The Bottom Line
Pros
- The planet's most addictive game, say goodbye to freinds and family
- Graphics made a decent transition from the PC version
- Control scheme works surprisingly well on the PS2's Dual-Shock controller
- Easy for Sim-newbies to hop into
- Fantastic game to convince your significant other that gaming isn't that bad...
Cons
- Ugh, looong load times
- Save early and often, my copy would sometimes lock-up
- The planet's most addictive game, say goodbye to freinds and family
Description
- Graphics: 4 It may not look as good as its PC sibling, but The Sims console version looks sharp
- Sound: 5 Superb music and hilarious sound effects make The Sims 2 an aural treat
- Concept: 4.5 The Sims 2 is a port, but it's a creative one designed to actually work on consoles
- Control: 4 I was surprised at how well the controls worked, great menus keep the The Sims 2 moving
- Difficulty: 3 Easy to pick up, the most difficult part will be putting The Sims 2 down
- Multiplayer: 3 It's there, but The Sims 2 really is a single player game
- Replay: 5 It's the never ending game, The Sims 2 will greedily consume your every minute
- Rated: Teen, for crude humor, comic violence, and comical renditions of lovemaking
- All scores are out of 5. The total score is not a composite of the above scores.
Guide Review - The Sims 2, Review - PS2, Xbox, GameCube
The Sims 2, for the pure among you, is the PC craze that built an empire. Arguably it's the best selling game of all time, and there is a deep fan community. Basically you control little people called 'sims' you can dress them, get them friends, jobs, and even breed them. Think of it as the fulfillment of all your sea-monkey dreams...only digital. "How is this fun", you ask? Well, would I steer you wrong? Aside from trusting me, and the millions of fans, know that this is one of the most original games of the last decade. It's equal parts sim, complex puzzler, adventure game, and a whole lot more fun than any of them individually. Oddly enough, it also defies traditional gender stereotypes, as The Sims 2 is enjoyed by as many women as men.
In the console version, there are two manners of play; but only one save game, thus no saving if you try another mode or you will erase the original. In the story mode you control one primary sim, but will add more along the way. In the free-play, it's just like the PC, anything goes. The story mode is so open and non-linear that I suggest it, as it's everything the story mode is and more.
All the funny gestures, simlish, and wild gadgets make The Sims 2 not only deep, but quite funny. The Sims 2 is an amalgam of all the Sims games to date, with solid results.
