The Sims 2: Nightlife - Gameplay

Gameplay

The game is reminiscent of an expansion pack from the original The Sims game entitled The Sims: Hot Date, which focused on new social interactions and locations for Sims to visit, such as a dance club or romantic restaurant. Nightlife follows in a similar theme. Some of the items are also similar to the ones found in The Sims: House Party and The Sims: Superstar.

New additions include inventories, new interactions, and over 125 new objects, including cars. NPCs that a player's Sim dates can now leave gifts or hate letters at the Sim's home, depending on the success of particular dates. Some of the new NPCs include party DJs, a Gypsy Matchmaker and Vampires.

Nightlife also adds a new aspiration called the Pleasure Aspiration. This new aspiration is assigned in exactly the same way as any of the other five aspirations. Sims with this aspiration crave enjoyment in many different ways, whilst they fear embarrassment. Sims may receive wants such as 'juggle' and 'jump on lounge'. Nightlife has also introduced a new reward object called the ReNuYu SensoOrb, which enables any Sim to change their aspiration. However, like all other aspiration reward objects, it can fail if the Sim's Aspiration Meter is low, which results in the Sim using it receiving the Grilled Cheese Aspiration, and all other wants or fears will be superseded with ones revolving around grilled cheese sandwiches, such as "Make Grilled Cheese Sandwich" or "Be rejected for Talk about Grilled Cheese Sandwich." If The Sims 2: University is installed, the Sim's Lifetime Want will also change.

In Nightlife, players can own their own cars instead of relying on the carpool to get to work or the bus to get to school. There are several models and colors available. In addition, driveways and garages can be built into the Sim's lot. Also new, more customized swimming pools can be designed. Included is a new diagonal shaped swimming pool tool, which can be used to create extensive shapes. However, the pool ladder and diving board may only be attached to pool tiles square on the lot.

The lot mode has been expanded in Nightlife, so that it is possible to view the neighborhood from a lot. Players may leave one lot to play another without having to go back to the neighborhood mode. Two new radio stations come with the expansion, Oldies and Classical stations.