Aspyr Media, Inc. has released a free update for The Sims 2, which allows the game to run natively on Intel-powered Macs and improves graphics performance. The download (30 MB) is available now.

This is an official update for The Sims 2. It will fully update any previous version of The Sims 2 to version 1.0 Rev D. This patch provides Universal support for Sims 2 and provides fixes for several minor issues.

1.0 Rev D changes:

- Adds native Intel support
- Fixes a problem rotating Sims with the mouse in Create-A-Sim mode
- Prevents The Sims 2 and Body Shop from running at the same time
- Adds the "Optimized Rendering" option to non-English preferences dialogs
- Fixes a crash on quit under OS/X 10.4 with certain NVIDIA adapters
- In window mode, prevents selecting a window size equal to or larger than the screen size
- Fixes a problem running the game inside a folder having extended ASCII characters in the name
- Disables the preferences menu after the game is running since nothing can be changed anyway
- Zoom function now works with the "Mighty Mouse" scroll ball
- Corrects terrain colors in the neighborhood overview

In The Sims 2, players pick one of five aspirations that will take them through an entire lifetime, from the cradle to the grave. Players will be able to choose from Popularity, Fortune, Family, Knowledge and Romance which will determine how each Sim will lead their life. With these aspirations, players can fulfill their Sims¹ wants while avoiding their worst fears. Every choice that is made has a relevant and dramatic effect on the life of a Sim. Will players give them a long successful existence or leave their life in shambles?

More life-like Sims, all-new aspirational gameplay, and the ground breaking addition of genetics, with the DNA of Sims passed down through generations, gives players a more vivid, realistic, and in-depth Sims experience. All of this takes place in a new amazingly realistic 3-D world.

Aspyr's Development and Technical Support teams have been working on Universal binary versions of Mac games for the past several months. In the next couple of weeks, Aspyr will also be releasing Universal patches for The Sims 2 expansions, University and Nightlife. In addition, Aspyr will continue to ship Universal versions of Mac games, like the recently released Quake 4, and with upcoming titles, like Civilization 4 and Call of Duty 2. Universal patches are not necessary for all previously released games, however. The Technical Support Department has been working on a full list of how games Aspyr has shipped over the last few years run under Rosetta, and so far many seem to be working well.

There is no charge for obtaining updates for Universal - DOOM 3, Sims 2, and any older games that can be made to run on Intel machines will have patches released as free downloads.