The Sims 2 Nightlife

The Sims is celebrating ten years since the first instalment in the series was released.

The Sims is 10 years old this week! To celebrate, we're dusting off our long look back at the series from the start of 2008, prior to the release of The Sims 3. For the full picture, make sure to check out our more recent reviews of The Sims 3 and The Sims 3: World Adventures. What's "happy birthday" in simlish?

Concluding our coverage of Chart-Track's annual report, today Kristan picks his way through the PC market, the burgeoning Xbox 360 market, and any other markets he can find. He was round here the other day admiring fish and everything. Multi-Market Reed we used to call him. I'm not saying he's promiscuous though. He is, but I'm not saying that. All data (and trout) from Chart-Track's annual report. Used with permission. And in Fisherman's Pies.

Personally concerned

The steady decline of the PC software market was in evidence once again in 2005, with the total market share (by value) of all PC software (including non-games packages from the likes of Norton) representing just 24.6 per cent. By contrast, back in 1999, this figure was a whopping 41 per cent, although the actual money spent by consumers has remained roughly unchanged since that time (£299.188m in 2005, versus £290.316m in 1999, when you were clearly a bit stingier). Compared to last year, sales are down from their all-time value peak of £310.856m, which is a curious statistic when you consider that the actual installed base of PCs across the country has never been higher, broadband penetration has been soaring and prices of PCs are at rock bottom.

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Must... resist... dating anecdotes.

Failed.

Real world: I first dated a girl at 11. While my parents were fine with it, she lived in fear of telling hers that she was hanging around with a BOY in town. So, during the date around Stafford town centre, we had to dodge her mum by crouching and manoeuvring between the ranks of clothes in Marks and Spencer's. The date's most memorable moment came when I started a tradition which continues to this very day, when I spilt an enormous glass of coke over her white jeans in Wimpey's. Perhaps unsurprisingly, hot tongue action was noticeable by its absence.

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Version Reviewed

PC (exclusive)

Publisher

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