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220 of 223 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just When You Think the Sims Can't Get Any Better, November 16, 2001
I've had the game since the day it came out. Where to start? First, the basics. The box says there are over 125 new items. There are new floors, windows, wallpapers, doors, trees, lights, tables and counters. There's even a lighted ceiling fan.When Sims are ready to go downtown, they simply call a cab. They can invite other Sims with them or just look for their friends once downtown. The Sims really seem to enjoy the new fish pond. They can buy fish food to feed the fish or rent sailboats to play with in the water. There's a rental shack where you get these items and it also has a picnic basket you can get. When your Sims get a picnic basket, they spread out a blanket and then lay on it, eating and talking. If the date's going well, he might just go for a romantic kiss and then again, his date might completely reject him! Each one of your neighborhoods has its own downtown area. When you go to the beach, you actually hear waves crashing! They can't swim in the water but, of course, you can always put a swimming pool on the beach. There are even changing rooms where your Sims can change into their swimsuits. Another great feature of Hot Date is the "Townies." When you're downtown, you see all sorts of Sims, not only the ones from your neighborhood. You can talk to them and make friends. If all goes well, you can ask them to "Hang Out" with you and they'll follow you around doing what you do. Let's talk food. There are all sorts of places your Sims can eat. There's an ice cream counter, hot dog stand, a place to get hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza, a diner and also a really fancy restaurant. You can create the restaurants yourself too or you can use the downtown buildings that come with the game. There's a new grill for the park areas so your Sims can cookout. There's a new stove and when you place it downtown, you automatically hire a chef for your restaurant. When you put a dishwasher in the restaurant, you automatically get busboys that clean off the tables. You can also put cash registers in the stores and restaurants. This automatically hires store clerks, hostesses and waiters/waitresses. Another great thing about this game is that the people change. For example, you can go to a diner once and you'll have a male waiter taking orders. You can go again and it will be a woman. It's as if they have shift changes just like in the real world. It's fun to watch the hostess seat your Sims and hand them menus. Your Sims will read the menus and talk about what they want to order. Then the waiter will come, take their order and take the menus. They can also go to the bar and order drinks. You can have your Sim sit at a table and call the "barmaid" over. Sims can shop for clothes, jewelry, candy, flowers and magazines. When they shop for clothes, they can buy outfits for themselves or for the Sims their with. One of my Sims bought a new pair of pajamas and now that's what she wears when she goes to sleep instead of the default pajamas. Everyone else in the house is still wearing default pj's because they haven't been shopping yet. Nice feature! Also, you can put changing rooms in the clothing boutiques so they can try on outfits, swimsuits and pajamas. They'll go in the changing room and come out with the other clothes on. Then they'll prance up to the mirror and check themself out. Sims now have an "inventory" that allows you to buy things like teddy bears, The Sims game, lollipops, chocolates, a yellow rose, a bouquet of red roses and even jewelry. One of my Sims bought his date a bouquet of red roses. The date was going well so when he gave the roses to her, she threw them on the ground and stomped on them! In Hot Date, they also have new personality traits. Your Sims can now talk movies, parties, fitness, fashion and more with each other. If there's a topic they don't know too much about, they can buy a magazine at the magazine stand. They'll take it home and read about it there. There are about six different types of magazines, I believe. The magazines have funny titles like MAXSIMUM and WhooNoo. You can place speakers anywhere downtown and your Sims can listen to jazz-like music while they shop. And most everything you do downtown costs money. For instance, playing pool costs money. Turning on the jukebox costs money. Even the bubble blowing machine costs money. Sims can also interact with over 40 new actions. They can cuddle, play footsie, kiss, make out, embrace, insult each other by shaking their fists, gossip, admire, entertain with puppets, nag about the house or their friends. One of my favorites is the hug feature. Sims can now hug friendly, romantic, intimate or even leap into each other's arms. And they're all so funny to watch. They can even kiss suave, peck on the cheek, fiery and more. And if your Sim is feeling frisky, he/she can "check out" another Sim or "growl" at them. Another funny interaction is "Brag." Sims can flex their muscles. They can also primp. One of my female Sims primped by pulling out a compact and checking herself out in the mirror. When your Sims are back at home, they now have four new beds (all singles). Really nice. And there's also the Niagara Love Tub that allows two Sims in at once. They can wash each other, play and embrace. It's really funny to hear them "playing" under the water. I've gone into a lot of detail here but it's still not enough. There's just way too much to discover. Happy Simming!
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