The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff – PC – Review

It’s all about stuff, and then more stuff. Since the release of the Sims 2 and
its five expansions, Maxis and EA occasionally release content packages. The
last one – Celebration Stuff – dealt with the items one would need to make
rather festive.

H&M Fashion Stuff deals content on two fronts – new clothes for your Sims and
new items for your stores. From a two-story column to mannequins, neon signs,
clothing booths and banners through to new clothing meshes and clothes for males
and females. Miniskirts and cargo pants, from separates to complete outfits, you
will find a nice variety here.

As always, before you install any Sims 2 product, it is wise to make a backup of
your existing download folder to protect any content you may have downloaded or
created with the Sims 2 Body Shop.

For those not in the know, H&M Fashion Stuff is one of the content packages
(which includes Glamour Life Stuff, Happy Holiday Stuff, and Celebration! Stuff)
that serves as an addendum to The Sims 2 and its regular expansions –
University, Nightlife, Open for Business, Pets and Seasons. It does not alter
the gameplay mechanics or change the look of the game interface, AI,
environments or characters, aside from adding new objects that you can place in
your world.

This is not an expansion pack – it is a collection of objects that players can
call into the game.

The program itself requires the original
Sims 2 game
to play. A pre-existing camera hack did not, initially seem to be changed, which
is a good thing. Global hacks seems to be working as well after the installation
of this content pack. And there was a problem with the game installation
concerning the Seasons expansion and updating that program. The game stated that
Seasons had to be uninstalled and then reinstalled. That meant all downloaded
content was erased. Not a good thing, but that is why a backup of the downloads
folder and such is always made before installing any Maxis/EA Sims 2 product.
And yes, there was a conflict that required Seasons to be uninstalled and then
reinstalled before H&M would install. Once that was done, both programs worked
and all the content was available.

The content contained in this pack is good stuff and serves as a nice adjunct to
content that is inclusive to the base game and its expansions. It is not
anything you cannot live without, but if you like the game and do not trust the
downloaded materials from fan sites, then this is a program you will want to
have.

H&M Fashion Stuff is a content pack. You can find content based on the meshes in
this title at online fan sites, but this is still a nice collection of items
that will spice up your Sims world. If you have not downloaded fan-created
content from the Web, this is a nice way to really add to the base game, or
expansions, and create a festive atmosphere in your game.

Gameplay: 7.0


This is a content pack. You can’t find this stuff online in the form provided,
and the meshes themselves prove invaluable. The content pack does not change
gameplay in and of itself with new gameplay or interface elements.

Graphics: 7.7


Going to attach the same rating as for the Seasons expansion and the Celebration
content pack. The new objects are nice though and add a nice selection of
content to the game.

Sound: 7.0

Nothing has changed here.

Difficulty: Easy


This has nothing to do with game difficulty mechanics. You just buy the objects
and insert them into your Sim household or business (if you have the Open For
Business expansion).

Concept: 7.0


More stuff for your retailers and a few new fashions for your Sims to sport.

Overall: 6.5


New fashions and new items for your retail stores. This is decent stuff but not
exactly groundbreaking for the franchise.