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Beach Life

Eidos offers us a slice of Summer sun all year round. But is it any good?

It may be something unique to these Isles (and by that I mean the United Kingdom), that the idea of a ‘holiday’ or ‘vacation’, is assessed in terms of alcohol, sunburn, loud music, and sex. It could, alternatively, and perhaps more probably in these days of an increasingly small world, be the attitude of the young towards this most universal (in the West) of pastimes.

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It is from this premise that the Ian Livingstone conceptualised Beach Life, takes its cue, aiming full-pelt in an unashamedly mass-market direction. I recently read word of this game in the pages of ‘The Sun’, and as any reader of that fine rag will know, this is a sure sign of Eidos’ intentions. What they’re after here is the Sims market, with a spot of voyeuristic-style reality TV thrown in for lurid good-measure.

With this in mind, then, lets take a look at how good a job Beach Life makes of attracting the whims of the mass-market gamer. First things first, the idea is an unremorsefully unoriginal one. In fact if you’ve played any building simulation title ever, you’ll already know about this game. You can either begin the game by taking charge of various holiday resorts, as you work you’re way through particular Scenarios, resolving difficulties in holiday spots, and generally turning them for the good of your bank balance. Alternatively, you can opt to play in the ‘Sandpit’, a more free-form choice in which you can sit back and create your vision of an ideal holiday resort.

Both game options involve a lot of building (this is 50% of the gameplay), as well as slight resource management, staff hiring-and-firing, as well as a great deal of just people watching. With the latter in mind, and Eidos glimpsing the public’s obsession with fly-on-the-wall reality TV, a lot of time has been spent ensuring your Guests act in a convincing, and entertaining manner. As the box suggests, you really can watch your visitors get drunk, brawl, swim, and romance, all detailed through an interior monologue, revealing the individuals sometimes comedic and frequently foul inner-thoughts. Its actually annoyingly addictive, as I suppose it should be, so Eidos and Red Storm can consider this side of things a job well done.

The menu-system is well though out too, and seems to have been created with even the most novice of gamers in mind. It makes building a doddle, and intuitive, as well as staff management and overall control of game options (such as the speed of the simulation). The buildings themselves are well thought out, and as your resort increases, as does the number of potential structures made available to you. The main aim of building being to continually grow your resort and subsequently your coffers. Buildings include tacky Theme Bars, Ice Cream Parlours, Beach Bars, Amusement Arcades, Restaurants, and many more too numerous to mention in a bid to separate more punters from their cash.

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1. Great game i luv it!

   @lien Monday, 30 September 2002, 06:29:9

2. y did u blur that picture! AHHHH! thats not cool...

   BOB Wednesday, 2 October 2002, 06:53:28

3. You, my friend, need to get out more

   Jason Wednesday, 2 October 2002, 14:38:0

4. yo man... manz...... aww..... man.... the game? the game.... whoa man..... the babez.... the babez.... whoa.... man... ouch! dey are off teh hook.... ya kno wutta meen dawgg......homie.....

   Joe Shmow Wednesday, 2 October 2002, 19:16:39

5. Got the game and downloaded the patch to, fun and simple just what you need for October

   onabike Friday, 4 October 2002, 11:06:54

6. I don't see any dead people...

   Jason Saturday, 5 October 2002, 11:18:28

7. How do you do cheats on it????

   Laura Tuesday, 11 June 2002, 00:49:43

8. it is a wonderful gam but it is hard to operate

   shwetha Thursday, 21 November 2002, 08:44:32

9. press alt+shift+$ repeatedly = more money

   darren Saturday, 23 November 2002, 17:09:6

10. how do i change the direction of the building before construction?

    bv Wednesday, 4 December 2002, 22:12:4

11. im having problems getting 75 people drunk in the seventh one.. help please

    bau Saturday, 12 October 2002, 06:11:13

12. near the end of the level (once you got the scenery done, etc) change the make of beer to smashed, I think, or one of the other ones, and make it sronger too. that'll work :)

    clyvy Saturday, 12 October 2002, 06:15:3

13. ive tried that about 20 times now.. changed prices, i used the smashers yes.. full strength, but still the most people ive gotten drunk are 60 something. do i needs some special buildings?

    bau Saturday, 12 October 2002, 06:18:30

14. try and get as many guests as possible so you may have to build more accomodation blocks. Get the star rating up so you get more guests. The more you have, the more chance youll get 75 drunk! also building more bars placed around the island will help.

    emma Tuesday, 12 November 2002, 02:58:49

16. what do you all think are best cleaner and mechanic shift schedules..

    lin Sunday, 15 December 2002, 00:42:22

17. It's a gr8 game- but am having probs coz i bought it in Thailand and the instruction booklet is in Thai~ was wondering how can u change the direction of an object or is that not possible?! otheriwise- luv it! ^.^

    Scas ^.^ Saturday, 28 December 2002, 06:21:16

18. how to differentiate from the male n female symbol?

    HT Sunday, 29 December 2002, 05:33:0

19. press space...most useful

    alt + shift + U to unlock maps.... gd too

    HT Sunday, 29 December 2002, 14:58:39

20. i cant get past the level where you have to get 125+ people to party i have tryed everything can any1 help

    L Monday, 30 December 2002, 09:29:49

21. thanks HT! :)

    Scas ^.^ Tuesday, 31 December 2002, 02:51:24

22. i cant too.... advice pls...

    scas>> no prob

    Ht Tuesday, 31 December 2002, 11:20:23

23. well- i'm not quite sure, but first u might have to get the percentage of females and males to be equal, and then build loads of bars and discos?! i'm not sure, but it's worth a try i guess...

    Scas ^.^ Wednesday, 1 January 2003, 09:23:32

24. your game beach life is very good i want it to play for free

    bradley randall Sunday, 9 February 2003, 14:29:21

25. You press (Shift+Alt+$) while playing the game to get more money and to get all levels just hold (Shift+Alt and type in ALLBUILDINGS) at the main menu

    Daniel Wednesday, 19 February 2003, 14:31:47

26. How do I put cheats in? It says to enter them during gameplay but they don't seem to work.

    Pee Wee Friday, 21 February 2003, 13:38:39

27. Could someone tell me how to add my own music to the playlist on Beach Life coz i really wanna add me own music but don;t know how

    Mark Friday, 7 March 2003, 14:43:0

28. Its a great game but it could be more!

    Michal Wednesday, 3 December 2003, 04:55:52

29. The game is cool but i can't get the cheats for more levels to work!

    Rosie Wednesday, 3 December 2003, 05:02:56

30. ttt

    ramy Sunday, 23 March 2003, 19:53:22

32. I can't find a walk through or guide. How do I get my safety level up. help me please.....

    leavy Saturday, 29 March 2003, 07:48:33

33. i'm try soooo many times in the

    "party on". the hints said that i have to get abt 300 ppl on the island. by doing that, incresing rating is a must.. but i cant incresea it more than 3.... what can i do????? HELP~~

    Queeny Monday, 7 April 2003, 13:34:54

34. u can build 1 or 2 more security and mechanic huts. make them inspect every 1 hr and make sure they are available all of the time (shift their working time). u also have to check the travellers' comment in each building. if they say the building is not safe, u have to call the mechanics

    Queeny Monday, 4 August 2003, 00:30:2

35. how do you get to have 50 couples romp on the beach on level 6? what beer brand should be used on this level? how do you change it? because the brands available are only capehorn and thumpers.

    jenr Thursday, 4 December 2003, 02:08:43

36. thumper seems better and u should also increase its strength. however, the most important thing is to keep the no. of male and female balance

    Queeny Thursday, 4 December 2003, 10:41:9

37. i cant seem to get my mp3s into it and i cant find my booklet anyone know how to do it

    jess Sunday, 20 April 2003, 15:30:18

38. If i put a small screen too high and can't grab it with the mouse, how can i get it back down again? +it has saved like it and won't budge

    Dave Tuesday, 27 May 2003, 15:07:33

39. Just change all the beer to Cape Horn, increase the strengh and reduce the prices, then work on getting the women to come by building the ones with more female appeal! There be doing it in no time! :)

    Stu Saturday, 31 May 2003, 09:11:47

40. i need help on how to make 50+ romp on the beach pleaze help

    muzzy Tuesday, 7 January 2003, 06:04:7

41. i need help on how to make 50+ romp on the beach pleaze help

    muzzy Tuesday, 7 January 2003, 06:04:22

42. Up the alcohol amounts and lower the cost. The more they drink (and with cheap drinks, they drink heaps), the more "flirty" they get. True to life I guess (though make sure you have enough security guards for the guests who get punch happy)

    Veruca Monday, 7 July 2003, 06:45:34

43. im on the last level and im as sick as a cowboys horse. i cant do it! ne help people?

    dez Thursday, 10 July 2003, 18:32:2

44. I tried on party on. Cannot get 150 ppl to party together. I built 2 party boat, all the bars & also 2 beach event stage. But still cannot get it through. Anyone can help out there ?

    ccpling Saturday, 26 July 2003, 08:53:19

45. can u download new buildings somewhere?

    david Sunday, 17 August 2003, 09:52:20

46. can u download new buildings somewhere?

    david Sunday, 17 August 2003, 09:52:42

48. HAW CAN I GET PAST LEVEL 3

    I NED FU*K HELP Tuesday, 2 December 2003, 07:18:32

49. HELP me PLEASE!!

    I'm stuck on level 9. Most of my guests leave b4 day three.

    How can I win this level?

    Angelina Saturday, 13 December 2003, 11:12:59

50. I was just wondering if anyone knows how to make the Fast Construction cheat work... every one says Type or enter the following cheat during gameplay and I do but it doesnt work... are you supposed to use all capitols, or have no spaces or press enter at the end?!?! Well thanks for your time anyway bye : )

    aspinal Monday, 19 January 2004, 05:52:48

51. great gamne by the way

    if ya need help try cheat planet

    www.cheatplanet.com :-)

    BJ WORMY Friday, 30 April 2004, 14:06:40

52. Haha! Nikt mnie nie zrozumie!!:-p A jak nawet to mwcie...:-D

    Red Sunday, 9 May 2004, 12:16:52

53. 6. Girls, Girls, Girls!

    Location : Isla Man

    Map size : Medium

    Weather : Mixed; heatwaves and rain

    Hazards : none known

    Difficulty: medium

    Objections: Get at least 50 couples to have a romp on the beach

    Keep the island population of above 100 guests

    Get an average totty opinion of 3+ stars, all before

    day 8

    Instruction: build a cleaners shack and representative chalet

    first. Then a softdrink and a toilet, but build it far from the

    bar. Let's continue with general store and a mechanics hut. Next,

    build a 'women bait' like beach shower, theme club, Jacuzzi,

    casino and pedalo hire.

    - Hints: You should make enough mixed gender in this island.

    Build more building that interactive to women. Raise the cape

    horn beer effect and lower the price. Raise the price for

    softdrink.

    greetings from mx

    Luis Tuesday, 8 June 2004, 17:56:7

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