For The Sim Who Wants To Be His/Her Own Boss.

As far as money trees go, no one seems to be as able or willing to harvest more of their green bounty than EA Games. This is evidenced by the yearly installments from their EA Sports range and even more noticeable as the cavalcade of expansion packs rolls on the shelves at regular intervals in the wake of the releases of The Sims and The Sims 2 from Maxis.

A more cynical sort might wonder if content is specifically held back for drip-feeding in purchasable addons, but when it comes to an excellent game like The Sims 2 - who really cares anyway? The Sims 2: Open For Business is the third expansion pack for the highly successful mothership game which I won't rehash here. You can see The Sims 2 reviewed in full detail in the following review:

http://www.epinions.com/content_379999260292


Businesses in the Expansion

As the name might suggest, Open For Business gives your Sims the option to enter the exciting world of owning and running their own businesses. You can either purchase a community lot and set up trade there, or work from home - remember all that junk you craft to get your statistics up? Now it can become inventory for your own little round the house business. In addition to all the things you could already make, this expansion has added the ability to craft toys, arrange flowers and other new goodies, as well as populated the game with business related acquisitions such as cash registers, open/closed signs and so forth.

Obviously there's more to running a business than setting up shop and filling it with merchandise, with the game now allowing you to hire and train staff, set their wages, delegate tasks and generally manage the hell out of things. It is actually a little stressful at times until you get the hang of closing your store. My home business saw customers showing up in the middle of the night, walking in while I was sound asleep and using my facilities! Eventually though I was able to build up a loyal customer base, built a reputation of quality about my establishment and even received a favourable magazine write-up.

Along with the bevy of new items and options, there are also some all-new store-related building options like the elevator which is included for the first time here, and special business related aspirations which need to be satisfied if your Sim's ambitions lie in that direction.

A huge retail shopping district has been added, which comes pre-populated with a variety of stores and Sims to run them. This works in much the same way as other extra-neighbourhood features (like the University) have in previous expansions, loading up as separate locations when your characters go to visit.


Other Additions

Beyond the fact that some new items and locations have been added, graphically the game is unchanged, but in the sound department there's the excellent inclusion of the New Wave radio station which features a few neat surprises. These come in the shape of Sims gibberish versions of songs like Too Shy by Kajagoogoo and Howard Jones' Things Can Only Get Better. These reincarnations of 80's hits are actual rerecordings from the original artists especially for the game - There's even a contribution from Depeche Mode!


General Vibe

While The Sims 2: Open for Business adds a lot of enjoyable content, it falls into the trap that other expansions which radically change elements of the game have in the past. Players who are still enjoying the original might find themselves torn between playing what made the game fun for them and dividing their attention with the new business opportunities. I never really got the hang of leaving my home and going to community lots - leaving my other Sims frozen in time while I played around in them, so obviously being at my own store had a downside in my view. In short, except for the home business stuff it can feel like a game within a game - or an entirely new one - rather than more options for the original.

That complaint aside, Sims completionists are going to enjoy the new features and people looking for a change are likely to lap up the opportunity to run their own business. No more working for The Man - you can be your own boss in the fast paced world of Open For Business.