The Sims: Livin' Large Critic Reviews

Gorgeous, polished, clever and exciting.

The new characters and the new soap opera situations all make for a lot of fun in the same fascinating world.

If you didn't like the original game, this expansion probably won't change your mind, but if you loved "The Sims," then "Livin' Large" will have you lovin' it even more.

This one gives you a whole new set of career paths and more clutter for you Sim life.

Not only does it add to the original product, but it seems to morph it into something slightly different and new, something definitely a bit more comedic and a bit larger than life.

After all, at the end of the day, what better accomplishment could a Sim have than to own a robot, have a vibrating bed full of cute neighbors and be the leader of their very own cult?

The extra elements – such as the chemistry set, the work bench, the vibrating bed, the magic lamp and so on, coupled with the great new NPCs – including the Grim Reaper, the Genie of the Lamp and Frankenstein’s monster – ensure that The Sims: Livin’ It Up will add plenty more fun to the successful original Sims formula.

Until Maxis lets us create our own material possessions with the click of the mouse, this is the closest you'll get.

A great buy for Sims junkies; and if you missed the first one, go out and buy both.

Removes some of the frustrations of the original game with the 5 extra careers paths, 120 new objects, 50 controllable families and addition of the genie and chemistry set.

If you're a fan of "The Sims" and you don't have a copy of Livin' Large yet, you need to drop everything and go get it now.

While it is convenient that they've included many objects available on the web on this CD, it would have been nicer to see even more new, never seen before objects.

Fans of the original game can find nearly as many objects and tiles on the net for free, and may not get enough replay value out of the expansion pack to make it worth the cost.

It was intended to be a bundle of new content, new furnishings, and a few new options that would make your sims' lives even more exciting, and in that regard, it succeeds.

Hard-core fans will love how the new features affect long-term gameplay, and casual players will find some of the more outrageous scenarios quite amusing.

If you ever thought that Bob Newbie was just a little bit boring, look out, because he just changed into his buttless chaps and he's headed for your hot tub.

You won’t find any new gameplay features, but what you do get a skies-are-the-limit bevy of new eclectic characters, gaudy furniture, and fancy-pants neighborhoods.

If you grew tiresome of the repetitive nature of the Sims, Livin' Large probably won't change your mind if for more than a few hours while you acquaint yourself with it's new additions. However, if you're still hooked on these virtual life forms, Livin' Large is a must-have expansion pack. For the majority of us, it's probably the later.

The new situations and scenarios brought about by the new additions are truly enjoyable, and are easily sufficient to cause former Sims addicts to suffer another relapse.

Upping the slob factor, you can now select "slacker" as an occupation, lower the neatness factor, and voila! Suddenly you've got your own Richard Linklater movie.