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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 19th Dec 2017 at 4:42 PM
Default The Sims 2 Console Beta Hunt
We all knew that this game was originally going to be an Urbz 2. So I decided to make a thread posting every beta screenshot relating to The Urbz 2/Sims 2 Console development, arranged in chronological order. With some searches, I managed to find some interesting images and discoveries.
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THE URBZ 2 (Summer 2004 - Early 2005)
Intro Storyboards: http://baileybrent.com/storyboards1.html & http://baileybrent.com/storyboards2.html
- The slobby Urb present in the storyboards might be an earlier version of Toothless Joe in the final game. He looks very similar in appearance, just without the wacky vibe.
Concept Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLGxgLe2V1I
- This game seemed to originally have a working title of "Nightlife", which would end up being the second Sims 2 expansion pack.
Some Urbz-like character concept art: https://sooperpang.weebly.com/the-sims-2-ps2.html
- Yes, the models are from The Sims 2, but the concept art looked more "wacky" in a way. It's also possible that Ossie Madison was supposed to be one of the first characters your Urb meets in the cancelled project.
THE SIMS 2 CONSOLE ALPHA BUILD (Early 2005 - April 2005 Unveiling)
Early HUD & CAS (Scroll Down a bit!): http://www.sebastianhyde.com/SGH_Di...GH_UI_Sims.html
- It seems that most of the images from this build are purely mockup, and the one image with the early food menu seems to be close to the build shown in April 2005.
Object Concept Art: http://www.sebastianhyde.com/SGH_Di...ms2Console.html
- Nothing interesting here, just concept arts of items that would end up appearing in the final game.
Visual Target: https://imgur.com/a/oK9IW
- Those were recovered from a Brazilian blog site before it went defunct, and no bigger resolution is available. Some interesting things can be seen, such as the layout of Mom's House from Bustin' Out and the sofas that can be bought at Cozmo Street in the Urbz. The Sims use the same render from the very first prerelease screenshot.
THE SIMS 2 CONSOLE E3 BETA BUILD (April 2005 - June/July 2005)
Console Broll footage (Probably used at E3 2005): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HWVx5-Lb3Y
- Some Urbz leftovers can be seen, such as the Friend of Mine flooring (Which can be bought at South Side Bridge)
E3 Demo Map: https://tcrf.net/File:Temp_worldmap_e3.png
- This texture is present in the final game, and the map looks completely different.
Hot Summer Nights Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAj7RNwVXD0
- This video is interesting, even though only 30ish seconds of the console game is shown. It also switches between (possibly) the E3 build and a slightly later one, as it can be told by the HUDs. Some things can be spotted, like a curious sign (likely an earlier version of the taxi sign) in HMS Amore (which also includes another changed-around layout) and different camera intros.
THE SIMS 2 CONSOLE HANDS-ON/REVIEW BUILD (August 2005 - September 2005)
Simzone review, dated August 22, 2005: https://www.thesimszone.co.uk/edito...hp?ID=49&Page=2
- From the (low-quality) screenshots, the game appears to be mostly the same as the final version, including the finalized HUD. There's also another beta review of The Sims 2 Pets, which includes a slightly different pause menu layout.
Designer Walkthrough, dated about early September 2005: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fun37L-6wQ
- A build can be seen at the beginning of the video, which says "A.09.01.0", and is different from the one seen in the demo and final build. Seeing as this walkthrough was posted around the SimZone review, it was also likely the same build that was used in that same review.
THE SIMS 2 CONSOLE DEMO/OPS2M BUILD (September 2005)
- In the files, it seems to be like a condensed version of the build sent to review copies, and has a build date of September 9, 2005.
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I tried gathering as much information as possible. Be sure to post your findings on this thread!
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Lab Assistant
#2 Old 17th Jul 2018 at 7:39 PM
I have only just seen this now, but thank you for this!
Sims 2 / Urbz 2 is my favourite topic when it comes to the console games, it's just so fascinating.

Sadly as it seems, there's really not much press about this game and thus not much insight on the game pre-Sims 2 theme.
What I really want to do is crawl through the games files. Have you looked through many of the textures etc?
Lab Assistant
#3 Old 17th Jul 2018 at 10:21 PM
Also @sodadog, idk if you saw this but somebody listed a 'Sims 2 beta disc' on ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Sims-2...cvip=true&rt=nc
(scrolled down and it should show you).

Here's the picture from the listing


It was on sale for $100, and I was actually interested in buying it (was trying to split the money with a friend haha), but literally the day somebody sent the link on the discord, and we had talked about it blah blah blah, by the end of the day it was sold!!! So somebody actually bought it. Somebody is in possession of that disc. We have no idea who, I doubt it's anybody I know. I really hope it's somebody who will share whatever is on the disc, not just another collector that will sit on it.

Anyway, despite the disc disappearing to god-knows-where, it's still crazy that something like that got put on ebay. The disc is dated 2 months before release, so there's a good chance there'd be a lot to look on there. Hopefully one day we'll know :s
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 20th Jul 2018 at 10:21 PM
That is an interesting find!

That might be the same disc that was used for Simzone review.
 
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