Software:The Sims: Vacation

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The Sims: Vacation
Developer(s)Maxis[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts (PC)
Aspyr Media (Mac)
Platform(s)Windows
Mac OS X
ReleaseWindows
Mac OS X
  • NA: September 5, 2002[4]
  • EU: October 2002
Genre(s)Social simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The Sims: Vacation (titled The Sims: On Holiday in Europe) is a 2002 expansion pack for The Sims developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The expansion introduces the ability for the player's Sims to take vacations, as well as new social features including interests, daily and lifetime relationships, and new interactions. Vacation was announced by EA in January 2002,[5] following speculation about a vacation-themed fourth expansion to the game,[6] and was shipped in March 2002.[7]

Upon release, Vacation was a commercial success and the highest-selling computer game of 2002 in NPD sales charts. The expansion received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising the new locations and variety of additional objects and activities, whilst critiquing the approach as generally similar to the previous expansion, Software:The Sims: Hot Date, and additional performance issues. The concept of travelling to different areas was later introduced in Software:The Sims 2: Bon Voyage.[8]

Gameplay

Vacation Island features beach, forest and alpine-themed lots for Sims to visit.

Vacation introduces the ability for player Sims to take vacations to a separate area, Vacation Island. Whilst in Vacation Island, Sims are not required to work, have a reduced rate of decay for moods, and have no time limit to return to their home lot.[9] Players can book a vacation at any time by phone, paying a 500 Simoleon fee, and being transported by car to the vacation destination menu for Vacation Island. Players can either travel with all the family members in their lot or select Sims to join that do not live on their home lot.[10] Lots on the island feature camping, beach and winter destinations, with amenities unique to these environments. Lots on Vacation island feature different Sims and content compared to normal neighborhood lots. Randomly-generated non-player Sims not found in the home neighborhood will share the resort with the player, as well as non-interactable service workers and "theme characters" who entertain guests. Players can also freely edit or rebuilt lots on Vacation Island by accessing the pre-built lots in the neighborhood menu.[11]

Once on a lot is selected on Vacation Island, the player can reserve a room by checking in at the concierge desk on the lot, giving them exclusive access to that room and its amenities. The household is charged for every day they are checked in. Other accommodation options include tents and igloos, which can be set up by players. Each lot has a "vacation director" who provides information about the features of the expansion. Sims can buy, find or win souvenir items, which sit in the personal inventory of a Sim during their time on vacation. These items can be acquired from the vacation director, found using a metal detector, or exchanging tickets won from carnival games with a prize booth. Players can sell souvenirs for Simoleons or display them at their home lot.[9] Whilst on vacation, Sims accrue a hidden number named a "vacation score" that measures the activities undertaken by players during a vacation, with Sims receiving a high-value souvenir if they reach a high score.[10]

Vacation also includes and expands upon several social features introduced in the previous expansion, Hot Date. As in Hot Date, Sims have a range of assigned interests, with Vacation providing additional topics and viewable scores that can be manually assigned by players. Sims are able to talk about their interests with others; if these are shared by other Sims, it will provide a boost to daily relationship scores. Players can control conversation topics using the 'change subject' interaction. Similarly as in Hot Date, Vacation also adds a feature that distinguishes between the daily and lifetime relationship scores between Sims. Vacation also introduces a number of new interactions for Sims, particularly focused upon interactions between children, and between adults and children.[10]

Reception

Sales

Vacation was a commercial success upon release. The expansion was estimated by NPD sales charts as the best-selling computer game of 2002 by units sold,[12] remaining in the first place in sales charts for several months between March and May 2002.[13][14][15][16]

Reviews

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic75/100[17]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame3/5[18]
CGW4/5[19]
Game Informer8/10[20]
GameRevolution2/5[21]
GameSpot8/10[11]
GameSpy80%[22]
GameZone9.5/10[23]
IGN8/10[9]
PC PowerPlay67%[24]

According to review aggregator Metacritic, Vacation received "generally favorable" reviews.[17] Reviewers were generally positive about the game's new locations. Marc Saltzman of PC Gamer described the vacation concept as "great", highlighting the extra scenarios, objects and characters that added an additional layer to the game.[25] The design of the vacation lots was praised, with Andrew Park of GameSpot describing them as "colorful" and "interesting",[11] and Jason Bates of IGN commending the design of the distinctive themes on Vacation Island.[9] Agata Budinska of PC PowerPlay noted the design of the island offered "something for everyone", noting the wide variety of options between camping and luxury accommodation.[24] Elizabeth McAdams of Computer Gaming World also praised the variety of vacation activities on offer.[19]

Critics were also generally positive about other gameplay additions. Several reviewers praised the inclusion of vacation souvenirs as an additional goal for players to complete,[11][19] and the ability for entire families to visit new lots together.[18] Andrew Park of GameSpot highlighted the light-hearted tone of new animations as "expressive" and "hilarious", particularly the "exaggerated" behaviours of mascots.[11] Carla Harker of GameSpy commended the new interactions for children, describing them as more "real" and "child-like" than those in the original game.[22]

Some reviewers found the expansion to lack significant additions to the game. T.J. Deci of Allgame considered the expansion to focus more on new objects and locations rather than new ways for Sims to interact or develop, describing the new mechanics as "more ephemeral" than anything else.[18] Similarly, Nebojsa Radakovic of Game Revolution critiqued the game's self-contained design that limited items and new Sims to Vacation Island, not significantly changing the way the game fundamentally plays outside the vacation mode.[21] Writing for the New York Times, Charles Herold noted that Vacation indicated the "ungamelike" and parasocial appeal of The Sims, given that consumers sought expansions that did not change the overarching gameplay but expanded the fictitious world their Sims lived within.[26] Other reviewers noted that Vacation was not a new concept and relied on new features already introduced in previous expansions, particularly the inclusion of visitable locations in Hot Date.[24][19]

Some less positive reviews of Vacation focused on the tedium of managing Sim needs over the vacation mechanics. Describing the expansion as "sorely lacking", Ryan Boyce of Maxim noted the "annoyances" and "endless management" of needs and finances undermined the appeal of the premise.[27] Agata Budinska of PC Powerplay similarly remarked that managing Sims on vacation was "pretty hard work" to maintain Sim needs and funds.[24] Other reviewers noted performance and technical issues after installing the expansion,[19] and that the expansion failed to patch persistent problems with the original game.[11] Carla Harker of GameSpy noted that graphical and gameplay glitches "permeate" the game, observing slow load times, and expressing disappointment that the expansion failed to fix other issues in the game.[22]

Notes

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

References

  1. ↑ "The Sims: On Holiday". http://www.chipsworld.co.uk/detProd.asp?ProductCode=6015. 
  2. ↑ Bates, Jason (March 11, 2002). "The Sims: Vacation" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/03/11/the-sims-vacation-2. 
  3. ↑ Walker, Trey. "The Sims: Vacation goes gold" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/app.php/articles/the-sims-vacation-goes-gold/1100-2854525/. 
  4. ↑ Cohen, Peter (September 5, 2002). "Aspyr ships The Sims Vacation for Mac". http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0209/sep05.php. 
  5. ↑ Walker, Trey (10 January 2002). "The Sims: Vacation announced". https://www.gamespot.com/app.php/articles/the-sims-vacation-announced/1100-2838052/. 
  6. ↑ "Are Your Sims in Need of a Vacation?". 3 January 2002. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/03/are-your-sims-in-need-of-a-vacation. 
  7. ↑ "Sims Vacation Ships". 26 March 2002. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/03/26/sims-vacation-ships. 
  8. ↑ "Sims Fans Embark on Exotic Travels as EA Announces The Sims 2 Bon Voyage". 26 July 2007. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/sims-fans-embark-on-exotic-travels-as-ea-announces-the-sims-2-bon-voyage. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Bates, Jason (8 April 2002). "The Sims: Vacation". https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/04/08/the-sims-vacation. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Chong, David; Cohen, Mark (2002). The Sims Vacation Expansion Pack: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. ISBN 0-7615-4134-9. https://archive.org/details/simsvacationexpa00chon. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Park, Andrew (17 May 2006). "The Sims: Vacation Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-sims-vacation-review/1900-2860252/. 
  12. ↑ Interactive Digital Software Association (2003). Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry: 2003 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data (Report). pp. 5. https://archive.org/details/esa-essential-facts/IDSA_2003EssentialFacts/page/8. 
  13. ↑ Walker, Trey (26 April 2005). "Vacation leads the way into summer". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/vacation-leads-the-way-into-summer/1100-2868581/. 
  14. ↑ "Vacation still hard at work". 28 May 2003. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/vacation-still-hard-at-work/1100-2861753/. 
  15. ↑ Walker, Trey (27 October 2003). "The Sims: Vacation holds the lead". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-sims-vacation-holds-the-lead/1100-2863691/. 
  16. ↑ Walker, Trey (17 April 2003). "The Sims: Vacation still the top seller". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-sims-vacation-still-the-top-seller/1100-2864800/. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "The Sims: Vacation". https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-sims-vacation/. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Deci, T.J. "The Sims: Vacation Expansion Pack". https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=37833&tab=review. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 McAdams, Elizabeth (July 2002). "The Sims: Vacation". Computer Gaming World (216): 80. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_216/page/n83. 
  20. ↑ "Here We Go Again". https://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200206/R03.0801.1756.50975.htm. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Radakovic, Nebojsa (1 April 2002). "The Sims Vacation Review". https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33118-the-sims-vacation-review. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Harker, Carla (7 May 2002). "The Sims: Vacation (PC)". http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/may02/simsvacation/. 
  23. ↑ Sez, Suzi (3 April 2002). "The Sims Vacation". http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19668.htm. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Budinska, Agata (July 2002). "Sims Vacation". PC PowerPlay (Next Publishing Pty Ltd) (75): 62–3. https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-075-2002-07/page/n612. 
  25. ↑ Saltzman, Marc (June 2002). "The Sims: Vacation". PC Gamer (98): 76. 
  26. ↑ Herold, Charles (13 June 2002). "For The Sims, It's Time to Play Outside in the Sun". https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/13/technology/game-theory-for-the-sims-it-s-time-to-play-outside-in-the-sun.html. 
  27. ↑ Boyce, Ryan. "The Sims: Vacation". http://www.maximonline.com/entertainment/reviews/review_games_2975.html. 
  • 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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