orrowing an introspective thought from Seinfeld, The Sims is a simulator about nothing. If anything it’s an exaggeration on life and a means to escape reality. For better or worse, it’s life outside of life. For a game that seemingly has no purpose, people can’t seem to get enough of it. The Sims became an overnight sensation, topping the charts as the best-selling PC franchise of all time. For the first time since its inception three years ago, this highly sought-after series is finally heading to the PlayStation 2.
As joyous of an occasion as this may be, most PC conversions don’t fare well on consoles. If the gameplay interface doesn’t get watered down, then there’s usually a graphical technicality that greatly degrades the experience. Rather than porting the existing PC code and dealing with the PS2’s constraints, EA enlisted the talents of developer Edge of Reality to start from scratch and create an entirely new game based on the original property.
Through this development approach, this game of old now sparkles with harmonious PlayStation 2 luster. In many ways, The Sims has never looked or played better. Scoff if you will – it’s true. On the PC, it uses 2D sprites. On the PlayStation 2, it has evolved to 3D. The resolution may not be as razor-sharp, but one can’t question the detail of the polygonal graphics, the ability to rotate the environment on the fly, or the small things like the way that light careens off of windows.
If you’ve played The Sims on PC, then you know that it’s an open-ended game that goes on forever. The PlayStation 2 version still harnesses this trait, but it also has an ending. Much like Bullfrog’s Theme line of titles, this Sims features objective-based levels. The game starts with your character (whom you customized) taking a nap on his mom’s couch. A list of goals appears and you soon learn that you must complete these challenges to move out. You’ll need to repair the TV, take out the trash, clean the house, and get a job. Each stage brings with it different objectives and themes. You’ll be asked to throw a party at a frat house, get promoted at work, hook up with a loved one, start a family, and at the end, live happily ever after. With goals and parameters in place, the gameplay quickly transforms into something a bit different, yet just as seductive and relentlessly addictive.
I had my doubts as to how the controls would fit, but to my astonishment, the gameplay works just as well on the Dual Shock analogs as it does a mouse. This version also boasts a number of new items for your house, and for the first time ever, simultaneous multiplayer. As exciting as this feature sounds, the awkward view and confusion created by two players on the same play surface makes it more of a novelty than anything, but it is worth a few laughs.
I went into this review with the impression that this version wouldn’t live up to its PC counterpart, but I actually enjoyed this take on The Sims more than the original.