The Sims 2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I must admit that I just bought my iMac last Friday -- therefore, I'm completely capable of playing this wonderful game. But, still -- some of the comments on this site are a bit over-the-top. If you're not completely sure about your system, research the specs (it'll take you a total of two minutes) and, to be extra sure, download the Aspyr Game Agent at Aspyr's website [...]. Run it on your Mac, and see if the Sims 2 meets and/or exceeds the minimum requirements. If it doesn't, you'll know, and therefore you won't have to waste money on a game that won't work for your Mac.

I'm particularly bothered by the "even on top of the line specs, it still doesn't work" review. My specs are not technically top of the line (I have an iMac 17" 2.0 GHz Rev. B model, 512 MB RAM), and it works PERFECTLY. The graphics are beautiful, the music amazing, the speed consistently great -- this game is like heaven on my iMac.

Considering that the requirements (more over the recommendations!) are pretty high, I can certainly understand the complaints. But on near or "top of the line" specs -- really, use that Aspyr Game Agent program -- it works beautifully.

A brief review of the game itself: this game is absolutely perfect, as I've said a couple times before. The 3D upgrade isn't as upsetting as I thought it would be, like it was in Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 (I was a Windows user before last week, bleh).

The game is exactly like the first, except with many enhancements. Your sims now have aspirations and fears, which makes for great fun! An aspiration of my sim Mike is that he wants to learn how to cook Lunch Meat Sandwiches. I had him read a cooking book one afternoon, and sure enough, he gained his goal. After which he gained enough Aspiration points to buy the family a money tree. ^_^

Another great aspect of the game, at least to me, is that any two people can fall in love. It's nice to play a game where "different" sexual orientation is automatically assumed to be normal.

Also, the way you can customize your Sims is crazy. I'm not talking about the clothing or the accessories (although you get a lot of those) -- I'm talking about the Sim's FACES. You can pretty much sculpt a face anyway you'd like. It's a bit creepy when you realize you've been staring at a person's eyebrows for twenty minutes, trying to get them to your liking.

The Sims are now smarter, too. If a carpool is waiting for them outside (say, to go to work), a Sim will automatically go outside and get in the car. I remember this being a pain sometimes in the last Sims game, where they would constantly miss the carpool because of petty problems (cleaning the toilet, etc).

Basically, anything you want to do you can. While open ended, it's simultaneously not -- your Sims actually age this time and die. You now have very little time to fulfill a Sim's aspirations (and you'll want to, believe me). However, if the thought of your beloved Sims dying scares you, read the instruction booklet -- they supply a cheat to freeze the aging process, ala Sims 1.

When two Sims have a baby, the little thing actually resembles his or her (or it's...) parents. So many improvements.

And the game is much more smoother, too. The camera configurations seemed to be much better this time around -- I was swirling around rooms and zooming in and going sideways all the time, without the slightest lag.

In fact, this game makes you forget that you yourself have needs -- to go to the bathroom, go to work, go to sleep, to eat something. I can play this game all day long and not care about the time gone. It's mind boggiling how fast six hours can go by.

All in all, The Sims 2 is a rather perfect game. I can't think of anything to really improve, and the upcoming exspansion packs will just make everything even more fun and engrossing.

Remember to check your specs throughly before buying, though.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Sims 2

Product Description:
With the introduction of genetics you can control your Sims over a lifetime and pass their SimsDNA down from one generation to the next. The Sims evolve by genetically passing on physical and personality traits. Create and play your own virtual sitcom by choosing one of five different aspirations Popularity Fortune Family Knowledge and Romance. These aspirations in life cause your Sims to have wants and fears. Will you give them a long successful existence or leave their life in shambles?The Sims 2 also opens up endless new creative possibilities. Make your own Sim films with the new movie-making feature. Create the cast set the stage take control of the camera and capture your own screenplay in action. Zoom in close with the new camera to see every last detail.Features:Mix Genes - Take your Sims through an infinite number of generations as you evolve their family tree.Fulfill Dreams - Your Sims now have a purpose in life. Do they aspire to a life of fame fortune family knowledge or romance?Push the Extremes - Will your Sims be left at the altar and need a shrink or inherit a fortune and become filthy rich?Unlimited Creativity - Generate unique Sims with the new Create-A-Sim packed with a vast selection of facial features hairstyles and outfits. Build dream homes and design neighborhoods with new building design and home furnishing options.Revolutionary Movie-making - Make your own Sim films with the all-new movie-making feature. Create the cast set the stage take control of the camera and capture your own screenplay in action.System Requirements:Preliminary System Requirements (these may change before the game's release):Operating System: Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later CPU Processor: PowerPC G4 or later CPU Speed: 1GHz or faster Memory: 256 MB or higher Hard Disk Space: 4.2GB free disk space Video Card (ATI): Radeon 8500 or better Video Card (NVidia): GeForce2 MX or better Video Memory (VRam): 32 MB or higher Media Required: DVD Driv

Get 49% OFF

Want to read more honest consumer review about The Sims 2 now ?