A great addition to the series which has me wondering: "Why wasn't THIS released earlier?"
Gameplay: 9.5
Apartment living has been a long standing desire for many fans of the Sims. Ever since it was offered in various platform versions, PC fans have clamored to see it in Sims 2. EA certainly pulled out the programming magic as apartment living is not only unique but fun compared to the same old house faring design we've lived with for years. While many building options are prohibited in apartment living, players will find that the usual fare of decorating and maintaining one's living space still follows along the same lines of house living. One noticeable improvement is that the game will sometimes automatically orient items into a 45 degree angle placement for you! This saves on having to remember what the proper cheat code is, type it in, make the orientation and then finally place it. Some of the mentionable perks to apartment living include: no initial large payments for your living space, live in roommates who can be uncontrollable and controllable, close proximity neighbors to interact with and numerous bonuses to job and networks via the people you interact with. It all boils down to some great gameplay enhancements that work well with the base game and all the previous EPs. My only reservation against Apartment Life is this: why did it take so long to build all of this in? Many of the enhancements in this EP seem like fundamental aspects that should have been in the base game. Not released at the very end with only a few months to go before switching to yet another Sims build (namely Sims 3). At the very least, releasing this EP somewhere in the middle would have garnered far more fan fare; unlike the sorely disappointing Sims 2: Pets which while adding adorable fuzzballs to the families did little to broaden the base game. Hopefully EA places many of these Apartment Life aspects in the base Sims 3 game instead of releasing it as an expansion several years down the road.
Graphics: 8
Maybe it's because I'm playing the game on a new computer (which is using far more up to date technology compared to the old one), but the graphical quality seems to be a little better in this EP. Light effects, textures, and even the sims themselves look a little better than before. Item quality appears as good as you would expect from EA. Just be sure to check every single catalog for new stuff as many old time favorites from the Sims 1 are now back!
Sound: 9
Yet more musical tracks get added from various artists who are willing to sing their hits in simlish. Honestly, I don't follow the music scene that much so I couldn't tell you who most of these people are if I heard them sung in English, let alone simlish! I can tell you that they all sound good and fit the genre well. The intro music, however, is yet another appalling track that makes me want to keep the speakers turned off until the neighborhood loads. Don't expect your apartment neighbors to be too quiet either as many seem to enjoy rock out periods at various times of the day. This actually comes through quite well in a simulated "paper thin apartment wall" sound bite. Be sure to crank out some Metallica, or other fine hard rock band that has found its way into your Metal radio station, to return the favor.
Tilt: 9
What really makes this game stand out is all the little extras that got built into Sims 2 that had never quite made its way over from Sims 1. Spiral staircases, vending machines, mirror coated medicine cabinets (that allows sims to brush their teeth) are but a small list of what you can find. And of course, Apartment Life sees the return of magic to the joy of some and the dismay of others. Magic does get a decent overhaul from the Sims 1: Makin' Magic. Players must actively seek out witch NPCs to learn the trade and even then they must study one of three paths of magic to ideally become a grandmaster witch one day. The spells are fun and make the game interesting, but are totally optional for those seeking to "keep the game real." Owners of Sims 2: Pets will be pleasantly surprised that a unique pet has been added: Spectral Cats. These sharp looking felines sport the same glow as their conjuring master and surprisingly never die! If you grow tired of their antics the option to "dismiss" this cat is always available. For the social player who loves to spend time out of the sim home, the new networking system will allow you to keep track of just how popular your sims are with community NPCs. I have yet to find any true benefit from this, but reportedly your sims can join various clichés of community sim NPCs who can make your sim's lives much more interesting. Sadly, no groups seem to be available for "satellite dropping maniacs," but maybe it just hasn't been started yet.
Overall: 9.0
For me, Apartment Life really shines with all of its little extras that got built in. Every fan is likely to find something enjoyable in this EP. Whether you shoot movies, build objects, create sims or just play the game for the shear enjoyment of seeing your sims thrive or suffer, Apartment Life adds in an enjoyable new level to extend the life of the series. Sadly, with Sims 3 looming ever closer I wonder if this EP just came out a little too late to help the series. For fans that have been playing Sims 2 for years I highly recommend picking this up and enjoying every feature of it while you can. For those new to the series, or have considered starting it, I only offer this advice: if you like what you're seeing in Sims 3 previews seriously consider saving your money and buying Sims 3 on its release. To start out on the Sims 2 now would indeed be fun, but the money placed into it would nearly equal out to the same amount you would be paying for Sims 3 which may very well have a decent amount of content from Sims 2 already built into the base game. If, however, money and time are no object than by all means get into the Sims 2 with the Apartment Life Collector's Edition and enjoy this fantastic series before the game disappears from store shelves!