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Takes some getting used to

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 20 / 21
Date: September 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First, let me address my own system specs - Pentium 4 (2 ghz), 512MB of RAM, nvidia Geforce 5200FX video card. I upgraded my PC from 256 RAM and Intel Integrated video card specifically for this game. I paid $47 for memory from the Crucial Technology website and $67.50 for the video card from Newegg website. That was $110 well spent because I had no problems installing or running the game. However the one thing I will note is that at times the game will run a little slow and I will just exit the game and then restart it and it's fine. I'm not sure what causes that.

Second, creating a sim. I spent a good 30 minutes at least on this and I only designed 3 sims. You have the opportunity to create the EXACT look you want your sim to have. That is what takes up so much time, but I love it.

Third, game play. There are oodles of interactions your sims can have with other sims. The community in Veronaville is quite large. Strangetown didn't seem that big to me and I have played the first town - Pleasantsomething or another. TIP: If you play in Strangetown with Olive and Ophelia beware the 20 or so ghosts in the yard. At least 3 of them come out around 7 pm or so and walk around possessing different items in the house. They also scare your sims causing them to lose mood points. One time Ophelia even peed on herself. They also woke her up at different times during the night. Olive will die in two days, which is exactly when Ophelia becomes an adult. Actually, the grim reaper came to get Olive during the party and Olive's son Nervous was there and all but had a breakdown. He kind of wrecked my party score but then I sent Ophelia to talk to him and he kind of mellowed out. WARNING: If you build a pool or buy a hot tub the ghosts will trek through them and leave these horrible little puddles outside which DESTROYS the environment rating. Thank goodness for the MoveObjects on cheat to get rid of them. Or you could just have your sim clean them up but we're talking at least 60 or so puddles by morning.

Your Sims will encounter different situations at their job and you will be asked to make a decision for the Sim. If you pick right they may get a promotion or will get some simoleons. Pick wrong and you'll get the boot.

You can make friends much easier. Depending on how well your sims get along it may only take 2-3 face or phone conversations. If you don't speak to them for a while they'll call you and ask you what's going on. Sometimes they just call you to chat. You can get a crush fairly quickly as well by flirting enough times.

The 3-D view RULES. You can see everything on the lot. Everything is incredibly realistic.

The furniture can finally match. I'm not a huge fan of the wallpaper or paint though. I'm sure that will be helped with some expansion packs.

Your sim can email or instant message other sims. This is very helpful when you only have 1 sim.

Fourth, simology. Sims will throw horrific tantrums if they're not happy or if one particular need is not being addressed accordingly. I liked that Maxis made them so real. Sometimes it's almost scary to see how realistic they are but after all that's why it's called The Sims. You can see all of their memories good and bad as well as their body type. Even their family tree is available.

Overall I'm having a good time with the realism of the game i.e. buying groceries, filling aspirations. However I am ready for an expansion pack so I can get more objects. It does take some getting used to because you really have an objective now and a time frame to do it in. This is an upgrade from the original Sims game - and I do mean the original without any expansion packs. I understand people are not enjoying themselves, but if you're comparing the Sims 2 to the Sims with all the expansion packs it's an unfair comparison to make.

What I don't like are the existing community lots. They're not enough of them and they kind of suck. I usually just invite other sims to my house where it's fun. The only other issue I have is the phone rings a little too much at my sims houses. It drives me nuts sometimes.

Terrific follow up to a best-seller!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 21
Date: September 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

In the movie world, sequels are often confronted with the question, "Will it be as good as the original?" In the gaming world, the question for sequels and add-ons is, "Is it enough of an upgrade over the original?"

The Sims 2 is a huge upgrade over the original program (which was a very nicely done and very addicting piece of software)!!

1. 3D graphics are tremendous. The level of detail from the woodgrain on the flooring to the lights and switches on the sound system! Wow! The graphics alone are worth the purchase, but make sure you have AT LEAST the minimum system requirements AND a compatible graphics card.

2. "Building" your own Sim. There are many more options for how your Sim looks - physically, attire, etc. Bulbous nose, triple chins, beady eyes, studded denim, J. Crew-like sweaters, etc. - they're all there!

3. Music - you can use your own .mp3 or .wav files for the music that comes out of the stereo systems that your Sims can purchase.

4. Aspirations - you can assign a set of aspirations to your Sims. They can aspire to gain large quantities of knowledge, popularity, money, etc.

5. Geneology - the game allows you to establish a family tree, and offspring pick up the "DNA" of their parents! Will they pick up the good qualities or the bad? Definitely fun to see.

There are so many improvements that I could go on and on!

One important thing: The interface has been updated, but it is very, very similar to the original's interface. The learning curve is not steep for those who are familiar with the original, and it is very intuitive and easy to learn for "newbies."

Players can create just about any kind of character they desire. For example, I created the following:

a. 2 overweight rich guys who see themselves as the world's greatest lovers. It is hilarious to see beautiful women fall for these guys because of their money!

b. A serious young man who becomes a doctor and marries a money-grubbing tramp. He catches the tramp fooling around with his best friend, and divorces her. Next, he finds an "all-American" girl, marries her, gets her pregnant, only to lose her in a kitchen accident.

I don't want to bore you anymore, because I'm sure you get the idea. The possibilities are endless, and endless hours of fun await those who purchase the game!!

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY THIS GAME- YOU MUST BUY EXPANSION PACKS!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 21 / 23
Date: December 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

if you were a major sims 1 fan then you probably just finished buying every friggin expansion pack of sims 1, eating up a chunky portion of your GB. And then maxis comes out with the sims 2 game.
well isnt that ironic?
i suggest you PROPERLY uninstall (that means do the unthinkable, and read the game installation manual) all your sims 1 games, and BUY THIS GAME!!!
becuz- believe you me, you are going to need good memory.

WHAT THIS GAME HAS TO OFFER:

***Appearance! There are many different options for creating your sims, toddler, kid, teenager, adult, or elder

***Genetics! once your sim gets a partner- your kids, (are you ready for this?) will actually LOOK LIKE (gasp) thier parents. In the first sims I was often frustrated when my blonde couple's looked like a white micheal jackson- who had retained his afro. But don't worry! On the Sims2: if you still want a child to be his father and mothers son, but look absolutely nothing like them, well u still have that option. (oh yea, and i found out that you can make a parents child be older than they are in the Create-a-Sim room- don't ask- you also have that option.-i tell you- i discover the weirdest things.) Oh yes, twins and possibly triplets can be born from actually pregnant mothers. And if your sims's wife or husband is an alien-the babies can turn out a little funky.

***Building options: you can customize ur own neighborhoods! whether you want them excavated from the remains of a volcano or surrounding a lake, etc. Windows can go on diagonal walls. (and much more)

***Objects: now the objects- dont eat me alive when i've made you read all this crap and now i'm about to tell you that the selection of objects isnt that great. when you click on an object to buy it, a screen will appear and give you different colors of the object to choose from. So lets say you like that double sleigh bed but you find the lime green sheets and pillows on the bed repulsive. you now have the option of changing the color of the covers (within the selection they provide for you,) to something that suits you better. But if you DO NOT BUY AN EXPANSION PACK YOU WILL LOSE INTEREST IN THE SELECTION VERY QUICKLY!!! THIS GAME IS NOT ABOUT THE OBJECTS- ITS ABOUT MAKING SIMS LOOK MORE LIFELIKE!!!!

*** Aliens- in Strangetown

*** Cheat codes: for you cheating scum like me

press Ctrl + Shift + C to activate the cheat bar (all at once!) then enter one of the follow cheat codes in the bar and press enter

*motherlode- 50,000 simoleans cash
*kaching- 1,000 simoleans cash
*aging on - turns aging on
*aging off- turns aging off (ur sims wont get any older, will wonders never cease!)

there is a lot more in this game- but i stongly suggest you get the following expansion packs:

Sims 2 Nightlife(sims get cars in this one, and more romance options)
Sims 2 Open for business (this one is a bit hard)
Sims 2 Pets (this is the best of them all)

Notice how i didnt mention Sims 2 University: because customers are reviewing it poorly and saying all it is is College Life and can get pretty borrrrrrrring.

If you are new to expansion packs you HAVE TO INSTALL THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER....so if you have already installed Sims 2 Pets and decide you want to install nightlife- there is a high risk that doing this will screw up your computer. the recommended order of installation is university, nightlife, open for business, and then pets. IF YOU THINK I AM COMPLETELY INSANE AND DONT WANT TO LISTEN TO ANYTHING I AM SAYING READ THE MANUAL!!!

hope you like this game :)

Absolutely Fabulous!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: November 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been a fan of the Sims for a very long time. I have the orignal Sims game, and most of the expansion packs for it. I thought that the original Sims was incredible, intricately thought out, and deep gameplay.

When I heard about the Sims 2, I was excited. One the one hand, I have learned the hard way (a la Matrix) that sequels aren't always a good thing for a sucessful idea. But I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next generation in the Sims franchise.

I got the game, and I must say that I am not disappointed. In fact, I am amazed at how well thought out this game is. Maxis really out-did themelves on this game. They really sat down and thought about how to make this game better, not just change it or make it different. They took into account what players would like to see from the last version of the Sims, and incorporated that into this game.

What to I mean? Well, for starters, the game focuses more on social interactions between Sims. This means that the gameplay is more goal oriented than in the original Sims (in which the only goal is not to die). The new Sims now have wants and fears, and also aspirations. This also means that fulfilling the Sims basic needs do not consume the gameplay. You don't have to worry that just as you are about to propose to someone, your Sim stops and does the "bathroom dance" because nature is calling.

The Sim creation tools are far more advanced. You can really control, to a great deal of precision, how you Sim looks. The tools for picking facial features are really detailed. The clothes are much better in this game. Building houses has been further developed in the Sims 2 also. You can have decks, and build on foundations. The roof tool allows for more complex designs. The best feature of the building tools is that now you can build above two floors. Your imagination can run completely wild with this change in their rules of architecture.

The DVD version of this game includes extra features about the game, tips on movie making and general game play, and background stories. I really enjoyed watching the developers talk about what they've done to this game. They seem to be really passionate about the Sims, and dedicated to making a great game even better. One important fact--the DVD version of this game only works in computers that have DVD-ROMs. If you don't have a DVD-ROM, then buy the regular PC version.

Make sure that your computer is compatible with this game. It is wonderful, but it does require a lot of souped-up hardware to run. Extra RAM is necessary for good gameplay. 256 MB of ram is the minimum needed to make the game run, but having 512 MB will make it run more smoothly. Among my peer group, I am one of only a few whose computers are advanced enough to run this game. The Sims webpage lists the system requirements for this game. Check them once, and twice, and then three times squared to make sure that you can play.

I love this game, and as my skills at it improve, I enjoy it even more. I would definately recommend this game to anyone.

I love the sims

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 22 / 25
Date: March 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The sims is not just any game. It's a special game full of micheviousnes and fun. If you have heard of the game I really recomend that you get this game. It's fun and I know that you'd like it. There is tons of exspansion packs to choose from. But if you already have The Sims then getting the sims 2 is a must because I sure know that I'm getting it!!!!!!! I've been waiting for this game since July 2003 because thats when I learned so much about it. First of all if you have a baby it actually grows up day by day little by little. They also follow thier parents around the house and all that baby stuff. Then they grow into a spoiled brat or cheerfull kid. Then the teenage stupid age comes to the picture and they really do act like teenagers!!! Then they Become an adult and have kids. Then they get old and before you know it your a grandma or Grandpa. Then you die from old age. Very realistic!!!! Also did you know that you can have four stoy houses including the attic? It can also rain outside too. But what hope is true is that you can go to work.Well thats all I petty much know so I hope your as happy as I am About it. (some of my spelling maybe wrong) :)

I enjoy playing it but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 22 / 25
Date: September 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

...I do still prefer the original Sims to this one.

The graphic details are exceptional (at least to me, since this is my first experience with a 3-D game). However, I miss a lot of the things I've grown to appreciate from the original Sims series--pets, gardens, vacations, restaurants, and so forth.

I do enjoy the experience of seeing children grow up. The toddlers are adorable, although they do demand a lot of attention! But I turn off the aging process most of the time, because I tend to get rather attached to the Sims I create and don't care to see them grow old and die.

And I'm sorry, but most of us are spoiled--we *have to* have more downloads of walls, floors and furniture. There are tons of talented creators on the 'Net who are ready, willing and able to fulfill our needs in those departments, but apparently the software required to do so is far out of the financial range of any but the independently wealthy. If I'm reading the requirements correctly, the initial package starts at $2000?!?!?!

If Maxis/EA Games wants to keep us happy, they need to find some resolution to this problem soon. Yes, I'll buy the expansion packs (I always do), but we need other outlets for additions to our games.

As for the problems others have mentioned, I haven't had the shutdowns, lockups, etc. during game play. I do have well over the suggested RAM requirements on my system, and this probably makes a big difference. I think any system with less than 512 MB (or even 1 GB) of RAM is going to have difficulties running such a high-graphics program.

Four stars for playing enjoyment, but only three stars overall because of the lack of variety of decorative selections for the houses and choices for non-residential lots. And my Sims want a dog!!

Better than the original Sims, but needs patches

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 20 / 22
Date: September 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game two days ago and am really impressed with it. I like the Asparations, Wants and Fears part of it because it sets up mini goals for your sims to do throughout the day. It keeps the player away from focusing on just meeting physical needs all day (which gets boring).

Every new player should definately go through the tutorial though. I skipped the basic set up tutorials and went straight to the one that showed what's new. It was a big help. I also bought the Game Guide. The game comes with a little Hint Book, but the game guide is much more thorough.

Pros: The new actions. Now when your sim cooks, you can choose what meal to cook. And the computer has a lot more options added on to it. I haven't gone through everything, but this is a plus for me. The sims are also a lot more customizable.

Cons: The game is slow on my laptop (the newer of my two computers). I haven't tried it on my older desktop yet, but for now I surf the web on my desktop while waiting for the game to load on the laptop. Just going from the house to the neighborhood or going to a community lot takes a couple of minutes. There are also times when the game will freeze for about 30 seconds.

Another con is the Create a Sim area. While it's great that they are customizable, you are faced with too many options and it takes forever as you tweak and eyebrow here and the chin fat there. Be strong. Don't let this bog you down!

Overall the game is great. Although it's choppy on my laptop, it's still playable (hopefully it'll be better on my desktop).

Sims 2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: November 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

-For as long as I can remember, my extra time has been spent building a basic mom-dad-kid family in the original Sims. I'd always get bored of the same routine, but with the Sims 2, things are nearly always different. I created a whole family from scratch and had fun with it!

GOOD POINTS:

-Nothing extremely bad happened in the family I made (no deaths at least) but the few bad things that did happen challenged me to fix them. My favorite sim in the family got a cold once, and if you don't treat it, it'll get worse until it kills your sim.

-The best part about the problems that your sims face daily is that the solution is normally logical and simple.

-This game is very fun, and the people who think it is too hard to keep a sim happy should know that there are very good cheats all over the internet just waiting to be used.

-The new feature to interact with previously Non-Player-Characters stunned and happily suprised me. I had always wanted to chat with that gardener who forgot about my best plants.
-The Sims 2 is amazing by any standards with the small and helpful little features and the new zoom abilities. The little things in life are so noticeable when they pop up in a video game!

-I LOVED having to take care of the toddler!! Especially when it came to potty-training her and teaching her to speak and walk! It's not just 'POOF! Here's a baby cradle! Feed it every now and then and you'll get a full grown kid in three days!' It's much more realistic without becoming overbearing.

BAD POINTS:

-Everything has its own bad points, and the biggest for me is LOADING. It's completely ridiculous how long you have to wait to access each lot. I know it helps to have a small family and to have only basic items, but even then I found myself hating the spinning cursor/hourglass.

-The Create-A-Sim features do get tedious, but I also thought they were good. Every little descision about that Sim influences the generations to come.

-My refrigerator in Sims 2 gets emptied waaay too quickly. Mom makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner for four, gives the baby a bottle, teen 1 and teen 2 have an afternoon snack, and after one or two days, the fridge needs restocking. You have to call the grocery store to come give you more food supplies. I found that whole step a bit annoying when a whole Sim family is angry because the fridge is empty.

Overall, I think the good points outweight the bad so much that I'm suprised at the amount of people who don't have Sims 2. For them, I recommend that they get it as soon as possible!

15 days!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 41
Date: September 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been waiting for and tracking this game since mid-June. Now it's hardly even 15 days away! I am getting more insane by the day. I cannot IMAGINE how crazy I would be if I had been waiting for this game since 2003 like a lot of other Sims 2 fans. I am eternally grateful that I did not become a nut for the Sims 2 before the september 17th deadline was officially announced. I didn't have to endure countless disappointments in delays for the game. A few things about this game that have excited me more than others are:

The sims can go grocery shopping! I don't know why I got so excited about this, I guess it's just, grocery shopping adds a new dimension of "real life" to the game, just an everyday thing.

The sims can make different meals! How many times while playing the original "The Sims" did you look at the boring old plate of "green beans, steak, and mystery mush" and think to yourself, "Oh i WISH they could eat something different!"?

The sims have facial expressions and fingers! Oh, just IMAGINE the excitement when you are playing this game for the first time and your sim turns around and SMILES at you! Also, the adding of fingers into the game really plays up the 3D aspect and highlights body language.

The sims can have three stories plus an attic! I remember so many times while playing The Sims saving up bunches of money and becoming a complete millionaire, and wanting to build a mansion for my sims. It's very hard to do this with only 2 stories! I look forward to the vast possibilities of 4 stories. Build a mansion! An apartment complex! A sorority building!

The sims actually have PERSONALITIES! With the new addition of wants and fears and lifetime aspirations, this really helps shape the sims personalities besides the generic 2 neat, 6 nice, 8 outgoing, etc. As you are playing the game you will really see the sims' personalities coming out in every day activities such as social interactions.

Since late June, I have convinced my parents to give me $30.00 (YES, 30 DOLLARS!) a week in exchange for working my BUTT off around the house, and I have been selling all my old, unused possesions on ebay (check out my auctions! my username is mcsadventure). My old laptop is so crummy I could barely HOPE to have the Sims 1 run on it, much less the sims 2. So I am saving up my money very dilligently and I have $370.00 so far. I hope to have 700 by the end of september so I can buy myself a NEW LAPTOP and start playing THE SIMS 2!!! I already have my DVD edition copy pre-ordered. I highly recommend this game!!!

Wow, they did it again

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 21
Date: October 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After years of enduring one add-on package after another for the first Sims -- which really didn't add much more and cost a tidy sum -- I wasn't expecting too many bells and whistles with Sims2. In fact I was hesitant to even buy it.

Boy am I glad I did.

They have completely revamped the game -- the mechanics of it are comfortably familiar, but the additions and the tweaks make it a whole new, uh, (ball)game.

Get your Sim fit enough and suddenly he or she can do Yoga to exercise, instead of mundanely lifting weights. Watch the "food" channel and your Sim both adds to his fun meter, but also learns a cooking skill point.

Make your Sim happy doing activities he or she wants and you get "bonus" points that you can use to unlock special prizes -- some of them good, some of them bad, but you have to experiment and use them and find out.

Your personal interactions with other Sims have changed dynamically as well. You can flirt and tell jokes, like the old version of The Sims, but keep flirting and suddenly you can burst out laughing as you watch your Sims disappear under the covers of the bed to "woo-hoo!" ... after which they typically pass out and sleep forever. Ha!

There are far too many additions to this game to list here. From specifically designing how your Sim looks -- high forehead? big eyes? full lips? -- to determining what aspiration they'd like or what clothes make them (literally) squeal with delight. You can even make a Sim that looks like you -- with your own attributes and personality quirks. Then let "you" loose and see how you interact.

The final great thing I'll say about the game is that you no longer have to babysit your Sim. The artificial intelligence in this game allows your sim to function without having to be told exactly what to do. Sometimes it's neat to sit back and watch the fishbowl.

The only negative thing I would say about the game is that I'm not overly fond of how quickly these Sims age. Yes I said age. Your Sim can go from a child, to a teenager, to an adult, to an elderly person. I wanted to hold on to the "youth" of some of my Sims a little longer than was allowed.

But if you are like me, debating on whether it's even worth buying a copy of this game -- do. You'll lose days of your life, but you'll be fascinated by the process.

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