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Hagimona pana! Guranda epska tali tari ta. Eska, eska, esti toni wa?

*turns on Simlish to English translator*

Better? Good! EA announced that its Sims 2 Store is now live for US and Canadian shoppers. The online retail location practices the fine art of micro transactions by offering items available in Sims 2 expansion packs and "all-new exclusive" content.

The store works by converting real money into "SimPoints" at an exchange rate of $1 for 100 SimPoints, and most items we saw appear to be between 75 - 100 SimPoints. Sims 2 fans can decide for themselves if it's worth micro-transactioning through the Sims 2 Store or picking up the full expansions at retail. The store seems like the type of thing that's perfect if your Sim just needs to have that new shower head and nothing else.

[Via BigDownload]

We generally don't get very excited about Sims 2 expansions. Don't get us wrong, we love the game (who doesn't), but the thought of dropping $29.99 for a few digital pairs of slacks just seems a little excessive -- there are real pairs of slacks we would invest in, had we the extra income. However, when looking over a recent press release for the game's latest addition, Sims 2 FreeTime, something radical caught our eye -- the game's soundtrack would feature Simlish remixes of actual recording artists, including the Twin Quasars of Rock themselves, They Might Be Giants.

Joining the Giants are Brit-pop princess Natasha Bedingfield, the small indie army of I'm From Barcelona, and a handful of other international artists, each providing a Simlish remix of one of their popular songs. It's a pretty awesome mix of off-the-mainstream tunes -- perhaps it will inspire Harmonix to explore some alternative jams for Rock Band DLC. Like, for instance, anything off of "Flood".

If there's one thing we don't like about The Sims 2: Castaway, it's the game's lack of modern convenience. Yes, we get that they're castaways, but we can't tell you how many times we've become frustrated with our little Sim, only to take our aggression out by trapping them in a structure lacking doors and having them keep using the toaster oven until a fire broke out. Hey, don't look at us like we're monsters?

Anywho, check out these new screens with us and be sure to take part in our random, yet completely appropriate, screaming of "Wiiiiiiilson!"

We long for the days when pack-in games were standard with every console purchase, and though the Wii bucks the current trend by including Wii Sports, Nintendo has yet to do the same with the DS; the Metroid Prime: Hunters demo hardly being comparable to the NES' Super Mario Bros. 1 or even the Genesis' Altered Beast bonus. Of course, there've been limited edition bundles, but the pricing usually reflects the added title's value.

So it pleases us much to see Circuit City offering a free game to anyone who buys a Nintendo DS Lite this Memorial Day weekend. Pay the regular 129.99 price for a polar white, coral pink, or onyx black handheld, and the store will throw in a copy of either Sonic Rush or The Sims 2 -- we suggest you grab the former. If you don't have the time to take advantage of the deal and drive to your local Circuit City before tomorrow's end, the offer also extends to online orders!

[Via CAG]

EA just announced that the Wii is getting The Sims 2: Pets and really, we can't say we're particularly thrilled. In fact, we're officially torn. The Wii, as a system, is terribly young, despite all the SuperCube remarks some folks like to make. The Wii only has a couple of years behind it, after all. Because of that, we're trying to be patient. One can't expect a revolutionary control system to immediately take root and manifest itself in awesomeness. So we're waiting. And while we appreciate the urge to throw us a few bones while we're waiting, we think we may speak for everyone when we say that, really, we have enough ports. Games that released year are ... well, they're pretty much last year's games, and if we wanted them, we probably played them then. Sure, we understand that if there's a buck to be made by printing a few more discs, someone's going to rush in to make it, but it just seems more and more gratuitous with every new generation. Enough already!

Or are we alone in this sentiment? Maybe we just don't have enough love for the Sims any longer. It's hard, when we're so busy thinking of MySims.

There is one thing that's interesting about The Sims 2: Pets, and that's the possibility of online features. Hurray!

[Thanks for the Sims tip, Limpit!]

The official Sims 2 site is featuring a page of four different Visa credit card designs inspired by the game, encouraging fans to vote for their favorites. The site gives no info other than the cryptic announcement that the card will be "coming soon." While many Sims players seem to think it's a late April Fool's joke, so far it appears to be real. That means you'll be able to spend real dollars with a card promoting a product that turned consumerism into a game. Anyone else's brain exploding right about now?

Just in case you haven't had your fill of being an insidiously manipulative being who rearranges the furniture in a man's house while he sleeps, EA has announced a trio of new Sims games. The Sims Stories is composed of three different standalone titles, namely Life Stories, Pet Stories and Castaway Stories. Getting all three will presumably allow you to follow the journey of a stranded couple forced to eat their beagle and flee from vicious seagulls intent on pecking their eyes out.

That's not true, but it should give you another idea of what the standout feature is for The Sims Stories -- it's, umm, a storyline! According to EA's website, "the new and engaging directed Story mode" promises to "take your Sims through a unique and entertaining storyline full of romance, conflict and dramatic twists." We're guessing said twist involves the the entire universe being uninstalled.

EA is labeling the games as "laptop friendly," which really means they don't require fancy 3D graphics cards to run. Get involved in a compelling, virtual love story on your laptop this February.

[Via The Last Boss. Thanks Tom.]