With three expansion packs on the market for "The Sims 2," it's not an easy decision as to which one you should buy. Simmers aren't made of money and many have older computers that can't handle having all expansions installed. So which one of the expansion packs should you buy? Is there one better than the other?
Price
Typically, the prices of expansion packs will go down the older they are. Or you could find a sale that brings the price down from the full price of $35 USD to about $20 USD.
Theme
If the subject of an expansion pack doesn't interest you, put off buying it for awhile. Each expansion pack comes with little extras that aren't directly related to the topic of the pack, but make the game better in some way. Some people bought "The Sims 2 Nightlife," just for the cars.
The Good Points of Each Expansion
"The Sims 2 University"
- Adds new life stage - Young Adult
- Send Sims go to college and earn a degree
- More time for Sims to earn skills and make friends
- Grow up the Townie teens by sending them to college
- 4 new career tracks
- Do homework, write research, and group study to earn grade points
- Read Review :
for "The Sims 2 University"
"The Sims 2 Nightlife"
- Cars
- Dating
- New romantic interactions
- Pleasure aspiration
- Garages
- DJ Booth, bowling alley, poker table, and more new objects
- Half walls
- Downtown
- Turn-ons and turn-offs
- Read Review : for "The Sims 2 Nightlife"
"The Sims 2 Open for Business"
- Spilt-levels
- Sims own businesses
- Elevators
- Crafting stations to make own objects
- Skill badges in different areas of business
- Business perks that can be passed down
- Read Review : for "The Sims 2 Open for Business"
"The Sims 2 Pets"
- Cats & Dogs
- New Building Tools
- Pet objects
- Careers for pets
- Read Review : for "The Sims 2 Pets"
"The Sims 2 Seasons"
- 4 Seasons - Snow, rain, lightning, hail
- Weather related activities (snowball fights, raking leaves, etc.)
- Leftovers
- 6 new career tracks
- Gardening & Fishing
- Read Review : for "The Sims 2 Seasons"
"The Sims 2 Bon Voyage"
- Vacations with family and friends
- Bigfoot
- Jewerly
- Digging for gold
- Read Review : for "The Sims 2 Bon Voyage"
"The Sims 2 Free Time"
- Hobbies
- Grow Townies Up
- Secondary Aspirations
- 5 career tracks
- Read Review : for "The Sims 2 Free Time"
"The Sims 2 Apartment Life"
- Apartments (or duplexes, trailer parks, etc)
- Spiral staircases
- Witches
- NPC Roommates
- for "The Sims 2 Apartment Life"
What it comes down to is your own personal taste. Which one grabs your attention first. Buy that one and worry (or not) about the rest later.
