The Sims 2: Nightlife

To succeed at The Sims 2, smart players tend to follow Benjamin Franklin's immortal advice: going to bed early, waking up early, really does make a Sim healthy, wealthy, and, well, maybe not wise but it certainly keeps the chaos to a minimum. This is because The Sims 2 places huge demands on time management. Or to put it another way, when Fun is a statistic, efficiency demands you fill it only when the character needs you to fill it.

However, like mankind, all work and no play makes Newbie a dull Sim. Sims, like people, want to have fun regardless of their "fun meter." Since it's just plain fun to live vicariously through the Sims, this means players like to abandon efficiency and find new ways to cut loose and jeopardize the carefully ordered existence of their little computer people.

That's where Nightlife comes in. Now, your Sims don't have to go to bed early, and they don't have to date at home. It's time to get out of the house, build a garage and a driveway, buy a car and garage), put on some face paint (optional), and go downtown for a wild time . . . or just go bowling. Nightlife adds a host of new vicarious options for your Sims and, for a bored Sim player, what could be better?

Nightlife offers new clothes, skills, aspirations, and a host of new options to the game. All of them worship at the altar of consumerism and actively encourage pleasure-seeking. Seriously, "Pleasure-Seeker" is now an Aspiration in the game, given as much weight as the family, wealth, or romance aspirations.

Want to make Sim Leisure Suit Larry? Go right ahead: you might even find the wardrobe online already. Turn-ons and offs have been added as well. Want your Sim to be turned on by redheads but turned off by face paint? Likes big men who smell bad? That's up to you. New dating options let players easily find compatible Sims to play with, cheat on their spouses with, or just invite to join a larger party.

Downtown basically acts like a large house. It's a huge environment, always crawling with Sims you haven't met. There are a few unique individuals, rumors of an actual vampire and an alien or two, but most of all, there are a lot of new people to talk to. Establishments range from bars to bowling alleys, to "Rodney's 50's Diner", and your Sim can call up all of his friends and have them meet some where to party. A new option lets you add friends into groups, which speeds up event planning considerably. Your Sim can also prowl on his own, using a new option that lets you "scope out the room," which handily highlights each alluring Sim that might be simpatico.

Dating adds an interesting mechanic, especially since it was given fairly short shrift in the original game. Now, instead of just upping the likeability meter of the man or woman you're seeking to romance, you're basically probing the conversation tree to hold your target Sim's interest. The idea is to carefully choose options that help push the "date meter" higher. At each level, you're granted more time to ply your seductive arts, which makes it easier and easier to see what you're doing wrong, what's working, and how close you are to your - ahem - "Whoo-hoo goal."

Bowling is another interesting mini-game addition. Maxis knows how to mine comedy from an activity like this, and Nightlife's animations and silliness do not disappoint. There's even a casino where Sims can place bets at 100 simoleons a pop. Maybe it's possible to make some serious cash this way, but the wheel never favored us while we were testing the game.

Cars are more than just a way to get to Downtown. First off, the variety is amazing -- from jalopies to sports cars to efficient economical runabouts, all are customizable. Create a chrome muscle car to show off, or mismatch the doors and add rusty bumpers to the family heap, it's up to you. Cars offer a design challenge, especially for established Sims who have run out of room on their lot.

All in all Nightlife is a lot like the original Sims Hot Date expansion pack -- only this time the team at Maxis has made the concept of maneuvering your Sim-dilletante through the clubs and darkened (bowling) alleys of the world a worthwhile addition to the game. The only drawback to this pack is its effect on a happy home life; my Sim-couple isn't on speaking terms any more. Really, when they think of each other, the thought balloons are on fire!

Nightlife makes a challenging game more challenging and an amusing game all the more amusing. It's definitely worth taking out for a night on the town, no matter how your Sims might feel when you wake 'em up in the morning.