The Sims 2: Open For Business Expansion Pack

Become rich the hard way in a whole new world

By Ella Turner

The Sims 2: Open For Business ($35, EA Games) has shipped to stores ? and computer screens ? all across the world for over a month. This expansion pack to the extravagant Sims empire that has been built over the past six years appeals to all ages, but the target audience of this God game is teenagers. In Open For Business, players get a chance to follow their Sims to work as they make or break their bank accounts in the quest for a successful small business. Here?s our review.

With his miniscule hourly wage jingling fresh in his pocket, SimsKlub employee Grover Gardenfield nervously approaches the menacing blue DJ booth (see graphic below). Although poor Grover barely has the knowledge to work the small, simple stereo in his home, his intimidating boss has recently assigned him to entertain the masses of bored Sims reluctantly gathering around the speakers. Slowly, Grover takes his seat facing the hundreds of confusing knobs and switches. His vision is blurring, and pure exhaustion from a hard day?s work begins to plague his tiny Sim brain. So many buttons? so confusing? ugh. Grover collapses on the floor, fast asleep. His 15-hour work day is finally a thing of the past ? this Sim is officially fired.

Business can be distressing if you don't mesh with your boss.

Although the Sim business world can be rather frightening if you?re at the hands of a merciless boss, it can also be quite rewarding. A well-employed, established gig is not easy to come by, but it can be extremely profitable, for both the entrepreneur and workers. After waiting for six years, Sims fans can finally do what has never been done before: follow their Sims to work.

This is an expansion pack for The Sims 2 ($39.99), meaning that you have to buy and install The Sims 2 first in order for it to work. In addition to 125 new objects, Sim experts who have spent countless hours working on skills will now finally be able to put them to the test at the hands of a possibly benevolent or cruel employer.  

In addition to the core career tracks where Sims typically would pick up and leave for parts unknown for some eight hours in the day, there is now an extra option to tag along with your Sims as they pursue the ticket to all things wonderful ? Simoleons. From a simple lemonade stand to a franchising commerce, the business world can be profitable and rewarding for both you and your Sim.

However, some people may wonder if this expansion pack is worth it ? especially since it mainly revolves around Sim money, which can be easily retrieved by a simple and well-known cheat. (In case you didn?t know, it?s called motherlode.)

True, the fact that Simoleons are one of the main incentives within this game is a setback. However, the rewards that can be received from this expansion pack are immense and unique from anything else ever created in the gaming world ? and there are no cheat codes or easy ways to create a thriving business.

Unlike before, the Sims who run the cash registers, DJ booths, and bars at community lots aren?t necessarily non-playing characters (NPCs) any more. True, if a community lot is not owned, the NPCs will still remain, but if a community lot is owned, it will be the owner?s responsibility to stop by every once in a while and keep tabs on the employees. If the owner chooses not to do this, no profits will be earned from the business, with the exception of the presence of a manager (more on this later). There is a new business-oriented neighborhood style added with Open for Business (OFB), which includes several pre-made families and unowned, buyable businesses for those who aren?t quite competent in Build Mode but are still interested in owning a trade.

As a business owner, you will have the option to underpay, overpay, or fairly pay your workers. The amount of hourly pay that is in these categories depends on your employee?s skills and talent badges, which are rewards given for hard work. Generally, the range for a fairly-paid employee is from about 25 to 100 Simoleans per hour. This feature makes the game come even closer to real life, since more highly-qualified and skilled employees do tend to make more money and do a better job, therefore causing a smoother-running business.

The detail of this game is definitely a huge improvement over the original. Another in-depth feature of OFB is Customer Loyalty. Customer Loyalty is a key factor for efficient commerce. It is a viewable meter that can increase or decrease based on negative or positive interactions with customers or employees, positive or negative employee efficiency, or even the way you fire unwanted workers. Sims with positive Customer Loyalty are more likely to purchase items from your lot, more likely to spread the word about your business, and also will come to your lot more often. Customers also need to have at least slightly positive Customer Loyalty to be hired.

With every business, you will receive a menu at the top right of your screen. You will be able to monitor customer loyalty and employees whenever you are on the business lot.

Another important element of OFB is Talent Badges. Talent Badges are earned by employees after doing work for a certain amount of time. The actual amount of time varies by skill level, but Talent Badges can be earned in gold, silver, and bronze levels as well as in areas of Cashier, Cosmetology, Toys, Robotics, Flower Arranging, Sales, and Restocking. The quality of work done in areas that do not involve talent badges, such as chefs, DJs, and restaurant podium workers, will be purely based on skill. Employees that amass a certain number of talent badges (a combination of 5 ?points? with bronze badges earning 1 point, silver earning 2 and gold earning 3) will be able to be promoted to Manager. Managers will make it so that a business can be left alone for several days and still earn profits ? but this amount will gradually decline over the time that a business is unvisited by its owners. This is a complicated yet rewarding way to build a business. We liked how intricate the whole idea was.

Bosses can even require their employees to come to work with a uniform, which is chosen from the Everyday clothing menu.

Businesses, however, do not necessarily have to be out of the home. A cool feature about this game is that even a child can run a profitable commerce without setting foot outside of her home lot. This is useful for those players who would like to have their Sims multi-task with a 9-to-5 job by day and a business by night, or those who would like to include the youngsters in the fun by purchasing an inexpensive lemonade stand. Rooms that your Sims would like to remain private can be closed off to non-resident shoppers, and objects that your Sim would like to get rid of can be placed on sale. Sims can also earn their Talent Badges at home, and items like the cash register are now available for at-home purchase with OFB.

A Sim is hard at work at her home business.

Our favorite thing about this expansion pack was the nearly-infinite amount of possibilities. Sim businesses can vary hugely, and whether it?s a home gym or a beauty shop you?re hosting, any trade can carry huge profits. Although there are dozens of business options, some of the choices include bakeries, restaurants, flower shops, and even furniture stores. It?s all up to you.

There were also some non-business perks of the game that we noticed. One excellent bonus of the expansion pack was the fact that when Sims get married, rather than the default wedding outfit, instead you have the choice to pick an outfit out of the Formal clothing menu. Also, when building on a community lot, there is a small menu constantly on screen where you can check on the lot?s net worth without being forced to go back to the neighborhood and check. While this is generally business-oriented, it can also be helpful if you?re simply curious. Finally, long-term Sims gurus will be extremely pleased to know that Servo?s back on the scene. The friendly, shiny, and sometimes breakable housekeeper can now only be made by a skilled Robotics worker. Unlike before, Servo will actually be considered a member of the family. At his or her activation, you will be able to choose Servo?s gender and name. Servo can do most of the tasks that a regular Sim can do, and she will live forever, unless she dies of other causes, such as an accident or fire. These perks definitely change the core game for the better.

Servo is back -- and this time, you have a choice of gender, too.

We have again been amazed by the gameplay as well. All of the new animations are incredibly smooth and high-tech, the graphics are beautiful, and many of the new interactions will leave you laughing out loud. The game is a pleasure to watch and looks and feels more lifelike than ever before.  

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