Genre: Simulation
Developer: Maxis
Publisher: Electronic Arts

The Sims is not a very graphic oriented game. The creators could have done a much better job with them, but then it probably would not have run on my PC at home. I am not saying the graphics are bad, but I am definitely not saying that they're good. To today's standards, they fall quite far from what is wanted and expected.

Annoying. When you first get the game you think that the music kind of goes with the game--kind of. Then it gets annoying. Once you get used to the game you can mostly tune the music out (or you could turn your sound off) you are home free. There is background noise such as a television, shower, flushing toilet, but they're annoying too.

This a game that you can get addicted to, I did. This game was awesome when I fist started playing it, but I always hated the lack of attire variation (it is all what people 30+ would wear), and you do not really get any new clothes unless you buy any of the four expansion packs. Basically you are living/controlling someone's life in the game. I like how you have to get skilled to raise your job status, but after I looked at a cheat for how to get unlimited money, it was not fun anymore. Plus, when you get good at it, you know how to juggle stuff around--when to buy what and such. It is boring when you know what you are doing.

It is fun when you start, but after the 100th time you play it you are bored again and need to buy a new game. I bought all the expansion packs (Hot Date produced the most depth), but am still utterly bored when I start The Sims up. This game is a little too complex for someone under the age of 12 or so, but is too boring for anyone older. And I wish I had not bought the newest expansion pack Sims Vacation. I recommend not buying it unless the person who will be playing it has a long attention span and is immature.

Genre: Simulation
Developer: Maxis
Publisher: Electronic Arts

An interesting blend of 3d people and 2d objects and scenery. The interface is extremely clean, with anti-aliased text and a nice color scheme. On the whole however, the game looks very mediocre, and, oddly, is lacking 3d-acceleration- it could really use it to both clean up the player textures and improve performance, which gets sluggish even with a video card/CPU combo well above the minimum requirements.

The music is ridiculously cliched and silly, which I'm sure was the exact intent of the composer, as it fits the goofy mood of the game perfectly. The sound effects are a mixture of household sounds, from a television, radio, or dishwasher, to a shower or microwave. They are all sampled at very high quality and add to the overall polish of the product, something the game certainly doesn't lack.

Describing the premise of The Sims is a difficult task due to its genre-busting nature- it has a bit of simulation (construction/layout ala Sim City), a bit of RPG (leveling up your characters to get job promotions), and a lot of time and relationship management (any Japanese dating game). The complexity of the game would lend itself to complex controls, but this is not the case- the control scheme is easy to pick up on and is learned within a half an hour.

It's ironic that a game such as The Sims would be so addicting, since it is the game's very forte, time management, that causes people the most stress in their real-world lives. Nevertheless, The Sims is an innovative title that will hook a fan of any of the aforementioned genres, and could snare in other people as well with its zany sense of humor. The game does get a tad boring after a time however, as despite the impressive feature list, the game really isn't all too deep.