The Sims 2
Sam hands his life over to EA for the foreseeable future...
The Sims 2 is a true sequel. Which is a good thing, as the expansion pack route had been well and truly flogged to death. The graphics are the most noticeable improvement with everything now built out of proper 3D models. The move to three dimensions is a great leap forward - not only does it allow you to get right into every nook and cranny but it allows for the full arsenal of 3D effects to be unleashed on your eyeballs. The whole game world looks a whole lot better, even the details of the textures are an improvement over the old and the amount of new animations and interactions really help to make the Sims 2 more of a life simulator than a dolls house simulator. There are some really nice graphical effects on show as well; across the board The Sims 2 is a visual feast.
The interface has got itself a makeover as well. Things are laid out just that little bit better and most of the niggly control issues, such as quickly building rooms, have been ironed smooth as silk. There are a bunch of new attributes to keep track of this time round, with the most noticeable and substantial being the new set of aspirations. Each Sim comes with an aspiration. Depending on how you create your Sim in the powerful Sim Body Shop they will enter the world with a particular aspiration. This may be to become famous, rich, knowledgeable, a family Sim or a lothario. Whichever aspiration your sim has will determine the nature of the wants and needs that come into being with the start of each new day. Perform one of these wants, say shag three different Sims in one day or get a promotion at work, and your aspiration meter will rise. Get that meter high enough and the Sim enters a state of nirvana, where they are much better able to perform tasks and are more suggestible to new things. On top of that you will get some aspiration points, accrue enough if these and you can go shopping for a new aspiration award. These objects are typically whacky Sims things, such as an Elixir of Eternal Life and the Knowledge Helmet. There are also negative fears such as a loved one dying. Let too many of these things happen and your Sim will enter a depressive funk. Keep piling on the fears and the Sim will become a juddering wreck. The Sims 2 allows you to be as nasty or nice as you want to be. However, I found the acquisition of positive aspiration points to be an easy thing to achieve and had quickly bought out all of the rewards. As with the number of objects included in the game the number of aspiration rewards will inevitably be swelled by an expansion pack or nine, but it's a real shame that the object reward compulsion wears off in a few days. The Sims 2 definitely would have benefited from shipping with more objects. There's enough to keep you hooked on the acquisition trail for a good while and plenty of neat gadgets to sprinkle round the home but it is somewhat depressing to know that so much is being held from the player, only for it to be drip-fed back in a constant stream of updates.
One of the major criticisms of the fist game was the constant micromanagement hassle that you had to put up with just to keep your Sim alive and functioning. The sequel is a lot more forgiving with the needs bars, which consequently frees up more time to play around with the little fake people. The game benefits from a good dose of streamlining and the addition of aspirations fills in the gap left by the removal of the need to go to the bog every 30 seconds quite nicely. Consequently playing the Sims 2 is less of an assault on your sense of self respect as the majority of your time is no longer concerned with washing and feeding your computer dollies. The social bar was always a chore in the first game so it was a great relief to find the Sims social needs can be met through telephone conversations and time spent on chat rooms on the newly internet-enabled computers. You can even spend a while searching for jobs online, before you get bored and slump down in front of the games console - just like real life.
Of course your Sim will still do odd things, like go to bed in the middle of a party they have thrown or enjoy lifting weights. Navigating around the house can still present the Sims with some troubling choices and I would still like to have seen an option to program in set routines, say for mornings or dinner time. Time can still be a constraining issue but this time around it is an enjoyable challenge to prioritise things rather then a painful exercise in micro-management.
The biggest draw of the Sims 2 remains the opportunity to create a fantasy world and live a fantasy life in it. The total absence of morals and social restrictions mean you can have whatever relationship you like between the various Sims. Relationships are easier to maintain as there are now two separate relationship bars, short term and long term. So you can vent some anger at a particularly annoying Sim without having to worry that your previously important friendship, built up over many hours in the hot-tub, is not instantly ruined. Your relationship may suffer in the short term bar but the long term bar is a kind of backup as it takes longer for it to move up and down. Sex is an even stronger element than before and seems to have been inspired by the sexual society envisioned in Stranger in a Strange Land. Not only are the flirtatious and romance actions generously fleshed out now your Sims can finally give each other a proper seeing to, or making Woohoo, as it's known in the game. This is the one area where the Sims behave in a constrained manner as shagging only takes place in the bed. No doubt an expansion pack, Free the Love or something will open up the whole neighbourhood for carnal flings. The beauty of the graphics engine makes fantasy homebuilding a fun and pleasant experience, even if you can't watch the Sims bumping uglies. The game is even more flexible when it comes to enacting warped or nasty fantasies, such as creating a blimp man then locking him up in a room to see how long it takes for the forlorn ex pizza-muncher to starve to death.
Comments
your review's a bit late but still - better late than never, eh? when you guys reviewing rome total war?
i have Rome Total War
I LOVE THIS GAME! I have it and I'vedone a lot of things. I also built cool houses. Can't wait til my computers fixed so I can play it all day. LOL.
Are there Sims 2 Screen Savers?
THe SIms 2 is the best game ever! Everyone needs to buy it you just learn how to live.
how do i play the sims2 online
Emily, Emily! Dear thing, a game won't teach you how to live, better learn how to live in reality.
can eny won tell me wat program they used to make the sim's online
Does any one know if we can change clothes in the sims 2? I got dressers but it doesn't say whether or not you can change your sims' clothes. I may have not been looking hard enough. O well. If any one knows...tell me. I have to go walk my dog, and then I'm going play it.
This game is AWSOME!!!!!!!!did u here me AWSOME....i love it....although it wont work on my computer now..im dieng!! HELP SOMEONE...ok sorry but i love this game it is the best game ever made and played!!!
yeah..did u know u can paint pictures of anything on da sims2! u can even paint a picture of usher!!!!!!!its awsome look on the internet and find out!!! and u can play music that acually know...just look on the internet also!!!toodles
I HTINK THE SIMS2 IS THE BEST GAME IN THE WORLD EVER MADE !! ITS TOTALLY COOL!!
LATERS XXXXX :-P
i dont care i dont play it
i want to hump u
were can i play the game online?please tell me!
I need to find this game on the internet atleast can I find it on GOOGLE?
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
dgd
can i play the sims 2 online cuz it iz brilliant plezzz
how can i play the sims 2 online???????
cani play it online cause' im not gettin it till xmas
!!!!!!!!!!sa va!
OMG CAN WE PLAY IT ONLINE OR NOT MY FREIND IS GETTING IT SOON AND IF SHE GETS IT IM GONNA GET IT SO I CAN CHILL WITH HER
is there any free downloads
Hali magyar wok mit szóltok ??? gondolom nem sok magyar jár erre sot?? ich bin ungarn ... mein names hungary ...ich bin Ogre .... Shrek tudjátok mi vagyunk azok ungarn oire = Ogre hehheheehhehehhe bruhahah egyépként imádom a Sims 2 -ot :))) tudom sokat nem értetek ebol bruhahahahahaha
sims
adsfasdf
how the hell do u play dis!
TENGO SIM 1 ... PERO NO ME ACUERDO D LA CLAVE PS EL DINERO CUAL ES ... SIO SABEN DIGANME PS !!!!!
does any 1 no where to bi soms 2 cheap
downloads the sims
A felét se értem a szövegnek, de ti sem amit én Ãrok.
is sims2 online free
sims 2 should be aloud to be downloaded easily
where i can find the sims 2???
try dis cheat 4 sum fast $$$......
motherlode
(click ctrl shift and c )
then type it in !!!
u get 10000 a time i fink :)
the sims 2 is the best game ever
you can do everything
Hi everybody!!! Hi freddy mcfredfred..... sorry I seem to keep talking to myself.
hi all :-D does anyone know how to get the cow plant on sims 2 university? i needddddddddd to know coz its annoying. c ya'll l8ter :-D
does anyone know how to getn the cow plant on the sims uni.im dieing t know mssge back coz i come on ere alot,when im not on the sims uni !! LOL :-D :-) :-D
I would die for this game!!!!!!!1
I would die for this game!!!!!!!1
SO WOULD I
i would die for this game too..but sadly, i dont have it!!!!! ugh..im sooo pissed off.......ill just go on ebay :)
Is there a way to get the cow plant without getting the job?:-)
i dont have a clue.......but i would like to know!!!!!!!!!! :-)
Does anyone know a site i can download the sims 2 university im me Duniax3 if u know how
how do you get the cow plant????
vai c fud q merda d site q num tem nem dowload do the sims
i asked 2 play sims 2 online and dis webby isnt 2 clear of were i caqn do dat so im goin on somin else!!
isso é muito bom
How can you play the Sims 2 online cuz I'm not getting it till June!
this game rules
I love you it`s game is favorite education for the world and is very match divertition for girl and boys the mach words
Sims2? Realy Nice Game!!! Wish Someone would come up With an animations Add-on for it.
WHY CAN WE PLAY I AM 26 AND I AM OVER MY SISTER HOUSE I DONT GET IT
hiya
i think that sims 2 uni is the bestest game isn the universe it is so good i go on it everyday
please can you email me to tell me wat the next game is called email me at
molly_cats@hotmail.co.uk
:D
I can't figure out how to fill the aspirations 'Be saved from death' and 'see a ghost'. Any ideas?
ta gra jest supppeeeeerrrr!!!!!!!!!:-)
got any cheats
Valaki a sok közül speek engish
this sux i cant play the sims 2 4 free u pot heads i hete this
sincerly,
MacKenzie
Game Freezes
:-( y cant i play it online it sux sooooo bad ciz i dont have it but i think me gettin it 4 christmas so me sought of happy :-) but i kneed 2 play cuz i havnt seen a man naked in ages so i need this right now hehehehe :-P jj (just joking) :-Panywayz me go sumwhere els 2 try and play it onlin so c'ya luv catherine:-P:-P:-P:-P
y can't i play sims 2 online . i need help
Where can i downlaod it
Where can i downlaod it
I mean sims 2 university
This game, ROCKS MY WORLD! WOOHOO!
this doesnt even work and it is rubish anyway i played it at my friends house crud
i love you the sims 2
??.. ???
why isn't there stairs??????isn't there a cheat
this website stinks
poo
hey yall i really wanna play sims 2 but my comp does not have enough room ... what should i do?
hey yall i really wanna play sims 2 but my comp does not have enough room ... what should i do?
water amoss family a wieckowski a makilne family
The only reason you dont enjoy the game is because you dont get how to play it. To get saved by death you need at least 2 people in the house and when 1 sim dies and the Grim reaper comes, the other sim asks the grim reaper to spare thier life. What job do you need to get the cow plant? And Sims 2 is great... i have the 2 expansion packs and i cant wait till the next one comes out! i recommend this game to everyone! Sarah x
i downloaded the sims2 from here
i downloaded the sims2 from here
i love your games
u need to make your own website so people can play online
Hey ,
Does anyone know a cheat for The Sims 2 where u can fufill a sim's needs??????????????????
PPPPPLLLLLLEEEEAASSSEEE Teellll
meeeee!!!!!!!!
hi I love the sims but my parents wont bye it so if there is a place were you can download it free please tell me :-)
LOVE
GABY
Ya want da cheats eh? I only know one.
but here it is eh.
press shift, ctrl and C at the same time.
There should now be a box at da top of da screen eh.
in that box, type motherlode in that box and press da enter key eh.
that cheat will get ya 50,000 simleons...or dollars.
to avoid pressing shift ctrl C every time you go to enter the cheat, just press da shift button before ya press da enter button. if its too confusing for ya then just dont do it eh.
Upper OUT!
i want to know how to start to play the sims game online with other players if someone could help send reply
any help
Someone tell me if I can download The Sims 2 of the internet!! What site?? Please help!! I don't care if it's free or not. I just want the damn game.
impossiblemanda is my aim.
Hey...Do any of you people...Like...Know a cheat that will get you out of University faster? Like no offence it is a good game but like...It's just to long...*sigh*
you can make woohoo in the bath tub tooooo~
hii. i love the game. && i was wondering how do you meet people online for the Sims 2? bc on MTV they had a Sims 2 show thingy and people were meeting other people online i guess on the SIMS 2 (notice the sims 2 not the the sims online) k. thx. ilu. bye.
the cheat for full need is MaxMotives
hi amanda i just read your note and i totally agree wit you please write back so i can get to know more about what you want so maybe i can help you and you can help me please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Bye
I am soooo mad! I don't kno the cheat for triplets and i dont know how to change their clothes?? If any one knos how can you plz tell me!???!! Thanx. P.S. Does anyone kno where Bella Goth is???
where can i play Sims 2 online? i haven't been able to get the game so it would be really good if i could play online. please help.
how can i get my sim pregnant?
does any one know where you can play the sims 2 online i neeeed to know because my friend has it and i luuuuuuuuuuv it and i want to play it too but im not gonna get it till christmas
~thanx~
Ok everyone I'll answer the questions
I can't change clothes... Go to a community place or make a community place.
WHERE IS THE SIMS 2 ONLINE?!!... I don't believe it is online, but I'll check just for you all.
Cheat codes
Motherlode -50000money
Maxmotive -all sims happy
aspirationlevel 5 -platnum aspiration
master code for the sims 2 please!... sorry but I won't give you my code, not because I hate you, but because I don't trust you.
Where can I get the cow plant... look at aspiration rewards, then click on work rewards
how do I get my sims pregnat... Get 2 sims tgether on a bed or somewhere together, click on the other sim(your not controlling) and click on Try For Baby
The next expansion pack after nightlife should be The sims2 open for business