The Sims Livin' Large Expansion Pack (Mac)

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Title : The Sims Livin' Large Expansion Pack (Mac)
Author : Aspyr Media
Release Date : 20001122
Binding : CD-ROM
Regular Price : $29.99
Amazon.com Price : $ ( %)
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Editorial Reviews :
Sex and aliens. That's really all that was missing from the amazing original edition of The Sims, and the expansion Livin' Large delivers these new treats to liven up your beloved Sims existence.
New characters (including a gladiator and Xena-like warriors), and, more impressively, new decorations are the reasons to buy this game. The furnishings are mostly grouped by theme, with the medieval dungeon option the most authoritative of the bunch. (Little Cassandra Goth has been longing to read by torch light all along.)

Our personal favorite is the futuristic theme, with an optional, but expensive, maid/gardener robot to take care of the fabulous modern furnishings. Clearly the Sims team has been doing its research over at Herman Miller, and you'll have a bright red, flowing-foam sofa to show for it.

But it wouldn't be The Sims if only good taste prevailed. Bring on the mai tais with a tiki-heavy islander theme. There's also a startling collection of carpeting and objects best grouped under the design ideal we call 'demented clown.'

The attention-getting rarities include: a lame fortune-telling ball (our advice mostly centered around hiring a maid), a voodoo doll for hexing roommates, and a genie who delivers as much bad as good (dead plants, anyone?). And, yes, there's a vibrating bed to give your Sims the spice they've been missing.

While the expansion didn't blow us away, it did provide more of the humor and novelty true Sims die-hards will appreciate. With even more attention to detail than the original offering, EA deserves Sims-like applause for this edition.

Buyer Reviews :
The Sims was some real good fun. Livin' Large (the expansion pack) is as well. I can certainly see why there have supposedly been people who have gotten so addicted that they lose their jobs (I know a friend who would be at this level if she wasn't still in school). The only thing that keeps this product from getting five stars is the lack of new features. Livin' Large certainly spices up the game, breathing new life into a product which is getting a little old....

While do you get several new neighborhoods (to allow for more houses and families), you cannot have people from one neighborhood interact with another. As a more minor point, all of the new neighborhoods physically look are the same-until you start changing them while building. I got Livin' Large thinking that I would get to relive the experince I had when I got The Sims all over again. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Livin' Large felt very similar to The Sims, and while there were some new objects and decorations, it didn't feel like that much more. The new careers were kind of nice, but different careers doesn't have that much impact on the gameplay (besides your goals, clothing, and salary). Foretunately, the lack of an abundance of new objects, skins, and decorations can be made up for by downloading user made ones from the internet.

So, overall I felt that Livin' Large didn't exactly made my Sims 'live larger.' If I went back in time with this knowledge, I would choose to get Livin' Large again. It certainly improves bits of the game and is a worthy expansion pack for any Sims owner. I would just have my expectations lower.

(by Weisheng Liu)

Features/Technical Specs :
* Note: The full version of The Sims required to play
* New furniture, architecture, and characters
* Vegas-style lounges, medieval castles, and retro homes of the future
* New career tracks include Slacker, Hacker, and Musician
* Includes Web downloads and a selection of user-created skins

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