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The Sims Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
Voodoo Extreme has a small piece on EA Games celebrating The Sims' fifth anniversary. They have apparently sold over 54 million units in the lifetime of the series. From the article "The very first The Sims videogame for the PC began shipping to stores this week in February 2000 and took the nation by storm by becoming the #1 selling PC game in four out of the last five years."
...I've never even played either Sims yet. I feel so behind the times here; I want to live a virtual life too...*sob* no, I don't really care much for it, though I know many around me that do, and some that were anticipating part 2 before its release. I think.
You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
"Why feel inadequate in one plane of existence when you can feel inadequate in two."
I'm happy that the guy has made so much money with his creation...I have played the Sims in the past, probably more than it deserved. I'm not really a fan of the game. Ultimately, it leaves the player unsatisfied, because once you either a) realize taht you will accomplish nothing in the game by getting perfect, b)become perfect and have to maintain perfection (tough). The game feels more like a chore than a game.
I feel that the only reason it has lasted for five years is because Maxis would introduce "new" items, career paths, and such BEFORE their players got to points a or b described above.
To be fair, I did like the "missions" mode in the PS2 version of Sims. It gave the game direction and purpose.
WoW: Scheod 70 orc warlock on Shadowmoon
The Sims is a fantastic series for a number of reasons, most notably its unique gameplay and the resulting cross-gender appeal that has led to sales of over 50 million units. Given this success, I'm surprised to see that few studios have attempted to go up against it and create an even better "society simulator." When Doom came out, it brought forth literally hundreds of followers. Some were clones, but many advanced the genre; there's no question that today's most popular first-person shooters came about by standing on the shoulders of its predecessors.
Maxis created a new genre in The Sims, but at this time, only two "followers" come to mind -- Singles and Playboy Mansion. Given the vast amounts of money The Sims series has made, why aren't more companies trying to one-up them? Is there an inclination towards pushing (say) the first-person shooter genre because most game developers are first-person shooter fans?
I'm a fan of The Sims. And I want to know who will beat Will Wright at his own game by making an even better game in the genre he created.
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Inago Rage for people who like to create things
We're indie. We're working on our 14th game.
Here's to 5 more years of The Sims expansion packs from EA! Huzzah!
-Shawn "If the Name Don't Rhyme It Ain't Mine" Conn