Customer Reviews
Great, except for the SecuROM 
2008-05-30
As a former die-hard Sims 2 fan, I have the base game and all the expansion packs. Free Time is the most fun since Open for Business, because it gives Sims new things to do and new places to go. It also gives them new abilities based on their accumulated aspiration points, like being able to invest in the stock market and being able to make a chicken soup that cures colds. Yes, a lot of fun. But, the day comes when SecuROM decides to mess up your game, and then it's not fun anymore. I had the same problem with Bon Voyage, the first game that EA Games decided to put SecuROM on. I played happily for about a month, then suddenly the computer kept crashing. So, with great regret and a little sadness, I must give up the game. It's a lot of addictive fun, but it's not worth the problems EA's copy protection software causes. Bye, Sims 2. Bye, EA Games.
Entertaining, some flaws 
2008-05-27
I love the sims2, and I couldn't wait to pick up this latest expansion. Overall, it is worth the price, I love the new 'hobbies' the additional characters, the interests and hobby benches, such as sewing machine, dance bar (that's like crack, my sims can't stay off it). I do wish there was more of a randomization of hobbies/interests inside a household. I ended up with 3 sims with the same interest and that was a trifle boring. I agree with other reviewers the telephone calls from hobby club leaders is irritating. It makes me wish I could delete the household phone for good, but I do need it occasionally.
I have a bit of trouble playing the sims 2 with vista even though my hardware exceeds minimum requirements. I get crash to desktop errors which I never recevied in XP. Nvidia and sims 2 don't play that well together.
I'll give this one 4 stars. It has some great new content, but it wasn't ground breaking like Seasons.
another great release from the folks at EA games 
2008-05-24
This is a fun game expansion. There's so much for our little sim friends to do . From sewing,pottery, sports , cooking classes, restorable cars. The sims they've gone on vacation , They went on dates, They had gardens and they had seasons and pets etc. This really helped round out things. I am looking foreward to any more expansion packs for the sims 2 that may becoming out including the apartment life and ikea stuff. However one draw back to this pack was in my opinion there could of been more sports. throwing the football,catching baseball okay but how bout the actual games and leagues and stuff would fo been nice specially for our teen sims. I wish there would of been golf but those are small drawbacks they don't spoil the outcome or fun of the game. My fave is the cooking competitions feels like the iron chef almost. I also like the Nature hobby collecting bugs and bird watching . The thing to say bout this pack if is you own every single pack and stuff pack like I do this kind of helps adds more to each of those. I would defintily recommend having all the expansion packs first then getting this one to add to each of them for example this works well with open for buisiness, and seasons, bon voyage etc. It would be good to have with the base game but not as fun then with the other expansion packs .
OK 2008-05-17
Got Free Time at the same time as Seasons and I like Seasons better. Only reason I got Free Time is because I am a soccer fanatic - sure you can kick a ball around and it's fun but I was hoping for more soccer themed items - only a net and a soccer ball chair as far as I could tell were added.
Will Eat Up *Some* Of Your Free Time 2008-05-16
The seventh, and likely the final, expansion pack in the Sims 2 series attempts to fill up your Sims free time. It's well timed, given that Maxis/EA seems to have recognized that by this point in the series, most players, whether working on the same neighbourhood for a long time or simply being seasoned with the way the game works, will have mastered the cycle of work/needs/friends/money, and as a result, they've got a group of bored sims (and players) on their hands.
Enter Free Time, whose main feature is the addition of "hobbies" - 10 tracks of personal enjoyment that your sim can pursue, with one in particular clicking particularly well with them from birth (its predetermined and often genetic - as yet there is no way to change it). The hobbies range from the artsy - Music & Dance, Arts & Crafts, Cooking, - to the brawny - Tinkering, Sports, Fitness - to the brainy - Film & Literature, Science, Nature, and Games.
Each hobby has 10 interest points your sim can build up by participating in activities (some skill building, others that work like the work benches from Open For Business). Along the way, each point unlocked for a hobby opens up a special beneficial activity or skill related to the hobby (ex: you can make cheese platters if you're interested in cooking or discover new planets if you're interested in science). Once you build up 5 interest points you'll be invited to a secret lot for your fellow enthusiasts - some of which offer neat extras like cooking or dance competitions.
While the interests points is a neat feature, it also requires constant vigilance in keeping your sim involved in an activity - otherwise they lose their 'interest' in it. In regards to following your predestined favourite hobby, some hobbies are easier than others, particularly if they match up with your career choice. Science and Film & Literature in particular are very limiting with the activities that will help your score.
There are also 5 new careers - Oceanographer (Marine Biologist?), Secret Agent, Architect, Dancer, and Entertainer (think clowns and magicians). Nothing too exciting to report here - you make a fair chunk of change with each job and it's relatively easy to get to the top, but it does add more variety in the jobs your sims can start out with. The bonus objects are mostly forgettable aside from the fun architects table that sort of works like the artist easel but creates pencil sketches of blueprints or scenes around the home.
Another new feature is the addition of aspiration points that go towards your lifelong aspiration meter (and cramps the screen a bit). As your life goes on you can collect aspiration points and spend them on special benefits related to your needs, career, aspiration - or add a second aspiration and collect benefits from that.
In terms of objects & decoration, there isn't tons. The game comes with a new retro/grandpa looking family room set (think dark wood, record players, and plaid) and a chic modern kitchen set in 4 colours (although kind of odd considering the newest Kitchen & Bath Stuff pack). There is a fair bit of decoration but most of it is posters & desk accessories related to the various hobbies. Although at first glance it seems like the developers have added a ton of new objects for your sims hobbies, they quickly become repetitive (1 or 2 new items per hobby is very limiting!).
I would still recommend Free Time if only because it adds new items & new jobs - which help freshen up the game at this late point in the series. The actual inclusion of the hobbies etc. isn't that monumental, but it does give you something extra to do once you're tired of rolling around in sim cash or having a million kids.
Could've been a tad better. 2008-06-27
The Sims 2 Free Time could've been a tad better. Like the many game reviews before me, I would say that this particular expansion pack can be a bit annoying at times. I get really tired of my sims tossing the football, telling dirty jokes ALL the time, getting phone calls from the hobby NPC's. I've had to put SO many hacks in my game just to get rid of the little nuisances that should've been reduced to a minimum level to begin with.
All that having been said, I do like having my Sims choose a secondary aspiration. I like having my Sims be able to compete in contests for cash rewards and plaques. So, yeah, I'd recommend this game to others... just don't download EA's patch for the game. Whatever annoyances you have, you can usually find fixes for on modthesims2.com, or insimenator.net, they're MUCH more reliable. Just do searches within those two sites, and you're bound to come up with something to remedy your problem. All in all, in my opinion, this game is worth it. Hope this review makes your decision easier for you... one way or the other!
Hmm 2008-06-21
Me being a Sims fan since the third Sims 1 expansion pack of coarse I got this game the day it came out. It's very fun. If you don't like pre-destined hobbies you can download a hack to choose your own. Do a google search for it. Also there is alot of hobby leaders calling constantly. But if you download the Freetime patch there will be pop-ups instead of phone calls. But when downloading the Freetime patch be careful. Restore your game etc. Alot of the sims community noticed the patch screwed up there game. I have never gotten a glitch in my game so the patch worked for me and it's delightful.The game is so awsome it adds so much to this game. I recommend getting it!
Don't download the patch, whatever you do! 2008-06-19
This is a good expansion pack. In fact, I'd say it's one of the better ones that the company has put out. It has some flaws, of course...some game crashes and bugs and all...quite a few of them, in fact...but that seems to happen more and more since EA took over Maxis. (They don't 'polish' their games; they get them on the market as fast as possible.) However, I do have two major flaws that you should know about before you buy this:
1. It comes with 'anti-piracy' software. DRM. And you can't uninstall it, even if you uninstall the game. I'm not sure exactly what it does, but I've heard it's bad. EA thinks we're a bunch of thieves.
2. If you download EA's own patch for this expansion pack, the anti-piracy software in that patch conflicts with the anti-piracy software in the game itself. Result? It varies, from what I've heard. Some people haven't been able to start their game, after downloading it. While my own game started, after downloading the patch, many textures disappeared, making the game virtually unplayable. The only way to fix this is by uninstalling the expansion pack (loosing all your saved games, in the meantime) and praying that you still have both disks and the stupid code EA makes you enter to...surprise...make sure you aren't a pirate.
And whatever you do, don't download the patch again, after that. Maybe someday EA will make a better patch that doesn't ruin your game. Maybe they already have; I haven't checked the site lately. But I'm not taking my chances. I'm just going to grit my teeth and play the thing, bugs and all.
Like I said, other than that it really is a good expansion pack. Once you get past the bad things, it the hobby system really does add a lot of depth and personality to your game. So go ahead and get it, if you want; just know what you're getting into.
This is a great expansion pack 2008-06-15
Don't think twice about it, buy it. This expansion pack really increases what you can do with the game. There are many new items added that allow your sims to work on their hobbies and pass the time away. The wants are now also determined by your sims hobbies which adds another element to the game play. Even toddlers can have hobbies now. There are some quirky fun kinds of features included. Not to ruin any suprises, I won't go into grave details but it is interesting and fun.
another hit 2008-06-06
Once again, The Sims have hooked us with another interesting aspect to Sim life. Sims can do different activities, such as using binoculars to look for birds,study nature, fix cars, shoot hoops, kick a soccer ball, do science experiments and then inform us which activity they liked best, therefore letting us know which hobby they like best.You can work on that hobby, opening up secret lots, where they can do more. For example, a Sim who likes to cook can enter a cooking contest, a Sim who likes to dance, a dance contest. More jobs, of course and more fun items to buy. Worth the money!
