Sims Online is back (sort of) and free

Well, here's a story that we didn't expect we'd be writing today: The Sims Online is back. ... Yeah, we're as surprised as you are. Apparently, a team has been toiling deep within the bowels of EA to bring The Sims Online back to the former glory that all 17 of its fans remember. The game is now part of EA-Land, and has apparently been improved with Yahoo and Google integration as well as the ability to upload custom content that can be sold to other players.

You can play without a subscription fee, but you'll be able to spend money to buy Simoleans, and (at some point) cash those Simoleans out. (If you want to cash out more than you put in, you'll need to be a subscriber). What will having a real-world economy grafted on to it do to the game? Well, let's just say that if you've never paid a Sim "masseuse" to talk dirty to you in Simlish, you haven't lived.