It’s not very often an expansion pack for Maxis’ The Sims hits store shelves… OH WAIT! Only this June, we reported the release of The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff – now The Sims 2 Apartment Life is just around the corner, slated for August release. The obvious relief here: if you buy both, you can furnish an apartment with Swedish decor!
Don’t get too discouraged, Maxis has promised that
This expansion pack for The Sims 2 takes your Sims out of the suburbs and into a brand new busy apartment building! Adventure, fun, and drama await them as they explore their new neighborhood, mingle in coffee shops, visit a playground, meet new friends, and much more. Because there is now the ability to control multiple households in The Sims 2 Apartment Life, your Sims can live in happy harmony, or comical conflict.
We take the first line with a grain of salt — last time we checked, taking your Sims out of the suburbs is called The Urbz: Sims in the City. This expansion was released in 2005, where an old press release described it as:
The Urbz: Sims in the City is EA’s latest franchise, based off of the number one selling people simulation game, The Sims. For the first time, Sims are moving to the city and it’s all about your reputation.
Once your Sims have headed downtown, they can choose from five new building types that range from converted lofts to roomy and posh studios or luxury apartments, and a some new decor.
The Sims 2 Apartment Life and The Sims 2 Apartment Life Collector’s Edition (The Sims 2 Apartment Life and The Sims 2 Double Deluxe) will be available for the PC in August. EA also announced The Sims 2 Apartment Pets for DS (rolling two existing expansion packs into one handheld variation). The DS version promises gameplay featuring “charming a snake by blowing into the Nintendo DS microphone, which serves as your musical instrument.” On a related note, expect the game to be free of gimmicks.
