The original The Sims game sported a total of seven successful expansion packs, so it was just a matter of time until we would start to see its successor popping up new expansions. And so The Sims 2 gets some new features with the release of The Sims 2 University expansion pack. This new expansion has much more to offer than just the normal addition of new objects that your sims can buy and use. You'll soon see that there are some new features here that add some new elements to the gameplay.
One such feature is the introduction of the influence meter. This is a new meter that can be filled up by gaining new friends. The more friends you gain, the more influence you'll gain over them. Depending on how far your influence meter is filled up, you'll then be able to use your influence in the form of points. You can influence other sims to perform tasks for you, and these tasks are represented by points which are then extracted from your influence meter. Such interactions allow you to influence other sims in doing your homework, writing a term paper for you, cooking for you, playing a prank on another sim, or even cleaning your stuff. Of course there are plenty more tasks that you can influence other sims into doing which cost much more points.
Another new feature is the addition of the new lifelong aspiration. Introduced in The Sims 2 , aspirations are like goals that sims try to achieve each day. If you help them achieve these goals they will receive certain points that fill up their aspiration meter and can later put them into a more pleasant mood. The new lifelong aspiration is a goal that doesn't change everyday. This is a goal that your sim wants to achieve at some point in his life. The lifelong aspiration usually consists of something that's much more challenging to achieve. However doing so will result in your sim's aspiration level turning platinum for the rest of their lives. Which basically means you really won't need to worry about aspirations ever again if you can make them succeed at their lifelong goal. Most of these lifelong goals take the form of career objectives. For example, if your sim wants to rise to the highest ranks of being a criminal then they should major in literature in college. Once out of college they can then start their criminal career and continue to the top. Of course, just like the regular daily aspirations, these lifelong aspirations are completely optional. You really don't have to fulfill your sim's desires if you don't want to.
Besides adding some new aspirations and fears to the mix, The Sims 2 University also allows for such features to be used within the regular neighborhoods and not just the college atmosphere. So you can actually use your power of influence at home. Don't like that pesky child that delivers your newspapers everyday? No problem. Just influence him to clean your toilet. You can even get the mailman to cook you some dinner.
Sure some new features to add to the gameplay are always nice, but what would a Sims expansion pack be without some new objects? Well, The Sims 2 University sports over 125 new objects for you sims to enjoy. Such objects include new musical instruments such as drums and a guitar, arcade machines, pool tables, and various other new items that even allow you to build libraries and coffee shops. Some of the best items, however, come in the form of handhelds. You can actually buy your sim a handheld gaming system, a cell phone, or even a MP3 player. All of which serve a great purpose if your sim needs some fun on the go. The cell phone is especially great since you can simply call anyone from anywhere. The only problem is that your sim always has the cell phone on them, so if it starts ringing at night it'll wake your sim up.
The Sims 2 University also includes many new animations and interactions. Besides the aforementioned influence system, you can also now play pranks on other sims. These are in the form of PG-rated pranks that see your sim doing anything from throwing a water balloon at another sim's face or even farting and blaming it on another sim. The new interactions are fun to watch and are fluidly animated. This is especially true when it comes to the new pool table. Your sims will actually play a real game of pool with all of the balls acting just as they would in real life.
One of the only problems with this new expansion pack is that it really doesn't deliver in the area it's supposed to: college. With this new expansion pack, a new neighborhood is opened up where you can choose between three colleges or to simply build your own. Once one of your sims is a teenager, you can then send him/her off to college at which point they will become a young adult. Once at college you can then choose which dorm to move into and then get to claim your room before the rest of your roommates barge in. Thankfully you can also lock your door on your room so no other sims will invade.
Your college career takes place over a course of four years with two semesters each. You will need to take a final exam at the end of each semester, and your sim will need to attend class at their scheduled time depending on which major they chose. There are eleven different majors to choose from that involve such things as literature, drama and mathematics which all open up new careers when your sim graduates from college. The only problem is that these semesters are short-lived and one semester only lasts for about four or five sim days which really isn't long at all.
So throughout your sim's college life, you'll not only be hanging out with friends and partying, but you'll also need to balance your academics if you don't want to be kicked out of college. This is represented by an academics meter that shows the grade of your sim and their GPA. Doing class assignments, gaining new skill points and writing term papers will definitely get your sim higher grades, more scholarship money, and even a spot onto the Dean's list if they get an A+ at the end of the semester. However, not being able to pass with a qualifying grade will put them on academic probation, or they can even get kicked out and sent home. It can get very challenging at times to keep your sim's grade up while trying to fulfill their usual necessary needs.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of The Sims 2 then this new expansion pack is a must buy. The Sims 2 University may have a few random bugs here or there such as large performance losses when many sims are on screen at once, and it doesn't necessarily offer up the college experience that you would hope for. However, it's addition of new objects, careers and interactions are not to be overlooked. And even though the college lifestyle is short-lived, it still serves as a good amount of enjoyment and realism added into The Sims universe.
One such feature is the introduction of the influence meter. This is a new meter that can be filled up by gaining new friends. The more friends you gain, the more influence you'll gain over them. Depending on how far your influence meter is filled up, you'll then be able to use your influence in the form of points. You can influence other sims to perform tasks for you, and these tasks are represented by points which are then extracted from your influence meter. Such interactions allow you to influence other sims in doing your homework, writing a term paper for you, cooking for you, playing a prank on another sim, or even cleaning your stuff. Of course there are plenty more tasks that you can influence other sims into doing which cost much more points.
Another new feature is the addition of the new lifelong aspiration. Introduced in The Sims 2 , aspirations are like goals that sims try to achieve each day. If you help them achieve these goals they will receive certain points that fill up their aspiration meter and can later put them into a more pleasant mood. The new lifelong aspiration is a goal that doesn't change everyday. This is a goal that your sim wants to achieve at some point in his life. The lifelong aspiration usually consists of something that's much more challenging to achieve. However doing so will result in your sim's aspiration level turning platinum for the rest of their lives. Which basically means you really won't need to worry about aspirations ever again if you can make them succeed at their lifelong goal. Most of these lifelong goals take the form of career objectives. For example, if your sim wants to rise to the highest ranks of being a criminal then they should major in literature in college. Once out of college they can then start their criminal career and continue to the top. Of course, just like the regular daily aspirations, these lifelong aspirations are completely optional. You really don't have to fulfill your sim's desires if you don't want to.
Besides adding some new aspirations and fears to the mix, The Sims 2 University also allows for such features to be used within the regular neighborhoods and not just the college atmosphere. So you can actually use your power of influence at home. Don't like that pesky child that delivers your newspapers everyday? No problem. Just influence him to clean your toilet. You can even get the mailman to cook you some dinner.
Sure some new features to add to the gameplay are always nice, but what would a Sims expansion pack be without some new objects? Well, The Sims 2 University sports over 125 new objects for you sims to enjoy. Such objects include new musical instruments such as drums and a guitar, arcade machines, pool tables, and various other new items that even allow you to build libraries and coffee shops. Some of the best items, however, come in the form of handhelds. You can actually buy your sim a handheld gaming system, a cell phone, or even a MP3 player. All of which serve a great purpose if your sim needs some fun on the go. The cell phone is especially great since you can simply call anyone from anywhere. The only problem is that your sim always has the cell phone on them, so if it starts ringing at night it'll wake your sim up.
The Sims 2 University also includes many new animations and interactions. Besides the aforementioned influence system, you can also now play pranks on other sims. These are in the form of PG-rated pranks that see your sim doing anything from throwing a water balloon at another sim's face or even farting and blaming it on another sim. The new interactions are fun to watch and are fluidly animated. This is especially true when it comes to the new pool table. Your sims will actually play a real game of pool with all of the balls acting just as they would in real life.
One of the only problems with this new expansion pack is that it really doesn't deliver in the area it's supposed to: college. With this new expansion pack, a new neighborhood is opened up where you can choose between three colleges or to simply build your own. Once one of your sims is a teenager, you can then send him/her off to college at which point they will become a young adult. Once at college you can then choose which dorm to move into and then get to claim your room before the rest of your roommates barge in. Thankfully you can also lock your door on your room so no other sims will invade.
Your college career takes place over a course of four years with two semesters each. You will need to take a final exam at the end of each semester, and your sim will need to attend class at their scheduled time depending on which major they chose. There are eleven different majors to choose from that involve such things as literature, drama and mathematics which all open up new careers when your sim graduates from college. The only problem is that these semesters are short-lived and one semester only lasts for about four or five sim days which really isn't long at all.
So throughout your sim's college life, you'll not only be hanging out with friends and partying, but you'll also need to balance your academics if you don't want to be kicked out of college. This is represented by an academics meter that shows the grade of your sim and their GPA. Doing class assignments, gaining new skill points and writing term papers will definitely get your sim higher grades, more scholarship money, and even a spot onto the Dean's list if they get an A+ at the end of the semester. However, not being able to pass with a qualifying grade will put them on academic probation, or they can even get kicked out and sent home. It can get very challenging at times to keep your sim's grade up while trying to fulfill their usual necessary needs.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of The Sims 2 then this new expansion pack is a must buy. The Sims 2 University may have a few random bugs here or there such as large performance losses when many sims are on screen at once, and it doesn't necessarily offer up the college experience that you would hope for. However, it's addition of new objects, careers and interactions are not to be overlooked. And even though the college lifestyle is short-lived, it still serves as a good amount of enjoyment and realism added into The Sims universe.
