Hey, welcome back. Miss me last week? Yeah, I know, it's tough. But I had a nice break. I saw a Presidential inauguration and a Superbowl and I watched as the Internet continued its long dark journey into that long dark night. “Head for the light, Internet, head for the light!” Today we've got The Sims, Dino news, all kinds of announcements and… A PCDATA list contest where you can win a free game!
Game Quote of the Week: “I would hate being forgotten in a bottle. It might depend somewhat on the type of bottle but overall the effect would be the same. It is not right!” ~ Minsc, Baldur's Gate 2
Will Wright, creator of Sim City and The Sims, and publisher Electronic Arts, happy collector of millions of Sim-Dollars, announced this past week that not only can we expect Simsville, an amusing marriage of the city building of Sim City and the people power of The Sims, but we can also expect another sequel to The Sims called The Sims: House Party. Then, as if that wasn't enough Simmy goodness, Will Wright announced plans for The Sims Online and The Sims 2 at the Entertainment in the Digital Age conference in Los Angeles.
The Sims Online will be a massively multiplayer neighborhood allowing up to 50,000 homes per server and will let you interact with other human beings in that neighborhood. The Sims 2 promises to up the ante on how much story can exist in a game like this. On the subject, according to Gamecenter, Wright said: “This will be an interactive experience, so we want people enjoying people, and what they do. But we'll be tracking all interactions, and we'll know which players are the funniest, and which ones are assholes. That will be important if we have 'Who's the most popular' competitions.” Noted Sim expert Bob Newbie made the following statement: “Bleblublah Hominoeow?” as a thought bubble featuring a soccer ball appearing above his head.
EA also announced Sims Live! which will be an email and instant message program featuring those lovable Sims. Expect a rash of starvations, drownings and electrocutions to follow.
Sid Meier's Dinosaur game is extinct, apparently. The reasons couldn't be better, Sid cites that they made several mockups and couldn't find a way to make the game fun. Sound like a lame excuse doesn't it. Well, it would be until you reflect on the amazing thing all Sid games have in common going all the way back to his first game back in 1982. All Sid games are fun. From Pirates!, to Alpha Centauri, to CPU Bach, to Gettysburg!, to Covert Action, to Civilization… not a dud in the bunch.
Fear not Dino fans! The same thing happened when Sid started tinkering with his Gettysburg concept. He shelved it as “not fun enough” back in the early nineties, or so the story goes, and came back in 1998 to make a bona fide classic.