House Party Preview

"Social interaction and good times are the name of the game, and for the first time, partying is all you're going to have to worry about..."

Read Preview at IGN.com

The Sims: House Party Preview

February 22, 2001

Any hardcore Sims player knows that there are two things that stand in the way of pure and true happiness for the residents of the digital suburbs -- bathrooms, and social time. You can give them a great bookshelf, a top notch TV and a pool that runs into the living room, but if they can't dance with their friends on a weeknight and watch the soaps with their pals on the ratty couch, than it doesn't mean anything. Fortunately, a new expansion to the Sims world (well, more the gaming equivalent of a truck trailer) has the perfect solution. Sims House Party is the latest addition to the Sims family, and while it's not the online addition that we've all been waiting for, it's a step in that direction. Social interaction and good times are the name of the game, and for the first time, partying is all you're going to have to worry about -- well, and jealousy, and crazy Sims on "special" punch, and wild costume parties, and&

While Sims Livin' Large dipped into the surreal with bizarre themes and non-player characters like Death, House Party is more traditional Sims fare, giving you a new way to interact with your favorite families while introducing a ton more objects, characters, clothes and themes to your collection.

Just what themes will you be able to play in? This time around you've got some distinctly yee-haw based fun in store in the forms of country, luau and underground rave environments to construct. Like the other Sims titles, you'll be able to pick your own wallpaper, flooring, and layout, but the materials are definitely unique this time around. Rubber walls? Sure. Industrial and gothic-themed material? Yep. Corn Stalks? Check. Of course, there can't be a party without a dance floor, and you'll be able to create the size of your dance space with custom dance tiles in order to create the perfect place for your Sims to sweat to the oldies and the new skool beats. You can set up Barn Dances, a rodeo bar for some mechanical bull riding, a formal affair, an young warehouse club, or a trendy Hollywood poolside luau.

Of course, all this partying brings up some big questions. You know the drill -- you call up all your Sim friends for a party, but it's 12am before they even show up, and by the time you kick them all out your Sims are exhausted and worse than before. A Mass Invite utility is being worked out so that you'll be able to get the party started quickly. Whether or not you'll be able to exclude certain characters from the invite is still being worked out, however. Then again, wouldn't it be more entertaining to get the party started with a little jealousy and face-slapping? Once you've got your Sims in the party environment, it's up to them to get things off to a good start. While you can hire an NPC caterer to help provide food for the guests and keep them sated, it's up to the Sims to DJ the space and provide some top notch music. They'll have to learn the turntables like any other musical instrument, but at least they'll have a choice of styles to choose from. Disco, rap, techno, country western and luau are just some of the rhythms that you'll be able to blast at your party -- but remember, Sims can be picky people, so if you don't match the style with the patrons, you may have some unhappy guests.

It's rave-tastic, mate

Of course, there can't be an add-on without some& add-ons, and Maxis has once again put out all the stops to give you a load of new objects and items to use in your new party space. Most important is the costume trunk, an object that will allow you to quickly change all your Sims into a similar outfit like formal wear, or the new Toga outfit so that you can get dressed for the scene that you're trying to promote. No maid outfits at the rave, in other words& unless that's your thing. Once you've got your Sims into the right clothes and ready to dance, you can add some objects to get the party started right, like the Super Schlopper Bubble Blower, the Teleporter, or the Corn Stalk. Alright, maybe the Corn Stalk isn't so exciting, but there are rumors of a cursed Tiki mask being whispered about in the back alleys of the Sims suburbs that should bring some fun to your party. The mechanical bull is guaranteed to give your Sims a workout while providing some entertainment, while the Dance Cage can put your less-than-bashful Sims in the spotlight for some solo dancing. The underground rave features hardcore beats and an oxygen bar to keep your ravers going all night long. And of course, what's a party without a punch bowl? Sims can't get drunk, but the "special" side effects of the punch bowl will undoubtedly create some interesting events at a crowded party. Like Livin' Large, you can expect some odd surprises and new characters in House Party. All in all, there will be around 100 new objects in the game, some of which already exist on the Sims site, but most of which will be completely new. The team has mentioned that there will be more than four and less than 15 "party crashers" and new characters like the previously mentioned Caterer and the Exotic Dancer, who specializes in jumping out of cakes, and who you can also hire for private parties, by the way. No bad ideas, people -- this is still a "Teen" rated title. If there's a kid in the house, there'll be another "kid-friendly" surprise coming to your door, instead.

Just as with Livin' Large, you'll be able to use all the objects in your own normal homes as well, meaning that you can now dress up your house with some country themes, create the perfect cement-floored loft environment for your urban types, or maybe just craft the perfect tiki-lounge in your backyard. Homegrown DJs can practice on decks in their home, dancers can work out frustrations in their own private living room dance cage, and bathrooms will be better than ever with private bubble-blowers. For those of you hungry for even more Sim fun, you won't have long to wait. Sims House Party is due out in April, just in time for your own spring/summer fun.

-- Vincent Lopez