Open for Business allows your Sims to build a business and run restaurants, nightclubs and other businesses. Admittedly this does like a small game play inclusion but it actually makes the core game a lot deeper than ever before. If you’ve ever watched The Apprentice and thought you could easily better the contestants then this expansion will be right up your alley. You can even hire employees if you want someone to do the work for you and customise a lot of your business.
I think I will add another story or so..
What good would a Sims expansion be without new items? The game includes a total of one hundred and twenty five new items, most of are business related items, this means you'll see items like cash registers, elevators and toys for use. Just about every new item actually feels useful and relevant though, so rather than just try to make up 125 new items Maxis appear to have put some thought into what items they include in the game.
The game play in the game is quite possibly going to divide Sim fans. Generally The Sims is really simple to get into, but Open for Business makes the gameplay a little more complex. Starting a business isn’t as easy as just pressing a button, you actually need to purchase land, establish the business, hire employees and then actually open the business. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but those who just like to play The Sims normally without having to concentrate too hard may have to actually change their ways to get through in the business world. Eventually though owning and running a business becomes second nature, although it definitely takes a little longer than it does to send your Sim to university or to make a phone call.
The game really succeeds in making the player feel like they have accomplished something and this is because you really need to work hard to run a successful business. You need a lot of capital to start a business, then you need to buy stock and whilst doing this you’re possibly unemployed so no income is coming in. It’s amazing because even though there is a lot of work involved and it seems like a slow process, it ultimately isn’t. If you work hard you will be duly rewarded and there is nothing more satisfying than having a completely fully functioning profiting business.
Welcome to... The office.
The game isn’t perfect however. There is a lot of fiddling around when there shouldn’t be on the game. For example, the interface isn’t as easy to learn as we’d hoped and you need to manually send your employees home after work, otherwise they will just hang around. You also need to manually open and close your shop, which is a little inconsistent. Open for Business is an enjoyable expansion, but it is definitely designed to work alongside both University and Nightlife. Without these two expansions there are certain businesses you just cannot operate, which is a little disappointing, so fans wanting to get the most out of the game may want to purchase the other two expansion packs.
Graphically the game is looking a little outdated now, but this isn’t the kind of game that you expect visually great things from. Audio wise just about every Sims title has a popular song redone in the native Simlish language and Suffer Well from Depeche Mode has been given the Sim treatment. The Sims themselves have their own jargon that fans of the series are used too, once again though the audio isn’t mindblowing but it does the job fine.
The game itself will last as long as you make it last. The new business elements take a long time to master, but quickly become addictive as you try out the different sorts of businesses. However, if you didn't play much of The Sims 2 then the new expansion won't change your thoughts on the title. Overall though the game gives the player a lot of freedom, which means you can play for hours and just create a house.
Oh, how Adoorable.
As we said in the opening paragraph, this is one of the deepest expansions ever added to the Sims franchise. The Sims expansions are going to sell no matter what, so it is definitely appreciated when Maxis actually add something to the game that improves and deepens the game play experience. Casual fans of the series aren’t likely to enjoy this expansion as much as the other expansion titles, simply because opening a business isn’t the one step process that casual Sims fans are used too. Overall though, Open for Business is a very solid expansion pack that adds another layer to the Sims experience, just be warned that to get the most out of this expansion pack you will want to own Nightlife and University.
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