EA and Maxis recently released The Sim's Deluxe Edition.  For those of you who have been living under a rock and haven't heard of the top selling pc game of all time,  The Sims takes you into the microcosm of Sim existence.  As a Sim you explore the age old quest for happiness.  What balance of work, friends, and material wealth, will make you the best Sim you can be?  Immerse yourself in the Sim's and find out.

The Sims game deals as much with the concepts of love and friendship as it does with the microeconomics of household living.  Your Sims have to work to succeed, but no Sim is an island and social interaction is necessary for a happy existence.  Happiness is dictated by eight criteria that are influenced by everything from household decorations, to the amount of sleep your Sim's getting, to the last time they went to the bathroom.  One of the easiest ways to keep your Sim happy is by getting them only the best in household accoutrements, but that's where work comes in.  Before you pull out your Sims...err...Sears Catalog you have to have the dough to pay off your bills.  Their is a huge variety of career paths that offer different benefits and dangers.  My Sim took law enforcement and ended up getting shot...he lived but his stats were messed up.  Career paths require certain statistics, which are built by spending time with certain objects (ex. body points are gained by using the weight machine).  In addition, career paths eventually require you to have friends in greater and greater numbers thereby creating even more difficulties in your work laden world, as you wine and dine your neighbors.

The Sims is easily one of the most complex and addicting games on the market, and with the near constant expansions it is sure to remain at the top of the charts.  Now you know what the Sims is, so you should know what's so special about the deluxe edition.

The deluxe edition contains the original Sim game in addition to the Livin' Large expansion pack and a few unique (at least at the moment) features.  These include the Sims Creator, 25+ new objects to decorate your home along with over 50 clothing sets, so that your Sim can dress in whatever style you choose.  While the new objects and clothes are interesting, the main addition is the Sim Creator which actually allows you to put your own face on a Sim (assuming you have a digital picture available).  It also allows you to design your Sim from major details such as sex, age, or skin color, down to your choice of sneakers or high heels.  This would be a great addition to the ever growing software extravaganza that is The Sim's except for the fact that it seems like it's still unfinished.  Excessive load times every time you change a major detail make fiddling with your Sim's appearance tiresome.  In addition the graphics tend to be a bit unreliable.

The Sims Deluxe Edition is a great buy if your new to the Sim's.  For those of you who have all the expansions and are anxiously awaiting Sims Online, the Deluxe edition offers little for you.

Gameplay: 9
Easy to learn but infinitely complex.

Graphics: 9 
Funny and stylized.

Sound: 9
I don't understand them but I love hearing them talk.

Difficulty: Medium
The complexity can be a bit much to handle in the beginning but once you get used to it the game flows pretty well.

Concept: 7 
Just a re-release of a great game with a little additional content.

Multiplayer: N/A
I cant wait for Sims Online :)

Overall: 9
A great game.  If this weren’t a re-release or the Creator worked a little better I’d probably give it a 10.