The Sims 2 (PC)
Manufacturer: Electronic Arts Inc. Part number: 14726
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Description:
- In the The Sims 2, you direct your Sims over a lifetime and mix their genes from one generation to the next. You set your Sims' goals in life; fame, fortune, family, romance or knowledge. Give them a long, successful existence or leave their lives in shambles. Take them to extremes, from getting busted to seeing a ghost, from marrying ... Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBay |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
Gamespot editors' review
The Sims 2 (PC) price range: $19.99
- Reviewed by: Andrew Park
- Reviewed on: 09/14/2004
- Updated on:09/23/2004
- Released on: 09/14/2004
If you were wondering, The Sims 2 is a great sequel and a great game in its own right, and it's recommendable to just about anyone. For some, especially the devoted fans that have enjoyed the first game's open-ended gameplay, which was all about controlling the lives of autonomous little computer people, this is all that really needs to be said. But considering that The Sims 2 is the sequel to what is reportedly the most successful computer game ever (and that's not even counting its many expansion packs), the new game almost seems like a victim of its own success. 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. Then again, you could simply say that EA and Maxis are making sure the game has room to grow with future updates--and there's no denying that The Sims 2's additions will give dedicated fans of the series plenty of stuff to do.
You can make a highly customized family, even if all you want is a bunch of Nerds.
In the most basic terms, The Sims 2, like The Sims before it, lets you create one or more "sims"--autonomous characters with distinct personalities and needs. You then create a virtual household of one or more sims (you get to decide whether they're roommates, spouses, or parents) and move them into a house and a neighborhood that is either prebuilt or built from scratch. Your sims interact with each other and with their neighbors, children leave the house for school each day, and employed adults head out for work to earn a living in one of a number of different career paths. However, the sequel has several new options, including an enhanced neighborhood editor that lets you import custom cities from Maxis' own SimCity 4, if you have that game installed. Plus, there are expanded building options that let you build a much bigger house.
But the most significant additions in the new game are probably the enhancements made to the sims and the ways they act. While they still have specific personality types determined by their horoscopes and individual characteristics like neatness, niceness, and playfulness (which you can still adjust to your taste), sims now have some notable major new features (some of which are more important than others), like memories, customized appearances, genetics, aging, and the new aspiration/fear system. Memories are generated by important events that occur in sims' lives, like getting married, having a child, or having a loved one pass away. Memories impact your sims' future behavior (though not to any huge extent), and they can also be used to build out a highly customized neighborhood with its own background story and photo album if you're so inclined, though they don't add much more to the basic game.
The sequel also features enhanced appearance editing tools that let you customize your sims' clothing, hairstyle and hair color, and also let you make many adjustments to their facial features. Oddly, the editor doesn't let you adjust your sims' height or their build (beyond making them "normal" or "fat"), but it, along with the "body shop" utility, should let most players basically re-create whatever characters they want to from their favorite TV shows or movies.
Nerd family genetics at work. Parents pass on their traits to their children in The Sims 2.
The appearance editors go hand in hand with genetics, which takes the ability to create a family of sims and builds it out further, though what you get out of this new feature depends entirely on what you put into it. Essentially, this new system lets sims pass on genetic information to their children. When creating a new family, you can have the game randomly generate that family's children based on the parent's appearance and personality (and you can further edit the child's appearance and personality however you like, if you prefer). Depending on your preferences, you may find yourself messing around with the genetics system in other ways. You might try to carefully re-create a real-life couple or family to see what kind of genetics they pass on. Or, you might toss some alien DNA into the family tree to see what happens, as The Sims 2 also lets you create aliens from outer space that you can marry off to humans, if that's what floats your boat.
More importantly, sims maintain their family ties (assuming you don't have any dramatic family squabbles), so if you decide to really hunker down and build out an extended clan, you can start with a carefully designed family or group of families, let them get married, and let them have children. You can then watch the children grow up and move out into their own places. And since sims are still autonomous and go about their lives even without supervision, you can expect to later receive visits from doting grandparents (or mooching grandchildren, depending on whose household you decide to control). Again, like memories, these are features that will reveal their rewards with the extra time and effort you choose to spend on them.
User reviews
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Fantastic Game with an addictive twist
by Lanaa_Banana on January 28, 2007
Pros: Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, EVERYTHING!
Cons: You need a fast computer for maximum pleasure
Summary: The Sims 2 is a fantastic game with a very addictive twist. If you were a fan of the sims or just love Simulation games then this is definetley the ...
Summary: The Sims 2 is a fantastic game with a very addictive twist. If you were a fan of the sims or just love Simulation games then this is definetley the right game for you.
With Fantastic graphics and a large collection of hilarious music (based on actual real songs) you will have hours of laughing. The Sims 2 is a great game which allows you to control a sim or family and choose there life path. With a great genetic gameplay you will be able to create sims after sims that carry traits of their parents.
The Sims 2 has a great range of expansion packs and addons that will make sure your game is never boring and always fun filled!! Overall i belive this game is a fantastic, addictive game which allows you to live the life you want!!
A must for Sim lovers and simulation addicts!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I love the sims 2 very much
by emory on July 2, 2005
Pros: New genetics, fun new way to design faces, and clothing
Cons: I miss the vacation, and downtown options:'(
Summary: YES, i love the sims 2...it's just as fun and addicting as the first, plus it's not another expansion pack to the sims, it's a completely ...
Summary: YES, i love the sims 2...it's just as fun and addicting as the first, plus it's not another expansion pack to the sims, it's a completely new game. It's fun to design faces, and customize clothing, and now it's even easier tp download clothing online, SCORE! The only thing is i miss the downtown mode and vacation mode, though in sims 2 you can buy cloths and other items in a downtown like area but no RESTERAUNTS!!!!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great fun.. For a bit....
by jrastamann on January 31, 2009
Pros: When you first buy it you love it
Unique compared to other gamesCons: Gets boring fast.
Game doesnt progress, it stays the same nomadder how far you get into it
Slows down pc a lot
no online functionSummary: When you first buy the sims and you go home putting it in your computer, you might notice already that it has diminished the speed of your pc. This is ...
Summary: When you first buy the sims and you go home putting it in your computer, you might notice already that it has diminished the speed of your pc. This is true, because it takes up 3.5 GB of memory, and 256 mb ram. If you are a noob with computers, that is a lot for a non-online pc game.
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Slows down system too much
by testingtesting123 on January 17, 2008
Pros: Awesome new features
Cons: Slows down system so much it takes forever to do anything
Summary: Even on a new (decent)computer, this game slows the system down waaay too much for me to want to play it very often.
Also, the 'building' features are more ...Summary: Even on a new (decent)computer, this game slows the system down waaay too much for me to want to play it very often.
Also, the 'building' features are more complicated...not as intuitive as in SIMS 1. Good tutorial though. -
addictive, clean fun!
by jae_mixed on August 2, 2007
Pros: so extremely addictive, even without ad-ons, easy and fun gameplay, nothing like it
Cons: a couple of minor game glitches that really doesn't affect anything
Summary: so so so addictive, and so much fun! i must admit, at first it sounds like a pretty lame game, i mean, you control someone's life? how interesting could ...
Summary: so so so addictive, and so much fun! i must admit, at first it sounds like a pretty lame game, i mean, you control someone's life? how interesting could that be? well let me tell you, it is extremely interesting! a must must must!
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It's just so great
by Tumzine on June 19, 2007
Pros: Everything it's just so great
Cons: There's nothing wrong
Summary: It's the best game I've ever played in my life and after you've bought that game you'll need nothing else
Summary: It's the best game I've ever played in my life and after you've bought that game you'll need nothing else
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Awesome Game!
by justflash on May 29, 2007
Pros: Great Game Play
Cons: Takes up a lot of space on hard-drive and is a little laggy at time even with a high end computer.
Summary: definitely worth your money
Summary: definitely worth your money
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Great game but it takes ages for my PC to load it!
by chit_n_chat on December 10, 2005
Pros: Great game, excellent fun!
Cons: My computer takes ages to load it up
Summary: My PC is a new computer, i've had it a month or two but this game takes AGES to load on here. I've tried to work out why ...
Summary: My PC is a new computer, i've had it a month or two but this game takes AGES to load on here. I've tried to work out why but just don't get it. I'm going to try fitting some more RAM hopefully at some stage. It's a bit of a shame the ratings are dragged down by the load time becuase if it loaded faster, it'd definatly deserve a 9 in my opinion
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Super Duper Awesome!!
by ksagers on September 10, 2005
Pros: everything!
Cons: can't go to work or go out with the sims, no pets, limited hair color choices, not all outfits are up to date in the latest clothes. (kidding on the last one, but it is true)
Summary: great game with a few minor flaws
Summary: great game with a few minor flaws
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The Sims 2 Rock....
by lmskiaraj on August 16, 2005
Pros: Fun and you can play for hours at a time and never become bored
Cons: The price but hey i am a die hard fan so i pay it.. lol
Summary: The Sims 2 is totally awesome!!! I have been a fan since the first sims came out.. When I play I just go into my own private world and play ...
Summary: The Sims 2 is totally awesome!!! I have been a fan since the first sims came out.. When I play I just go into my own private world and play for hours at a time.. OH yeah I am over 21 under 30 so age is not an issue for this game.. Its great...
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Electronic Arts Inc.
- Part number: 14726
- Description: In the The Sims 2, you direct your Sims over a lifetime and mix their genes from one generation to the next. You set your Sims' goals in life; fame, fortune, family, romance or knowledge. Give them a long, successful existence or leave their lives in shambles. Take them to extremes, from getting busted to seeing a ghost, from marrying an alien to writing a great novel. Unleash your creativity with the all-new Create-A-Sim, new building options, and the new in-game movie camera. Get ready to mix their genes, fulfill their dreams, and push them to extremes. What do you want to do with your Sims' lives?
Product Basic Spec
- Platform PC
- ESRB rating Teen - Crude Humor,Violence,Mature Sexual Themes
- Genre Strategy
- Elements Virtual Life
- Context Realistic
- Number of players 1 Player
- Difficulty Medium
- Stability Stable
- Learning curve About a half hour
- Operating system Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
Minimum
- CDROM 0
- CPU 800 MHz processor
- DVDROM 0
- Disk 3500 MB
- Other TnL capable video card
- RAM 256 MB
- VRAM 32 MB
Game
- Developer Maxis
- ESRB Teen
- ESRB descriptors Crude Humor,Violence,Mature Sexual Themes
- Max number of players 1
- Release date 2004-09-14
Manufacturer info
- Electronic Arts Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Electronic Arts Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.ea.com/
- Address:
1450 Fashion Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404 - Phone: 650/571-7171
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