The Sims Unleashed (PC)
Unleash the hounds! Your Sims can now own pets.
By Dave "Fargo" Kosak | Oct. 26, 2002


85
Excellent
The Lowdown: Among the better expansion packs, Unleashed adds a great deal to play with, despite occasional frustrations.
Pros: Lots to interact with; new giant neighborhood; pets are cool.
Cons: Long load times; numerous small bugs.

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Platform:  Windows
Game Type:  Simulation
Developer:  Maxis
Publisher:  Electronic Arts

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Simulated pets? Somewhere nearby, a tiny simulated fire hydrant is quaking in fear.

When it was released in early 2000, The Sims was considered a bizarre gaming experiment from the mind of Will Wright, creator of Sim City. Who knew that the title -- as much of a toy as it is a "game" -- would rocket to the top of the sales charts and ultimately become the best-selling PC game series of all time?

Electronic Arts has been quick to milk the success of the franchise with a seemingly endless parade of expansion packs. Even at $30 a pop, they, too, top the charts. The Sims Unleashed is the latest addition to the Sims family. Despite a couple of snags, it's a worthwhile add-on to anyone who can't get enough of the continually surprising world of those tiny digital people.

A Bark as Good as its Bite

The Sims Unleashed adds the usual assortment of new decorations and objects, but three major additions make the pack worthwhile: a larger residential neighborhood with a nearby "Olde Towne" business district, the ability to grow your own garden, and (as alluded to in the expansion's title) pets!

The larger neighborhood is a welcome relief. You can have roughly twice as many residential houses in one town, meaning you have more neighbors to interact with and more room to play. The larger town also includes an integrated commercial district (similar to the downtown area of The Sims: Hot Date) called the "Olde Towne," with a decorative assortment of pet stores, parks, coffee shops, and even a cyber café. You can build up your own commercial areas shared by all the Sims in your town, giving you a great deal more turf to play with.

Also new to Unleashed is the ability to "till the soil," so to speak, growing your own backyard garden and harvesting the fruits of your labors. Vegetables you grow outside can be stored in a pantry and used to cook meals. Alternatively, you can sell your produce for a profit. Of course, growing a productive garden isn't easy. Aside from continually pulling weeds, you've got to watch out for backyard pests like gophers and rabbits. Fortunately, there's a new way to keep your property secure...

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...Pets! One of the most requested Sims features is finally here. Your Sims family can now own their own dog, cat, fish, bird ... a virtual menagerie of squawking, meowing, barking and braying animals. Along with the animals are a host of items and services to go with them: doggie baths, squeak toys, collars, playpens, animal trainers, food, litter boxes, scratching posts, and so on. When you adopt a pet, it actually becomes a member of your family, with its own moods and needs. You can even train your animals or enter them in pet shows. Great stuff!

A Dog Is a Sim's Best Friend

Down on "Sim Lane," career bachelor Stewie Elbowroom adopted a Siamese kitten for his little one-bedroom pad, hoping it could help him get chicks without messing up his immaculate furniture. Meanwhile, just down the road, in a rusted and rotted trailer home surrounded by garbage, Nord and Dweezil decided to adopt a German Shepard with a spiked collar. They give him doggie treats every time he attacks the paper-delivery girl. That's just a slice of life from my current town, and it gives you an idea of what's in store.

For anyone who's ever had a soft spot for animals, this new expansion is a real joy. The new pets add a whole new level of interaction for you and your neighbors. A pet might really like one family member and hate another, or he could hate a particular neighbor. Different animals are now a conversation topic among the Sims (two dog lovers might find they have a lot in common). Because playing with animals is a social outlet, you can now literally have a reclusive old lady Sim who doesn't talk to anyone and lives with her cats.


"Bad kitty!" Having pets in your game adds a whole new layer of interaction
As always, it's the unexpected that keeps the game fresh. One night my Sim was woken up at 1 a.m. by a raccoon named "El Bandito" performing what I would call a special "Midnight Trashcan Serenade." Another time a skunk took up residence nearby, and -- with no dog to chase it away -- I had to call animal services. Trying to teach your parrot to talk helps build your charisma, and it's hysterical to hear your Sim speaking to the animal in slow, precisely-enunciated "Simlish." When a neighborhood cat wandered into the house, that poor bird got visibly upset.

Finally, having a big town to play with is a welcome relief. For some hardcore Sims fans, the bigger residential neighborhood and Olde Towne alone might be worth the cost of the expansion. Unfortunately, Unleashed suffers from the same problem as Hot Date: it's really hard to get anything productive done in town before your Sim gets exhausted and has to go home. Despite this, it's a fun place to go to meet other Sims and play with the animals.

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