Makin' Magic ships with a special 'Sneak Preview of The Sims 2' CD. You can see a clip from it in the videos area!
Sims News
30 Oct 2003 - 22:30
30 Oct 2003 - 22:20
With Scores of: 8.3/10 and 8.2/10 respectively.
"Makin' Magic presents plenty of interesting additions to the original game, but it also adds a whole lot more of them."
30 Oct 2003 - 22:20
With Scores of: 8.3/10 and 8.2/10 respectively.
"Makin' Magic presents plenty of interesting additions to the original game, but it also adds a whole lot more of them."
30 Oct 2003 - 22:10
Score: 8.3/10 “Great”
"Makin' Magic presents plenty of interesting additions to the original game, but it also adds a whole lot more of them."
The Sims: Makin' Magic Review
While some of Makin' Magic's more-colorful additions seem a bit out of place, this final expansion pack adds plenty of new things for you and your sims to do.
Maxis' world-renowned PC strategy game The Sims, which lets you create and control the lives of a virtual family of little computer people called "sims," has been extremely popular since its release in 2000. The game has also given rise to a total of seven expansion packs, and the latest and final of these is The Sims: Makin' Magic, which lets your family of sims learn how to use magic wands, potions, and spells to turn their unwanted neighbors into frogs, to shower themselves with riches, and to create other wondrous effects. While some of Makin' Magic's more-colorful additions seem a bit out of place, this final expansion pack adds plenty of new things for you and your sims to do.
Like the last few expansion packs for The Sims, Makin' Magic adds a great many new household objects with which your sims can fill their houses. It also adds a new outdoor "lot" area, named Magic Town, which you can visit at any time. Here you can also completely scrap and redesign yourself. Like other expansion packs for The Sims, Makin' Magic also includes a few additional options that work with previous expansions. For instance, if you have The Sims: Unleashed, you can temporarily change one of your pets into a person. However, Makin' Magic also lets your sims use magic spells (which emphasize the logic, cooking, and mechanical skills) to circumvent mundane problems, like refilling personal needs (also known as "motives") such as hunger, fatigue, and social interfaction. Additionally, your sims can actually perform magic shows, similarly to how they could put on various types of shows in the previous expansion, Superstar. Many of these additions completely eliminate the need for common chores, like continually chatting up other sims to keep your social needs satisfied. For instance, in Makin' Magic, a child sim can magically create an imaginary best friend instead of having to hunt down other sims for conversation. However, the expansion's décor is much more colorful than that of the previous expansions. Specifically, the expansion's sparkly magic spells and brightly colored amusement parks seem like they might be more appealing to smaller children than to the more-mature fans of the series who enjoy The Sims for its tongue-in-cheek social commentary and risqué sexual innuendo.
Regardless, Makin' Magic gives you many new interesting things to do that will likely draw your attention away from constant bathroom breaks and naps. You begin a new game of Makin' Magic at home when a mystery man appears at your door to drop off new magical equipment, including a cauldron to formulate new spells, a new magic wand, and a handful of spell components. From there you can build a comfortable home business harvesting beeswax and elderberries. If you'd prefer, however, you can use these components as spell ingredients, or you can use them to barter for other spell components or magic items from various vendors in Magic Town.
Makin' Magic's new out-of-house lot area, Magic Town, gives you many more options than the lot areas from the previous expansions. For instance, you can visit Magic Town to put on public magic shows or to stage wizardly duels in a process that's reminiscent of the performances in The Sims: Superstar, though these performances don't require as much guesswork. (In the previous expansion, you had to choose a "correct" sequence for your performance or you'd fail.) These shows help you earn "magicoins," a new currency that lets you buy pricier spell components and even lets you buy your way into a new Magic Town house adorned with beanstalks and crystal gardens. Redecorating a lot in Magic Town can actually be more than just an exercise in interior decorating. The expansion's new theme objects, which include haunted house objects and carnival objects, let you build your very own midway, complete with carnival games and roller coasters, which you can create by laying out pieces of track. You can even fill out an entire lot with nothing but one big roller coaster, if you care to.
If you've been following The Sims and its many expansion packs, you should have already guessed that Makin' Magic makes no real technical improvements to The Sims. While the expansion adds a huge number of colorful new objects to interact with, they're all the same sort of 2D-rendered scenery you've seen in the expansion packs, and the sims themselves are still the same blocky-looking 3D characters. Makin' Magic also sounds quite good. It adds appropriate new music and some new sound samples to its gibberish "simlish" language, and these all fit well, though whether you find them to be as clever and funny as the simlish in the original game will depend on how much you've already played The Sims and its expansions since 2000. Just like every other expansion pack, Makin' Magic doesn't bother to fix the sluggish camera or the occasionally deficient artificial intelligence used for sims, which sometimes causes them to "forget" whatever instructions you had queued up for them.
Maxis has announced that Makin' Magic will be the very last expansion pack for The Sims (the studio will henceforth focus on development of the upcoming sequel, The Sims 2). Like other expansion packs that preceded it, Makin' Magic presents plenty of interesting additions to the original game, but it also adds a whole lot more of them. If you're a fan of The Sims, you've probably already ordered this expansion pack--especially since it's the last one. If you're on the fence about it, and you're not especially put off by the incongruous setting, Makin' Magic offers plenty of interesting things to occupy you and your little computer people before The Sims 2 comes out.
30 Oct 2003 - 22:10
Score: 8.3/10 “Great”
"Makin' Magic presents plenty of interesting additions to the original game, but it also adds a whole lot more of them."
The Sims: Makin' Magic Review
While some of Makin' Magic's more-colorful additions seem a bit out of place, this final expansion pack adds plenty of new things for you and your sims to do.
Maxis' world-renowned PC strategy game The Sims, which lets you create and control the lives of a virtual family of little computer people called "sims," has been extremely popular since its release in 2000. The game has also given rise to a total of seven expansion packs, and the latest and final of these is The Sims: Makin' Magic, which lets your family of sims learn how to use magic wands, potions, and spells to turn their unwanted neighbors into frogs, to shower themselves with riches, and to create other wondrous effects. While some of Makin' Magic's more-colorful additions seem a bit out of place, this final expansion pack adds plenty of new things for you and your sims to do.
Like the last few expansion packs for The Sims, Makin' Magic adds a great many new household objects with which your sims can fill their houses. It also adds a new outdoor "lot" area, named Magic Town, which you can visit at any time. Here you can also completely scrap and redesign yourself. Like other expansion packs for The Sims, Makin' Magic also includes a few additional options that work with previous expansions. For instance, if you have The Sims: Unleashed, you can temporarily change one of your pets into a person. However, Makin' Magic also lets your sims use magic spells (which emphasize the logic, cooking, and mechanical skills) to circumvent mundane problems, like refilling personal needs (also known as "motives") such as hunger, fatigue, and social interfaction. Additionally, your sims can actually perform magic shows, similarly to how they could put on various types of shows in the previous expansion, Superstar. Many of these additions completely eliminate the need for common chores, like continually chatting up other sims to keep your social needs satisfied. For instance, in Makin' Magic, a child sim can magically create an imaginary best friend instead of having to hunt down other sims for conversation. However, the expansion's décor is much more colorful than that of the previous expansions. Specifically, the expansion's sparkly magic spells and brightly colored amusement parks seem like they might be more appealing to smaller children than to the more-mature fans of the series who enjoy The Sims for its tongue-in-cheek social commentary and risqué sexual innuendo.
Regardless, Makin' Magic gives you many new interesting things to do that will likely draw your attention away from constant bathroom breaks and naps. You begin a new game of Makin' Magic at home when a mystery man appears at your door to drop off new magical equipment, including a cauldron to formulate new spells, a new magic wand, and a handful of spell components. From there you can build a comfortable home business harvesting beeswax and elderberries. If you'd prefer, however, you can use these components as spell ingredients, or you can use them to barter for other spell components or magic items from various vendors in Magic Town.
Makin' Magic's new out-of-house lot area, Magic Town, gives you many more options than the lot areas from the previous expansions. For instance, you can visit Magic Town to put on public magic shows or to stage wizardly duels in a process that's reminiscent of the performances in The Sims: Superstar, though these performances don't require as much guesswork. (In the previous expansion, you had to choose a "correct" sequence for your performance or you'd fail.) These shows help you earn "magicoins," a new currency that lets you buy pricier spell components and even lets you buy your way into a new Magic Town house adorned with beanstalks and crystal gardens. Redecorating a lot in Magic Town can actually be more than just an exercise in interior decorating. The expansion's new theme objects, which include haunted house objects and carnival objects, let you build your very own midway, complete with carnival games and roller coasters, which you can create by laying out pieces of track. You can even fill out an entire lot with nothing but one big roller coaster, if you care to.
If you've been following The Sims and its many expansion packs, you should have already guessed that Makin' Magic makes no real technical improvements to The Sims. While the expansion adds a huge number of colorful new objects to interact with, they're all the same sort of 2D-rendered scenery you've seen in the expansion packs, and the sims themselves are still the same blocky-looking 3D characters. Makin' Magic also sounds quite good. It adds appropriate new music and some new sound samples to its gibberish "simlish" language, and these all fit well, though whether you find them to be as clever and funny as the simlish in the original game will depend on how much you've already played The Sims and its expansions since 2000. Just like every other expansion pack, Makin' Magic doesn't bother to fix the sluggish camera or the occasionally deficient artificial intelligence used for sims, which sometimes causes them to "forget" whatever instructions you had queued up for them.
Maxis has announced that Makin' Magic will be the very last expansion pack for The Sims (the studio will henceforth focus on development of the upcoming sequel, The Sims 2). Like other expansion packs that preceded it, Makin' Magic presents plenty of interesting additions to the original game, but it also adds a whole lot more of them. If you're a fan of The Sims, you've probably already ordered this expansion pack--especially since it's the last one. If you're on the fence about it, and you're not especially put off by the incongruous setting, Makin' Magic offers plenty of interesting things to occupy you and your little computer people before The Sims 2 comes out.
29 Oct 2003 - 22:00
Beware! Your Sims have magic!
EA Ships The Sims Makin' Magic
Beware! Your Sims have Magic!
Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) today announced the release of The Sims™ Makin' Magic, a new expansion pack to the top-selling PC game of all time, The Sims. In this supernatural edition, Sims are granted magical powers to cast playful or mischievous spells. Players can venture to an all-new magical, carnival-themed destination, experience exciting new gameplay, gain over 175 new items, and encounter a whole new cast of quirky characters in this powerful pack of magical high jinx.
"We've added a pinch of mischief and a dash of the supernatural to bring magic to the world of The Sims," said Jonathan Knight, Producer at EA's Maxis™ studio. "Players can cast spells to improve the love lives of their Sims, wreak havoc on visiting neighbors, or put an end to tedious chores. In The Sims Makin' Magic, the largest expansion pack ever, we've definitely saved the best for last."
At home, players can use their suburban magic to transform everyday objects into helpful minions, hypnotize their friends and enemies, or turn their pesky neighbor into a frog. Mystical recipes can be unlocked one by one in the family spellbook, and players can mix individual ingredients to create dozens of original incantations. Players can cast spells to take care of the needs of their Sims, keep tidy the house and cook meals, meddle with relationships, and bring ordinary objects to life. Every spell has a unique backfire, if Sims lack that magic something. Hair-raising consequences include toad plagues, snakes, and lightning strikes.
Players can renovate the kitchens of their Sims with an all-new Mediterranean kitchen set featuring a new refrigerator, sink, stove, dishwasher, and brand new tea set. To add the perfect touch, players can enjoy baking breads, pies, and cakes in the new, luxurious baker's oven. A home for the Sims would not be complete without the ability to grow vine plots and harvest grapes and berries to make and serve nectar.
When players are ready to venture out and expand upon their enchanting abilities, they can teleport to the all-new Magic Town location. While mixing it up in this new spellbinding spot, rewards can be earned while Sims perform mind-boggling tricks at a side show or duel it out in a magic arena. Players can discover secret recipes for mystical concoctions and powerful charms while on a quest for unusual ingredients, or build wild carnival rides from the ground up.
Eclectic new characters are available to assist and amuse players including a snake charmer, gypsy, and even a ghost or two. In The Sims Makin' Magic, players can conjure up the right spell and watch a garden gnome become a personal gardener and a lawn flamingo transform into an entertaining hostess.
See what happens when the fate of the Sims is challenged and magic spells are cast with good or bad intentions. In The Sims Makin' Magic, expect the unexpected.
The Sims Makin' Magic is the final edition to The Sims original series and prelude to the highly anticipated launch of The Sims™ 2. The expansion pack was developed by EA's Maxis studio and is being published under the EA GAMES brand. The game is rated "T" (Teen) by the ESRB and has a US MSRP of $29.95. The Sims, The Sims™ Deluxe Edition, or The Sims™ Double Deluxe is required to play The Sims Makin' Magic.
About The Sims™
The Sims franchise celebrated its third anniversary in February. The game skyrocketed to the top of the charts when it began shipping to stores in February 2000 and quickly became a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. The Sims PC base product was the best selling PC game of 2000, 2001, and 2002. Translated into 17 different languages, The Sims has inspired six expansion packs that have all been top sellers. They include The Sims™ Livin' Large, The Sims™ House Party, The Sims™ Hot Date, The Sims™ Vacation, The Sims™ Unleashed, and The Sims™ Superstar. Combined sales for the franchise have topped 28 million units life-to-date. For more information on The Sims franchise titles, visit http://www.thesims.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of $2.5 billion for fiscal 2003. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA GAMES™, and EA SPORTS BIG™. EA's homepage and online game site is http://www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.info.ea.com.
Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA GAMES, EA SPORTS BIG, Maxis and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
29 Oct 2003 - 22:00
Beware! Your Sims have magic!
EA Ships The Sims Makin' Magic
Beware! Your Sims have Magic!
Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) today announced the release of The Sims™ Makin' Magic, a new expansion pack to the top-selling PC game of all time, The Sims. In this supernatural edition, Sims are granted magical powers to cast playful or mischievous spells. Players can venture to an all-new magical, carnival-themed destination, experience exciting new gameplay, gain over 175 new items, and encounter a whole new cast of quirky characters in this powerful pack of magical high jinx.
"We've added a pinch of mischief and a dash of the supernatural to bring magic to the world of The Sims," said Jonathan Knight, Producer at EA's Maxis™ studio. "Players can cast spells to improve the love lives of their Sims, wreak havoc on visiting neighbors, or put an end to tedious chores. In The Sims Makin' Magic, the largest expansion pack ever, we've definitely saved the best for last."
At home, players can use their suburban magic to transform everyday objects into helpful minions, hypnotize their friends and enemies, or turn their pesky neighbor into a frog. Mystical recipes can be unlocked one by one in the family spellbook, and players can mix individual ingredients to create dozens of original incantations. Players can cast spells to take care of the needs of their Sims, keep tidy the house and cook meals, meddle with relationships, and bring ordinary objects to life. Every spell has a unique backfire, if Sims lack that magic something. Hair-raising consequences include toad plagues, snakes, and lightning strikes.
Players can renovate the kitchens of their Sims with an all-new Mediterranean kitchen set featuring a new refrigerator, sink, stove, dishwasher, and brand new tea set. To add the perfect touch, players can enjoy baking breads, pies, and cakes in the new, luxurious baker's oven. A home for the Sims would not be complete without the ability to grow vine plots and harvest grapes and berries to make and serve nectar.
When players are ready to venture out and expand upon their enchanting abilities, they can teleport to the all-new Magic Town location. While mixing it up in this new spellbinding spot, rewards can be earned while Sims perform mind-boggling tricks at a side show or duel it out in a magic arena. Players can discover secret recipes for mystical concoctions and powerful charms while on a quest for unusual ingredients, or build wild carnival rides from the ground up.
Eclectic new characters are available to assist and amuse players including a snake charmer, gypsy, and even a ghost or two. In The Sims Makin' Magic, players can conjure up the right spell and watch a garden gnome become a personal gardener and a lawn flamingo transform into an entertaining hostess.
See what happens when the fate of the Sims is challenged and magic spells are cast with good or bad intentions. In The Sims Makin' Magic, expect the unexpected.
The Sims Makin' Magic is the final edition to The Sims original series and prelude to the highly anticipated launch of The Sims™ 2. The expansion pack was developed by EA's Maxis studio and is being published under the EA GAMES brand. The game is rated "T" (Teen) by the ESRB and has a US MSRP of $29.95. The Sims, The Sims™ Deluxe Edition, or The Sims™ Double Deluxe is required to play The Sims Makin' Magic.
About The Sims™
The Sims franchise celebrated its third anniversary in February. The game skyrocketed to the top of the charts when it began shipping to stores in February 2000 and quickly became a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. The Sims PC base product was the best selling PC game of 2000, 2001, and 2002. Translated into 17 different languages, The Sims has inspired six expansion packs that have all been top sellers. They include The Sims™ Livin' Large, The Sims™ House Party, The Sims™ Hot Date, The Sims™ Vacation, The Sims™ Unleashed, and The Sims™ Superstar. Combined sales for the franchise have topped 28 million units life-to-date. For more information on The Sims franchise titles, visit http://www.thesims.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of $2.5 billion for fiscal 2003. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA GAMES™, and EA SPORTS BIG™. EA's homepage and online game site is http://www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.info.ea.com.
Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA GAMES, EA SPORTS BIG, Maxis and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
28 Oct 2003 - 22:00
This isn't a trick, you'll find plenty of treats in the newly opened Magic Town exchange!
28 Oct 2003 - 22:00
This isn't a trick, you'll find plenty of treats in the newly opened Magic Town exchange!
26 Oct 2003 - 22:00
Hello everyone.
Another crazy week here at Maxis. We want you to know that the team is working extremely hard on The Sims 2 and we want to give you a quick update on the latest news.
I am having a harder and harder time to get all of this on Friday. Sorry for the delay.
First and foremost, The Sims 2 website is now LIVE. The new website contains the latest and greatest information and we want to encourage all of you to link to it from your own sites. In case you haven’t seen it, here is a link to the front page www.TheSims2.com.
Exciting news this week on the player created content front. As you know, the production team is working diligently on the stand alone create a sim tool. Below are a couple of images that begin to illustrate the type of customization that will be available for your Sims in The Sims 2. Although we have received a few suggestions, we are still looking for a more exciting name than SACAS. Have any brilliant ideas? Make your personal contribution to The Sims 2 by emailing us your name suggestions.
Next up, new images from the game. We have been working hard on delivering the hippest and coolest Sims you have ever seen in The Sims 2. This week, the spotlight is on Sim fashion. Check out the latest in au courant attire for your Sims in The Sims 2:
In addition, we have created an all new The Sims 2 film strip that showcases the more unique and robust personality types that will be available and their profound affect on relationships in the game. See what happens when a shy Sim and an outgoing Sim compete for their first kiss with the boy from next door:
I hope you enjoy the latest information and want to thank you all for your support. We have some really cool stuff going on here and the next few weeks are going to be amazing.
By the way, you should all be able to get “Makin’ Magic” this week at your favorite store, so have fun teleporting from place to place.
Stay tuned for further details on Sims 2!
Cheers,
Luc
