  
  
• Not worth the price
  By AWZWM3X0MWF1U on 2006-04-26
  I love The Sims. I LOVE The Sims! But I don't love this "stuff pack." Sixty items for twenty dollars is just not good value for money. There are plenty of fan sites that will let you download their very best items for $5, and plenty more fansites that have great downloads for free.
  
  I don't blame the Maxis people; I blame EA. They're getting greedy, and it's ruining a great franchise. Milk the cash cow too often, and it dries up!
  
  
• Mostly for child sims, not for everybody.
  By A2DMZ9BQ5FPBN1 on 2006-05-05
  I'm not going to whine about the number of items included. I knew what I was getting when I bought this, and it's reasonably priced. I have all of the expansions and stuff packs so far, I bought FFS mostly just to be up to date.
  The vast majority of the new clothes and objects are only for child sims. I don't play any child sims at all, so I found little for myself in Family Fun Stuff. In particular, I was hugely disappointed that there are no princess and mermaid outfits for adults. There are some new items I really like, especially the fairy tapestry and the dungeon floor, so I'm mildly satisfied.
  I really like the concept of stuff packs to make the wait between expansion packs easier; this one just wasn't intended for me. For the title alone I'm really looking forward to the rumoured "Glamour" pack, which sounds much more my style.
  
  
• No new item functions - just decorations.
  By A269XSDW46ADN6 on 2006-05-20
  It was my assumption that the items in this expansion pack would have new functions. For instance, perhaps a new interactive toy for medieval fun, etc. I was disappointed - it was strictly for decorative purposes. You receive no new functionality and the new decorations are only a handful. If you don't mind paying the cost of a meal out for some new 'looks', then go ahead. Otherwise save your money.
  
  
• I wouldn't suggest it
  By on 2006-05-28
  After a lot of indepth research on everything for The Sims 2 for the PC, I wouldn't suggest wasting your money on this. I do not own the Sims 2 for the PC currently, but I own all the other ones expect the new ones (the mobile phone one which I don't want, and the DS one that I don't want) and the other PC version.
  
  I've been a player for years and am an huge fan of the game.
  
  As for the person who said that they thought it was a game.. sorry, but that was your fault. You can not blame Amazon for that. You should never trust un-official resources. Go to thesims2.ea.com for accurate information. If you look at the system requirements for it there, you will notice that it says you must have the Sims 2. And it has said that before May 7th (when you posted your review) as I've had my eye on this game sense March.
  
  And for the person who said it messed up their game... system requirements - did you check them? I'm not trying to defend this expansion pack, as I do not like it myself, but you can't blaim the pack for something that is not their fault, but your own for not being more careful and not researching a lot more like I am doing.
  
  
• Great additons for the Sims2 game
  By A3V5TMD7HDD169 on 2006-07-02
  I love the new items and yes I believe there should have been a bit more to this "pack" but it didn't say expansion so you knew what you were buying. Half the fun of the sims game is building the houses and creating the people so I'm glad to see more new items being added. As for price maybe a bit high but not out of line. I play the game a good bit and felt it was worth the money. I'm not sure why some people are saying there wasn't much to it ... there were many things maybe just not what they wanted.
  
  
• Just a bit of info
  By A2M8VW2BPH3ZJK on 2006-07-27
  Okay, for all you Sim players out there considering buying this, this is just a side note. THIS IS NOT AN EXPANSION PACK. That's right. This is just a a disk filled with lots of objects and build stuff. That is why it is called a Stuff pack, not an expansion pack. This is only meant to give you more options for stuff to buy and decorate with, not give a whole new level of game play.
  
  Hope this helps.
  
  
• Don't get this
  By on 2006-08-26
  Ok, im a major sims fan, and have all the games in the sims, and everything so far in the sims 2. And let me tell you, this game stinks! I know, its only a stuff pack, but they should have put it into an expansion. It only has a few good items, and its only really good for people owning stores and need some more things for the younger sims. Some of the ideas are stupid as well, i mean, who wants a "pet" brick? Not me, i would rather wait for the sims 2 pets to come out.
  
  The few good things about this pack are new items you can create for your shop. You can make sprinkles that your sims can run through, as well as many more cool items. However, for the things you get this time, its not worth $20. Maybe $10, at the most. So if you find this is the bargin bins and want it, go on and pick it up. But dont pay full price, you will be disapointed with what you get.
  
  
• THIS EXPANSION SUCKS!
  By A2Z5JVWN1BGBME on 2006-04-14
  This expansion not only sucks, but it froze the PC. NEVER BUY FROM GAMESTOP people! NEVER! They're dirty rotten scoundrels. Its a FAULTY CD and they didn't want to give my money back.
  
  
• Sucky waste of money
  By A1XTAW2T2GDGB2 on 2006-04-29
  More expensive than the Christmas pack with less stuff and just plain LAME!!!! There are no new actions. If I'm going to drop $20 I would at least like some new play, not just decorations.
  
  
• Some nice new stuff, but WAY overpriced!
  By A3Q5QOWMVPTAN2 on 2006-08-31
  This is one purchase I wish I hadn't made, or at least I wish I'd waited for the price to plummet. I had read some of the reviews before buying this one, but decided to get it anyway since some of the download sites have stuff that are based on the meshes from this "Fun Stuff" pack. That is not looking like such good reasoning now.
  
  Pros:
  *Some of the new stuff is actually quite cool, especially some of the decorations and wall papers. Any quality new variety is welcome (hope that made sense).
  
  Cons:
  *No bug fixes that I can see.
  *$19 is way too much for the amount of new stuff provided. This should have been no more than $5 or included in the upcoming Pets expansion along with upcoming Glamour Life Fun Pack.
  
  In summary, A few nice new objects for an obscene price. Someone at EA should be thrown in jail for this robbery!
  
  
• Why so many poor reviews?
  By AHQJFC2UF0Q3I on 2006-04-18
  People are saying that this is expensive. Why? Target $15.00.
  
  
• Kids shouldn't write reviews
  By A3K4WVZ0AFHMGA on 2006-04-18
  Clueless kids shouldn't be allowed to use the internet. The red walls problem is associated with people using unsupported video cards. The problem isn't the game, but that they can't read a simple minimum requirements list.
  
  There are no viruses in the game.
  
  
• keep your 20 bucks
  By A2G2P6EGCSN14G on 2006-04-25
  This add on was a waste of money. It claims it comes with over 60 new objects, but that is deceptive since each different variation of an object counts as one. The new items aren't that great, maybe the castle kid's room is cute, but that's about it. And the new clothes are not anything exciting, either. So save your money and download stuff from the web that other people make. A lot of it is free, and looks much better than what came in this add-on. I am pretty disappointed with Maxis for this one, hopefully they will make up for it in the next expansion by adding pets, which most people would love to see again from the first sims!
  
  
• Try internet downloads first
  By A3SQKH0DM8YBCG on 2006-04-28
  I would seriously reccomend trying free internet downloads first. I have NEVER had a problem with viruses or games crashing. Antivirus software installed and everything. Even with the pay fan sites, you pay about 5 bucks or less for an entire month to download much MUCH better items than Maxis makes. I love my sims game, but I gotta tell ya, if it weren't for the fan sites and their awesome downlaods, I would not be playing the sims.
  
  
• Sorry, Sims fans, it's a complete waste!!
  By A33PP1JA1KZ7DU on 2006-09-24
  Quite simply, I have bought EVERY SINGLE Sims game (including game console versions and handheld versions) and I have never been disappointed, until now. I'm such a Sims fan that I can honestly say that I've never been disappointed before this purchase. I can tell you that this "add-on" is nothing more than re-painted versions of already existing furniture that you have. The last time I checked, you can go on several websites and download many, many things just like this, for free (not to mention, do it yourself). Do NOT waste your money. Me? I'm waiting for the pets, hopefully that won't be such a let-down.
  
  
• Am I mistaken...
  By A33QNNFYOTS9K5 on 2006-11-05
  or did this stuff pack also include an "upgrade" that let you see how attracted your Sims are to each other? To me, this opened up a whole new side to the game. I challenged myself to make sure all my Sims married only people that they were maximally attracted to, so they wouldn't be tempted to flirt and cheat with neighbor Sims who just drop by to chat or attend a wedding! Under relationships, you can see how your Sim feels about other Sims by observing the number of little lightning bolts on their picture (if any). Sims also have the option of "checking out" other Sims, in order to determine the level of attraction for another Sim. I don't know...I thought this was a really fun "extra" that wasn't even a big part of what was advertised with this product. I was pleasantly surprised with it.
  
  
• Family Fun Sims2
  By ABD1PVNN9ITF3 on 2006-11-09
  It was not worth the money. Not enough good stuff in the pack
  
  

• The Sims 2 Revised: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
• PC Gamer (1-year)
• The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff
• The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff

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