Gamenikki
Systems
Screens
Summary
pros
- Good mini games
- Good story and characters
cons
- Various parts of gameplay can be tedious
- Not what most Sims fans have come to expect
final score
6
The Review
Sims 2, The
- Number of Players: 1
- Genre: Simulation
- Developer: Amaze Entertainment
- Publisher: EA
- ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
- Online: None
- Supports: Cartridge Save, Multi-cartridge multiplayer
From the start, EA stated that every version of The Sims 2 would be unique. For the GBA, Amaze Entertainment went in a completely different direction. Fans expecting the same type of experience as The Sims: Bustin’ Out or The Urbz: Sims in the City are going to be quite disappointed. But going into it with an open mind can lead to an enjoyable albeit flawed experience.
As with any Sims title, you begin with customizing your character. You only have a few options for hair, shirt, pants, and the like. It is more than enough to make your character seem personalized in a video game sense. However, you don’t feel fully customized as in other Sims titles.
The first thing you notice is that play is less open ended than in other Sims titles. In fact, it plays more like a trigger-based RPG. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing but it is something different and will turn off fans expecting more of the same.
Strangetown is also inhabited by a decently colorful cast including such television staples as a mob boss, a biker, and a red haired FBI agent who looked conspicuously like Dana Scully. If those are too bland, there are also aliens, a mummy, a robot, and more. You may not talk to all of them in each chapter, but everyone gets a starring role at some point.
Gameplay can get a little boring but not unbearable. I have seen a lot of Sims fans complaining about how dreadful it is but I think a lot of that is from the it’s-not-like-the-others syndrome. It's not terribly new and innovative but it's not as if they stole from another game and slapped The Sims on it.
For my character, a typical day started with my sim waking up. He then proceeded to take care of his daily “chores” such as eating and showering and then out the front door and into Strangetown. He'd check out the store to see if any new furniture caught his fancy before wandering over to play some mini games. Once he made some money doing that, it was time to befriend people, as his aspiration was friendly, or advance the plot as much as possible before having to go to sleep and begin anew.
As with any Sims title, you begin with customizing your character. You only have a few options for hair, shirt, pants, and the like. It is more than enough to make your character seem personalized in a video game sense. However, you don’t feel fully customized as in other Sims titles.
The first thing you notice is that play is less open ended than in other Sims titles. In fact, it plays more like a trigger-based RPG. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing but it is something different and will turn off fans expecting more of the same.
"...The first thing you notice is that play is less open ended than in other Sims titles. In fact, it plays more like a trigger-based RPG...."
You play a new actor who is the pawn of Daddy Bigbucks, big shot reality television producer. The entire city of Strangetown is the set of a reality tv broadcast. I’m not a fan of reality tv but these plots were varied and fun. Each new level of the game was deemed a “chapter” and centered around alien invasion, shrinking people, a love potion, or something equally off the wall.Strangetown is also inhabited by a decently colorful cast including such television staples as a mob boss, a biker, and a red haired FBI agent who looked conspicuously like Dana Scully. If those are too bland, there are also aliens, a mummy, a robot, and more. You may not talk to all of them in each chapter, but everyone gets a starring role at some point.
Gameplay can get a little boring but not unbearable. I have seen a lot of Sims fans complaining about how dreadful it is but I think a lot of that is from the it’s-not-like-the-others syndrome. It's not terribly new and innovative but it's not as if they stole from another game and slapped The Sims on it.
For my character, a typical day started with my sim waking up. He then proceeded to take care of his daily “chores” such as eating and showering and then out the front door and into Strangetown. He'd check out the store to see if any new furniture caught his fancy before wandering over to play some mini games. Once he made some money doing that, it was time to befriend people, as his aspiration was friendly, or advance the plot as much as possible before having to go to sleep and begin anew.
Written by: Frank Goodoff