Here's some
information on The Sims 2. Go to the
Expansions page for information on the Expansion Packs.
The Sims 2 is the
game Sim fans have been waiting for. Like The Sims 1, it is a life
simulation game. The sequel has quite a few
significant changes.
Aging
Sims are no longer
permanent adults or kids. (No, they haven't given you the spell from
The Sims
Makin' Magic from the start!) They
actually age: To start with, a man-Sim and women-Sim do woo-hoo in a
bed/hot tub/clothes changing room(!). The women-Sim gets pregnant (the
baby no longer just appears from no-where), then has the baby (or babies
if your (un)lucky).
After a few days it'll grow
into a toddler. These require potty training and teaching to walk and
talk. Toddlers will walk or crawl (depending on whether you've taught
them to walk yet) around and play with toys.
They'll then grow into a
child. Just like children on The Sims 1, they go to school. When they
get home though, your child will put on the floor something new-
homework. This replaces "studying for school", and is mandatory if you
want your child to get good grades.
Teenager comes next - they
go to school too, but can actually cook and get a part-time job.
Teenagers' end school at 1 pm, so they have enough time for it too.
A birthday party later, and
an adult they will be. Just like in The Sims, Adults can get jobs and
get married. But engagement is required first.
The last stage in a Sim's
life is Elder hood. Elders can continue any jobs they had as an adult,
or retire and get a pension. They can then get a part-time job, like the
one's teenagers can get.
Then, yes, they will die. If
you're thinking "oh God no", don't worry, Maxis has made a Sim's life
just the right length.
Sometimes, you may decide however that you need
a few more days. If your Sim has a high aspiration
bar (see "Wants, fears & aspirations" section), they can drink elixir of
life, which will add a few extra days to their current life stage.
Life Stage Lengths:
Baby: 3 days
Toddler: 4 days
Child: 8 days
Teenager: 15 days
Adult: 29 days
Elder: 11 - 31 days
An image from before the games release showing a
possible Sim's life (click image to enlarge)
No-longer is a Sim's life complete when they get to top
promotion and have full skills - Sims now have aspirations, including Romance,
Popularity, Knowledge, Family and Fortune.
Aspirations come with their own set of wants and fears. For
example, a Romance Sim may want to "Woo-hoo with 5 different Sims", "Make Out"
or "Fall in love"; while their fears might be "Get married", or "Get rejected
for Woo-hoo". A Fortune Sim on the other hand, will want things like "Earn
50,000 simoleons", or "Buy a TV costing at least 20, 000 simoleons"; and may
fear things like "Repoman!".
Fulfilling wants helps fill up the Aspiration bar, and gives
you aspiration points which can be exchanged for rewards.
Family members are put into a family tree and are
shown using an icon. Children inherit their parents' physical and
personality traits in The Sims 2, so your family will look more like
one.
To start with, there are three completely different
neighbourhoods to live in. Unlike on The Sims 1, you place the lots, and can
move them to practically anywhere you want. You can also place neighbourhood
decorations, including trees, large rocks, stop signs and street lights.
If you want to start a neighbourhood from scratch, you have
two choices, either use one of the many Maxis templates, or if you have Sim City
4, create your own.
A strategic challenge, a living soap opera, and
an interior designer's dream sandbox, The Sims 2
elaborates upon the original and many of its
expansions (although there's still room for
improvement, since there are no pets yet). Far
more than the original, this truly is a game
that can be enjoyed by anyone, and should be
tried by everyone.
The Sims 2 is huge, and yet it is composed of
thousands of little moments and delicate
touches, like the actual chess games Sims play
against each other; the slovenly, splayfooted
gait and poor posture of untidy Sims; the
nighttime spooning of a slumbering couple; the
brilliantly animated cops-and-robbers games kids
play; the stolen moments of warmth between
parents besieged by rampaging toddlers. The Sims
2 is as big as life and as consuming. At heart,
and with heart, it is a masterpiece.
Sims 2 is simply a lot of fun. It's hour after hour
of creative entertainment. Such an open-ended toy might not
suit everyone's tastes, but for many people this will be the
most entertaining program available for their PC.
In short, The Sims 2 is a fun, open-ended game that allows
for a lot of experimentation, customization, and creativity.
Even after playing the game for many hours over the past
week or so, I’m sure there’s still a lot that I haven’t yet
experienced in the game. If you liked the first Sims game,
I’d definitely recommend getting this one.
The most interesting element of the
Sims is the random, life-like quality of it all. Your Sims
do things you never told them to do – never even thought of
them doing. One of the families I played with was designed
to look like my wife and I and our hypothetical children,
which was fine until my Sim started flirting with the cute
neighbor girl from the down the street. Now we have some
kind of soap opera on our hands that was never what we
intended – but it sure is fun to watch.
As much fun as the original game and its family of expansion
packs were, Sims 2’s gameplay is an incredible leap forward
that veteran Sims players and newcomers alike will
thoroughly enjoy. If you love the Sims, you definitely will
appreciate the enhancements that Will Wright and company
have provided to create the ultimate Sims experience.
If you're looking for a game that really and truly lets you
create your own story and build your own history and world,
this is the one for you. The series is unique and lovely,
and while the premise may be four years old, the feeling you
get when playing The Sims 2 isn't.
All in all, while The Sims 2 is no longer a game about
“nothing,” its “something” is deep enough, varied enough,
interesting enough and most importantly fun enough to
justify its purchase for just about everyone from soccer
moms to first person shooter addicts.
The Sims 2 is sure to please anyone who enjoyed the
original game. The Sims 2 takes your sims to a
whole new level, making them even more fascinating to watch
going about their lives and interacting with other sims than
they were in The Sims.
Eventually, your original batch of Sims will grow old and
die. But, if they've raised a family, the game goes on with
a new generation who you'll manage through their whole
lives, which will certainly unfold quite differently from
those of their parents. It's the circle of virtual life -
and it's insanely addictive.
Although it doesn't bring anything radically new to the
formula, The Sims 2 has enough amazing twists and tweaks to
make it one of those rare sequels that outdoes the original
in every conceivable way.
The vastly improved graphics are well complemented by the
addition of new gameplay elements and the successful
tweaking of the old paradigms which made the original Sims
both so compelling and frustrating at the same time.
The Sims 2 is recommendable to just about anyone. As
someone who bought the original The Sims game plus two
expansions, Sims 2 feels and plays like a new game to me
although the concept is still the same. Although many groan at
the past endless stream of expansions (give the cow some rest,
will ya!) it’s hard to argue with their success and The Sims 2
is really an excellent game in its own right.
As before, you should steer clear if you can't enjoy a game
unless it offers a focused experience, clearly-defined goals and
an actual ending. But those who hope to express themselves
through their gaming, tell their own stories, or just goof
around without any pressure to accomplish anything but what they
choose will find literally hundreds of hours of entertainment in
The Sims 2.
Considering that The Sims 2 offers both the original
gameplay of the first game along with the new aspiration system,
larger house building, and better character customization
options, it contains a good-sized chunk of interesting things to
do. However, you may still find yourself wishing there was even
more to The Sims 2, especially if you've played through the
original game and its expansions. In short, The Sims 2
successfully took just about everything that was great about the
first game and brought it up a notch, and while you might wish
that the sequel had gone a notch or two higher overall, it's
still a great game in and of itself.
Secondly, when you get past all the technical
innovations and the added features, this is still very much your
regular Sims game. None of the new features are revolutionary
enough to advance the genre in any way. So the bottom line is
that those who enjoyed other Sims games will enjoy this one, and
those who were initially intrigued by the concept (like myself)
but got bored with it after the third of fourth expansion, will
see no special thrill in raising a virtual family even if it
means they'll grow old and die.
This it the game you can play the conventional
way…or make your own story and play it out. Because of the
open-ended playing ability, you can play over and over,
reinventing your aspirations and desires. Simply put, The
Sims 2 will be a great addition to any collection, from
casual to hardcore gamer; offering a little something for
everyone.
When all is said and done, The Sims 2 is a lot of
fun but it may not appeal to the more hardcore among us.
Undoubtedly most people can find at least a little enjoyment
while playing the game, if nothing else by building the houses
or walling in sims they made to resemble people they hate. Other
than the more unsavory side of sim-life, most people will find
the game entertaining. Bottom line is that if you liked The
Sims, you’ll love The Sims 2, otherwise stay away.
The Sims 2 doesn’t
change the theme so many love or hate; rather, it builds on the
successes of the original. If you were a fan of the original
game, there is little doubt you will like this one as well.
While it still suffers some of the same micromanagement issues
as the first one, The Sims 2 is a stronger game than its
predecessor. It’s addicting as hell, too.
All in all, The Sims 2 is
more of a refinement of the original game than an exciting new
offering. While that's not a bad thing, per se, it's lacking the
innovation that enticed people to play the game in first place.
Still, it's a solid, well-rounded sequel and well worth another
trip to the dollhouse.
By the same token
though, there are moments of clarity when you become almost
ashamed at what you're doing, such is the senseless waste of
time and effort. But the fact that it can actually make you care
is a definite achievement.
If you’re an absolute devotee of the first, and
you’ve gone out and bought every expansion pack, chances are
you’re going to buy this anyway. If you’re new to the series,
again it’s probably worth a bash – The Sims 2 is, after all, a
lovingly crafted and very well put together piece of software.
However, if you’ve played the first and got bored of it
relatively quickly, the best advice is to steer clear, as there
simply isn’t enough substance here to keep anyone expecting a
constantly evolving challenge satisfied.
For now we're happy to have dabbled in The Sims 2;
it's a thoroughly charming package rammed with possibilities. We
wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to those that have so far
resisted its charms, and for the real fans it'll be a dream come
true, but whether we'll stick with it is another matter. Ask us
when the inevitable expansion hits...
Thanks to
Metacritic for pointing me to these reviews
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