The Sims: Superstar
Score: 90% ESRB: Teen Publisher: EA Games Developer: Maxis Media: CD/2 Players: 1 Genre: Simulation
Graphics & Sound: This new iteration of The Sims doesn't do much in the way of graphics, but that's no reason not to love it. The Sims: Superstar still delivers the same look and feel of the series in everything it offers, from the new butler you can hire to the skydive machine you can put in your back yard. There are some new skins available that go along with the whole Superstar motif nicely. You may not be able to dress like Marilyn Monroe, but you sure can look like a wannabe. The audio aspect of Superstar follows much the same pattern of the graphics. Nothing new and astounding, but more of the same great old goodness. Your sims will now be able to sing in order to entertain people, but you'll only hear the good stuff when they get really talented at it.
Gameplay: The Sims: Superstar adds a completely new town for your curious little sims to explore. This new locale, aptly named Studio Town, will be the hub of all activity concerning your sims' rise to fame. All manner of stars hang out here, including such hits as Christina Aguilera and Avril Lavigne. Studio Town will offer three different venues for your sims to partake in: music, movies, and fashion. Depending on what they do, who they know and where they practice will determine which category they will succeed or fail in. Karaoke bars, movie sets, and recording studios are all available for your sims to use, granted that their skills merit such use. Of course, your sims can't start out on top. It takes long hours of hard work, dedication, and most importantly, kissing ass. Who you know is just as important, if not more important, than what you know in Studio Town. Your sims will brush elbows with the stars of Studio Town, but if they can't make friends, their careers will be over before they start. Not only does Superstar offer new career paths for your sims, it also grants the access of new items for their houses, provided you have enough simoleans in the bank. A butler can now be hired to take care of your mansion or trailer, and he doesn't discriminate as long as you have the dough. He'll make sure that whatever you live in will stay in good condition, and he may even keep himself in the same condition with a few drinks from your mini-bar. Over 150 new items are included in Superstar, and it's not just limited to wallpaper. First off, if you don't like the way Studio Town is built, you can tear it down and create your own, using any number of things like photo shoot sets, film sets, and various other types of sets to help your sims become famous. New walls, floors, and roofs are also available, as well as a skydiving simulator and a satellite dish that will bring in four new channels to the local sim TV lineup.
Difficulty: As in all other Sims expansion sets, you don't have to make your sims ruin their lives in a vain search for stardom. Instead, you can relax, maybe upgrade your house a little with the new items available, and keep things as simple as they were before. But why would anyone want to do that? Turning your sim into the next Michael Jackson may not be easy, but it sure will be worth it. If you've ever wondered why none of your friends are famous, playing this game will tell you why. Studio Town stars hate everyone, and will usually turn a cold shoulder to anybody begging for an autograph. It's a long road to the top, but it sure is pretty up there.
Game Mechanics: The Sims: Superstar works similar to the original Sims, with only a few minor adjustments to facilitate the new careers of your would-be sim stars. Your sims will now have a star meter, which gauges how famous they are in Studio Town. Raising this is done through hard work and getting to know other famous people, who really don't like anyone less famous than themselves. If your sims are lucky enough to attain stardom, they will have to deal with the everyday nuisances of a celebrity. The paparazzi will hound you, either for bad or good, but if you start to lose your luster, you may have to perform a stunt to gain it all back. Fans will adore your sim, but some may take it even further and become obsessed. There are also the rabid teams of producers, managers, photographers, choreographers, and fashion designers that run Studio Town. Getting on the bad side of one of these heavy hitters may close important doors to your sims. Superstar is a fine addition to any Sims fan's collection, and is a worthy testament to the best selling PC game of all time. There is plenty to do in this expansion, and also plenty not to do. Go ahead and give your sims something bigger to strive for and pick up Superstar. I promise, once you get a piece of the limelight, you'll never want to go back to anything else.
-Snow Chainz, GameVortex Communications AKA Andrew Horwitz
Minimum System Requirements: Windows 95/98/2000/XP, The Sims or The Sims Deluxe Edition for Windows Installed, 450 MHz Processor, 128 MB RAM, 4X CD-ROM, 1.12 GB Free Hard Disk Space, 4MB Video Card   Test System: Windows XP, 1.4GHz AMD Athlon, GeForce FX 5200 128MB video card, 40 gig Hard Drive, 56x CD-ROM, 256MB DDR Ram, Sound Blaster Live! sound card, T1 Internet Connection
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