"Life Stories" is a rather unique idea that has a lot going for it. The game is essentially a scaled down "The Sims 2" with a few distinctive features. The classic free-form mode still does exist, in a fairly limited way. No new objects can be added that were meant for "The Sims 2" but slowly a small library is forming just for the "The Sims Stories" series. The game's main difference is the directed story mode. That mode follows a specific story that the player is meant to follow in order to win rewards and unlock features. This is accomplished by not only allowing for wants and needs, but also displaying a "goal" for that specific chapter in the sim's life. Goals can be as simple as hugging a particular person, or somewhat more complex such as reaching a certain level in a career path. Two such stories are included in the game: Riley and Vince. Riley's story begins, complete with text narration, and explains that her Aunt had left her house to you or a few days while she is off on holiday. The house is very well laid out making good use of space and objects. Other characters in the story are meant to give you a challenge, in that they most definitely have reactions (good and bad) to each other. Your challenge is to get Riley to fall in love with a certain male sim.
Another nice touch with this scaled-down version of "The Sims 2" is that is specifically meant to perform on laptop computers without extensive use of a graphics card. To this end the game only runs in windowed mode, not full screen mode. This can be an advantage, however; since this gives the game player the opportunity to multi-task such as text messaging or web browsing during the game itself.
A major advantage of a scaled-down game is that it is less than the full game, but much more than a demo. The price is relatively cheap. This gives those who have never experienced this new genre (virtual life simulation) a chance to experience it without making a major investment into the entire "The Sims 2" series including all the expansion packs. They are worth it, but so is this nice little toy by the folks at EA. For those who have limited space on a laptop, but want to take "The Sims" with them, this is a great solution.
So when I first heard about The Sims Life Stories I really didn't know what to expect. After playing it though for a little bit I realized it's actually pretty cool. Unlike The Sims 2, The Sims Life Stories is a whole ne... Read Full Review
The Sims Life Stories will pull you in and wont let you go, but only if your willing to play the stories. Some pepole could accuse the series of being over rated and a bit far fetched, I for one dont belive in one bit of... Read Full Review
