The Sims Makin' Magic Review for PC
Posted on Sunday, November 09, 2003 @ 07:09:00 pm E.S.TMaxis has come out with yet another expansion pack for their hit title, The Sims. Makin’ Magic is the seventh expansion pack for The Sims and by now some of you may be wondering… Isn’t it getting a little old? The answer depends on how many expansion packs you already own, and how worn out on the series you already are. Lets face it, if you own most of the other expansion packs for The Sims, you’ve probably had all you can take and are ready to retire from the series. On the other hand if you’re still into the series and aren’t worn out on the other expansions, it may be time to get to the stores to purchase this game. Reason being Makin’ Magic introduces more than just 175 new items, it introduces many new features and ways of playing that you will immerse you into the game.
Maxis added tons of new features to Makin’ Magic that help to keep it original. For example, the “A Pressing Feeling” nectar maker requires your Sim to go out and buy ingredients from a store such as sugar and grapes, mix them together, then take off there shoes and dive feet first into a mixing tub and literally stomp out the juices. We are also introduced to Magic Town, which is a pretty cool new place. In town Sims can perform magic in front of crowds or fight other Sims to win MagiCoins. You can use your MagiCoins to buy ingredients for casting spells and making charms. You can also get some of these ingredients by trading or running errands for shopkeepers. If you get bored in Magic Town don’t bother jumping aboard carnival rides, playing games, or getting your fortune told. Unfortunately, these features were boring and a waste of time, they simply paled in comparison to the real magic!
As the title suggests, this game is all about magic. It adds a new dimension to all aspects of your Sim's life. This includes numerous spells and charms to make life more interesting. For example, lets say all your status bars are deep in the red and your Sim is deeply depressed. Normally you’d have to feed him, clean him, and send him through your usual time consuming routine to get his happiness back up. Now you can mix together some bees wax, magic beans, and glacial glass, and you have yourself a magic mood charm. Simply use your charm and your mood will increase significantly. This is just one example of a charm, but there are lots of charms with different effects, and you can only use each one a certain number of times before it will lose it’s effect.
There are also lots of spells to choose from to manipulate your environment. If you mix bee wax, toadstools, and pixie dust you can enchant inanimate objects such as the friendly garden gnome. The gnome makes life easier by gardening for free. Once you have cast enough spells, you gain special abilities. The first ability you gain is teleportation, which is especially useful for getting around town or moving long distances. If you’ve played the series you know walking around place-to-place takes up a lot of time, well now you can eliminate that and have more time to concentrate on other things. Spells do have backfires though, some of the worst being toad plagues and lightning strikes.
After every 15 spells you cast, you will be able to receive some sort of reward. These rewards are called Magic Growths and include beanstalks, roots, flowers and crystals. The crystals are the most intriguing of the Magic Growths, because they provide special abilities for your Sims. One nice thing is if you move to Magic Town at some point in the game, it will only take 10 spell casts to get a Magic Growth.
Makin’ Magic has also borrowed certain ideas and items from other expansion packs. You don’t have to buy the Unleashed expansion pack to enjoy having a pet anymore. Makin’ Magic gives you the opportunity to own a pet dragon, which is way cooler than a dog anyways. In the new pack, you can buy a casket for about 3,500 simoleons (sim dollars). Knock on the casket, and a skeleton dressed as a maid pops out and cleans your house. This a very affordable investment compared to the Servo Robot from The Sims Livin' Large, that was priced at 15,000 simoleons, plus the skeleton is much more entertaining.
Keeping all of this in mind, it's obvious there are lots of new features to keep you entertained while playing this game. I would highly recommend that new players consider buying Makin’ Magic as their next expansion, especially if they own no others. If you have already burnt yourself out on the series you may want to try this game out at a friend’s house before you go to the store and part with your money. You may also want to wait for The Sims 2, which is coming out next spring. Review By: Rob B. - 1740 Reads
The Sims Makin' Magic Review Scores for PC :
| Gameplay |
| 8.5 |
| Graphics |
| 7.5 |
| Sound |
| 8.2 |
| Replay |
| 8 |
| Overall |
| 8.1 |
|
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