As hard as it may be to admit, I've been a fan of Sims-related games since its humble beginnings.  From Simtown, to Simcity to Sim-everything-else-possible, and by far The Sims have proven the most entertaining. What makes the game so great is its capacity for change and constant evolution.  But with Maxis’ latest (and last) expansion pack, Makin’ Magic, one can’t help but wonder if maybe the franchise has begun to show signs of diminished returns. 

Very rarely, if ever, does a game survive as many retail upgrades as The Sims.  We’re already up to the seventh expansion pack and consumers are still showing no signs of slowing down at the check-out counter.  The best part about an expansion pack for The Sims is the variety of new additions to the household.  From House Party to Superstar, to the new Makin’ Magic, there have been new aspects and enhancements to occupy the minds and fingers of the franchise’s huge fan base.  Like the previous expansion packs, Makin’ Magic adds a new area for your Sim to explore and a variety of objects to play around with.  Now, with Makin’ Magic, your Sims have the opportunity to be rich, famous, in love and also possess innate magical abilities.  But just how much will magic alter your Sims experience?

All of the staples of a Sims expansion pack can be expected here: new household objects to splurge on, a new outdoor area (named Magic Town) that can be accessed at any time, and a backwards compatibility with previous expansion packs allowing Makin’ Magic to seamlessly integrate into everything else you’ve come to love about the game.  But the central point of Makin’ Magic is its newfound focus on things such as spellcasting, which is useful for a variety of different things ranging from easily replenishing your Sim’s basic needs to off-the-wall antics like casting a spell on a pet to temporarily change it into a person. 

Like the last expansion pack, Superstar, your Sim can perform in front of groups of people, showcasing his or her magical talents in return for notoriety and satisfied social needs.  In fact, to a Sim with magical powers, friends aren’t even necessary.  For example, in Makin’ Magic you can easily summon an imaginary friend and replenish your social meter from the comfort of your own home.  In terms of the “feel” of the game’s environments, Makin’ Magic fails to breathe any significant life into the otherwise vibrant foundation known as The Sims.  Maxis simply adds to the initial environment rather than improving upon elements already in play.  Unleashed introduced new aspects, such as pets, and Superstar played off the Sim's dreams (and our own) of fame and fortune.  Makin’ Magic, too, embellishes on a fantasy we’ve all had at one time or another, but isn’t as focused or cohesive in actually realizing what it might be like to harness magical powers, as the name suggests.

The game has a very dark, circus-like atmosphere that seems to take away from the funny and lighthearted nature of the game. While Hot Date was about romance, Vacation about relaxation, Unleashed about loyalty, Superstar about super stardom, Making Magic is about collecting bizarre ingredients and doing bad things to your neighbors. There's no central theme behind it, no real reason for people to want to have magic.  It's about creepy Halloween-esque music, dark ambiance, and a dead downtown area, which looks suspiciously like a graveyard.  "Magic" is based on the early 1900's images of Houdini, gypsy caravans and even old wizard duels.  A fine setting indeed, and one that fans of the series probably didn’t expect.  In as few words as possible, The Sims Makin’ Magic is the oddball of the seven expansions packs released for The Sims since 2000.
 

Aside from spell casting, another focus in Makin’ Magic is collecting ingredients to mix in a cauldron in order to formulate new spells.  New items are available for harvesting beeswax and growing elderberries, both of which are key ingredients to an assortment of spells, though you can also establish a pretty nice monetary return on these things as well.  Visiting Magic Town, ingredients play center stage.  You can use the ingredients you’ve procured, purchased, or grown and barter with other magic users to obtain expensive or rare ingredients.  Be prepared to invest a sizeable chunk of time into doing just this, as plenty of ingredients cannot be obtained any other way.

Magic Town is home to more than just public bartering, however.  Here, you’ll also be able to perform magic shows and compete in wizard duels.  The duels take the form of an entertaining little mini-game wherein you and your opponent choose a particular spell and whoever chose the more powerful of the two wins that round.  There are four rounds in all and blowing your load with a powerful spell at the onset may prove troublesome later on when you’ve only got a weak spell to end the match with.  By winning these duels you’ll earn “magicoins” which you can spend on new spells and other assorted goodies.

For the past three years The Sims and its many expansion packs have done little to bolster the now-long-in-the-tooth visuals of the franchise, and Makin’ Magic is no exception.  The various object models and new textures look great from an artistic standpoint but everything still takes the form of pseudo-3D with the exception of character models which are actually 3D but don’t look all that great to begin with.  There are lots of new “simlish”, the jibberish Sims dialect that has been around since the inception of the game, and they are still very fun to listen to.  Spooky melodies and orchestrations add some new musical tracks into the mix and help a great deal to perpetuate the Magic-themed world of the expansion pack.  But the same problems that previous games have suffered are still present here, such as the sluggish camera system and sometimes forgetful AI that results in your Sim ignoring or forgetting what you told it to do.
 

Compared to previous expansion packs, I'd liken Makin’ Magic to House Party.  Parties and magic are fun, but thankfully not a required element of game play.  However, those who are looking to take maximum advantage of the new offerings in Makin’ Magic will find plenty to keep themselves busy with.  The new Magic Town, host of object additions, and backward compatibility with previous expansion packs ensures that fans will stay busy until The Sims 2 is released in a few months.  Just don’t expect any drastic formula changes or substantial gameplay additions.
 

Special thanks to Michelle Brumley for her impeccable observations and exhaustive notes, both of which were invaluable in the writing of this review.  Please send any questions or comments relating to The Sims or its many expansion packs to her at sappy_packrat@hotmail.com.

Gameplay: 8.4
The same point-and-click interface that has complemented every previous The Sims expansions is present here with little or no change implemented.  Yes, that’s a good thing.

Graphics: 7.8
The Sims is over three years old and its visuals are more than starting to look dated at this point.  Nevertheless, the object artists did a great job in detailing the various environmental additions.

Sound: 8.1
More Sim-lish, sound effects and music have been integrated into Makin’ Magic and they are all of the same high quality ilk as the previous games.

Difficulty: Medium
It’ll take a while to warm up to all the new Magic elements of the game and hunting down elusive ingredients can be quite challenging, but the game is just as freeform and dynamically difficult as it ever was.

Concept: 8.1
Hmmm, I’m not sure how well Makin’ Magic fits into the previous entries being that spell casting, wizard dueling sims has never been touched upon in the game, but Makin’ Magic does offer some pretty inventive additions.

Overall: 7.9

If you’ve already lived large, unleashed, and found fame, then Makin’ Magic is the perfect addition to your already extensive The Sims collection.