Re: The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection free from Origin: Update?

If you have your games set on auto update, then you've likely already got the required update. A lot of people have been having trouble launching the game from the Origin app, actually, so I suggest creating a desktop shortcut directly to the game itself by going to Program Files or Program Files (x86) (depending on your OS), then going to Origin Games>The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection>Fun with Pets>SP9>TSBin, right clicking on the Sims2EP9 icon, and selecting the desktop shortcut option.

Running the program as an administrator and adjusting the compatibility settings also helps. To run as an administrator, just right click the desktop icon, go to Properties, click the Shortcuts tab, select Advanced, and check "Run as Administrator." For compatibility settings go to Properties click the Compatibility tab in Windows Vista through 8, or right click the desktop icon and go to Troubleshoot Compatibility in Windows 8.1 and find a setting that works for you.

After you get the game running (It'll take between 10 and 15 minutes on first loading), be sure to test open a neighborhood with a coastline. If the coastline looks pixilated and funky with no beach, that means that the game is having trouble recognizing your graphics card, which has been known to cause the game to crash in "Create a Family"/"Create a Sim". To avoid the frustration, just follow the steps in this guide: http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=5446

Hopefully, all of this helps. ^_^