The Sims

aka: Die Sims, Dollhouse, Home Tactics, Les Sims, Los Sims, Project X, Sim Dollhouse, SimPeople, Tactical Domestic Simulator, The Dollhouse Simulator
Moby ID: 860
Windows Specs

Description official descriptions

The Sims is a real-time simulation game where you simulate the lives of one or more people in a family and their social activities in their immediate neighborhood.

Characters of the family may be custom created (including physical features) or simply chosen from pre-generated families. All the characters also have two age groups, children and adults. Each age group has different lifestyles, priorities and interests.

Game play in the Sims may be classified as the following:

[1] Life Simulation

This revolves around simulating their day-to-day lives. From eating, sleeping, entertainment, socializing and romance, you are in complete control of their actions if you choose to. Each Sim has a statistics that may be developed. Some of which identify certain desires the Sim in mention may require. Your role in simulating their lives is primarily to keep them happy by fulfilling their desires.

Controlling the Sims people is optional, as they follow their own Artificial Intelligence unless commanded otherwise by the player.

[2] The Architect

Designing and furnishing your home is an integral part of the game play. Pre-generated houses may be purchased at the beginning of the game, or you can design and build your future home from scratch. Furnishing consists of acquiring various items that may be manipulated by your Sims to fulfill their needs. Designing houses and furnishing costs money, which may be obtained through jobs.

[3] Character Development and Careers

Adult Sims may acquire jobs to pay for the many necessities of living a simulated life. There are several different job track available, from Entertainment, Law Enforcement, Politics and even a life of crime! Promotion in a job requires the Sim to advance in certain statistics (e.g. Charisma, Strength) which may be done so by manipulating the various items available for purchase.

Spellings

  • 模拟人生 - Simplified Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

208 People (150 developers, 58 thanks) · View all

Product Marketing Lead
Marketing
Public Relations
Localisation Lead
Localisation
Voice Test Lead
Testing
Quality Assurance
Documentation Layout
Product Manager
Public Relations UK
Project Manager Localisation
Documentation Editing
Package & Documentation Layout
Pack Co-ordinator
Localisation Coordination
Localisation Coordination Export & Web
Material Planning
Studio Operations
Quality Assurance
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 89% (based on 52 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 205 ratings with 20 reviews)

Welcome to The Sims universe. You're never going to leave.

The Good
What I am about to do here is give this game justice. I am going to give this game the respect it deserves.

What I am going to do is tell how this game single-handedly created tons of expansions, single-handedly got girls interested in gaming, and single-handedly changed the meaning of get a life. This game forces you to utilize your imagination to crate deep stories and cool-ass families. This game single-handedly changed the simulation genre forever.

For some reason I feel this game has been forgotten. It has been lost in a quagmire of expansions, until the “Sims-mania” has been lost in some pyromaniac teens mind after torching a family of eight Sims in this game. This game deserves more.

With a liter of soda by my side and a good day set off for me to come up with the right words, I will begin with the game play. On the surface it is a typical simulation. Starting out with your family you have nothing but $20,000. Gradually you get a job, go to work, build up some of your skills, and start a family. Then you start to get some expansions. Throw a few parties, make some “interesting” friends (and I literally mean “make”). Eventually you climb up the social ladder and become rich.

To one, this may seem like a boring game. But throw in some imagination and the possibilities become unlimited. To talk about this, however, is redundant as I believe Vaelor has already summoned up the games potential quite nicely.

Quote (borrowed with permission from Vaelor’s review):

Traditionally, the way the game was "meant" to be played, you create a Sim and you strive to help him/her excel in every aspect of his (I will use the male adjective from here on for convenience) life. In the beginning, your Sim is unemployed, homeless, and lonely. With $20,000 in his pocket and no possessions but the clothes on his back, it's up to you to buy him a block of land and build a house on it, get him a job and help him earn a living, find him a partner, maybe start a family. The many expansion packs released expand the scope even further - buy him a pet or three, take him on a holiday, make him a superstar!! It's your job to take this little virtual guy from zero to hero and everywhere in between.

But that's just the beginning...

So, your Sim is married with children and living in a mansion with his pockets bulging with cash, he's been to the pinnacle of every career path you've thrown at him, so now what? This is getting boring, right?

Wrong.

Use a little imagination. Switch to a blank neighborhood (with expansion packs installed, there are 8 neighborhoods to use) and play creatively. Make a little story. Write bio's for your Sims, and make them act and interact as your story befits. Is your military general Sim disgusted with those bisexual binge-drinking party animals that have moved in next door and keep him awake all night? Has your crazy old Sim slipped slowly into dementia after years of neglect and now lives in a house of filth and disarray which is avidly avoided by the neighborhood children? Is Robert, the successful college professor, having an affair with Jim's wife Candace, the famous journalist? Will Jim, the pro athlete, smash Robert's head in when he comes home early one day and finds them in bed together? Design, script, and enact your own little soap opera with your neighborhood full of unique personalities, and get ten times the gameplay out of The Sims.

I believe that Vaelor is correct in stating that if you use your imagination, anything is possible. Tons of options are available to you if you improvise and use your imagination. You know. That thing that you had before video games ruined it. Real life is boring, so mix it up a little in your own Sims game. Create your little own version of you. Then make your friends in your neighborhood. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it and take the story into your own hands. Want to create a military prison where you invite your neighbors over only to trap them in glass tanks? Go right ahead. Want to live in a purple house? Want everyone to live in a purple house. Do you like corrupt government? Or do you want to see what would happen to people if society had alternate standards? Please try it out! Not only this, but you can go into the game files and put your own mp3s in there, so your Sims can listen to your favorite songs on the radio. You are only limited by your imagination!!!

The Sims is a toy. You don’t turn on a toy and expect it to control you. You control it. Like Legos or building blocks, you come up with your own open-ended game play. When a game is your toy anything at all is completely possible. And this is what the Sims does.

But that is still not it. Create these deep delicate stories and share them on the internet. People everywhere share their stories with others over the internet to create a huge database of stories and people. Share your albums. Print out your stories and store them away until one day you will find them and (possibly) share them with children and grandchildren. Every day there are more items being released by the creators of the game. There are more fan items available for download than there are items available from expansion packs. And then you can indulge yourself in other Sims’ lives as well. I once read a great story of a lawn gnome who gets revenge on his new master after he gets drunk one night and kills his other lawn gnome friend. Tons of people love to read about your experiences in The Sims.

And then there is the added bonus of construction. You get the bonus of being able to construct your very own house like you want it. It doesn’t have to match or be themed. It’s your house; you make it the way you want to. Every house you make is different and unique to yourself. In fact, most of the time the house you make is one-of-a-kind (that is if you make it yourself) in the entire Sims universe. Even if you don’t like running someone’s life you can construct houses the way you want. Then when you are done, you can enter people into the house with different personalities to see how they react. If you make a play house, make some Sims with high ‘playful’ personalities into it and see how they react. I even remember once going to a party and a mom saying that her child played The Sims, but she played it as well because she liked interior decorating.

The AI needs to be noted here as well. Or technically, the simulation aspect needs to be noted. It is sometimes hard to notice when you are caught up and addicted, but the AI system has a nice affect upon your Sims decisions. It actually took me a few years to realize this as well. However all of the personality traits affect your Sims actions, reactions, moods, and likes and dislikes. For example, if you put low ‘playful’ stats on your Sim, he (I will be using males pronouns from now on to make it easier) will be interested in books more, and play computer games and pinball machines less. He will also dislike dancing and like to talk more. However if you put more ‘playful’ stats on your Sim, he will like video games more, and will be bored (or at least less entertained) by long conversations. This is just from one character trait. There are 5 character traits in total which take into account your Sim’s personality and likes/dislikes.

Also, each and every Sim develops likes/dislikes and develops certain instincts and associations. Using the example before, if you put high ‘playful’ stats on your Sim, he will like computers more. If he plays it more and more, he will develop and interest in it, and when left on free will, he be more likely to go play the computer and opposed to watch TV or play pinball. You will notice your Sims talk about their interests more in conversation as well. And they even have their own language, which you cannot understand but you can definitely sense their tone and mood. Your Sims will even remember whose bed is who’s in your house, and if you leave the free will option on, the Sims will only sleep in their own bed (unless you tell them otherwise). The Sims can love or hate different things in your house depending on their character traits. This is just a sample of what the game can really do.

Even the graphics of this game are a thing all their own. The isometric view complements the game well. Everyone thinks that even though it is isometric the graphics can’t be good. This is wrong. Even though 3D graphics have come out in more recent titles, the isometric view is the classical view. It adds to the Sims feel that will never leave you. I won’t say that every graphic is amazing, but every texture and object is done fairly well to make this game’s graphics seem original. And truly they are. These graphics weren’t ripped from another game, like every first person shooter tends to do these days. They are good and they add to the originality of game play.

And I suppose no review is complete with a section about music and sound effects. Well I will say one thing. The musical score is completely original, and GOD does it make this game good. It is perfect for the mood. When you’re shopping, it plays cheery shopping mall and infomercial songs that really perk you up. While building a house, the music is somber and moving, to simulate that you are changing your home and thusly changing your life, and creates a nice peaceful mood while you contemplate and work. I can guarantee you that the tunes will stay with you for years to come. Even now I feel nostalgic thinking of the shopping themes that I have always enjoyed.

The sound effects, I will say, are nothing truly out of the ordinary. Lucky for you, they aren’t too annoying (except for the sound effects of the cartoons. I hate those sound effects). The big deal here is that they are satisfactory in delivering a great game with some great music and good sound.

And last but certainly not least, the Sims is one of the funniest games to play. Watching the Sims interact with each other is extremely funny. Like if you try to kiss someone, they may lean away and slap you. Or when one of the Sims tries to clean the toilet, they say “yuck!” and how two women can get in a cat fight and one of the women moves away. Okay, maybe reading this review doesn’t make it seem funny when you see it actually happen you can’t help but smile and sometimes laugh out loud.


The Bad
There are a few things wrong with the original one which I must point out. Some of these things have been made better by expansions, others have not. First of all, this game has very little items you can choose from. I was actually surprised by how few items were actually in the original game than I remembered. Also, the same thing goes with the bodies and heads for people. I was looking for a long time trying to choose from the limited selection which one went best with what my friend looks liked. However, you are in luck. The expansion ‘The Sims: Livin’ Large’ expansion triples the amount of items, heads and bodies, and each expansion effectively adds more and more as you go on. So do not fret.

This is one thing that every person on the planet hated: you can’t go over other people’s houses. Yep, that’s right. The only house you can go to is your own. The only way to go over another person’s house is to take control of that family and invite yourself over, and even then you cannot control your character’s actions. Also, in the original Sims, the only neighborhood is your own, with nowhere else to go (meaning downtown and vacation, which come out in later expansions). These things become available in later expansions, but for now there is only your house. Also, the only Sims that will visit your house are the ones in your own neighborhood, which make it somewhat boring to not be able to see randomly created visitors. This is probably the worst fault of the game, as you house will become quite boring after playing in it for 5 straight hours.

Also, once your family is created, you can NEVER go back and change them. This is most of the time not a problem at all. However, when you want to make a story, everything must be premeditated, because you cannot go back and add a new character to the family. The only way to deal with this is to add the new character into a new family, and move them into a different house in the neighborhood. Then you must get your relationship up to 100% and ask them to move in with you, and hope that they say yes. That is the only way. I also have similar problems with pictures. You cannot change the order of pictures in your album, meaning if you want to go back and add a new frame in between two other pictures, you have to delete all the pictures after them. Luckily, you can always change the caption under the pictures, which is VERY good when you need to change your story.

Sometimes the Sims can get a little dull if you continually play the same pattern over and over again. Also, sometimes when you don’t take into consideration their moves, they seem more like robots than people. The more you play the more may feel that this game is becoming a huge repetition of the same day. This, however, can be remedied by mixing it up a little and using your imagination. Like I said, this games potential lies in what can be achieved when you use your imagination. If you don’t do this, it can lead you to think that the game lacks any real potential or any content.

Also, I can safely say that the Sims isn’t the most realistic game out there. Even though it’s supposed to be a simulator, it doesn’t mimic ALL aspects of real life. The time goes a lot faster, so doing one task like getting up to grab a plate then sit down again can take a half an hour in the game (30 seconds in real life). And you also get paid everyday, there are no seasons, you never wash your clothes, you never go outside of your neighborhood, and days seem to have no meaning as every day is the same. But Hell, who says that needs to happen. The Sims is meant for extravagant living, so who cares about those things! Still though, some people will find some problems with these things.

Also, despite the fact that you can put them on free will mode, the Sims you have cannot survive on their own. The only thing they tend to do is eat, which is especially frustrating because it ruins the idea of a simulator. Technically, it still is a simulator, but you have to do a lot of babysitting to make sure they don’t die (they seriously can die). This really makes it annoying. The Sims are just not self-sufficient at all.

This leads me to my next subject. Sometimes the Sims are just idiots. Even though the simulation aspect is built in very nicely, Sims can be very dumb. I find that in large families with one bathroom, the doorway gets clogged. Both Sims will not move to let the other through, and as a result the Sims may stand there for hours waiting for the other to move. Even under your watchful eye, the Sims just do some stupid things that make you wonder what the IQ of your Sims even are. It also makes you wonder if the game has more to offer, which it does, however you may feel otherwise after watching some stupid moves on account of the Sims.

If you haven’t noticed before, in order to get this game’s full potential, you need to have a lot of the expansions. I have said a few times in this review “this is added in later expansions”. This is true. Most of the problems that come with this game are usually corrected in the expansions. But as said by Vaelor, “Is your Sims life more important than your own?” How many expansions are you really going to buy? The original game is amazing, but it pales in comparison in how much you can do with all of the expansions. Sure, there is still A LOT to do, however you are missing out of a lot of different things that the expansions offer. You barely have 1/10 of the total items you can get (1/1000 if you include the fan created items and people). You can’t throw parties, you can’t go on dates or go downtown and open your own shop, you can’t go on vacation, and you can’t get any pets either (save for fish). This is really a shame to have to get the expansions just to get the games full potential. I really need to tell you that the original Sims does not offer enough to satisfy your urge. With some expansions, you will love it. But this is not to say that The Sims is not worth it, but getting the expansions will enhance the experience greatly.

But don’t get depressed yet. You are saved. Recently, the entire collection, including the original and all of the 6 or 7 expansion, came out on a collaboration disk. Even better, they come in original graphics and form. Nothing has been altered at all. The minimum system requirements are 800 MHz (.80 GHz!!!) and only 3 gigs of hard drive space, which is amazing for 7 games in one. Lucky for you!!!

And lastly, this game is ADDICTING. I do not know if that is a good or bad thing to you at all. However, sometimes it can be bad. Otherwise productive hours can be spent on this game. I have sometimes spent entire days living out the life of one of my Sims, only to have five hours pass and to ripped away from my beloved game. To add on to that, there are some days where you literally waste an entire day. Most of the time, I can get plenty done in the time frame of five hours, but sometimes all I end up doing is getting some paychecks and nothing else. But even so, there must be something to be said about addicting games. You may be able to know when to quit, but do your children know? Does you husband or wife know when its time to quit? If you plan on buying this game for a relative or friend, take into account these things. People have been reported to lose sleep, works, and schoolwork to get time to play these games. WARNING: If you or some you know has an addictive personality or usually have less than an hour of free time a day, then stay away.

The Bottom Line
This game is one of the most amazing games to have ever come out. It changed the industry in ways never imagined before. Never had a game created such a cult phenomenon that has lasted to this day. Even today it ranks in game magazines’ and websites’ Top 100 Games of All Time lists and it is usually under #30.

This game literally becomes your second life. After years and years of playing this game you will create memories for years to come. One day you will see this game and say “Wow, I remember this one time I created this family and….” Even five years after its release I still find it horribly addicting. Its combination of open-ended game play, subtle Easter eggs they hide into the game (who could forget Shiny Things Inc and their president Malcolm Landgraab), its laugh out loud moments, and he ever-lovable Sims themselves.

I cannot stress enough that it is never too late to join The Sims universe. The Sims universe is always welcoming new members that we can share experiences with. With the new collaboration that came out with ever expansion on it, there is no better time to join the Sims then now! Don’t pass up the chance to play The Sims. If you have never done so then you need to feel what millions of others around the globe have felt from this game. Don’t pass it up. The Sims is a game no gamer should ever miss. Ever.

Special Thanks to Vaelor for permission to use his quote. You are kind and generous for allowing me to use it. This review would not be complete without it. For those reading this review please take time to read his full review here. Both he and I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Windows · by Matt Neuteboom (976) · 2006

It takes 3 hours to eat dinner?

The Good
The first time I heard about this game I was told that you could pretty much do what ever you wanted to do. As in you could go down and rob the local store if you wanted to. So when I got the game I was obviously disappointed that I couldn't even leave the area of my house, so that being said here is my review.

The first thing I noticed when I started to play the game was the graphics, smooth around the edges and the game didn't seem to jump at all or have many bugs. I think that the Maxis / Electronic Arts team took about three quarters of the time spent making the graphics of the game perfect and then just adding a bit of game play in at the end.

The sound in The Sims was great. The little language that the Sims speak in can get a bit annoying after a while but it is still a nice touch to the game. And the language also makes the conversations between the Sims a lot more interesting. You can also hear you Sim / Sims grumbling if they are unhappy or if you have just woken them up in the middle of one of their peaceful little naps.

The game play, though the downfall of the game still had its high points such as, making the house is one of the most fun things to do in the game, and getting a job and watching as your house and your bank account expand. There quite a few jobs that the player can choose form such as a Army recruit or a journalist. If you get bored of just being a bachelor / bachelorette then you can try and get a person to marry and maybe even give you some children. And when you get a child then your character actually gets the pleasure of waking up at four in the morning because the baby is hungry or needs to be changed, and if you decide to neglect it then a social service person will come to your house and take the bundle of joy off your hands.

The Bad
As I said in the good review when I heard about The Sims I had quite a different idea of what I thought it was going to be like compared to what I actually played. Even though the graphics in the game were quite good they still had flaws such as, swimming around in the water there are no ripples or anything and it looks like he’s floating around in his own little patch of sky. And when the house was getting built and you could choose what kind of roof you wanted on top of your house, there was one size which looked quite normal but the other two just looked stupid and it was a waste being able to have them.

The Sims have their own little language. And it would not matter if the language was English it would still get incredibly annoying after a while and to be able to play the game I had to mute the sound so that I could not hear the sounds of the annoying Sims any more.

And now we come to the worst part of the game. You have to give your Sim(s) the attention that you have to give to a newborn baby. And its even worse when the Sim is a new born baby, and if you are not up within 30 minutes after it starts crying then the bloody social service woman gets there and takes it before it can even become a child. The most annoying thing by far about the Sims though is this: it takes so long to do ANYTHING. If you want to have a snack it will take your Sim about an hour to finish it, and its even worse if you want to actually have a full dinner. For example if I wanted to be up and be ready for work in my game then I would have had to be up four hours before my car pool arrived otherwise I would've been cutting it extremely close.

The Bottom Line
The Sims is a fun game for a while even though it takes the Sims ages as I said to do ANYTHING. If you are someone who is looking for a game that has no real ending and you have to be watching like a hawk every time you are controlling then go ahead and buy this game. If not then you will probably find The Sims to be annoying after a while you will be discarding it quite quickly.

Windows · by Horny-Bullant (49) · 2003

The Sims is what you desire it to be!

The Good
First of all, The Sims gives "true control freaks" the opportunity to flex those 'need to dominate' muscles.

Second, The Sims is a universal game that people anywhere can relate to as you are in control of the environment. If you so desire to have a world ruled by delusional children or dysfunctional celebrity impersonators, so you shall. If you so desire to manifest a Utopian kingdom of faeries or an intergalactic space realm, so you shall. If you so desire to create a planet that embraces alternative (i.e., nontraditional) lifestyles or promotes the sloth way of living, so you shall. The Sim world is what you make it.

Third, you can live your life vicariously through your Sims. (Sinister SIMtastic images fill my mind at the thought.) Want to be an international beauty queen or a Doctor-of-Death? Do it. Want to live in a disgustingly purple house surrounded by beautiful alien women or drunk Kirk-like men? Do it. Want to own a limosine? Do that too! Sim users are only limited by the span of the imagination!

Fourth, the game gives the user the ability to be an architect-of-sorts (which is my absolute favorite part). We are talking CREATION and DESIGN from the ground up! Take me for instance...I finally completed my first TRULY original Japanese-styled Simhouse and intend to share it with the Sim World.

Fifth, The Sims is designed in a way that allows the user to manipulate objects in the environment. You can either create new objects to share on-line with others or simply modify old objects. Build houses, design objects, create skins, etc. GET THIS...Tools are actually available on-line FOR FREE, WITH instructions! (Yippee!!) The possibilities are endless.

Sixth, the game has educational value (believe it or not) in that it can teach the young ones (and the rest of us computer heads) a little about responsibility and a few social constructs of how relationships work. For example, Sims must maintain friendships or relationships by constant communication with other Sims. Otherwise complacency can bring a Sim relationship to an abrupt end.

NOTE: Adults should monitor the young playing The Sims for if they have an intrinsically violent nature, this too can be reinforced in the game. Remember, it is indeed what you make it.

Finally, there are literally hundreds of good THE SIMS sites on the web to download houses, skins, objects (including art and decorations), etc.

I could go on about the creative genius behind this seemingly SIMple game, but I want you to experience it for yourself! (...To put a few minds at ease, I do not work for MAXIS or EA.)

The Bad
I guess there must always be a downside to everything...

There are too many people who complain about every little creation or addition to the game without giving much thought to such terminology or phrasings as "upgrades" OR "patches" OR "looking at the positive side of things for a change."

As for the game itself, The Sims can be addictive. Seriously so! You may notice you no longer have friends or that your significant other cannot relate to the Sim sounds you have picked up from the game. You may also find that your boss is not amused to discover you called-in sick because you could not tear yourself away from the computer. Oh yeah...sleep is really a necessity and not just another 5 letter word. BUYER BEWARE! :)

In addition to the addictive aspects of The Sims, one would think with the popularity of the game, it could be a bit cheaper. COME ON MAXIS/EA!

Last (and FINALLY LEAST), there are limits to how realistic certain concepts are in the game. For instance, time is truly an illusion in Simsville; There are not enough objects to support multicultural households (very American oriented); A few of the tools released by Maxis are not completely user friendly for some and it would be nice to have a Sims Tool that allows modification of all file extensions used by the game instead of having a variety of tools for every file type - AAGGHHH!

The Bottom Line
I think the game is worth owning, if only to say I have had THE SIMS experience.

Windows · by Stephanie B. (3) · 2001

[ View all 20 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The PC version of The Sims appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

3D Realms

3D Realms have released a skin pack for The Sims featuring their trademark action hero - Duke Nukem. The pack could be downloaded off their site at www.3drealms.com

Development

  • The Sims was originally going to be called "Home Tactics," and would have an entirely different focus. Will Wright originally designed it to be completely about building houses. When someone suggested a feature involving letting people move in to determine the quality of the house, the focus completely changed. Developers were having more fun watching the people than building the house. The design goals were directed towards Sims, and architecture was left as a side bonus.
  • According to the March 2002 edition of Wired Magazine, Will Wright and his development team had to develop what he called a "happiness landscape." By using this landscape, The Sim People could map and identify what items would satisfy any pending needs. It also permitted Sims to prioritize what needs were more pending. Will Wright stated that he went around his house, doing an inventory of objects and how he needed them so he could map out the landscape in the game.
  • The Sims was also meant as a satire on suburban life and consumerism. In a clip from "Charlie Brooker's How Videogames Changed the World", Will Wright has stated that "It was actually meant as a satire of U.S. culture, and I think most people didn't get that". An example he gives, is that the player is supposed to buy objects and furniture in the game to make the Sims happy, but inevitably the furniture will break or catch on fire making the Sims miserable instead.

Extras

After managing a household for 100 days you will be rewarded with information etc. about the creators of the game.

Inspiration

The game's most obvious progeny is Little Computer People.

Music

You can put your own MP3s in the music folder in the game's directory and they will be played on the radio.

Nudity

Although Sims are censored (their image blurred) when naked, there's an unofficial patch known as The Sims Nude Patch that eliminates censorship. You can find it at several fan sites.

PC Gamer fake review

In the April 2003 issue of PC Gamer, The editors faked a review for a phony expansion called "The Liebermans." In the June 2003 issue of PC Gamer, The editors revealed that their prank fooled a lot of people, including the political beat reporter for the Hartford Courant, The local news in the city where Senator Lieberman's office is located.

Pre-order bonus

If you pre-ordered the game at Electronics Boutique, you received a bonus disc containing different skins and a mini-strategy guide.

References

Shiny Things Inc., a company that makes kitchen appliances and other shiny things in the game, makes a guest appearance in the Sim City series as one of the industrial structures that can be built in your city. Malcolm Landgraab, the head of Shiny Things Inc., makes a guest appearance in The Sims for the console systems.

Sales

The game is listed in the 2008 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition as the best selling PC game of all time, with 16 million sales worldwide since the original launch.

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • April 2001 (Issue #201) – Game of the Year
    • November 2003 (Issue #232) – Introduced into the Hall of Fame
  • Game Informer
    • August 2001 (Issue #100) - #80 in the "Top 100 Games of All Time" poll
  • GameSpy
    • 2000 – Strategy Game of the Year
  • GameStar (Germany)
    • Issue 02/2001 - Most Innovative Game in 2000
  • PC Gamer
    • October 2001 - #11 in the "Top 50 Games of All Time" list
    • April 2005 - #23 in the "!50 Best Games of All Time" list
  • PC Player (Germany)
    • Issue 01/2001 - Best Economic Simulation in 2000
  • The Strong National Museum of Play
    • 2016 – Introduced into the World Video Game Hall of Fame
  • Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland
    • August 31, 2003 - Gold Award (details in "Sales" section)

Information also contributed by Adam Baratz, Entorphane, James1, JPaterson, Matthew Bailey; Matt Neuteboom, PCGamer77, Sciere, Scott Monster, Technocrat, Ummagumma, Xoleras and Zack Green

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Released 2004 on Windows, 2005 on Macintosh
The Sims: Superstar
Released 2003 on Windows, Macintosh
The Sims: Vacation
Released 2002 on Windows, Macintosh
The Sims: House Party
Released 2001 on Windows, Macintosh
The Sims 2
Released 2005 on Game Boy Advance
The Sims: Medieval
Released 2011 on Windows, Macintosh, 2012 on iPad...
The Sims: Hot Date
Released 2001 on Windows, 2002 on Macintosh
The Sims 3
Released 2009 on Windows, Macintosh, Xbox 360

Related Sites +

  • 7 Deadly Sims
    Hugely comprehensive fansite with downloadable items, skins, building materials, and much more.
  • 8th Deadly Sim
    The 8th Deadly Sim is the paysite counterpart to 7 Deadly Sims. For a small token fee you can download hundreds of amazing objects, skins, building materials and lots more!
  • Around the Sims
    Can't get enough of that fresh downloadable content for The Sims? Here's another Sims fansite!
  • Coasters
    An all inclusive site with houses, skins, fashions and more. News too
  • IGCD Internet Game Cars Database
    Game page on IGCD, a database that tries to archive vehicles found in video games.
  • KillerSims
    A Great Mall for your Sims
  • SIMplyDariene
    Walls, Floors, Paintings and Objects, Murals, Objects, The Lollipop Shop, All That Glitters, FAQs, How-To Tutorial, Links
  • Sim Dudes Online
    The site is said to be updated every Monday with great new Skins, Walls, Floors, Roofs, Houses, Paintings, and Objects.
  • SimFreaks
    Yes, even more amazing new unique downloadable content for The Sims!
  • Sims in a Bottle
    A site with Cool Original Objects, tons of Wallpaper Sets, Floors, and Cheats.
  • Simulation Sims
    Another fantastic fansite full of downloadable new Sims content!
  • The Sim Sisters
    A unique site about The Sims that is theme-based around a Church. Art Gallery, Paintings, Skins, Nuns, Priests, Religious Items, Disney, and News
  • The Sims Resource
    Another huge fansite choc full of new downloadable content for The Sims!
  • The Sims Tattoo Parlor
    Site contains Tattoos, Clothing and Swimming Suits, Floors, Walls, Paintings, Guest Skins, Objects, FAQs, Links,
  • The Well Dressed Sim
    A Sims fansite specifically dedicated to fashion and the fashionable. Download stunning new clothing, salon items, home decor and more!
  • Who Needs the Networks?
    An Apple Games article about the Macintosh version of The Sims (August, 2000).
  • devisraad.com: The Sims
    Download unique skins and furnishings from devisraad.com's Sims page.
  • thesims.be.tf
    This site gives Overhead cabinets Plus loads of sets of same color furniture and a very useful program called Sims Object ID to check to see if an object has an uniqe ID number

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 860
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Rynok.

Macintosh added by Corn Popper. Linux added by Christopher Corkum.

Additional contributors: Brian Hirt, xroox, Heikki Sairanen, Andrew Hartnett, Unicorn Lynx, Indra was here, Zack Green, Atomic Punch!, Alaka, Xoleras, Vaelor, BdR, Zeppin, Patrick Bregger, Victor Vance, FatherJack, SoMuchChaotix.

Game added February 19, 2020. Last modified March 14, 2024.