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The Sims Get Occult With Makin' Magic

Posted by simoniker on from the ouija-board-ouija-board dept.

Thanks to GamersHell for posting a new press release and screenshots revealing The Sims: Makin' Magic, the 'expansion pack finale' for The Sims. In this 7th and final add-on expansion to the all-time top selling game, "..your Sims can cast magic spells to improve their love life, wreak havoc on visiting neighbors, or put an end to their tedious chores." Oh, and in case you thought all this expansion-pack wizardry was side-effect free, "..every spell has a unique Backfire, including toad plagues, donkey heads, and lightning strikes."

4 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. Why does this sound like... by anicklin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    the Sims meets Harry Potter?

    IANAP (I am not a player) but I thought the whole point and appeal of the Sims was to be semi-realistic (which basically means that people can be who they really want to be with no tangible consequences). But really. Magic spells? Next we'll be seeing Age of Sims: Post-Industrial War Expansion pack.

  2. Yep, YANAP by fm6 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The "realism" of The Sims is much overrated. Their stock of behaviors is limited, and even simple interactions can get stuck in various kinds of deadlock. If you micromanage their lives you can get them mates and fancy jobs, but that gets old quickly. I suspect most players just use a well-known cheat to award themselves lots of money and then spend all their time building fancy dream mansions. Which is sort of fun, but ...

    Magic is not new to The Sims. The very first expansionsion pack (now part of the basic product) includes a Genie that grants wishs that have nasty side effects, and a potions set that with various silly, but basically pointless, effects.

  3. Re:Maybe by Matrix272 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Even at $30 a pop, that's 7 expansions, and the original game, plus The Sims Online, which carries a $10 monthly fee. If you buy the game, all the addons, and The Sims Online, you're up to $380, plus another $10 per month. That's a bit much. $400 for ANY game is too much. For that kind of money, I think they should give you a certificate for The Sims 2 for FREE, provided that you bought The Sims, and at least 5 of the addons.

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    "It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
  4. But... by StarFace · · Score: 2, Interesting
    ...I thought playing a lot of chess would make me the best doctor in town!

    If I recall correctly, the potions you could make were done using a huge chemistry set. There was no allusion to magic.

    The Sims started farely realistic, I mean, as much as one could in "real" time on four year old technology. They stayed pretty close to that formula with a few silly diversions here and there. The genie, a voodoo doll. When I say their formula was realism, I don't mean it actually is realistic, but it is the basic intention.

    Sims 2 might be a bit more interesting on the realism score. At least from the screenshots I have seen, it looks like they have spent a lot of time on the emotions of the Sims, and giving them unique and varied responses to situations. Sims will also grow up into adults, get old, and then die. So you could play a family for generations, instead of the same twenty-somethings and bratty six year olds year in and year out. Chasing the green.

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    V