The Sims 2: Apartment LifeReviews: The Sims 2: Apartment Life
Amazon Minimum Age: 144 months Binding: DVD-ROM Brand: Electronic Arts EAN: 0014633190786 ESRB Age Rating: Teen Format: DVD-ROM Item Dimensions: Label: Electronic Arts Manufacturer: Electronic Arts Model: 19078 MPN: 19078 Platform: Windows XP, Windows Vista Publisher: Electronic Arts Release Date: August 26, 2008 Studio: Electronic Arts Features:
Rating:  - Thank you for noting the problemsFirst off, let me thank those people who have alerted me to several issues, especially the need for Internet Access for the automatic authentification issue that the program requires. The laptop I use no longer has internet access because of the security issues SecuRom generated. As for those who have commented that the SecuRom issues are not real, and are only being generated by software pirates, to you I say you need to research you issues before you comment. I am not a software pirate, but a paying customer who has expereinced major issues because of SecuRom. For those of you who do not know, SecuRom has been around since the H&M Stuff Pack, and there have been issues with it ever since EA/Maxis started using it. However, the issues really didn't become noticeable until Bon Voyage because after installing the H&M Stuff Pack, you were still required to use the Seasons disc to play. However, once Bon Voyage was installed and you are required to use the Bon Voyage disc to play, the SecuRom issues become evident. I am on of those who experienced system-wide problems with SecuRom. After having submitted a list of problems to Sony after having purchased, installed, and run Bon Voyage, Sony reluctantly admitted that a great many of the issues I was experiencing were SecuRom related. First, and most obvious, SecuRom conflicts with a great many CD/DVD rewritable programs; these conflicts render the user unable to burn to their CD/DVD drives. Second, I had just renewed my subscription for my AntiVirus software, and next thing I know, I'm being told my AntiVirus subscription had expired. There are others security issues that SecuRom creates, which you will need to research to make an informed decision. I needed to hire a technician to remove SecuRom from my system, as the instructions Sony and EA/Maxis provided did not work. Once SecuRom was removed from my system, I was able to burn to my drives again. And while I am still finding "problems" with my system that didn't exist prior to Bon Voyage and SecuRom, which my technician has informed me will probably continue to crop up because of the nature of SecuRom, my system has regained most of its functionality. Even a complete reformatting of the hard drive and reinstallation of your operating system will not totally eradicate SecuRom. So Buy Beware. Granted, not everybody has experienced issues, but do you really want to take that chance? Rating:  - Apartment LifeI am having a great time playing the game. I also bought one for my daughter,BUT,she can't play it because her pc doesn't play DVD's. I wasn't aware the game isn't in CD format.All the others were. She is very sad at that. I am waiting now for a patch for the glitches. Rating:  - Fun I think that this is a fun add on to the game. I love the apartments and the added game play. Rating: - REALLY FUN GAME BUT............I REALLY LIKE THE GAME BUT I WISH I COULD BUILD MY OWN APARTMENT BUILDINGS. I LOVE THE WAY THE NEIGHBORS HIT THE WALLS WHEN THERE IS TOO MUCH NOISE. AND I LOVE THE NEW OUTFITS. IT WOULD BE NICE THOUGH IF THE SENIORS HAD MORE PJ CHOICES, THEY LIKE TO BE SEXY TOO! AND I WISH THAT I COULD ALTER SOME OF THE WALLS WINDOWS ETC. ****BUT OVERALL THIS GAME IS SMOKING!***** Rating:  - Why does box say "Internet access REQUIRED"?Let's start by lending some cred to a review: I bought the game Aug 29th, I've loaded it, I've played it about 12 hours (over time) - so any criticism isn't just because I'm unnerved by SecuROM. I was very excited about this expansion. My perusal of the articles and EA website info really built up my expectations. After playing it though I'm feel fairly deflated and underwhealmed. The game needs a patch - big time, and quick. I don't have time nor space to list all the tiny little errors that impact your gameplay in a huge way. From cellphones disappearing to butlers walking off with babies to your sims just refusing to go to work to non-working gypsies and NPCs - it's just too much. Witches and Warlocks are fun but it's almost an all-consuming pastime and I found myself tiring of the spell-studying and spell-ingredient-making. It takes a good amount of effort (or simoleons) to gather ingredients for the hefty emotions (it deteriorates your comfort and fun) cost of casting a spell. Sims walk in and out of your apartment all the time, eat your food, watch your t.v., skinny-dip in your whirlpool. You only have the option of locking ALL sims out or allowing ALL sims in. Sims ring your doorbell and then wander off leaving you to have to walk the whole lot trying to find and greet them. Once your rep increases you recieve constant invitations to hang out on community lots...got a baby or a puppy? Forget about it! The social aspect of the game increased exponentially - I just want to stay home with the sim family sometimes but refusing invitations isn't a great idea. I've had two crashes that resulted in securom-type messages. These happened around day 10 or so of ownership when it came to for it to validate itself (as it will do every 10 days forever and ever amen). The game restored itself and worked fine later but I'm perturbed that I didn't go problem-free. It is a shame that those without internet access - as I was not but a few months ago - won't be able to run the game. I don't think this has been stressed enough because recently at a big box chain store I overheard an upset adolescent and father returning the game with a complaint that no one emphasized the importance of an internet connection. Sure, you can flip the box over and read it "INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED" but who expects a game like this to require internet? If you have no internet the game can't authenticate and will shut down. The Sims 2 Apartment Life burned me out of the game faster than a few years play did. I find myself wanting to take a break from playing because it had now become more tedious than fun. I think I'll stick with playing the Seasons and University EPs and store Apartment Life for now. The Sims 2: Apartment Life ReviewsMore reviews:Buy The Sims 2: Apartment Life Sale Reviews Deals
The Sims 2: Apartment Life
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