The Sims 2 expansions seem to be following the themes of their predecessors for The Sims. Nightlife borrowed a lot from Hot Date, Pets had much in common with Unleashed, now Bon Voyage is like having Vacation all over again, only in 3D. Is that a bad thing? Not at all! I loved my original The Sims’ vacation resorts, and I’m having a blast with Bon Voyage as well.
Bon Voyage sends your Sims on vacations away from home, to any of the three available locations: sandy beaches in a tropical island, log cabins in the mountains or a Far-Eastern paradise.
First, you need to attach a vacation resort to your neighborhood. It takes a bit for it all to get ready, but it’s well worth the time. Next, you can pick whatever family you wish, make a quick phone call, pick your vacation spot, your hotel, the number of nights you want to stay and the family members who will be going along. Wait for the shuttle, and away you go!
Three locations may not seem like much, but each offers different hotels at different price ranges. You can either splurge on an expensive resort or stay at a more affordable one. The checking in process in simple. You go to the front desk, pick “Check In” and then pick the doors to the rooms you want. You have to make sure there is enough beds in those rooms for all the members of the family who are on vacation, so book the rooms before more people start arriving to the hotel.
Of course, vacation spots are a group of community lots for the most part, but there are also a few residential homes here and there. You will mingle with the natives, buy and wear typical clothes such as kimonos, grass skirts or lumberjack boots and flannel shirts, and engage in these cultures’ own customs. For example, you can partake in a tea ceremony, meditate by a sand garden, visit the lost ruins, try out some log rolling or lumberjack dancing, hop aboard a pirate ship, practice some Tai-Chi.
There are plenty of items to help you create some incredible new buildings. Anything from shoji walls and doors to Chinese lion statues, tall conifer trees, palm trees and other exotic foliage, a number of columns, railings and archways, plenty of walls and floors, new doors and windows.
As for the furniture, you will find a gorgeous bedroom set, a few new chairs and tables, some new sofa models, massage table, sauna room, hot springs, fountains, sculptures, potted plants, paintings, campfires and tents, rugs and some new color options for existing objects.
There is much to entertain your Sims. You can go swimming in the ocean where the wave slowly come rolling in, comb the sand for seashells (you may find some cool earrings), go shopping for souvenirs, eat and an outdoor sushi bar, play volleyball, build sand castles, get a hot rocks or Swedish massage… And there is a new photo camera feature that you use to snap photos of your Sim-travelers in the funniest poses. Just pick a pose, pick an angle and take the picture.
There are new NPCs to interact with as well (Ninja, Fire Dancer, a shady crook) and the Tour Guide. Tours are a cool new feature, and although you don’t see your Sims going on the tours (parasailing, glass-bottom boat, helicopter ride) you get little descriptions of what is going on, and are prompted to make a decision. The outcome of the tour depends on making the right decision. Sometimes, you can also find treasure maps while on a tour (or when digging for treasure in your lot) that will take you to new locations in the vacation areas.
Now, you should know that there are some benefits after coming back from your vacation, just like in real life. You always come back rested and refreshed… your Sims can to. Upon returning home, the family gains a number of points to exchange for certain “boosts”, such as adding an extra “want” slot, increasing productivity at work or a certain “je ne sais quoi” to boost romance. They don’t last forever, but are quite nice to have active.
Bon Voyage adds plenty of new content to keep you going – at least until the next expansion pack comes out. New locales, plenty of objects and lots of interesting activities and interactions make this expansion more about having fun that trying to fulfill your Sims’ needs and wants.
Get your Sim families the rest they deserve and book their vacation today! You won’t regret it.
Special thanks to Brian Rubin and FortySeven for providing a copy of this title.