The Sims 2
Posted November 30, 2005
The simulation genre really hit its stride when we as humans were finally able to control the life of a digital person in Sims for the PC. The title went on to be the best selling PC game of all time, and naturally with videogames being a huge part of the culture, the transfer to the home console was not far behind. Now that the sequel Sims 2 has arrived, EA and Maxis try to take some of the best of the multiple iterations of the franchise and package them into a neat package for us living-room gamers. But can the title break down barriers that other Sims console offerings failed to do?
Gameplay:
This time around in Sims 2, EA has borrowed aspects from Bustin' Out as well as tweaking the interface for the console gamer. If you've played other console version, you'll remember that you didn't have direct control of your character while onscreen; instead you controlled him/her via a cursor which made things a little slower, yet offered you the power to queue up events. The default control scheme in Sims 2 however features direct control of your Sim. So if you feel that you need to use the restroom to help deplete your bathroom meter, then you walk over to the toilet and have at it. This direct control helps immerse the player into the game a lot more, at the expense of queuing events; a good trade in my opinion.
The basic premise of the Sims hasn't changed much for this version, whether in Story mode or in Free play. You spend your time keeping your Sim happy by fulfilling his needs such as food, rest, and entertainment, all while trying to balance a social life, a job, and jumping on trampolines. This time around though there are specific wants and fears that your Sim has; such as an unhealthy fear of being robbed or being broke, to wanting to earn a set wage or have a certain number of friends. Keeping these wants and fears in check will earn you achievement points which will allow you to progress through story mode, and also unlock new furniture and accessories for your Sim in both Freeplay and Story mode. As you "advance" through story mode, you'll gain access to new locations which means new houses, more people to meet and new goals to accomplish. As you go further in the game you'll eventually be required to control multiple Sims, completing goals for each to advance forward.
As mentioned controlling your Sim is actually quite nice now that you can have direct control, and even placing your new TV or bed controls quite nicely and intuitively with the Xbox controller. One tip that really comes in handy for having to deal through some of the long animations in the game is the ability to speed up time to help move the game forward, to do this simply hold down the right trigger button. You will be grateful that this option is here during some of the long winded conversations your Sim has with other characters; I mean really, how long can they talk about flowers and airplanes?
A big draw (for some people) to the series is the interactions of Sims, as each has their own personality and it comes through as you interact with them. When you first meet someone you are very limited in the actions you can perform and things you can talk about. As you gain their favor though you can move a relationship forward quite quickly to include making out with another Sim and telling dirty jokes.
Graphics:
The Sims 2 is a nice step up in term of graphical sheen compared to the other offerings that have made it to console. Sims express themselves through not only the meters on the side of the screen but also through the onscreen animations. As you grow tired from lack of sleep, the Sim moves at a snails pace, if they need to use the restroom very badly you can expect to see the pee-dance in all its animated glory.
I quite honestly don't have many complaints or concerns with the graphics in the Sims 2, as throughout the game things looked very sharp. But even if there was an issue, it's not the graphics that keep you tied to the controller when playing this.
Audio:
It's definitely not the audio that keeps you tied to the game either, as it's full of nonsensical Simlish being spoken all the time, which in this version seemed a whole lot closer to real English than in any of the other versions I've played. Even the music has the Simlish tinge to it, which eventually becomes slightly grating on the ears of this particular reviewer.
Conclusion:
Summing up the Sims reminds me of a poster that I saw for the band Primus when they released Tales From the Punchbowl back in the 1990s; "If you didn't like Primus before, you probably won't like them now" (you know, with the penguin suits). For people who enjoy the series you probably will find a lot of nice additions to the gameplay to warrant purchasing this upgrade to the previous console versions, but for Simo-phobes it's probably a safe bet to say you won't like the latest offering any more than others. Rather than running out and buying this game based on a recommendation, I'd rather have you Rent It, and then make your decision.
Gameplay:
This time around in Sims 2, EA has borrowed aspects from Bustin' Out as well as tweaking the interface for the console gamer. If you've played other console version, you'll remember that you didn't have direct control of your character while onscreen; instead you controlled him/her via a cursor which made things a little slower, yet offered you the power to queue up events. The default control scheme in Sims 2 however features direct control of your Sim. So if you feel that you need to use the restroom to help deplete your bathroom meter, then you walk over to the toilet and have at it. This direct control helps immerse the player into the game a lot more, at the expense of queuing events; a good trade in my opinion.
The basic premise of the Sims hasn't changed much for this version, whether in Story mode or in Free play. You spend your time keeping your Sim happy by fulfilling his needs such as food, rest, and entertainment, all while trying to balance a social life, a job, and jumping on trampolines. This time around though there are specific wants and fears that your Sim has; such as an unhealthy fear of being robbed or being broke, to wanting to earn a set wage or have a certain number of friends. Keeping these wants and fears in check will earn you achievement points which will allow you to progress through story mode, and also unlock new furniture and accessories for your Sim in both Freeplay and Story mode. As you "advance" through story mode, you'll gain access to new locations which means new houses, more people to meet and new goals to accomplish. As you go further in the game you'll eventually be required to control multiple Sims, completing goals for each to advance forward.
As mentioned controlling your Sim is actually quite nice now that you can have direct control, and even placing your new TV or bed controls quite nicely and intuitively with the Xbox controller. One tip that really comes in handy for having to deal through some of the long animations in the game is the ability to speed up time to help move the game forward, to do this simply hold down the right trigger button. You will be grateful that this option is here during some of the long winded conversations your Sim has with other characters; I mean really, how long can they talk about flowers and airplanes?
A big draw (for some people) to the series is the interactions of Sims, as each has their own personality and it comes through as you interact with them. When you first meet someone you are very limited in the actions you can perform and things you can talk about. As you gain their favor though you can move a relationship forward quite quickly to include making out with another Sim and telling dirty jokes.
Graphics:
The Sims 2 is a nice step up in term of graphical sheen compared to the other offerings that have made it to console. Sims express themselves through not only the meters on the side of the screen but also through the onscreen animations. As you grow tired from lack of sleep, the Sim moves at a snails pace, if they need to use the restroom very badly you can expect to see the pee-dance in all its animated glory.
I quite honestly don't have many complaints or concerns with the graphics in the Sims 2, as throughout the game things looked very sharp. But even if there was an issue, it's not the graphics that keep you tied to the controller when playing this.
Audio:
It's definitely not the audio that keeps you tied to the game either, as it's full of nonsensical Simlish being spoken all the time, which in this version seemed a whole lot closer to real English than in any of the other versions I've played. Even the music has the Simlish tinge to it, which eventually becomes slightly grating on the ears of this particular reviewer.
Conclusion:
Summing up the Sims reminds me of a poster that I saw for the band Primus when they released Tales From the Punchbowl back in the 1990s; "If you didn't like Primus before, you probably won't like them now" (you know, with the penguin suits). For people who enjoy the series you probably will find a lot of nice additions to the gameplay to warrant purchasing this upgrade to the previous console versions, but for Simo-phobes it's probably a safe bet to say you won't like the latest offering any more than others. Rather than running out and buying this game based on a recommendation, I'd rather have you Rent It, and then make your decision.