The most hotly anticipated, breathlessly hyped game of the year may not make it into gamers" stockings
The virtual suburban world of The Sims Online was supposed to be in stores in November, according to published reports. But the game"s creator, Will Wright, said last week the release was pushed back to Dec. 18, as programmers tried to work out the kinks in the game"s economic system. And, he added, the game might not ship until after yuletide.
Now he and representatives for the game"s publishers, Electronic Arts are emphatic that The Sims Online will go out on the 17th.
"What I meant was that we are planning to ship on the 18th, barring major unforeseen "acts of god" (like a major earthquake in SF or something like that)," Wright wrote in an e-mail on Monday.
As gamers wait to find out whether the game will, in fact, be ready for the holidays, they can choose from a parade of lesser-known shoot "em-ups, strategy games and sword-and-sandal epics that are already in stores.