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| From: Electronic Arts
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $13.99
You Save: $6.00 (30%)
New (13) Used (17) from $12.22
Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 419
Format: Cd
Platforms: Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Xp
Genre: artificial_life_simulation_games
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: Windows 2000
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 15371
UPC: 014633153712
EAN: 0014633153712
ASIN: B000VSEF52
Release Date: February 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: new new new
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 21-25 of 41
 FreeTime Rocks! April 19, 2008
K. Ryborz (Diamond Bar, CA USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Sims 2: FreeTime - Rocks!!!
It's cute seeing their new hobby aspirations to fufill --
Currently my sim couple have the "NATURE" and "MUSIC AND DANCE" aspiration so in example I spend my time fuffilling their aspiration for Nature: Hunting bugs, Birdwatching, Gardening, Interacting with Pets, and pretty much anything outdoors. I also love that they can use their computers now to "blog about" or "browse the web" for their aspiration.
As for my "MUSIC AND DANCE" sim - you can usually find him at the ballet bar, playing the many musical instruments throught sims previous expansions and freetime (guitar, drums, violin, piano, karaoke, dance with someone)
Sims Free Time is really cute, lots of new places to visit, and more life-like activities for them to get into literature, arts and crafts, sports, culinary.
It's been a great expansion, kudos to EA GAMES --- the only con -- i noticed my game crashes alot for the "GAMING ASPIRATION" -- or when they visit the gaming hobby lot. Wierd....
Otherwise, I say if you didnt get this expansion, don't sleep on it.
it's really cute!!!
Great Game April 26, 2008
Ashley (Ohio, USA!)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Now the Sims can become even more realistic by having hobbies! Each Sim has a pre-picked hobby they enjoy. Some hobbies include: music and dance, sports, arts and crafts, nature, science, cusisine and tinkering. Now you can build trainboards (caution can kill Sims!), restore cars, hunt bugs, make pottery, you can now have secondary aspirations, and discover secret lots. Alot of fun, makes your Sims more unique! Pretty fun
 Will Eat Up *Some* Of Your Free Time May 16, 2008
Brittany Rose (Winnipeg, MB)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The seventh, and likely the final, expansion pack in the Sims 2 series attempts to fill up your Sims free time. It's well timed, given that Maxis/EA seems to have recognized that by this point in the series, most players, whether working on the same neighbourhood for a long time or simply being seasoned with the way the game works, will have mastered the cycle of work/needs/friends/money, and as a result, they've got a group of bored sims (and players) on their hands.
Enter Free Time, whose main feature is the addition of "hobbies" - 10 tracks of personal enjoyment that your sim can pursue, with one in particular clicking particularly well with them from birth (its predetermined and often genetic - as yet there is no way to change it). The hobbies range from the artsy - Music & Dance, Arts & Crafts, Cooking, - to the brawny - Tinkering, Sports, Fitness - to the brainy - Film & Literature, Science, Nature, and Games.
Each hobby has 10 interest points your sim can build up by participating in activities (some skill building, others that work like the work benches from Open For Business). Along the way, each point unlocked for a hobby opens up a special beneficial activity or skill related to the hobby (ex: you can make cheese platters if you're interested in cooking or discover new planets if you're interested in science). Once you build up 5 interest points you'll be invited to a secret lot for your fellow enthusiasts - some of which offer neat extras like cooking or dance competitions.
While the interests points is a neat feature, it also requires constant vigilance in keeping your sim involved in an activity - otherwise they lose their 'interest' in it. In regards to following your predestined favourite hobby, some hobbies are easier than others, particularly if they match up with your career choice. Science and Film & Literature in particular are very limiting with the activities that will help your score.
There are also 5 new careers - Oceanographer (Marine Biologist?), Secret Agent, Architect, Dancer, and Entertainer (think clowns and magicians). Nothing too exciting to report here - you make a fair chunk of change with each job and it's relatively easy to get to the top, but it does add more variety in the jobs your sims can start out with. The bonus objects are mostly forgettable aside from the fun architects table that sort of works like the artist easel but creates pencil sketches of blueprints or scenes around the home.
Another new feature is the addition of aspiration points that go towards your lifelong aspiration meter (and cramps the screen a bit). As your life goes on you can collect aspiration points and spend them on special benefits related to your needs, career, aspiration - or add a second aspiration and collect benefits from that.
In terms of objects & decoration, there isn't tons. The game comes with a new retro/grandpa looking family room set (think dark wood, record players, and plaid) and a chic modern kitchen set in 4 colours (although kind of odd considering the newest Kitchen & Bath Stuff pack). There is a fair bit of decoration but most of it is posters & desk accessories related to the various hobbies. Although at first glance it seems like the developers have added a ton of new objects for your sims hobbies, they quickly become repetitive (1 or 2 new items per hobby is very limiting!).
I would still recommend Free Time if only because it adds new items & new jobs - which help freshen up the game at this late point in the series. The actual inclusion of the hobbies etc. isn't that monumental, but it does give you something extra to do once you're tired of rolling around in sim cash or having a million kids.
Hmm June 21, 2008
B. Bayless (USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Me being a Sims fan since the third Sims 1 expansion pack of coarse I got this game the day it came out. It's very fun. If you don't like pre-destined hobbies you can download a hack to choose your own. Do a google search for it. Also there is alot of hobby leaders calling constantly. But if you download the Freetime patch there will be pop-ups instead of phone calls. But when downloading the Freetime patch be careful. Restore your game etc. Alot of the sims community noticed the patch screwed up there game. I have never gotten a glitch in my game so the patch worked for me and it's delightful.The game is so awsome it adds so much to this game. I recommend getting it!
Could've been a tad better. June 27, 2008
pandora80
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Sims 2 Free Time could've been a tad better. Like the many game reviews before me, I would say that this particular expansion pack can be a bit annoying at times. I get really tired of my sims tossing the football, telling dirty jokes ALL the time, getting phone calls from the hobby NPC's. I've had to put SO many hacks in my game just to get rid of the little nuisances that should've been reduced to a minimum level to begin with.
All that having been said, I do like having my Sims choose a secondary aspiration. I like having my Sims be able to compete in contests for cash rewards and plaques. So, yeah, I'd recommend this game to others... just don't download EA's patch for the game. Whatever annoyances you have, you can usually find fixes for on modthesims2.com, or insimenator.net, they're MUCH more reliable. Just do searches within those two sites, and you're bound to come up with something to remedy your problem. All in all, in my opinion, this game is worth it. Hope this review makes your decision easier for you... one way or the other!
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