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The Sims 2: FreeTime
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 North American box art |
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| Developer(s) | EA Games[1][2] |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Series | The Sims |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | EU February 22, 2008 NA February 26, 2008 AUS February 28, 2008 EU February 29, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Life simulation game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T OFLC: M PEGI: 12+ |
| Media | CD-ROM, DVD |
| System requirements | Windows[3]
OS: Windows 98/98 SE/Me/2000/XP/Vista |
| Input methods | Keyboard, mouse |
The Sims 2: FreeTime is the seventh expansion pack in the The Sims 2 video game series.
A flyer included in The Sims 2: Bon Voyage expansion pack and The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff announced this expansion and read: "Now your Sims can enjoy hobbies! Your Sims will have fun taking up a variety of creative, intellectual, or active leisure-time pursuits. They can even meet Sims that share their interests and expand their social relationships. Develop your Sims' skills while they pursue their true pastime passions. Will your Sims stumble reaching for new goals or find a new sense of fulfillment?"
With this expansion, Sims can pursue employment in five new careers including dance, entertainment, intelligence, oceanography and architecture.
The ten hobbies included in the expansion pack are fitness, cooking, music/dance, sports, nature, science, films/literature, gaming, tinkering, and arts/crafts.[4] Every Sim is created with a predetermined "preferred" hobby which cannot be modified by the player. While the bar is filled, the Sim is "in the zone", shown graphically as a white glow around the Sim; causing their needs to decay more slowly than usual, as to allow extra time on that hobby.
Contents |
Hobbies
There are ten hobbies in The Sims 2: FreeTime. Each offers different unlockable benefits or new activities and also a pass to enter into secret lots. Doing an activity which is related to the specific hobby increases enthusiasm to that hobby. As enthusiasm increases for each hobby, there are a number of new actions introduced to the Sim in that arena, this includes jogging, hiking and getting protein shakes from the fridge, blogging about your hobby, teaching about the hobby and more. These rewards and benefits will stay constant for your Sim provided the hobby enthusiasm is kept high enough to warrant them. The highest rewards is to be in 'The Zone' as described above.
Arts & Crafts
The Arts & Crafts hobby centers around activities that are related to creating and discussing artwork, such as painting, and introduces two new Talent Badges: Pottery and Sewing. In addition, an activity table is available allowing toddlers and children to paint and play with blocks (playing with blocks supports tinkering hobbies while drawing supports arts and crafts).
Cuisine
Cooking, watching cooking shows and having meals are activities related to culinary. Cuisine hobby allows Sims to unlock new foods: chips, cheese and appetizers. Moreover, Sims may now enter a food contest by submitting a dish to be judged. Finally, a new nectar table is available in buy mode.
Film & literature
The novel writing system on the computer has been revamped allowing players to choose the cover, title and plot. Players may now choose which book for their Sim to read instead of reading a single generic book. Sims can also discuss books they have read, and a variety of films can now be viewed on the television.
Fitness
Other than working out, swimming or performing Yoga, Sims can now go jogging, get protein drinks out of their fridge, and can use an exercise bike. In addition, athletic outfits have been given a greater selection from more than just sweatsuits and children are also given athletic wear.
Gaming
A variety of digital games can now be purchased and playable on Sims' computers and consoles. All of these games are actual EA games, namely Spore, MySims, FIFA 08, The Sims 3 and Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Other games such as pool and chess also contribute to the hobby enthusiasm. Sims can also challenge each other in a video game competition in community lots.
Music & Dance
Sims can now play the violin and the synthesizer as well as the piano (and guitar, bass and drums if University is installed). They can also practice ballet on the ballet barre, enter dance contests and also teach their toddlers nursery rhymes. A new soundtrack features the Natasha Bedingfield song "Pocketful of Sunshine", and also includes artists They Might Be Giants, and Datarock.[5]Finally, players can create custom radio stations for their Sims stereos (though all songs added to custom stations must be in MP3 format).
Nature
Nature-loving Sims find gardening, fishing, bug collecting and birdwatching interesting. The player can view a sim's bug collection. Sims can also go hiking. Sims gain enthusiasm for Nature by studying the cleaning skill.
Science
Science includes an ant farm and improved telescope interactions. Sims can now choose to search for planets, constellations and UFOs. Sims can also choose to summon aliens. When they use this interaction as an adult, they get abducted and impregnated with an alien baby, regardless of their gender. Your Sim will also gain Science enthusiasm by watching the Weather Channel on television.
Sports
Sims can play one-on-one penalty shoot-outs and shoot hoops on the basketball hoop. Sims can also toss football or play catch to each other to increase their interest in sports. However, Sims can not play full soccer, football or basketball games. They can also gain Sports enthusiasm by playing 'Kicky Bag' with another Sim.
Tinkering
Tinkering allows Sims to tinker various electronic devices in the house and also restoring a car to sell it for profit. The restored car can be also meant for private use and it comes with a variety of colors. There are also new remote control vehicles and a train set to play with.
Other features
This expansion pack features a new neighborhood named Desiderata Valley. The expansion also adds new secret lots.[6]
The expansion adds a special character, a Genie.[7] He is summoned by being enthusiastic over a hobby or having high Lifetime Aspiration. The Genie grants the Sim three wishes. The wishes have a chance of backfiring. Once the Sim uses the three wishes, the Genie disappears.
FreeTime includes several new computer games the Sims can play, including the upcoming sequel to the game itself, The Sims 3. The televisions now also feature movies that Sims can watch, which are movie clips featured in "How Do You Play?" ad campaign.
This game includes SecuROM software.
Townie aging
When the Sims grow up, they don't have to leave their friends behind. The player can choose three friends to grow up with their Sims. You can also make any townies age.
Careers
Five new Career Tracks and their Reward Objects are added with FreeTime. They are Oceanographers, Entertainers, Architects, Dancers, and Intelligence Agents. Oceanographers can earn a koi pond, Entertainers can get their own star of fame, Architects can use their own drafting table, Dancers can receive an improved ballet barre and Intelligence Agents can use a listening device.
Lifetime Aspiration Meter
The Lifetime Aspiration feature has been enhanced by this expansion. It is now displayed on the GUI as a segmented bar, next to the standard Aspiration meter, and for every segment filled the player is awarded a Lifetime Aspiration Point, which they can redeem on various new abilities.
Secondary Aspirations
New with FreeTime is the ability to assign a Secondary Aspiration to your Sim and to avail of rewards/upgrades for fulfilment of primary wants filling the Lifetime Aspiration Meter. These upgrades may be passive (the Sim is more likely to bring home friends from work), context-sensitive (the ability to plead for one's job within 24 hours of being fired), and reduce the speed at which the Sim depletes mood motives. There are four upgrades in each of four categories: Life (which are exclusively the slower-mood-depletion upgrades), Work, the Sim's current Aspiration, and Secondary Aspiration, which lets the Sim choose a secondary Aspiration, and then unlocks access to that Aspiration's first three upgrades. Sims with a secondary Aspiration will begin to exhibit Wants and Fears related to it. Sims can choose Grilled Cheese for their secondary Aspiration.
Objects & outfits
FreeTime introduces new items, including a basketball hoop (previously in The Sims), pottery wheel, toddler activity table, modular synthesizer, hobby train table and others. The game also has outfits related to their hobby, for instance a Cuisine Sim can buy a dress with an apron. The sewing machine can be used by your Sim to make curtains for your home in colours which you cannot purchase in Buy Mode and once a high enough level is reached, it can be used to create any item of clothing in the Wardrobe range, wall quilts and other items which your Sim can sell for profit or use in their home.
References
- ^ IGN: The Sims 2 FreeTime
- ^ The Sims 2: FreeTime for PC - The Sims 2: FreeTime PC Game - The Sims 2: FreeTime Computer Game
- ^ "Windows system requirements". EA Games. Retrieved on December 6, 2007.
- ^ Hobby Magazines explaining the different hobbies
- ^ EA Official FreeTime Soundtrack announcement
- ^ About The Sims 2: FreeTime from EA.com (secret lots stated in the third paragraph)
- ^ FreeTime chat transcript from TheSims2.ea.com
External links
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