SecuRom issue is a big deal/ Sims is over for me  
By A10923OB5J93FD on 2008-08-28
I am so sorry to find out about this and the other sims expantion packs including the secuRom. Here is what i found out...
The Sims 2 and some of its add-ons have previously been using SafeDisc for copy protection until April 2007. Electronic Arts replaced SafeDisc with SecuROM v 7.x software protection ever since. Starting with The Sims Pet Stories, all Sims-related products since employ SecuROM. This includes The Sims Castaway Stories, The Sims 2 Deluxe, The Sims 2: H&M Fashion Stuff, The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, The Sims 2: Teen Style Stuff, The Sims 2 Double Deluxe, The Sims 2: FreeTime, The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff, The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff, and The Sims 2: Apartment Life. Claimed problems relating to SecuROM include prevention of proper launching of games, disabling of CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc burners, and disruption of antivirus programs. Some users have reported severe damage caused by SecuROM, resulting in system failures that required complete system reformats to fix. EA attempted to address some of these concerns on the official website. Despite user complaints, EA plans to continue employing SecuROM and its future versions in their future releases.
Since EA has decided that they don't care about corupting thier customers computer I will never buy another EA game.
Gret Expansion for The Sims 2
By A3TGV2A95WOLEB on 2008-08-28
Apartment Life in my opinion is better then FreeTime. It has added new hairstyles, clothes, items, and the fact that your sims don't have to spend a ton money on a house is great! Your sims can move into an apartment, and still have most of their allotted $20,000 to use on furniture or whatever you like.There is definitely a more urban vibe in this game that was definitely needed in the Sims!
The only things I'm not too fond of is the lack of being able to simply build apartments. You can do this! BUT you must use a cheat code to turn your apartment building into an ACTUAL apartment. Otherwise it will simply be a big house for purchase. Another thing is the driveway. I'm not sure if you can have cars with apartment buildings int his game. Which is too bad since I have a nice collection of custom cars :D
Overall its a great addition to the game!
Warning: This software will install SecuROM on your pc.
By AN617I1HX9OBW on 2008-08-26
It is important to know that this software will put SecuROM on your computer so that you can make an informed decision whether or not to use it. SecuROM may possibly disable some functionality of your pc and peripheral devices. Use at your own risk.
On the whole, very good
By A1M49XCNGIP592 on 2008-08-28
I have had this game for several hours now and am generally pleased with it. I had no problems with the installation with SecuRom, but I may have already had it as I own all the other expansion packs for Sims 2. Some aspects (such as the magic) may prove a little complicated, and there aren't any cheat or hint pages up for this game yet, so I've had to buy the guidebook, which I don't normally do. As for the apartment living aspect, it is very similar to dorm living in Sims 2: University, so experienced game users shouldn't have any trouble.
On another note, I gave this game four stars total because I feel a little misled by the creators. In chats and promo videos they stated that there were tons of new outfits and thirty-something new hairstyles, which I was excited about, as making people is my favorite part of the game. What the game actually includes is three or four new hairstyles with, say, eight different colors of barrettes or ponytail holders. There are several new kinds of furniture, activities, floor tiles and wallpapers, though, just like the creators promised.
Apartment Life in DVD format only
By A1BIVT60ZOL37S on 2008-08-28
I have only played this game for a little while and it's fun! so much to do! This is a DVD so please make sure you have a DVD drive. (your computer able to play movies). This EP comes only in DVD format.
- Love the game hate the invasive spyware installed with it!
By ANPG4KDC3FIB4 on 2008-10-22
I have been a fan of The Sims since the original version came out all those years ago. I have bought every single expansion pack and stuff pack for The Sims and The Sims2....but low and behold I find out that EA has decided to install SecuRom/DRM on their games now.
I don't want that installed on my computer and didn't ask for it but to play the game you get it.
BUYER BEWARE>>>RESEARCH SecuROM BEFORE you purchase any games by EA!!!
- SecuROM and Buggy as all get out
By ASRGDPHAGYRNL on 2008-09-09
Thanks to the SecuROM sidecar (just like with SPORE, but without the 3 install limit) and the numerous bugs (see the Sims2 BBS for a list of those) I won't be buying this expansion pack.
I've been a loyal Sims customer since the very beginning. I LOVED this franchise. But EA has taken that loyalty and thrown it down the sewer. I've watched as buggier and buggier EPs were released, with patches far too long in coming. (When fan communities can release a fix in two days, why should it take months to get one from the manufacturer?)
The balance between making good games and making a profit has been lost. Now it's all about profit on their side. I am more than an ambulatory wallet. You've lost me, EA.
- wouldnt know how fun this game was
By A2JY8XZJRQJUKB on 2008-08-29
I have had nothing but continuous crashes since I got this game... getting very frustrating and so far have spent 4 hours trying to get to play
- An OK Expansion
By A1SNKXK0IGFS9E on 2008-09-10
Apartment Life is a mixed bag. Yes, their are apartments and you can build them. The apartments that come pre-made have on problem, you can't add much to them once they are built like additional windows or walls. On slower or older systems, you will experience a lag when you try to play on bigger lots.
Their are new outfits and furniture as well as new hairstyles, new interactions and gestures. As you add expansion packs, you are well advised to add more memory to your PC to get the most out of it. If you are like me and have other expansion packs and stuff you have downloaded by the hundreds of Sims sites out there, you will find game play degrades without a good degree of memory.
The game does feature magic which can be fun. As always, game play is addictive and you will find yourself endlessly absorbed.
If Securom proves to be too much of a problem, there are ways to remove it. I didn't experience any problems that are allegedly linked to Securom. If you download games from Bit Torrent--it will be a problem.
- Buggalicous but fun
By A3BY05N9ZWS2HM on 2008-09-03
The Sims 2 Apartment Life expansion pack has so much to offer in terms of gameplay. However, the number of bugs prevent gameplay from even being possible. I did not have many problems with the other expansions except this one. As of yesterday, I am no longer playing the Sims 2 until a suitable patch is released. The bugs I found are as follows:
1. Cell Phones disappearing: Every cell phone any of my Sims had or recently purchased disappeared from their inventory. I even sent another Sim downtown to buy new cell phones for the entire family after all of them first disappeared. After I put a phone in everyone's inventory, within the next hour (real time) they were all gone.
2. Crashes: I have had 2-3 crashes since I installed the pack on August 29th. Yes, I have custom content, but no major hacks. In fact the only "hack" I have allows me to put items on dressers. In one instance, I clicked on a house and it went to the loading screen. About 5 minutes later it was still on the loading screen and would not move at all. When I minimized the window to go to the task manager to end the process, I saw that a window popped saying the application crashed. I have a suspicion it is all related to bug #3.
3. NPCs galore: With apartment life came all new NPCs. This is a good and bad thing. Usually I prefer my sims to marry townies and I like that the names of NPCs are so various now. However, I think a townie passes my house/apartment/dorm every 15 game minutes. Apparently the over frequent number of NPCs causes a type of file to enlarge which can cause the game to crash. Groups.cache maybe?
4. No interactions with the gypsy matchmaker on community lots: One of my sims was a vampire and I wanted to cure him. For some reason whenever I would call the matchmaker, she would only show up at my lot and drop off a genie lamp and then leave. No interactions were ever available with her. So I opted to send him to a community lot to buy the potion from her there. Well, when she finally showed up the only option available was "dismiss". What the??? After a little bit of searching I did find that I needed to redownload the freetime patch which fixed the matchmaker so when I called her she did not bring me a lamp and she offered her services. Thankfully I got the potion from her that way.
5. No potion interactions: If you make/buy a potion and then set it down on a surface there are no interactions available with it. When you click on it, it does in fact say "no actions available". You can put it back into your sim's inventory. This may not seem like an issue at first but if you wanted to influence someone to drink a potion, I do not know if the interaction would even work. =/
Other bug rumors: butlers stealing babies, pictures/sims/objects just turning black, after moving a sim to an apartment their cooking skill automatically drops to 1 even if it was maxed, schoolbus not showing up to apartments to pick up school kids, unable to pay apartment rent at a mailbox. It's all over the bbs, check it out ahead of purchse.
Gameplay:
1. There are a lot of new objects in the game, both build and buy mode. There are a few new themes as well.
2. If you do not like to use the motherlode cheat, the apartment feature is a vast improvement. Usually first generation sims have 20,000 simoleons to start with. Once you build or buy a house for 2-3 people, that money is pretty much all gone. Apartment living is much cheaper. Once your sim(s) move into an apartment their first week's rent is deducted and you can use the rest of the money to furnish the apartment and still have a good amount left over for maybe a better bed or a TV. Rent is due on Mondays and you pay it at the mailbox. If you have a single sim that you would like to have a nicer apartment you can choose one a little more expensive and then search for a roommate npc. I did get a roommate for one of my sims seeing as how one of the apartments I downloaded had rent at a whopping 5,600/week. What I did not like about the roommate gameplay was that I could not control them at all and they pretty much were never home. They were always out "running errands" and would return home with full motive bars. Also with an apartment, your neighbors do drop by - a lot. Not too much of a bad thing if you are just starting out and need friends for promotions. However it does get annoying at times.
3. Different types of townies now available. Depending on the circle they are in, they can provide some type of benefit to your sim. So far I received a discount on furniture purchases and a rent reduction on an apartment that cost my sim 1,600 simoleons a week. I never did get to see how good the discount was being that my game crashed and all. I did meet both the bad witch and the good witch and was able to turn a few of my sims into witches. All that is needed to become a witch is a high daily relationship score and a lifetime relationship score somewhere 20-25. The spells for neutral and good witchcraft are very useful (i.e. make puddles disappear, burn leaves during the fall, clean your sim, put sim in a good mood and conjure a spectral cat). The black magic is good for a trouble maker. The only thing I do not like is that once your bad witch reaches a certain level of "badness", then their skin turns green. Another downside is that each spell requires reagents in order to cast. Your sim can make them with a cauldron, but making the reagents drains their motives hard. One would think a witch would like making reagents to cast spells with but the fun motive drops exponentially while making them. Also associated with the witches are secret lots, however I have not found any yet.
4 - New service NPC - The Butler: If you have a Servo, shut them down and leave them to rust, you want to get your sims a butler. He does EVERYTHING and I do mean EVERYTHING. You do not even have to direct him what to do, he just assesses what needs to be done and goes to it. I got a butler for one of my sims' homes and the #1 thing I love that he does is greet the guests that come up and ring the bell. Not that this was a huge task for my sims to do, but I liked being able to have my sims already engaged in an activity (i.e. cooking for the guests or warming the hottub) when guests arrived. He even repairs broken items in the home, makes meals and watches the kiddies. Unlike Servo he does NOT eat your food and try to engage in conversation like he is a member of the household. This guy knows his place and his role. Once you hire the butler, if you have any other service sims on your payroll (i.e. nanny, maid) he will ask you if you want him to dismiss them all since he is more than up to the task. <3 the Butler. He is the best thing ever. The only thing I have not tested with him is gardening, but my guess is that he does that too.
This is a great expansion pack and I know it will hold me until the Sims 3 is released in February, however there are a number of issues to be addressed with it so if you want to get it, get it but just know you will have a lot of problems until there is a patch. Happy Simming. :)
- Thank you for noting the problems
By AYBV4RTF7ZCG8 on 2008-09-24
First off, let me thank those people who have alerted me to several issues, especially the need for Internet Access for the automatic authentification issue that the program requires. The laptop I use no longer has internet access because of the security issues SecuRom generated.
As for those who have commented that the SecuRom issues are not real, and are only being generated by software pirates, to you I say you need to research you issues before you comment. I am not a software pirate, but a paying customer who has expereinced major issues because of SecuRom. For those of you who do not know, SecuRom has been around since the H&M Stuff Pack, and there have been issues with it ever since EA/Maxis started using it. However, the issues really didn't become noticeable until Bon Voyage because after installing the H&M Stuff Pack, you were still required to use the Seasons disc to play. However, once Bon Voyage was installed and you are required to use the Bon Voyage disc to play, the SecuRom issues become evident. I am on of those who experienced system-wide problems with SecuRom. After having submitted a list of problems to Sony after having purchased, installed, and run Bon Voyage, Sony reluctantly admitted that a great many of the issues I was experiencing were SecuRom related. First, and most obvious, SecuRom conflicts with a great many CD/DVD rewritable programs; these conflicts render the user unable to burn to their CD/DVD drives. Second, I had just renewed my subscription for my AntiVirus software, and next thing I know, I'm being told my AntiVirus subscription had expired. There are others security issues that SecuRom creates, which you will need to research to make an informed decision. I needed to hire a technician to remove SecuRom from my system, as the instructions Sony and EA/Maxis provided did not work. Once SecuRom was removed from my system, I was able to burn to my drives again. And while I am still finding "problems" with my system that didn't exist prior to Bon Voyage and SecuRom, which my technician has informed me will probably continue to crop up because of the nature of SecuRom, my system has regained most of its functionality. Even a complete reformatting of the hard drive and reinstallation of your operating system will not totally eradicate SecuRom. So Buy Beware. Granted, not everybody has experienced issues, but do you really want to take that chance?
- Amazing
By AF03A958JD9GO on 2008-08-29
I love this already. It has so much in it . So much to offer ranging from the magic,Different styles of apartments you can make. Having roomates is lots of fun on here. Being able to make a nice playground with the park items etc. They put so much into this pack and seeing its the last pack its also a grand finale in my opinion kind of the last hoorah and a good one. I like all the different objects, building methods. being able to add a ceiling finally, spiral stairs. and yes the sims even get their own helicopter in this only those rich ones of course with lots of space. however I think it can be placed on a roof all though I ain't tried it yet so that might help with the space stuff. ITs awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!. My favorite pack was freetime now thats replaced with apartment life. I have all the packs and stuff packs up to date i am a addict isn't that what everyone is who plays the sims thankfully they are taking a hiatus from packs until 3 comes out so now I can get spore haha and then save for a ps3 I been wanting . This was a great training wheel kind thing to give us how its going to be like in the sims 3 .They put a flyer in the box to get sims a hoodie and sweatshirt off the sims 3 website for our sims in the sims 2 to wear .And the glowstation computer from amazon as the preorder gift was cool also. Thats all I wanna say bout this other then sim addicts won't be disappointed in this pack adds so much to it and a great grand finale.
- Love the expansion pack. but it's not worth the DRM hassle!
By A23G1MD65KLO2W on 2008-10-30
I purchased two copies of this expansion pack because both my son and my wife are Sims 2 addicts. Both of them loved the extras BUT then the problems began!
As a 'PC expert' I was called in when my son's copy would not load. It seems that he had re-installed the game at least four times because he had installed corrupted custom content on his new Sony Vio laptop. He then found he could not get Apartment Life to work at all.
I tried and every time I insert the disk it ejects and the message 'Insert a disk' appears. I tried my wife's copy and got the same result so it wasn't a bad disk. I investigated the problem on Internet and found EA have protected the game using SecuRom - the same software which caused the Spore DRM controversy. According to what I found SecuRom does not like:
(a) Nero software (Yes my son had Nero 8 on his machine and yes it has stopped working properly)
(b) It can cause problems if there are repeated installs - Now up to at least 5 that I know of.
SecuRom is NOT easy to remove. The removal tools provided by EA and SecuRom do not do a complete removal. EA games is not very helpful either, offering a variety of non-relevant solutions such as telling me that the game would not work on his laptop because of it's video card. (It already had been working).
All in all it took me several hours to fix the problem, my time being worth a great deal more than the games cost. I still have an Apartment Life disk which messes up computers and prevents other legitimate software working. There is a way round it, but that involves un-official copies of the game which I can't condone.
My recommendation is that if you are an average user who just plays the standard game then go ahead and buy it but if you want to build your own Sims and use custom content - give this expansion pack a miss - it isn't worth the hassle.
- Apartment Life
By A2Z2PDDM8AKSMJ on 2008-08-31
Well it is pretty much what the title says. You get apts, you get landlords, your get noisy neighbors with new "noise" graphics (and a bang on the wall option), your sims can have a butler again, new vending machines, a human statue, open mic, other little odds and ends. No new cars (nightlife) but you can get a helicopter and from what I hear you get the option to "woo hoo" in it, lol. I am pretty happy with this EP, which unlike Freetime-which had bugs for days, it seems pretty glitch-free, so far. I am sure there are a few that perhaps I haven't stumbled onto yet, but so far, no major problems (keeps fingers crossed it stays that way). It comes as a DVD-Rom so make sure you have a computer that plays DVDs. My game came with an insert to download a Sims3 hoodie and t-shirt. Also, if your look VERY carefully (you have to turn off edge-scrolling for a minute to find it.) there is a hidden lot-watervista palace-for your Sims to live in. It is by the bridge, in the far left hand corner. It also appears the more Sims you have as family members, when you create your Sims family, you get a little more money than the usual 20,000 Simleons they normally start your off with. There are new hairstyles, some new clothes, and I love the playground equipment for children. They threw a little magic in this pack, and your Sims can turn into witches (or warlocks). I like the Murphy bed that comes with this EP, but I have heard you can kill your Sims with it if you are not careful(evil laugh lol). It was hysterical when my Sim learned to breakdance, which your Sims can learn to do with this EP. I have to go download a Mrs. Crumplebottom so I can have her breakdance-LOL. I have plenty of Ram and a pretty up to date computer and all the other Sims2 EPs(are you calling me addicated? lol), and this EP didn't slow my PC down at all, thank goodness, but I am not sure how it will run on a slower PC or with lots of custom content added. Hopefully, it will run well for all Sims fans cause it seems like a fun EP. Overall, a pretty enjoyable EP to me. My kids seem to love Simming and it is my guilty pleasure lol, so I think most Sims fans will enjoy this one.
- Can't trust it
By A1YHP94MCTLTRW on 2008-09-07
So far I have found this game unplayable. None of my families will load anymore. I have heard of several others experiencing the same problem and I can't really believe EA Games would bring out a game that can be so unworkable.
- Only for the true fanatics
By A2FHIOLDQM1RSL on 2008-10-01
Wowee kazowee! Another big expansion pack for all the Sims addicts out there. But that's fine because EA knows a good thing when they have one and when EA plays the flute, a really true sim fan will dance to the tune for the rest of their lives regardless of quality. But not this reviewer.
The last expansion pack I bought was Seasons because afterwards Maxis/EA just seemed to be repeating themselves and going through the motions while raking in the Simoleans. And if this game is any indication of what Free Time and Bon Voyage was like, seems like I made the right choice. There's really nothing new here except now you can live in Apartments and have neighbors in the same building. With a little creativity, you could have done that without this expansion pack. But that's it.
You can't build apartments without going through a whole rigmarole of cheats, and for some crazy odd reason you are only aloud to have one door to enter and exit the apartment building. Not too great if there's a fire, and quite boring if you do decide to construct an apartment because you're limited in your creativity. Good thing there isn't a Fire Marshall in this game.
Oh, and there's magic and witches. Uh, what was that expansion pack for the original Sims called? Oh yeah, Makin' Magic. See what I mean. Nothing new here.
I won't even get into the Securom debate because for addicted Simmers who view EA/Maxis is the most benevolent corporation on the planet, it is considered blasphemy to do so and they wouldn't do anything to harm a real flesh and blood true simmer or their computer. Of course, those willing to give EA a pass on Securom do so out of fear that big daddy corporation won't come up with anymore Sim toys for them to play with. So I guess I better not mention that Securom can screw up your computer unless you find a way around it as I have.
And the glitches. Well, the game has been out for a month now and no official patch. I don't really think EA cares at this point. Oh, but you can find patches at other non EA sites that fix glitches such as inactive apartment residents being drained of their hobby enthusiasm, the case of the disappearing cell phones, a problem getting mail that results in eviction etc. etc. etc. And worse, with each new expansion, sims and their pets are often unable to interact with some previously bought stuff pack items in the ways that they were supposed to. But you can download a fix for that too...but not from EA/Maxis.
So let's face it. This expansion pack is a must have... for the truly addicted fans of the Sims with a lot of time on their hands. Frankly I was bored with it after a day.
Other than that, forget it and hope EA starts using a quality assurance program of some kind before the Sims 3 hit the shelves but good luck with that. And if Sims 3 is as glitchy and error prone as The Sims 2 has been, good look with those limited installs as well. Not that it will matter to those who will rave about anything Sims regardless of what kind of shoddy product like this one that EA puts on the shelf. But that's my review.
- Love this game, hate SecuROM
By A2USGMM4ZCA8MD on 2008-10-27
I love The Sims 2, but I refuse to buy anything containing SecuROM. EA, stop pretending that this BS actually helps prevent piracy (we've seen the piracy figures for Spore) and remove your malware from your games, then I'll buy from you again.
- IGNORE THE BAD REVIEWS!
By A1DH48UGGWMG5P on 2008-08-30
People, don't be listening to the bad reviews that this game is getting!!!! This game is AMAZINGLY FUN! It will doubtlessly provide you with hours of fun!
The ALLEGED issue is concerning the SecuROM Anti-Piracy software. THIS DOES NOT HURT YOUR COMPUTER! This software has been around since the Bon Voyage Expansion Pack, yet we are just finding problems with it now?! I don't think so! And if this is such problem software, how come i've run EVERY EP except Open For Business on 4 seperate PCs and have never had a SINGGLE problem? This is just a bunch of crap put out by people who illegally burn games and whatnot and found they can't on this game.
Too bad!
Now to the game itself...
The game really seems (for me) to add the final element to Sim life. You now can design ceilings in houses (somewhat unnecessary, but pretty fun anyway) or get a NPC roommate (so when you make friends with them, it can actually benefit your career friend count! and you also have more new stuff, like the hide-a-bed or the heart bed (very reminiscent of Sims 1) or even buy a HELICOPTER as a new family vehicle!
And, of course, you have apartments, which just adds even more to the game. For example, you can "Network" with other people, which means that if you become close with a neighbor, they may just do something for you, (such as saying that they know your boss personally and will suggest you get better pay for your job level) or vice versa. Also, if you have kids, instead of dishing out Simoleons to a nanny, just call up a friend in another apartment and have them help you out for FREE! And my favorite, if somthing goes wrong, like a bug infestation or clogged toilet, just call up your landlord, and they'll take care of it for you, again, free of charge.
Overall, a VERY good game with no software downfalls about it. READ THIS REVIEW before believing the SecuROM "issues"
- It's okay, I guess
By A2ST1JUSO17I1 on 2008-09-01
Whatever you do, don't buy this expansion pack for new hairstyles. There's only a few, and they trick you into thinking there's more with silly recolors. The new pony tail hairstyle takes up four slots. The only difference between them is the color of the rubber band! I am not kidding. I for one, do not really care what color scrunchie my female sim wears. It amazes me that the company who created this game still can't make hairstyles half as well as the community.
That being said, Apartment Life is great for new families. It only takes about 2,000 simoleans to rent a roomy semi-furnished apartment, leaving you with 18,000 simoleans left over to decorate! Finally, our new families can start out with some decent furnishings.
I have a fairly high end computer, and I've noticed that loading screens seem to lag with this expansion pack. Now I have to wait several seconds before the loading screen even pops up. Then it's a another several seconds before the bar starts to progress. I shudder to think what this means for people with lower end systems.
I don't like neighbors and friends calling my place and harassing me all the time, so moving in next to them had me worried at first. However, they pretty much stick to themselves. They spend a lot of time milling around aimlessly outside, so they're very easy to ignore, and they are easy friends for your career.
The roommate option is pretty cool. It's like having a neighbor in your house 24/7, and they pay half the rent. But you can't control them, so be prepared for your refrigerator to be raided half a dozens times in a day. Thankfully, they're much better at showering than college dorm buddies!
The phone now has a silent mode! I can't believe it took this long for EA/Maxis to figure this out, but I'm just happy that it's finally here. No more telephones ringing for hours on end!
After you play with your new clothing and furniture options, this expansion pack gets boring fast. Let's face it, Apartments are fantastic, but playing them is just like playing an ordinary lot. After decorating my sim's new apartment, I quickly grew bored because there wasn't anything else new to do. True, there are a few new interactions, but not enough to keep me exploring for long.
If you're a hardcore sims fan, you've probably already bought this. But if you're a casual player, I recommend waiting for the price to drop.
PROS:
- more money to spend
- unobtrusive neighbors
- silent phone option
- several new outfits
- roommates
CONS:
- even longer loading times
- not much more to do, gets old quickly
- uncreative hairstyles
- lengthy interaction menu (be prepared to click "more" about two or three times!)
- have to cheat to make your own apartment complex
- BEWARE!!
By A3JZBDJB44D04S on 2008-09-02
This game is wonderful it adds awesome hair styles (for girls) and it gives you the choice of the color of the hair tie. There are also alot of different clothes added with this expansion. The apartments are fun to play, and makes the game more realistic. It gets sort of annoying though because the neighbors are loud alot of the time and I always feel bad telling them to stop but it really influences my sims.
Anyway you are probably wondering why my review is titled BEWARE!! well its because the disc only works on DVD-ROM drives, not like the rest of the expansions which are CD-ROM. So we had to return ours and we had to buy the direct download from EAstore.com.
Hope this helps :-)
- Good but be sure to backup before installing
By AVBUNSCI743H2 on 2008-09-07
I've had problems installing eps before so I did a backup just in case and good thing I did because it installed fine but I lost all my downloads. Fortunately I put them back and all is well cuz we all know that the games are severely limited in their objects and hair, etc. The game itself is not a huge difference for me because I use the motherlode cheat so my sims can have any house I want and I don't really like playing the apartments since you are limited in customization. BUT I love having the butler and the helicopter, and the magic stuff, very cool. All my sims are getting the butler. All in all, worth the money unless you are going to be one of the first to get Sims3, then you might want to just wait. Personally I'm going to wait and check internet feedback before I jump to 3. Specially since I've spent a lot of time customizing my sims families.
- The last expansion is one of the best!
By AN9J46667D80O on 2008-09-15
"Apartment Life" could easily become my favorite expansion pack for the series. You get lots of new items, like spiral staircases (which I've always wanted), and Murphy beds. You also get an entirely new neighborhood, and the usual assortment of new clothes, new hairstyles, etc.
What makes the game really fun, however, is, well, the apartment part of it. I started out with my poor Sim living in a trailer park. Now he's in a stylish townhouse! I can't wait to upgrade to even better digs later!
Some people have complained about the SecureRom thing, and I do agree that EA is remiss in telling people it's on here. However my computer has a mere 1 gig of RAM and a 1.8 MHZ processor (the bare minimum to run the game), and I haven't seen any problems with game speed or anything like that.
There's apparently one final stuff pack (called "Mansions and Gardens"), in the offing before "Sims 3" hits the market. Between that and this expansion, I'm sure I'll have more than enough to keep me busy for the next half-a-year or so!
Bottom line: if you like the Sims series and the other expansion packs, you'll like this one, too!
- Why does box say "Internet access REQUIRED"?
By A22J6KCTBB27E0 on 2008-09-15
Let's start by lending some cred to a review: I bought the game Aug 29th, I've loaded it, I've played it about 12 hours (over time) - so any criticism isn't just because I'm unnerved by SecuROM.
I was very excited about this expansion. My perusal of the articles and EA website info really built up my expectations. After playing it though I'm feel fairly deflated and underwhealmed.
The game needs a patch - big time, and quick. I don't have time nor space to list all the tiny little errors that impact your gameplay in a huge way. From cellphones disappearing to butlers walking off with babies to your sims just refusing to go to work to non-working gypsies and NPCs - it's just too much.
Witches and Warlocks are fun but it's almost an all-consuming pastime and I found myself tiring of the spell-studying and spell-ingredient-making. It takes a good amount of effort (or simoleons) to gather ingredients for the hefty emotions (it deteriorates your comfort and fun) cost of casting a spell.
Sims walk in and out of your apartment all the time, eat your food, watch your t.v., skinny-dip in your whirlpool. You only have the option of locking ALL sims out or allowing ALL sims in. Sims ring your doorbell and then wander off leaving you to have to walk the whole lot trying to find and greet them. Once your rep increases you recieve constant invitations to hang out on community lots...got a baby or a puppy? Forget about it! The social aspect of the game increased exponentially - I just want to stay home with the sim family sometimes but refusing invitations isn't a great idea.
I've had two crashes that resulted in securom-type messages. These happened around day 10 or so of ownership when it came to for it to validate itself (as it will do every 10 days forever and ever amen). The game restored itself and worked fine later but I'm perturbed that I didn't go problem-free. It is a shame that those without internet access - as I was not but a few months ago - won't be able to run the game. I don't think this has been stressed enough because recently at a big box chain store I overheard an upset adolescent and father returning the game with a complaint that no one emphasized the importance of an internet connection. Sure, you can flip the box over and read it "INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED" but who expects a game like this to require internet? If you have no internet the game can't authenticate and will shut down.
The Sims 2 Apartment Life burned me out of the game faster than a few years play did. I find myself wanting to take a break from playing because it had now become more tedious than fun. I think I'll stick with playing the Seasons and University EPs and store Apartment Life for now.
- Glad I tried this game for myself
By A159EYH83LB0IK on 2008-09-01
I have to admit I was a little put off from all the negative feedback this game had received about SecuRom. I have most of the expansion packs except "Seasons and Pets". I have heard that SecuRom is on Bon Vayage and I did not experience any problems since loading that game. I have not encountered any problems with the game or the expansion packs. My computer is Windows XP and almost four years old. I purchased it a few days ago and had no problem loading it or playing. I have enjoyed the gameplay so far. It brings a fresh and new outlook to this series. I can't wait for Sims 3.
- it is very limited
By AO71AHR6KMFLJ on 2008-09-05
So far (knock on wood) this extension pack is behaving with my computer. The game itself is fun, but I do not like the limitations you have with the apartments. Unless I am wrong there is no way to make your own apartment building you are stuck with the ones Maxis has made. I also do not like the fact that once you meet your neighbors they just walk on in your apartment and it is impossible to make them leave. Again it is fun, but the limitations of building and decorating are driving me insane
- Wait !
By A1PLUWTNVCGG4B on 2008-09-14
The concept sounds great for us as players and for your sims but don't forget this is a Electronic Arts game meaning severe issues and waiting months for a fix.
Before you plop you hard earned cash go the main site and head to the Apartment Life section in the forum.So wait a few months and see if a major patch comes along.
- Fun
By A2O02E0S983EOJ on 2008-09-21
I think that this is a fun add on to the game. I love the apartments and the added game play.
- Apartment Life
By A1S2CS06YSAKGR on 2008-09-21
I am having a great time playing the game. I also bought one for my daughter,BUT,she can't play it because her pc doesn't play DVD's. I wasn't aware the game isn't in CD format.All the others were. She is very sad at that. I am waiting now for a patch for the glitches.
- More Rentware From EA
By ATJF5QEVNMWIL on 2008-10-10
Warning! Before buying, look into the program SecuRom that will also be installed with your game.
- A Good Feature Not Worthy Of It's Own Expansion Pack
By A278KWZ6FSE0S7 on 2008-10-15
The best thing about Apartment life is the ability to house multiple households on one lot. Now you can have two families sharing a duplex without having to play all of them at once -- a much needed feature in The Sims 2. However, that's about the biggest change that comes with this expansion, and even though it's a great feature, it's not exactly worth the full price. They should have included more features with this expansion or made the price lower. If you're a die hard Sims 2 fan, then pick up the pack, otherwise just pass on this one.
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