The Sims Life Stories

The Sims Life Stories
250px NTSC cover art
Developer(s)	EA Games / Aspyr
Publisher(s)	EA Games
Series	The Sims
Engine	Custom
Platforms	Mac OS X, Windows
Release date(s)	Windows Mac OS X (DVD release) Mac App Store
Genre(s)	Life simulation game God game
Mode(s)	Single player

The Sims Life Stories is a video game, the first game in The Sims Stories series. The game is a version of The Sims 2 optimized for laptops (and lower-end desktop computers) and bears similarities to the console ports of The Sims games. In Story mode, it begins with the problems of Riley Harlow and Vince Moore. Rewards are unlocked as set goals are achieved. In open-ended Classic mode, the player creates Sims and then choose how they'll live their life through. The Sims Life Stories was released on February 6, 2007. It is categorized as laptop-friendly since it lacks the need for an independent graphic card.

Currently, two other entries in the series are available: The Sims Pet Stories and The Sims Castaway Stories.

The game begins in Story Mode with Riley Harlow's life story as she moves from SimCity to Four Corners to live with her Aunt Sharon to start a new life. A second story follows the life of Vincent Moore, a millionaire who is looking for true love. After both stories are completed the gameplay continues in open-ended Classic mode, which is similar in nature to The Sims 2. The towns in which Riley and Vince live are also available to play when their stories are finished.

On December 3, 2015, Aspyr released another port of The Sims Life Stories for OS X to the Mac App Store for OS X Mavericks or later.

Gameplay

The Sims Life Stories uses the same game engine and gameplay mechanics as The Sims 2. In addition to the open-ended freestyle mode from The Sims 2, Life Stories features 2 pre-defined scenarios. In each scenario the player takes control of one of two protagonists and is tasked with accomplishing various goals in that character's life. The game features significant use of scripted sequences to create pre-defined dramatic events and situations. As Life Stories was optimized for use on laptops, hardware requirements are significantly lower than The Sims 2.. There are three neighborhoods to play in this version of the Sims....one for each of the two stories and a freeplay neighborhood. There are no existing expansion packs for The Sims 2 for The Stories series, and The Sims Pet Stories and The Sims Castaway Stories are NOT expansion packs to The Sims: Life Stories. Although the Stories series was specifically designed for laptops, the original version of The Sims 2 will work for laptops provided it meets the specified system requirements.

Characters in Riley's Story

Riley Harlow

The main character of Riley's Story. She moves into her aunt's house in Four Corners after losing her job and being evicted from her house in Sim City. On her first day she moves in, however her Aunt Sharon almost immediately has to leave for something urgent, thus leaving Riley alone for the first few days. Meanwhile, she makes friends with the neighbors who come to welcome her to the neighborhood, and falls in love with a guy named Mickey Smith, while having to deal with her ex-boyfriend Dylan moving in two weeks before her.

Mickey Smith

A party DJ and also Riley's love interest. He dates Riley after their first meeting and they later begin a relationship, but he breaks up with her on the assumption that she is dating Dylan as well. He later gets engaged to Agora Tchotchke and eventually reconciles with Riley before the wedding. After discovering Agora's scheme, he leaves her at the altar. At the end of the story, he marries Riley and they have a child together. The pair is notorious for bearing twins on a higher basis than usual in the game.

Fiona Fortuna

Riley's friend who gives her a coffee maker as a housewarming gift. She is the one Riley trusts and acts as the provider of information about the neighborhood to her. She also attends Mickey and Agora's wedding and calls Riley to attend as well. She is a widow and the mother of Madison Fortuna.

Dylan Kincaid

Riley's ex-boyfriend from high school who tries to patch things over with her. He has moved in 2 weeks before Riley did and currently works at the Sunworthy Bank. He goes to Riley's house for dinner with her and they have a great time. He also appears to comfort Riley after she breaks up with Mickey. He is found to be cheating on her when he is caught dating Ashley Sinclair. Later it is revealed that he and Agora have attempted to start a plot to kidnap Sharon in order to claim her vast fortune and use Riley who as a relative can claim the cash. He is arrested for doing this.

Agora Tchotchke

Arch enemy of Riley who works as a party DJ. She also has a romantic interest in Mickey, hence fueling the jealousy towards Riley. She has kidnapped Sharon at the bank with Dylan to claim her Simoleons. Towards the end of the story, after she admits that she has done it to marry Mickey and share the money with him, she is left at the altar and arrested.

Sharon Foss

Riley's aunt who lives in Four Corners. She offers Riley her place to stay but leaves abrupty for something important. She is later found kidnapped by Dylan and manages to escape from him. She later passes on her home to Riley and at the end of the story is revealed to be a self-made millionaire who made her fortune in the stock exchange.

Ashley Sinclair

Co-worker of Dylan who attends Mickey and Agora's wedding. She is also seen dating Dylan behind her husband Waring's back and gives a gift to Riley after her wedding. She is the wife of Waring Sinclair.

Madison Fortuna

Minor character in the story. She is the daughter to Fiona Fortuna and only appears as a guest at Mickey and Agora's wedding. She is infatuated with Jacob Margison.

Waring Sinclair

Waring is married to Ashley and a minor character in the story who only appears at Mickey and Agora's wedding. Waring is a successful businessman who fears that his wife Ashley will cheat on him because she is a lot younger than him.

Characters in Vince's Story

Vince Moore

Vince is a rich business tycoon who lives in Bitville. He breaks up with Samantha Hayden after he feels that her wedding proposal was far too sudden. After a while he meets Naomi Hunt and realizes that he really cares for her. Unfortunately while showing Naomi his satellite, it falls on her and she dies. While pleading with the Grim Reaper, he has the choice to save Naomi and lose his house and his money or let her die. If you choose to let her live, you lose your fortune and house. If you choose to let her die you get to keep your fortune and house.

Sherman Boggle

Sherman is one of Vince's best friends he goes bowling with him and Greg. He also gives him some information about Samantha. He also tells him about the satellite that kills Naomi.

Naomi Hunt

A barista who works at Baliwood Star Lanes and also Vince's love interest. Their first date at Cliffside Park and the date goes well until a mysterious woman (Kendra Blaise) flirts with Vince and Naomi incorrectly assumes that Vince is a womanizer. Later, she gives Vince a second chance and their relationship improves. At the end of the story she moves in with Vince and is crushed by the SimSat 9000 (that Vince's company shot into space). The Grim Reaper comes and you choose if she lives and Vince loses his money and house, or she dies and he keeps his fortune.

Samantha Hayden

Vince's girlfriend at the beginning of the story who is only dating Vince because of his fortune. They break up after she proposes marriage after only three weeks of their relationship. Subsequently, she harbors a bitter relationship with Vince and gets back at him by dating his rival, Johnny Cullen. She secretly sabotages all of his dates and later on in the story vents out her anger by destroying his house before marrying Johnny.

Greg Chomsky

Vince's best friend.

Johnny Cullen

Vince's business rival and later Samantha Hayden's new boyfriend turned husband. At the end of the story his business fails and he and Samantha split up.

Alexa Starr

One of Vince's dates. They dine at Don Calamari's for their date. However the date turns disastrous when Samantha sneaks into the kitchen and sabotages the food causing Alexa to fall asleep on her food. She tends to interrupt during conversations and has an addiction to coffee.

Kendra Blaise

A mysterious lady who is paid by Samantha to claim she had a great date with Vince and sabotage his date with Naomi. She is described as a pyromaniac.

Sasha Aires

Materialistic young woman who is one of Vince's dates. They shop at the Arcadium Plaza during their date. Vince realizes that she is only after his fortune.

Dr. Maximillion Oglethorpe

Vince's friend whom he introduces to Sasha after their date.

Don Calamari

Owner of Don Calamari's and a friend of Vince. He gives Vince a gift as an apology to the incident that happens during Vince and Alexa's sabotaged date.

Critical reception

On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game received an average score of 70% based on 22 reviews. On Metacritic, the game received an average score of 72 out of 100, based on 21 reviews — indicating "mixed or average reviews".

External links

• Official MySpace profile of Riley Harlow