The Sims 2

This all-new version adds minute details to the daily rituals of the little inhabitants — you can almost zoom in to see specific ingredients as meals are prepared, or read book titles on shelves. Watching the Sims dance is a triumph of animation.

It has everything that I believe is integral to a classic success: It looks amazing, sounds fantastic, and offers more immersive entertainment and replay value than any other single-player game I’ve ever seen.

So much more involving, more expansive, and just plain more, more that that you might need to buy a new PC so you can play it alongside Mommy. [Dec 2004, p.120]

A masterpiece. As you guide your endearing digital denizens to health, happiness, fame and fortune, you may become so addicted that your own life suffers.

The Sims 2 is as big as life and as consuming. At heart, and with heart, it is a masterpiece.

It's deeper, has more flexibility, it's more engrossing, and it's even easier to modify and expand. But there's something else here as well, something that can't be measured. Sims 2 is simply a lot of fun.

A phenomenal game that deserves every penny of its inevitable commercial success. In fact, it's far too big for the simple word "game." [Dec 2004, p.90]

Because of the included Body Shop utility, the relative ease of creating your own custom content for your Sims makes this game all the more fun.

The Sims2 is even more addictive than "The Sims." The Sims' needs aren't as urgent, freeing up more time for whatever else you want them to get up to. The Wants and Fears system is not only interesting, but also often propels you towards meeting some of your own goals for your little Sims.

Offers a heap of replayability, and then there are all the expansions to look forward to. With all new features, increased graphics, gameplay, and options, there is no feasible reason why you should not purchase this game if you ever enjoyed the original.

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.

My Sim is freshly bathed with a full stomach, empty bladder, and a good night's sleep while I am up at 3am - dirty, hungry, tired, and about to pee on the floor because I'm so involved. That's got to be the sign of a good game -- doesn't it?

Polished and full of the “little things” that take a game from good to great. I do not think there will be any fan of the Sims series that will disappointed with this title.

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.

The new features like aging, aspirations, character design, community property, and all of the great story building tools help to make The Sims 2 a more complete game in every way possible.

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 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.

Just watch out though because once the game digs its claws into you it’ll own your life. If you want to buy the game give your friends an early notice, because they won’t be seeing you for a long while.

Take away all of the hype, hyperbole, and this game’s celebrated lineage, you are still left with what can only be considered a masterpiece of gaming.

Who knew having this much control over a little virtual family would be so fun, but there’s something undeniably charming about the sims that will keep you glued to your PC for weeks, wanting to buy that one last toy for the recreation room or add one more addition to your house.

The whole process feels just perfectly balanced; this is literally the most expert game you can play, it feels great and fans of the original will love it. [Oct 2004, p.84]

This is a much more robust, mature and complex game than the original – leaving you with the impression that this is Will Wrights dream finally realized.

Because your Sims go through a complete life cycle, from birth to old age and death, you get a much more enjoyable game as you try satisfying your sims life.

Despite all the whiz-bang innovations however, the core gameplay remains the same. The interface in general has changed little, and you'll find that the game from minute to minute is played in the same manner. The schticky retro charm also carries through from the original.

The Sim generator alone can provide hours upon hours of amusement, especially once players discover the power to recreate in the game almost any friend, relative or celebrity they can think of. This becomes even more fun when those creations begin developing relationships and interbreeding.

A terrific upgrade to what's obviously been a very successful franchise, but if a third evolution is to continue captivating audiences, it needs to take the Sims well outside of their houses and strolling down the streets of Sim City.

The Sims 2, quite simply, blows "The Sims" away. If you were a fan of the original, you're going to love this....The Sims 2 includes everything from the first game and its expansion packs, and it does it all exponentially better than ever before.

Easily the best computer game of the year, The Sims 2 will not disappoint.

Once in-game it is clear The Sims 2 has improved greatly as far as neighbourhood interaction is concerned.

Whatever magic that was used to create the original Sims, the most popular computer game of all time, has not only been recaptured but the dosage has been cranked to lethal proportions...It's better than the original and all of the expansion packs combined.

Playing God has never been as free, rewarding or downright enjoyable as it is here... Quite simply, this is a game so packed with features and so lovingly crated that, for the first time that we can recall, you’ll still be discovering parts of it by the time the add-on packs roll around. [Nov 2004, p.102]

One of the main things that has kept the franchise going strong is the community and The Sims 2 does nothing to reverse that; quite the opposite. Almost everything can be created or modified now.

So if you are under the impression that The Sims 2 is for girls and housewives and that you wouldn't touch it with my rocket launcher you could be doing the gaming node in your brain a great disservice to pass over this title with such wilful abandon.

I spent most of my time getting my Sims to seduce one another. Sims are bisexual, fickle and intensely jealous.

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 aspiration side is probably the best thing that has ever happened to The Sims, because you will go out of your way to achieve goals to score points and buy unusual objects.

It's the circle of virtual life -- and it's insanely addictive.

Yes, it introduces plenty of new features that enhance the gameplay that was so popular in the original game, but it doesn't drastically refresh it. It also features plenty of options to play with, but it seems like it could've used even more content.

The graphics engine...is stunning, i.e., totally awesome and/or completely beautiful. [Nov 2004, p.166]

The aging system coupled with the aspiration system just makes The Sims 2 more addictive than ever.

Gamers that wanted more freeform control, as well as those requiring greater focus to keep them interested will be happy to find augmentations in both directions.

None of the improvements are revolutionary enough to attract people who were initially (or at some point) put off by the concept.

While The Sims 2 delivers great graphics, wonderful music, and a ton of new features and objects; I have to say the minimum requirements should be higher. I have more RAM than it suggests but still feel I need a beefier video card to get rid of the slight glitches that seem to occur while changing views.

May not be the most ambitious follow-up ever, but it does fix most of what was broken in the first game while introducing an attractive, badly needed, 3D makeover. [Dec 2004, p.108]

A movie feature allows you to create short films, right down to the last camera angle, with your Sims as the cast. There are no overarching goals in the game, but that doesn't prevent it from being fun.

Good God, if this game doesn’t immediately suck you in and render you worthless for hours on end, then I don’t know what’s wrong. I’ve, on occasion, sat down to play for a few minutes and then noticed that it’s been five hours.

The children are fantastic addition to the game, and they do a great job at raising some serious hell as well. I never understood what Junior’s fascination with the toilet bowl was all about, though.

Maxis could have included a few more items and ideas rather than wait for the first expansion pack release. Even with that misfortune, The Sims 2 is the type of game that almost anyone can enjoy.

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.

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. And while we fully expect to grow to hate it - and the inevitable flurry of hateful expansion packs - for the time being we're hooked.

The Sims 2 is, after all, a lovingly crafted and very well put together piece of software.

Other problems, such as pathfinding issues will be painfully familiar to die-hard Sims fans. If a Sim places something like a pizza box in a narrow hallway, everyone will get stuck for hours of game time because they can’t step over it.

Perhaps the biggest draw to the new Sims is the fact that your Sims can now grow old and die. This transforms some of the open-endedness found in the original game to one that is significantly more goal oriented.

Repetitive, yet strangely addictive, The Sims 2 has a style that furthers the original in every way. Graphically and audibly, the game stands out and the unique gameplay means that it really is a genre defining title.

When two Sims lovingly clasp each other as they sleep, even the coldest gaming hearts will begin to melt. [Oct 2004, p.102]

If you enjoyed the first game, you'll be knocked out by the franchise's latest lease on life.

From the sadist to the social scientist, The Sims 2 gives you an infinite sandbox to play in.

It's not just niggling repetition and control issues that detract from the overall package. There are many things that could have improved matters - being stuck in the same house feels somewhat stifling and claustrophobic, and for this reviewer was the main reason it shattered the dream possibility of The Sims 2 delivering a virtual personality simulation the way that classic Alter Ego did all those years ago.

At first the slow pace can be trying for action junkies, but after a short bit of time you find yourself playing just a little bit longer to finish that last task or to reach another goal.