The Sims 2 : University

THE BAD:
-long loading times
-no children, or marriage
-Sims speak with an annoying sound
-cannot edit dorms when playing with a Sim

SUMMARY:
The first expansion pack to the newly developed Sims series begins with a bang. Sims 2 University brings together other Sims to various universities to complete their degrees. As a solo Sim, or playing as multiple, together you can move into a dorm with other Sims. You can also rent a house if you're wealthy enough. Remember, only teens can be sent to university, but you can also create a Sim through the university main screen. Those Sims created at university will move back into the neighbourhood once they have completed university.

Gameplay
Like any Sim game, in University your objective of the game is to live as a Sim and complete University. This isn't a one-way ticket, you do have to work to pass, as you can be placed on academic probation or be kicked out. This expansion pack gives an additional 24 days to your Sims lifespan, which I found a great feature. The University itself is not hard to keep up with. If you write your term paper, go to all your classes and finish assignments, you will pass with flying colours. A great feature they added is called the Influence Meter. These are points, similar to Aspiration Points that can get other people to do things. This includes homework, pranks and much more. Lastly, University is about having fun! This expansion pack brings new items devoted to partying, such as the fruit bunch barrel.


This is the official trailer. As you can see, you can still perform many of the same actions, but things such as hanging out, and streaking have been added.

Sound
In the video, you can hear faintly Sims talking. It can get rather annoying, and they will always speak like that. Disregarding that, the game sounds are great. The music changes when certain things happen, and there is some sounds for certain items (i.e. music players, pinball machines) If worse comes to worse, you can actually change the music of the game to something else!

Graphics
The video demonstrates the wonderful graphics Sims 2 University has to offer. Characters are shown at their potential through new 3D graphics, and a rotating camera. The graphics are the highlight of the game, as they make it seem more real. Even small details, such as makeup and tattoos, are shown much more visibly.

New Features
Like any Sim expansion pack, Sims 2 University brings new things into play. These include: