| The Sims Life Stories | |
|---|---|
| |
| Box art for The Sims Life Stories | |
| Development | |
| Developer(s) | The Sims Studio |
| Publisher(s) | EA Games (PC), Aspyr (Mac) |
| Ratings | ESRB: T ACB: M PEGI: 12+ |
| Series | The Sims Stories |
| Release date(s) | Windows NA February 6, 2007 Mac OS X NA March 28, 2007 |
| Technical information | |
| Engine | The Sims 2 |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media | DVD |
| System requirements | Windows
Mac OS X |
| Input methods | Keyboard, Mouse |
| Game features | |
| Genres | Life simulation, God game |
The Sims Life Stories is the first game in the The Sims Stories product line, developed by Maxis and EA Games. It was released on February 6, 2007. Free trials of the game are available on certain laptops but they are only playable to the end of chapter three in Riley Harlow's story. Main characters in the game are Riley Harlow and Vincent Moore. Gameplay is comprised of following specific tasks in order to progress through a pre-scripted story. Each story has twelve chapters. There is also a Free Play mode where the player can freely play with their Sims without following a story. The game begins with Riley's story, while Vincent's story is unlocked at the beginning of the fourth chapter of Riley's story. After the player completes the stories, they can continue to play as they wish.
Description[]
The Sims Life Stories is the first release in an all-new game series called The Sims Stories. Play through all the great moments of your Sim's life in this easy-to-play, laptop-friendly version of The Sims. In the new and engaging directed Story mode, you take your Sims through a unique and entertaining storyline full of romance and dramatic twists. You even unlock cool rewards along the way as you achieve set goals. In open-ended Classic mode, you create Sims and then choose how they'll fulfill their dreams through life's biggest moments. Stay connected by using your own IM and email while playing.
Features[]
- Direct Their Lives in Two Complete Stories in All - New Story Mode-Play through the life story of Riley as she returns home to start a new life with new friends, new experiences, and unexpected surprises. A bonus second story lets you sort out the love life of Vince, a love-struck high-tech whiz who's been unlucky in love so far.
- Create Your Sims' Own Stories in Open-Ended Classic Mode - You create your Sims, design their dream homes, fulfill their desires (or dash their hopes), and tell their stories as they experience life's biggest moments.
- Life's Most Memorable Milestones - From first date to first job, from finding Mr. or Mrs. Right to building a long-lasting family legacy, take your Sims through a lifetime of unforgettable experiences.
- It's Never Been Easier to Play on Your Laptop - Specially designed to play easily and quickly at home or on the go, this laptop-friendly game features simple shortcuts and an all-new auto-pause that lets you start and stop easily when opening/closing your laptop.
- Be Creative While Staying Connected - You can easily stay in touch with your friends by using your own IM and email while playing the game in its own window.
Compared to Base Game[]
The Sims Life Stories is a stripped down compilation of objects and features from the base game, University and Nightlife, making the Sims Life Stories a hybrid experience of multiple The Sims 2 expansion packs. Features from different expansion packs include:
- NOYIN 2680 Cellular Phone, Guitar, various exercise equipment, Impresso Espress-o-Matic and Pool Table objects from University.
- The Influence system from University
- Lifetime wants from University.
- Bowling Alley object and various Community lot Countertops from Nightlife.
- Dining Out Restaurant feature from Nightlife.
- Sim Chemistry and Fury systems from Nightlife.
- Dating from Nightlife.
- Personal Inventory feature from Nightlife.
- Neighboring lots and Decorations are visible while on active lots like in Nightlife.
- Many build mode additions such as half-walls and diagonal Pool tiles from Nightlife.
Key differences[]
Gameplay has been altered, and in many cases simplified, in order to reduce the loading times on laptops, leading to a more optimized experience.
- Fears do not exist in this game.
- There are twelve careers instead of ten, with two new Life Stories exclusive career tracks: Entertainment and Game Development.
- New Life Stories exclusive furniture and story related unlockable objects.
- Not all objects from the Sims 2 base game is included.
- Bills are never generated.
- Plants do not require watering and therefore no gardening is required.
- Skill building is allowed on all Community lots, making it possible to build functional libraries and gyms.
- Camera mode is completely disabled and replaced with a family journal.
- Households are limited to a maximum size of 4 Sims.
- During the Story-Arc mode in Riley's and Vincent's stories, relationship decay is disabled.
Technical information[]
The neighborhoods included with The Sims Life Stories are unique to the game, but it is possible to copy the files from The Sims Life Stories folder to The Sims 2, though this only works if the right games are installed (University, Nightlife and Family Fun Stuff). The player won't have the exclusive objects, floors, and walls from Life Stories, however these items can be added to The Sims 2 through the use of mods.
Neighborhoods[]
The Sims Life Stories includes three pre-made neighborhoods and a Tutorial neighborhood. The Tutorial is partially broken due to missing objects not carried over from the Sims 2 base game such as the Soma "Sleep Well" Double Bed.
- Learn to Play
- If you are new to The Sims, check out these tutorials for a few basic guidelines on how to play.
- Four Corners, where Riley's story takes place
- Riley Harlow had been living in Sim City all her life, until she lost her job. Facing eviction, Riley turned to the one person she could count on, her Aunt Sharon. Sharon had always been kind enough to help Riley out in a pinch, so Riley arranged to stay at her aunt’s house in the suburb of Four Corners until she was back on her feet.
- Bitville, where Vincent's story takes place
- Despite being the wealthy CEO of Jigantor Computing Networks, Vincent Moore has never been lucky in love. While on a business trip to Sim City, Vincent has overseen the finish of JCN’s biggest project to date: The SimSat 9000 Communications Satellite. The launch was flawless, the hands have been shaken and the bonuses are in the mail. Now Vincent eagerly returns to his modest mansion in Bitville to see his new girlfriend, Samantha Hayden. Samantha told Vincent she had a big surprise waiting for him when he got back. Perhaps Vincent's luck is changing...
- Four Corners, a Free-Play mode neighborhood
- In free play, there is no story to follow. You are free to play however you like! You can create single Sims or a family of Sims and move them in to the neighborhood, or you can choose a pre-made family. The choices are entirely yours to make, so enjoy free play and the neighborhood of Four Corners!
At first, the player can only play Free Play or Riley's Story. However, Vincent's Story can be unlocked after completing goals in Riley's Story. Four Corners, where Riley's story takes place and Four Corners, a Free-Play mode neighborhood are nearly identical with slight differences in families and community lots.
Characters in Riley's story[]
The main character of Riley's Story. She moves in to her Aunt Sharon's house in Four Corners after losing her job and being evicted from her apartment in Sim City. On her first day after moving in, her aunt almost immediately leaves to attend to urgent matters, thus leaving Riley alone for the first few days of gameplay. Meanwhile, Riley makes friends with the neighbors, who come to welcome her to the neighborhood, and eventually she falls in love with Mickey Smith.
Riley's love interest during the story. He asks Riley to be his girlfriend and she accepts. Their relationship goes well until he discovers she is seeing Dylan. Mickey has a fight with Dylan and loses, causing him and Riley to break up. He almost gets married to Agora until Riley arrives at the scene to halt the wedding, after that he proposes to Riley and they get married. They have a child together at the end of the story.
Riley's best friend who gives her a coffee maker as a housewarming gift. She provides Riley with information about the neighborhood and is the only person Riley trusts. She also attends Mickey and Agora's wedding and calls Riley to attend as well. She is a widow and the mother of Madison Fortuna.
Riley's ex-boyfriend from high school who tries to patch things over with her. He moved to Four Corners two weeks before Riley did, and currently works at the Four Corners Bank. He goes to Riley's house for dinner with her and they have a great time. He also appears to comfort Riley after she breaks up with Mickey. Dylan is found to be cheating on her when he is caught dating Ashley Sinclair. Later it is revealed that he and Agora have attempted to start a plot to kidnap Sharon in order to claim her vast fortune and use Riley to claim the money. He is arrested for doing this. At the beginning of the story, he is the driver for Aunt Sharon.
Archenemy of Riley who works as a party DJ. She also has a romantic interest in Mickey, which fuels her jealousy towards Riley. She kidnaps Sharon at the bank with Dylan to claim her fortune. Towards the end of the story, after admitting that she had done this to marry Mickey and share the money with him, she is left at the altar and arrested.
Riley's aunt who lives in Four Corners. She offers Riley her place to stay but leaves abruptly to take care of something important. She is later found kidnapped by Dylan and manages to escape from him. She later passes down her home to Riley and at the end of the story is revealed to be a self-made millionaire who made her fortune in the stock exchange.
Co-worker of Dylan who attends Mickey and Agora's wedding. She is also seen dating Dylan and gives a gift to Riley after her wedding. She is the wife of Waring Sinclair.
Minor character in the story. She is the daughter to Fiona Fortuna and only appears as a guest at Mickey and Agora's wedding. She is in love with Jacob Margison.
Husband of Ashley and a minor character in the story who only appears at Mickey and Agora's wedding. Waring is a successful businessman who fears that his wife will cheat on him.
Characters in Vincent's story[]
A rich business tycoon who lives in Bitville and the main character of Vincent's story. He breaks up with Samantha Hayden after he feels that her wedding proposal was far too sudden. After a string of disastrous dates, he falls in love with Naomi Hunt, whom he meets at Baliwood Star Lanes.
A barista who works at Baliwood Star Lanes and is also Vincent's love interest. They have their first date at Cliffside Park and the date goes well until a mysterious woman flirts with Vince, and Naomi incorrectly assumes that Vincent is a womanizer. Later, she gives Vincent a second chance and their relationship improves. At the end of the story she moves in with Vincent and is crushed by a satellite, after that her fate is up to the player.
Vincent's girlfriend at the beginning of the story who is only dating Vincent because of his fortune. They break up after she proposes marriage after only three weeks of dating. Subsequently, she harbors a bitter relationship with Vincent after he sells everything she bought for the wedding. She secretly sabotages all of his dates and later vents her anger by destroying his house. At the end of the story, Naomi provokes her into a fight.
Vincent's best friend who is asked to take care of his house during his absence. However, he leaves Vincent's house a mess. Later in the story, he begins to develop a relationship with Alexa Starr.
Vincent's friend and co-worker. He provides information on the JCN satellite's progress and some other important plot details. He is depicted as a stereotypical nerd, and has a larger vocabulary—often speaking in Latin phrases— which often makes it hard for others to understand him.
Vincent's business rival and Samantha Hayden's new boyfriend turned husband. At the end of the story, his business fails and he and Samantha split up.
One of Vincent's dates. They dine at Don Calamari's for their date. However the date turns disastrous when, unbeknownst to Vincent, Samantha sneaks into the kitchen and sabotages the food, causing Alexa to fall asleep on her food. She tends to interrupt during conversations and has an addiction to coffee.
A mysterious woman who is paid by Samantha to claim that she had a great date with Vincent and to sabotage his date with Naomi. She is described as a pyromaniac firefighter.
Materialistic young woman who is one of Vincent's dates. They shop at the Arcadium Plaza during their date, where Vincent realizes that she is only after his fortune.
Vincent's friend whom he introduces to Sasha after their date.
Owner of Don Calamari's and a friend of Vincent. He gives Vincent a gift as an apology for his and Alexa's sabotaged date.
Trivia[]
- Most of the characters in Riley's story are originally from the Sim Bin in Create a Sim and Body Shop. However, they are slightly altered.
- In the Sims Life Stories Trailer, Vincent has a different hairstyle and wears a different outfit from the one in the game. The outfit can be found in Vincent's drawer, however.
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