Sims 2 Xbox Review

For years now the Sims have been known to gamers both on the PC and home consoles and it seems it is now more popular than ever. I remember the first PC version and enjoyed it but never thought it would reach the status it has today. After several expansion packs and a console versions, it seems that people love playing out a life in a game.

Perhaps it’s because the Sims allows people to try things that in real life they would never attempt. After all it’s safer to get rejected by an A.I. person or blow a job than it is in real life. Well, the Sims are back and this time with some improved controls and more options. It also has a free roam mode and the regular story mode. For any series to last for so many years is a feat. So how does this one play on the Xbox and is it worth playing? Read the full Sims 2 Review for the Xbox system.

Gameplay

The ultimate goal is to achieve your dreams. To do this in the story mode you will have to take care of the normal every day things including bathing, enjoyment and building a social life. Of course even A.I. characters have romantic and marital needs so you will need to build a special relationship and when you get enough friendship points take it to the next level. Starting out, the game sort of throws you in a gene pool mix. When you first create the Sim of your choice, it’s all by chance and later you can tweak the look and personality traits. You then need to get the look of your Sim and adjust body size, hair and general looks. This is the part of the game that seems a bit boring and could have been made a little easier. You then find your new Sim with two roommates and will have a list of basic needs and wants. Doing simple tasks and making friends with the other two will earn some easy money and new options. At first it seems like a lot of running back and forth from the bathroom to shower and other bodily needs to finding a bed and then trying to make friends with the roommates.

The new controls are easy to use and you know what need has to be done by a meter. At first the game seems easy due to the random choices. It’s easy to find out what a roommate likes and to rack up the 200 points for a romantic encounter. It starts out by flirting or telling jokes to making out but there is nothing perverted or inappropriate, despite what a few people out there say. Every time clothing is removed you see a blur. If that blur causes someone to get upset, then you really need some help. At times early on you seem to need to shower and use the bathroom a lot and this is all a part of the Sims world. You also will find that the roommates can be slobs and you need to remove leftover food and take out the garbage a lot.

After meeting the first few goals money and new items are available to buy like a new bed and fancier clothing. Each time a goal is met you see it in your progress chart which is easy to get to by using the control pad. The game then picks up by allowing you to go to another area of the neighborhood and the action starts to pick up. The ultimate goal is to achieve the gold and platinum levels. The story mode really does not tell a story – it’s more of tweaking your Sim and building them up. At times it can seem like you’re just running around doing things to reach the goal level to earn things and a chance for marriage or that big job. When you go to sleep, you see your dreams and fears. They remind you of what you want to accomplish, although at times it can be a bit confusing.

If you go without food or a major need for too long you can die and need to pay off the grim reaper to bring you back from the ghost state to real life. You can’t get far in the game being a ghost, although at times you can have a few laughs at the reactions of your roommates. Now fans of The Sims love the interaction and all the things you can do in The Sims world. This version seems to stray away from what made the series so popular and it boils down to just saying the right things and following the order to unlock or accomplish the next goal set for you in the game. While it can be entertaining at times, it feels like busy work rather than something fun and interesting.

Long time fans will enjoy the overall gameplay but those new or first time players may get bored or lost at what they are supposed to do. It may be a case of trying to add too much into the title and allowing the magic to get lost in all the other gameplay elements. The free play mode is shared with the story mode in the saved file. While not an issue with the Xbox version thanks to the hard drive, others console owners could easily write over their saved files by accident. The free play mode seems more like the older versions of the series where you start out on your own for fame and success. Both modes are interesting but it seems this one has more of a do this and that than the deep gameplay of other games in the series. If you have the right mind set of what to expect The Sims 2 will offer some interesting things and is entertaining just not as exciting as the past versions.

Control / Playability

They added new controls and offer the choice of using them or the classic ones. The learning curve is about 20 minutes to get used to the new advanced controls. Everything is easy to get to and to see what need your Sim needs to take care of or progress. Most players will take advantage of the new controls but also rely on the classic style at the same time. Overall, easy to get used to and well laid out design that responds well. Really a great control system and an improvement for playing with a controller instead of the PC.

Graphics / Presentation

The graphics look good and the load times are fast. The only problem is at times when you’re interacting with another Sim, it may seem a bit out of sync. The actions just don’t seem to fit or look right at times. Other than this issue the graphics are colorful and there are about 60+ emotions you can see while playing. You may find when you buy a bedroom set or another major purchase, finding the right place to put these items can take some time. If you place the bed too close to a door or window, it will ask you to move that item. Since the houses all are shells, so to speak, it just will take some time to learn how to place these items in a way that fits. Each character looks unique and as in past games from the series unexpected and odd looking Sims will show up. The graphics won’t push the limits of the Xbox but fit the game well.

Audio

The music is made up of contemporary soundtracks and is well mixed. At times the jokes and interactions are like past versions and will sound more like the teacher from the Charlie Brown TV shows, only not as obnoxious. More real speech would have been nice but it works. The other sound effects are realistic and help make the game seem as though you are in the environment it places you in. Overall no complaints in this area and they seemed to really try to add some realistic effects in the audio track.

Replay Value

Offering a split screen mode for two-players and two game modes, the Sims 2 has plenty to offer. It will appeal more to those who are fans of the series though. While there are plenty of goals to unlock and items to collect, only those who love to get everything will get the full value out of playing this one. Most gamers will be content in playing the game once and then trying the free play mode and be satisfied. No pun intended but it is a Sim and if you’re into Sims then you will enjoy the game.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 7.1/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

Again fans of the series will enjoy the game but even the die-hard fans will miss some of the intense interactions of past versions. It tends to follow a point A to B concept and the story needed more depth overall. Enjoyable and at times, very funny but mainly geared for fans of the series. The game would have been a must own for any fan if they had added as much to the storyline as they did to the controls.

Related Links

• The Sims 2 Official Website
• Sims 2 Xbox Screenshots
• More Sims 2 Resources from the Internet
  The Sims 2 Cheats – cheats and codes for all versions of The Sims at Video Game Strategies
  The Sims 2 – Just about every resource you could want, from Computer Simulation Games

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