The Sims Online will get a short spot on CNN's Next@CNN. The folks there will be talking about the game in general, and the "griefers" in particular. Next@CNN airs on Saturday at 3 PM Eastern, and on Sunday at 5 PM Eastern time. The Sims Online section will likely air on Saturday, the 28th.

SimSational SimGames has found three possible box designs... they all look more or less the same, except for the color. Two feature the name "Spellbound," while one has the current working title, Makin' Magic. You can check out the three designs at SimSational's home page.

Gamespot has started up a new series of developer's diaries for The Sims 2, giving readers an inside look into the development of the next generation of Sims. The first one provides a look at what developers first thought about when the idea of The Sims 2 was put on the table.

Maxis has released new Rush Hour screenshots over at the official Rush Hour page. These shots include a view of the mission mode controls (which look very much like the guages from flying the crop duster in SimFarm), as well as a nice shot of a tank destroying a building. Also, there are shots of Rush Hour at the official SimCity 4 site, right here. Rush Hour is developing well, and Maxis is aiming for a fall release.

To insure we don't have any more hackers, or at least thwart them for the time being, we have updated our forums to phpBB 2.0.5 from phpBB 2.0.0. We are also looking at forming certain strategic alliances with other sim sites in the near future to improve forum traffic.

Not quite The Sims Spellbound, but close. The seventh The Sims expansion pack is on its way, bringing magic to the world of The Sims. Further sucking the little remaining life out of The Sims, The Sims: Makin' Magic is promised to be the final expansion pack in the epic series. So get ready to cast spells like Harry Potter later this year. Read IGN.com's full preview for more information.

The full preview just promised the other day by IGN.com is out, with even more screenshots to boot. Check it out at IGN.com.

IGN has put up a new Rush Hour media preview that inlcudes several new screensohts as well as two new videos. It also seems that we will be getting "missions" in Rush Hour, in which one must control certain vehicles to achieve the desired goals. IGN will also be posting some more Rush Hour materials over the next few days including an interview as well as a full featured preivew. Check out the media preview here.

While checking out a Japanese counterpart site, SimNext.com (translated to English), or the SNC Community, I noticed that they listed in their news a "SimCity Deluxe". Although only announced in Japan so far (to our knowledge) SimCity Deluxe seems to be like The Sims Deluxe, combining SimCity 4 and the Rush Hour expansion pack. You can read the English translation about SimCity Deluxe at the Japanese EA site. At 5,980 yen, SimCity 4 Deluxe is priced close to $50, meaning that the SimCity 4 price will probably take its first drop this fall.

Thanks for translations by Babelfish.

Those of you who actively play on The Sims Online may already know about "greifers" or other players who attack people with a barrage of messages. Yes, even though Maxis tried to make sure that TSO would remain a friendly environment, groups like the "Sim Mafia" have changed that, by finding loopholes in the game. You can read the full story at CNN.com.

After several weeks of downtime, not unlike SimGlobal, SimCity Central re-opened to the public. However over the past month the site was lean on updates, but Martin has taken care of that. The site is now fully up and running with some slight design changes as well as a few added pages. Check them out at SimCityCentral.net.

The Sims will now be heading into your pocket with The Sims Bustin' Out on Game Boy Advance. Not only will you be able to play it in your hands, but Bustin' Out will also be on all current generation consoles. You can find the full press release on our Press Release page, or view all of the current screenshots at IGN.com.

The Sims will now be heading into your pocket with The Sims Bustin' Out on Game Boy Advance. Not only will you be able to play it in your hands, but Bustin' Out will alos be on all current generation consoles. You can find the full press release on our Press Release page, or view all of the current screenshots at IGN.com.

Yes, 5 more beauties have arrived at the Rush Hour website, depicting more than what some of us expected. We see a shuttle launch pad, a flying saucer, new bridges, as well as new streets and control mode in which you get to control different vehicles. Check all of the screenshots out at rushhour.eagames.com, or view them in SimGlobal's SimCity 4 Gallery.