Software:The Sims: Hot Date

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The Sims: Hot Date
Developer(s)Maxis[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts (PC)
Aspyr Media (Mac)
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS X
ReleaseWindows
Mac OS X
Genre(s)Social simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The Sims: Hot Date is a 2001 expansion pack for The Sims developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The expansion adds a new community area to the game, Downtown, and provides players with more opportunities for their Sims to interact and romance one another. Upon release, Hot Date received generally favorable reviews, with praise directed to the game's expansion of game mechanics and locations in contrast to earlier expansions, although with some criticism of the limited options for customisation and the level of challenge with relationship management. Following release, Hot Date was a commercial success, becoming one of the top ten highest-selling computer games of 2001 and 2002 in the United States.

Gameplay

Hot Date introduces the Downtown area, allowing Sims to interact with multiple non-player characters named "townies".

In addition to many new items for households, the new downtown area is Hot Date's most significant new addition to The Sims. Sims can now use their telephones to call a taxi that takes them to downtown SimCity, which is composed of lots such as shopping centers, recreation areas, restaurants, or nightclubs. While a Sim is on a date, the Sim can be controlled, but not actually give orders to their date. Downtown features many brand-new, downtown-only items, like food vendors, clothing stores, picnic areas, and duck ponds that Sim couples can use to keep themselves busy, and a few new items, like the restaurant booth seat, that will let them get to know each other better. All the time spent in Downtown takes place independent of time at home; in other words, Sims will get hungry, tired, and bored as usual during the time they spend downtown, but once they get home, the clock will actually reset to the time when they left. This makes having both a relationship and a job (which still typically takes about six hours out of a Sim's day) not only possible, but a lot easier than before. The relationship bar with acquaintances the Sims know, now includes a daily bar at the top showing short-term trends with decay quickly and a long term bar showing long-term trends.[6]

Development and release

The core objective of Hot Date for developer Maxis was to "get Sims out of the house", and "creating more interesting places for your Sims to go and giving them a much greater range of interactions".[7] In order to facilitate the overhaul of the interaction system, the developers added a daily and lifetime relationship rating due to it being perceived as "too easy to get high relationships" in the original game.[8] Because of the expanded scope of the project, Maxis expanded an additional team of 12-14 staff to develop the expansion,[9] including contracting studio New Pencil, who created most of the sprite assets for the game.[10] Development of Hot Date was completed on 3 November 2001 and shipped on 14 November.[11][12]

Reception

Sales

Hot Date was a commercial success and one of the highest-selling computer games of 2001 and 2002. According to NPD annual sales charts for computer games, Hot Date ranked as the seventh highest selling game in 2001 and fifth highest in 2002,[13][14] with the Entertainment Software Association similarly ranking the game sixth in 2002.[15] The game topped monthly ChartTrack and Virgin Megastores sales charts for computer games in January 2002 in the United Kingdom.[16]

Reviews

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic85/100[17]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGM4.5/5[18]
CGW4.5/5[19]
GameRevolution8/10[20]
GameSpot8.8/10[22]
GameSpy87%[23]
GameZone8/10[21]
Hyper84%[24]
IGN8.4/10[25]
PC Gamer (US)80%[26]
PC Zone71%[27]

According to review aggregator Metacritic, Hot Date received "generally favorable" reviews from critics.[17] Several critics considered the expansion to be more substantial in content than its predecessors, Livin' Large and House Party,[19] with Mark Hill of PC Zone describing the game as a "significant addition",[27] and Cam Shea of Hyper finding the game to be a "breakthrough" that "truly [offers] something more than just extra frills and gimmicks".[24] Elizabeth McAdams wrote that "there's enough going on to actually make it feel like a new Sims game", stating "this is the add-on Maxis should have released long ago".[19] Vincent Lopez of IGN stated the expansion was not a "full-fledged leap", but was "certainly the largest step the game has taken".[25]

The additions to romance and social interaction were generally praised. Describing the new mechanics as making "interaction between your characters a huge game in itself", Vince Lopez found the features to facilitate "more elaborate and fulfilling interaction".[25] Cam Shea commended the new interactions for "significantly broadening the way sims interact".[24] Elizabeth McAdams of Computer Gaming World highlighted the greater variation of Sim interactions and interests, but found dating to be addictive but too challenging.[19] Similarly, Carla Harker of GameSpy considered long-term relationships to be time-consuming and difficult to maintain, noting that whilst it added realism to the game, it in turn increased the difficulty of career requirements.[23] Nebojsa Radakovic of Game Revolution stated that "addition of expanded conversation options, physical interactions and interests makes it much harder for your Sim to win friends, but it is a much more rewarding experience", considering it to add "depth" and "drama" to the game.[20]

The Downtown neighborhood was also generally praised, but was noted to be limited in its design options. Describing it as the "most significant addition that's ever been made to the game", Andrew Park of GameSpot found it necessary to manage work and relationships, lamenting the existence of a single area compared to neighborhoods but noting the lots were large enough to "provide enough areas to build and customize".[22] However, Nebojsa Radakovic of Game Revolution critiqued the area, stating "the default lots are generally to sparse and the fun too far and few between", also writing that creating custom lots lacked the potential for "unique establishments" due to the "limited selection of start up items".[20] This concern was shared by Andrew Park of GameSpot, who enjoyed the ease of building new community lots in the Downtown area, but found the available objects "limiting", suggesting the game "[expects] the fan community to come up with the variety".[23]

Accolades

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Hot Date for its 2001 "Innovation in Computer Gaming" award,[28] which ultimately went to Black & White.[29]

Legacy

Producer Tim LeTorneau retrospectively remarked that Hot Date was a "big transition for the franchise" in "[breaking] the barrier of the house". LeTorneau expressed that the expansion was the starting point for the development of future innovations to the scope of the series, drawing comparisons with the setting of the neighborhood in The Sims 2 and the open-world design of The Sims 3.[30] Hot Date also received retrospective praise, with TheGamer noting the expansion provided players with the "highly underrated" aspects of complex relationships and interests "really gave personality to your Sims".[31] The inclusion of downtown areas was later implemented in Software:The Sims 2: Nightlife.[32][33]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ported to Mac OS X by Westlake Interactive.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Cohen, Peter (June 10, 2002). "Aspyr ships The Sims Hot Date" (in en). https://www.macworld.com/article/154510/hotdate-2.html. 
  2. ↑ "UK release dates". http://eurogamer.net/release-dates.php. 
  3. ↑ Mether, Nicklas (November 5, 2001). "Gi' et kys! Nye billeder fra The Sims: Hot Date". https://www.gamereactor.dk/gi-et-kys-nye-billeder-fra-the-sims-hot-date-53790/. 
  4. ↑ Walker, Trey (November 2, 2001). "The Sims: Hot Date goes gold" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-sims-hot-date-goes-gold/1100-2822148/. 
  5. ↑ Sanchez, Rick (June 10, 2002). "Hot Date Shipping" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/06/10/hot-date-shipping. 
  6. ↑ Chong, David; Cohen, Mark (2004). The Sims: Hot Date Expansion Pack: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. ISBN 0-7615-3729-5. https://archive.org/details/The_Sims_Hot_Date_Prima_Official_eGuide. 
  7. ↑ Walker, Trey (14 November 2001). "The Sims: Hot Date Ships". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-sims-hot-date-ships/1100-2824598/. 
  8. ↑ "The Sims: Hot Date". 3 October 2001. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/10/02/the-sims-hot-date-2. Retrieved 15 March 2024. 
  9. ↑ "The Sims Hot Date". PC Gamer (88): 12. September 2001. https://archive.org/details/UneditedPCGamer_marktrade/PC_Gamer_088u. 
  10. ↑ London, Charles (January 2002). "Keeping Up With the Sims". Game Developer Magazine: 32. https://archive.org/details/GDM_January_2002/page/n23. 
  11. ↑ "Hot Date Gold". 3 November 2001. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/03/hot-date-gold. Retrieved 15 March 2024. 
  12. ↑ Walker, Trey (14 November 2001). "The Sims: Hot Date Ships". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-sims-hot-date-ships/1100-2824598/. Retrieved 15 March 2024. 
  13. ↑ Calvert, Justin (11 December 2002). "NPD reports flat PC game sales for 2002". https://www.gamespot.com/app.php/articles/npd-reports-flat-pc-game-sales-for-2002/1100-2901484/. Retrieved 14 March 2024. 
  14. ↑ Walker, Trey. "2001 game sales break records". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/2001-game-sales-break-records/1100-2846252/. Retrieved 14 March 2024. 
  15. ↑ "Who's Playing What?". Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry: 2003 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data. Interactive Digital Software Association. 2003. pp. 2. https://archive.org/details/esa-essential-facts/IDSA_2003EssentialFacts. 
  16. ↑ "Charts". PC Zone (113): 24. March 2002. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_113_March_2002/page/24. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "The Sims: Hot Date". https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-sims-hot-date/. Retrieved 10 March 2024. 
  18. ↑ Bauman, Steve (12 March 2002). "The Sims Hot Date". Archived from the original on 1 June 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020601141249/http://www.cgonline.com/reviews/sims-01c-r1.html. Retrieved 10 March 2024. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 McAdams, Elizabeth (March 2002). "The Sims: Hot Date". Computer Gaming World (212): 80. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_212.pdf. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Radakovic, Nebojsa (1 November 2001). "The Sims: Hot Date Review". https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33110-the-sims-hot-date-review. Retrieved 10 March 2024. 
  21. ↑ Davis, Susanne (29 November 2001). "The Sims Hot Date Expansion Pack". Archived from the original on 5 December 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20011205102649/http://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r18988.htm. Retrieved 10 March 2024. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Park, Andrew (17 May 2006). "The Sims: Hot Date Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-sims-hot-date-review/1900-2825792/. Retrieved 10 March 2024. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Harker, Carla. "The Sims: Hot Date (PC)". Archived from the original on 26 September 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040926114822/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/december01/simshotdate/. Retrieved 10 March 2024. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Shea, Cam (February 2002). "The Sims: Hot Date". Hyper (100): 85. https://archive.org/details/hyper-100/page/84. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Lopez, Vincent (7 December 2001). "The Sims: Hot Date". https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/12/07/the-sims-hot-date. Retrieved 10 March 2024. 
  26. ↑ Whitta, Gary (January 2002). "The Sims: Hot Date". PC Gamer (93): 60. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Hill, Mark (January 2002). "The Sims: Hot Date". PC Zone (111): 101. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_111_January_2002/page/100. 
  28. ↑ "Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Finalists for the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards" (Press release). Los Angeles: Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. February 5, 2002. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002.
  29. ↑ "Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Recipients of Fifth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards" (Press release). Las Vegas: Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. March 1, 2002. Archived from the original on March 6, 2002.
  30. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (3 February 2010). "Interview with Tim LeTourneau on 10 years of making The Sims". https://venturebeat.com/games/interview-with-tim-letourneau-on-10-years-of-making-the-sims/. Retrieved 14 March 2024. 
  31. ↑ "The 8 Best Sims Expansions (And 7 That SUCKED)". 19 August 2017. https://www.thegamer.com/the-8-best-sims-expansions-and-7-that-sucked/#best-the-sims-3-supernatural. Retrieved 14 March 2024. 
  32. ↑ Ocampo, Jason (1 July 2009). "Charting The Sims Expansions". https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/06/30/charting-the-sims-expansions. Retrieved 14 March 2024. 
  33. ↑ McNamara, Tom (7 April 2005). "Sims 2: Nightlife Interview". https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/04/06/sims-2-nightlife-interview. Retrieved 14 March 2024. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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