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The Sims 2: Bon Voyage

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Background and development

The Sims is a franchise of life simulation games developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It has sold over 200 million copies amongst all platforms and installments, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.[1] The Sims 2, sequel to the original, was released on 14 September 2004. It expanded upon the original game's features, introducing elements such as an aspiration system based around short-term and long-term goals; expanded character and neighbourhood customization; and the ability for sims to raise families, age, and progress through generations.[2][3]

All main entries in the series have had multiple expansion packs, which add further gameplay options. Rather than being relatively simple downloadable content, expansion packs for the first three games in the Sims series substantially expanded upon the base game's life simulation; Kieron Gillen, writing for Eurogamer in 2005, stated the first game's expansions "could have been expanded [...] into games of their own" and argued their complexity was a component in why The Sims had few competitors in its genre.[1][4] Eight expansion packs were released for The Sims 2 between 2005 and 2008.[1][5]

The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, the sixth expansion pack in the series, was announced in mid-2007.[5][6] It was stylistically influenced by The Sims: Vacation, a similar expansion pack for the first game.[7][8] Bon Voyage was developed alongside the thematically similar The Sims: Castaway Stories for PC and The Sims 2: Castaway for console. Both Castaway games are stand-alone entries in the series with semi-structured plots based around a shipwrecking, distinguishing them from the freeform expansion structure of Bon Voyage; senior developer Rod Humble stated that Bon Voyage was designed to let players "enjoy the tropics without having to starve to death".[9] It was released on 4 September 2007 for PC[5] and 17 December 2007 for macOS,[10] becoming the final expansion pack for The Sims 2 to be released for Mac.[11] Bon Voyage was the first expansion pack for the game to use the SecuROM copy protection and digital rights management system, use of which was retained for the following entries The Sims 2: FreeTime and The Sims 2: Apartment Life.[12]

Gameplay

The Sims 2: Bon Voyage revolves around vacationing. Sims are able to book holiday travel to one of three pre-defined destinations, broadly themed around the Far East, Polynesia, and a generic "mountain" region respectively. Bon Voyage allows sims from multiple households to travel together, changing the structure of previous games where only one household could be played at a time. When a sim books a trip, the player can invite along sims from other households. These guests cannot be directly controlled by the player, but their profiles are viewable, a structure similar to that used for pets in The Sims 2: Pets.[13][14] While sims are travelling, time does not pass as in other areas of the game; sims do not age or need to attend work or school.[15]

Within the sandbox gameplay of Bon Voyage, opportunities exist to collect souvenirs, learn about the native culture from locals, and engage in recreational activities. Different areas have differently-themed opportunities; for instance, beach locations present opportunities such as building sandcastles, swimming, and exploring abandoned pirate ships.[15] As players pursue these activities, they build points towards a hidden "vacation score" that tracks sims' enjoyment of their holiday. Points are gained for things such as collecting mementos, befriending other sims, and discovering secret areas, while they can be lost after more inauspicious events like watching another sim die. When sims return home, these points are tallied; high scores allow the player to select temporary benefits for each sim in a party, such as improved job performance or a faster rate of learning skills. Less successful vacations can have the opposite effect, decreasing a sim's learning rate or even impacting their personality.[16][17]

New forms of non-playable sims are introduced; "locals" are natives of vacation towns, while "tourists" are other sims on holiday. These sims can be interacted with like other non-playable sims, including having the option to move them in or marry them. However, they do not appear in normal neighbourhoods and cannot be invited on parties or dates there.[18] Other new non-player characters (NPCs) are more limited. Several of the items introduced in Bon Voyage spawn "object NPCs", a type of sim with limited abilities and interactions linked to the presence of a particular object. These NPCs are linked to the functioning of vacation areas; for instance, bellhops are spawned by hotel desks and check sims in and out of hotels. Some NPCs can be used to unlock special interactions, such as teleportation, the "dragon legend" that sims can tell one another, the option to sing sea shanties, and the ability to own and manipulate voodoo dolls. Bon Voyage also adds the Unsavory Charlatan, a cartoon villain-style thief who pickpockets sims. Should a sim lose money to the Unsavory Charlatan, they gain the option to fight him, which may regain their funds—or allow him to steal more.[19][20]

Bon Voyage incorporates a number of miscellaneous features. It allows players to purchase vacation homes, marking the first time in the series that sims can own multiple home lots; these allow sims to holiday without paying for hotels.[21] Bon Voyage expands the inventory function to give all sims digital cameras by default, allowing the player to take in-game photographs and direct sims to stand in specific poses. The expansion also adds jewellery, allowing sims to have accessories separate from their clothing, such as necklaces or body piercings.[22] A number of new interactions are added; sims can learn culturally specific greetings from locals,[23] discuss their previous trips with other sims,[24] and talk about souvenirs they collected. Some new items, such as tents, saunas, and hammocks, allow specific interactions; for instance, any of those three items is a potential woohoo location.[25]

Following the introduction of supernatural sims in prior expansion packs for The Sims 2,[26] Bon Voyage allows the player to find Bigfoot. By default, Bigfoot lives in the mountain vacation area; should a sim build a friendship with him, he can be invited to move in with them, becoming a playable character. Bigfoot possess a number of unique characteristics. Children and dogs have substantial relationship bonuses with him, but cats have equally sizable maluses. He has maximum points in all skills and the highest level of all talent badges, granting him expertise in, amongst other things, gardening, flower arranging, and cosmetology. Bigfoot has many but not all of the interactions of a normal sim; he can be turned into a vampire or zombie but not a werewolf or PlantSim, and can be befriended but not romanced.[27]

Soundtrack

Background music for The Sims 2: Bon Voyage was composed by Silas Hite, who also composed for The Sims 2: Castaway.[28] Throughout the series, in-game diegetic music is provided by musicians making Simlish covers of their real-world songs.[29] For Bon Voyage, Bob Marley's son Damian Marley covered his Grammy-winning "Welcome to Jamrock"; The National referred to Damian Marley's soundtrack appearance as "the true sign of fame".[30][31]

Reception and legacy

On our last trip to San Diego, my boyfriend got stabbed in the foot by a stingray. I knew something was wrong by his strange gait and the look on his face as he emerged from the waves. I've never seen a man fight so hard to hold back the tears. For my part, I've never fought so bravely to hold back the laughter. I honestly didn't know a human face could twist that way[...]

Now your Sims can also have new experiences in unfamiliar places with Sims 2: Bon Voyage.

—Windy Ross, GameRevolution[32]

The Sims 2: Bon Voyage received mixed reviews. Its aggregate Metascore of 74, corresponding to a "mixed or average" reception, is tied for lowest amongst Sims 2 expansion packs.[33][note 1] On release, the expansion had serious software bugs and was incompatible with existing game mods.[22][41] The first entry in the series to use the SecuROM system of copy protection and digital rights management, it netted controversy, including legal action.[12][42][43] Nonetheless, it was commercially successful, becoming the eighth-highest-selling PC game of 2007.[44]

Reviews

Contemporary reviews for Bon Voyage ranged from the positive[17] to the position, espoused by Steve Hogarty of PC Zone, that it was "as fun as malaria".[45] Reviewers as a whole found the expansion added relatively little to the game; J. Habib at IGN found "nothing here that will convert" people previously uninterested in the series, while Andrew Park at GameSpot, though recommending it to "obsessive" fans, felt "casual Sims 2 fans should enjoy just getting out of the house and taking a holiday".[15][17]

Bon Voyage had a significant number of software bugs on release, which multiple reviewers felt hampered the expansion pack's potential. Mahamari Tsukitaka at Game Chronicles called attention to extreme lag, mentioning that loading times were markedly longer after installing Bon Voyage and that the game as a whole would freeze for periods up to half a minute long.[22] Michael Lafferty's review for GameZone focused primarily on Bon Voyage's performance issues. He drew particular attention to its incompatibility with mods and custom content for previous EPs. The open-ended format of The Sims means fan-made add-ons play a particularly important role in gameplay; Lafferty reported some players lost entire folders with up to twenty gigabytes of custom content.[note 2] He made note in his review that he uninstalled the expansion from his personal machine after playtesting for the review, as he found losing his mods too serious an issue to make up for the expansion's positives. Lafferty also criticised Bon Voyage's glitches, such as waiters disappearing while carrying food to tables and sims getting trapped when leaving lots.[41]

Nonetheless, reviewers felt Bon Voyage had potential; Lafferty believed it would be a "terrific expansion" were the bugs fixed.[41] Windy Ross at GameRevolution praised the expansion pack as a holiday where "all the lifeguards are nice, and there is not a stingray in sight", though derided the large sums of in-game currency it took to purchase anything in vacation areas.[32] Habib commended Bon Voyage for its focus on family dynamics, which he felt were neglected by previous expansion packs. He praised the opportunities it presented for players to strengthen familial bonds between sims and the ability to take holidays without interfering with things like work or school, but criticised the fact such travel had limited impacts on sims' home lives.[17]

Digital rights management controversy

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Scores across all entries range from 74 for Bon Voyage and The Sims 2: FreeTime[33][34] to 81 for The Sims 2: University.[35] The Sims 2: Apartment Life received a Metascore of 75, corresponding to "generally favourable reviews".[36] Nightlife and Pets both scored 76,[37][38] while Open for Business and Seasons both scored 78.[39][40]
  2. ^ Typical desktop computer storage in 2007 was 30–100 gigabytes.[46]

References

  1. ^ a b c Shoam, Amir (25 July 2022). "The Sims: 22 Years and Counting". Techspot. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  2. ^ Taylor, Chris (2004). "TIME Tech: Top 10 Video Games". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005.
  3. ^ Adams, Dan (11 September 2004). "The Sims 2 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 14 September 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  4. ^ Gillen, Kieron (8 May 2005). "The Sims 2 University". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Ocampo, Jason (1 July 2009). "Charting The Sims Expansions". IGN. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  6. ^ Reed, Kristan (27 July 2007). "New Sims 2 expansion: Bon Voyage later this year". Eurogamer. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  7. ^ Crandall, Kevin (4 May 2022). "The Sims: 10 Clichés In Almost Every Game". Screen Rant. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  8. ^ Staff writer (20 February 2008). "The Sims 2: Bon Voyage (PC) Review". All Around Gaming Hub. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  9. ^ Humble, Rod (6 August 2007). The Sims 2 Developer Podcast #15 (Podcast).
  10. ^ Staff writer (17 December 2007). "Aspyr ships Sims 2 Bon Voyage". Macworld. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  11. ^ Staff writer (2023). "Sims 2: Super Collection FAQ". Aspyr. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  12. ^ a b Read, Darren C (21 September 2009). Cyber-Trespass: A Good Model to Follow? (PDF) (MA thesis). University of Oslo. p. 12. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  13. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "Vacationing". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. pp. 5–9. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  14. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "Vacationing". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  15. ^ a b c Park, Andrew (19 September 2007). "The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  16. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "Vacationing". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. pp. 24–26. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  17. ^ a b c d Habib, J (2 October 2007). "The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Review: Family time made fun". IGN. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  18. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "Vacationing". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. pp. 16–17. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  19. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "New NPCs". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. pp. 120–122. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  20. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "New NPCs". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. pp. 112–117. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  21. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "Vacation Accommodations". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. p. 28. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  22. ^ a b c Tsukitaka, Mahamari (22 September 2007). "The Sims 2: Bon Voyage". Game Chronicles. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  23. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "New Socials". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. p. 106. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  24. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "New Socials". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. p. 105. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  25. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "New Socials". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. pp. 109–111. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  26. ^ Winters, Brian (4 July 2020). "The Sims: Each Occult, Ranked From Worst To Best". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  27. ^ Kramer, Greg (2007). "New NPCs". The Sims 2 Bon Voyage: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games. pp. 117–120. ISBN 978-07615-5772-2.
  28. ^ Hite, Silas (2020). "Video Games". Silas Hite, Composer. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  29. ^ Veress, Ben (29 March 2023). "Our Favourite Simlish Covers Of Top Pop Songs From My Chemical Romance To Becca Hatch". Pedestrian.tv. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  30. ^ Mallick, Dani (16 December 2022). "Damian Marley's 'Welcome To Jamrock' Single Certifed Gold In The UK". DancehallMag. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  31. ^ Staff writer (17 April 2010). "Damian Marley: the rise of Bob's little wailer". The National. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  32. ^ a b Ross, Windy (26 October 2007). "The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Review". Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  33. ^ a b "The Sims 2: Bon Voyage PC Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  34. ^ "The Sims 2: FreeTime PC Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  35. ^ "The Sims 2 University for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 11 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  36. ^ "The Sims 2: Apartment Life PC Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  37. ^ "The Sims 2: Nightlife for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  38. ^ "The Sims 2: Pets PC Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  39. ^ "The Sims 2: Open for Business for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  40. ^ "The Sims 2: Seasons". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  41. ^ a b c Lafferty, Michael (18 September 2007). "The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Review - PC". GameZone. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  42. ^ Good, Owen (8 November 2008). "EA Hit with Two New Anti-DRM Class Action Suits". Kotaku. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  43. ^ Sempere, Josep Maria (10 November 2008). "Nuevas demandas a EA por el uso de sistemas DRM" [New lawsuits against EA for using DRM systems]. Eurogamer (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  44. ^ Clark, Jesse A (August 2008). Evaluation of FOSS Video Games in Comparison to Their Commercial Counterparts (MA thesis). Pennsylvania State University. p. 56. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  45. ^ Hogarty, Steve (28 November 2007). "PC Review: The Sims 2: Bon Voyage". PC Zone UK. Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  46. ^ Schmid, Patrick (17 January 2007). "2007 HDD Rundown: Can High Capacities Meet High Performance?". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 1 October 2023.

w:ru:The Sims 2: Путешествия
ruwiki article translated: https://ru-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/The_Sims_2:_%D0%9F%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%88%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%8F?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-sims-2-bon-voyage/critic-reviews/?platform=pc metacritic
https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/2477 sales numbers

reviews:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080205161422/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=175949
https://web.archive.org/web/20080724024426/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r33151.htm
https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-sims-2-bon-voyage-review/1900-6178733/
https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/10/02/the-sims-2-bon-voyage-review
https://www.gamechronicles.com/reviews/pc/sims2bon/voyage.htm

securom:
https://script-ed.org/article/english-legal-system-adopt-law-cyber-trespass/
https://www.guru3d.com/story/lawsuit-against-ea-using-securom
https://www.destructoid.com/new-ea-securom-lawsuits-claim-drm-was-put-in-free-download/
https://www.techdigest.tv/2008/11/ea_gets_more_dr.html
https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/2009-04-01-gitcha-securom-de-authorization-tools-gitem-ova-hur.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20090309180933/http://cdn2.libsyn.com/gamepolitics/EA-securom-cortez-vs-ea.pdf?nvb=20090309175926&nva=20090310180926&t=07bc7a7172bbcdc234cdf
https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1189&context=dltr

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