The Sims 2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Sims 2 | ||
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| Developer(s) | Maxis | |
| Publisher(s) | EA Games (PC) Aspyr (Mac) |
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| Designer(s) | Patrick J. Barrett III Matthew C. Brown Cooper Buckingham Jenna Chalmers Shannon Copur Amy Dallas Daniel Hiatt Kevin Hogan Hunter Howe |
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| Engine | Custom | |
| Latest version | 1.0.0.1022 / 1.0 Rev C | |
| Release date(s) | Windows NA 2004-09-14 EU 2004-09-16 BR 2004-09-17 |
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| Genre(s) | Life simulation game | |
| Mode(s) | Single player | |
| Rating(s) | ESRB:
PEGI:
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| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Mac OS X, Mobile phones, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Windows, Xbox | |
| Media | Cartridge, CD, DVD, MiniDVD, UMD | |
| System requirements |
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The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game to date, The Sims.[3] It was released on 2004-09-17 and sold a record one million copies in its first ten days.[4] The Sims 2 has been released for Windows, Mac OS X, and several game consoles. Along with the core game, Electronic Arts has released five expansion packs and four stuff packs. Mark Mothersbaugh composed the music. The game builds on its predecessor by allowing Sims, the simulated human characters, to age through six stages of life and incorporating a more powerful 3D graphics engine. A sequel,The Sims 3, was announced in November 2006 by EA.[5][6]
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
In The Sims 2, players control characters called Sims, as they interact with their virtual environments, engaging in activities and forming relationships in a manner similar to real life. The Sims 2 does not have a defined final goal; gameplay is open-ended.
[edit] Sims
Sims are the characters a player controls, and are the main drive for The Sims 2's open gameplay. A player's Sims can experience a life generally reflective of reality through events such as working, marrying, having children and eventually dying.
[edit] Physiology
Like humans, Sims operate based on certain drives: they have needs, develop dreams and goals, and exhibit personality. They can progress through six life stages: baby, toddler, child, teen, adult, and elder. Sims die naturally after a certain number of days in the Elder life stage. The different life stages present different challenges that the player must overcome, such as the slower perambulation of Elders and constant crying of Babies.
Sims are driven principally by their Needs and Aspirations. In The Sims 2, Sims have up to eight Needs (or "motives") depending on their age, such as bladder, or the need to urinate, energy, or the need to sleep. As toddlers and children, Sims aspire only to "Grow Up," but upon becoming teens, the player chooses one of five life aspirations for them: family, fortune, knowledge, popularity, or romance. Each Sim has wants and fears that correspond to his or her aspiration, stage of life and present circumstances. When a want is achieved, such as to "play with a relative," aspiration points are alloted to the aspiration meter. Conversely, when a fear is realized, such as the death of a spouse, aspiration points are penalized. There are six levels to the meter, the highest being platinum, then gold, two levels of green and two of red. Aspiration levels determine the length of time a Sim will live as an Elder before death. Aspiration points are used to purchase special objects that possess unique effects, such as lengthening or shortening lifespan.[7]
Personality is a quantified way of measuring a Sim's behavioral characteristics. There are five personality traits, which players can allocate 'points' into to control that Sim's personatlity. For example, a Sim can be active, lazy or somewhere in between the two extremes. These traits determine how fast a Sim learns skills, the rate at which specific needs decay, the types of interactions a Sim will autonomously engage in, the likelihood of accepting certain interactions and the likelihood of bringing home a friend from school or work.
All Sims communicate in Simlish.
[edit] Lifestyle
A Sim's life is very similar to a human's: after passing through infantile stages, he or she attends school, makes friends, may have a regular job, and achieve goals. Children and Teens must go to school or risk abduction by a Social worker. A Teen, Adult, or Elder Sims may have a career to earn a regular salary. Advancement in career tracks, such as business and science, requires achieving certain skill levels and maintaining a certain number of family friends.
Sims form two kinds of relationships with one another: daily and lifetime. Daily relationships are influenced by recent interactions with other Sims, with lifetime relationships are reflective of a pair's relationship as a whole. Lifetime relationships strengthen over time, while daily relationships weaken without recurring interaction. Romantic relationships are realized through marriage, civil unions, and WooHoos (a euphemism for sex).
Sims can die several ways. If a Sim reaches the end of the Elder life stage, he or she will die of old age. Sims can also meet premature ends by various means, such as electrocution or drowning. Sims leave behind tombstones or urns, which are typically possessed by their ghosts. As long as the memorium is left on the lot, ghosts will haunt the household. Ghosts make it harder for a Sim to live by waking up easily frightened Sims, and can also scare a Sim to death.
After death, a Sim is no longer controllable and will be removed from the control interface. Death is carried out in The Sims 2 by the NPC Reaper, equipped with the uniform scythe and robes.
[edit] Types of Sims
Playable Sims are the Sims a player controls directly. All gameplay is executed through actions of Playable Sims. Playable Sims are created in one of three ways. A playable Sim may be created using the Create-a-Family feature and placed in the game, by birth or adoption into an existing family, or by being a non-playable Sim moved into a lot.
There are two types of non-playable Sims:
- "Townie" Sims are those which are roughly equivalent to playable Sims, having jobs and other characteristics of a playable Sim, except they do not live on an actual lot. They populate the Community lots and can be interacted with just like any other Sim. They don't age until they move in with another Sim and become playable Sims. With certain exceptions, any Townie may become a playable Sim if he or she accepts an invitation to move in or be married.
- Non-playable Sims that perform specific functions are called NPCs. NPCs can be hired to work for residential lots as maids, nannies, and gardeners. There are also cashiers who work at community lots, as well as NPC Sims with special tasks, such as Firemen. Most NPCs may become a Playable Sim through union or moving in. Their role, now empty, is automatically filled by a new NPC.
[edit] Habitation
Sims inhabit neighborhoods, which are self-contained; Sims from one neighborhood cannot interact with Sims from another. In The Sims 2, three neighborhoods created by Maxis, Pleasantview, Strangetown and Veronaville, were included. Each neighborhood contains lots. There are two types of lots: residential and community. Sims live and build their homes on residential lots and may visit community lots, which house recreational hangouts, such as pools and malls.
[edit] Plot
Although gameplay is open-ended, The Sims 2 has characters with histories, and the game is designed to accommodate story-based gameplay should the player wish to do so through expanded photo album features, such as a neighborhood photo album. The three (later four, with Seasons) pre-loaded neighborhoods each have a storyline told through the existing photo albums and the Sims' personal biographies, though playing characters in these neighborhoods is still open-ended. The story can even be completely disregarded should the player wish to.
The Sims 2 is based loosely on the original plot lines of The Sims, by containing information about families extant in the first game. Several pre-loaded families in The Sims 2 have subtle clues, hinting that this game exists about 20 years after the first game.
Utilizing the complex ancestry system, The Sims 2 incorporates details that link families in this game to the first. The Broke family has a series of Newbies in their genealogical history. The Newbies were a family from the first game. The Goth family is a canon element in The Sims games. In this game, their daughter from the first game has grown into a woman about to be married, further emphasizing the passage of time. The Goths in The Sims 2 also provide a basis for story-driven play, as a plot involving their vanished mother and impending marriage is hinted at throughout gameplay. Other returning families from earlier games include the Pleasants (for whom "Pleasantview" is named), the Burbs, and the Kats (Pets expansion only). One of the new families was also married to Michael Bachelor, who is now deceased and also identified within the Sims 2 as being Bella Goth's brother.
[edit] History
[edit] Development
EA Games announced on 2003-05-05 that the Maxis studio has begun development on The Sims 2. The game was first shown at E³ in Los Angeles, California on 2004-05-13.[8] Will Wright admits that while most of the content of The Sims 2 are original ideas, inspiration for its own expansions and consituents spawned from the successes of the first game. The community interest in the antecedent The Sims: Unleashed expansion, for example, ensured the forthcoming The Sims 2: Pets expansion.[9]
After development concluded, designers from Maxis regarded The Sims 2 as very capricious during creation. Bugs would appear apparently spontaneously, and Sims would be "tweaked", or have anomalies not present in a previous run.[10]
[edit] Controversy
The game's highly malleable content and open-ended customization have lead to controversy on the subject of paysites and sexual modifications.
Custom content is distributed through independent websites, some of which charge for downloading materials. Although the license agreement specifically forbids charging money for content created with or for The Sims 2, to date EA Games has not commented on the controversy, but is not allowing any discussion of this on the official Sims 2 BBS.[11]
Some modifications, purportedly revealing sexual anatomy, sparked legal controversy. On 2005-07-22, Florida attorney Jack Thompson alleged that Electronic Arts and The Sims 2 promoted nudity through use of a mod or a cheat code. The claim was made that pubic hair, labia and other genital details were visible once the "blur" (the pixelation that occurs when a sim is using the toilet or is naked in the game) was removed.[12] Electronic Arts issued a statement saying that when the blur was removed, Sims lack such anatomical definition, similar to Barbie and Ken dolls. While custom content does exist to produce these anatomical structures, the creators of this custom content have made efforts to place it on "adult-only" websites or in adult-only sections of websites.
Thompson later retracted his statements concerning the specific anatomical structures, but claimed that Electronic Arts should lose its copyright for failure to prevent such changes to the game, although mods to the game are rarely violations of copyright. Electronic Arts executive Jeff Brown said in an interview with GameSpot:[13]
| “ | This is nonsense. We've reviewed 100 percent of the content. There is no content inappropriate for a teen audience. Players never see a nude sim. If someone with an extreme amount of expertise and time were to remove the pixels, they would see that the sims have no genitals. They appear like Ken and Barbie. | ” |
[edit] Reception
The Sims 2 had a successful E³ showing in 2004. In all, it garnered four awards based on that exhibit alone, and two more upon further review. The Game Critics awarded the game Best Simulation Game at E³ 2004.[14] GameSpot, GameSpy, and IGN also awarded The Sims 2 their Best of Show at E³ 2004 designation.[15][16][17] The game also received the Editor's Choice Award from IGN and GameSpy upon final review of the finished product.[18][19] From 71 online reviews, the average score was 90 out of 100. Seven of those sources awarded the game a 100 out of 100 score.[20]
In addition to its awards, the Sims 2 creator, Will Wright was also recognized by being nominated at the Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards for Visionary and Game Developer.[21] The game was also nominated for two international awards, Best PC Game, 2005 from BAFTA, and the International Press Academy Satellite Award for Best Puzzle/Strategy Game, 2005.[22][23]
[edit] Compared to The Sims
Graphically, The Sims 2 is far more accurate and true to real life than The Sims, immersing the player in a fully 3D world. Unlike earlier Sim games, such as SimCity 2000, which used dimetric projection and fixed resolutions, the camera in The Sims 2 allows the player to view things from many angles. Sims themselves are much more intricately detailed than they were in The Sims. Both in The Sims and The Sims 2, Sims are 3D meshes, but The Sims 2 introduces far more detail in mesh quality, texture quality, and animation capability. A Sim's facial features are customizable and unique. The player can adjust, for example, a Sim's nose to be very large or very small in The Sims 2's Create-a-Sim. Texturing is still achieved through use of raster images, though it appears more lifelike. Movements are more smooth, natural and true to humans and Sims are in general more animated. However, the game takes a long time to load a house or a neighborhood, even when a person might just want to go directly to a house instead of load an entire neighborhood first.
There is also an increased realism in gameplay. Sims have new experiences unavailable in The Sims, such as aging and eventual death. Sims can become pregnant and produce babies that take on genetic characteristics of their parents, such as eye color, hair color and personality traits. Additionally, babies in The Sims 2 progress through life stages to become adults, while babies in The Sims only become children before ceasing to continue aging.
[edit] Game customization
The Sims 2 is an extremely malleable game. Modders alter the game in ways as simple as creating new floor texture or as complicated as writing entire patches for the game code to customize its behavior. Such modifications are all loosely referred to as "custom content." Specifically, custom content can be divided into four categories: exporting (creating Sims and lots in-game or using the game's included Body Shop and exporting them to a file), recoloring (creating a new texture for an object), meshing (creating an object or modifying its shape) and hacking (writing code that manipulates game and object behaviors).
The modding community for The Sims 2 is self-supporting, with more advanced modders writing tools and tutorials to help in creating custom content and modifying the game environment.
The Sims 2 Body Shop is a program shipped with The Sims 2 that allows users to create custom clothing and body recolors, such as eyes, hair and skin tone. These custom created parts can be imported directly into the game, or can be uploaded onto the official The Sims 2 Exchange. These parts can be then added to other users' games.
Two elements that propagate customization is the official Exchange, and the many fansites that distribute conent. More than 250,000 Sims and lots have been uploaded to the Sims 2 Exchange on the Official Site. Some fansites require either a one-time fee or a subscription to access some of all of the content on the site. Most of the sites do not charge for usage, some however, do allow voluntary donations to offset the cost of website maintenance.
[edit] Game editions and add-on releases
For the PC, there have been three released editions of the core game, five released expansion packs and three released stuff packs. Many of these have been ported to Mac OS X by Aspyr. The Sims 2 has been released for a number of game consoles, The Sims 2 Seasons has just been released.
[edit] Core game
| Name | Windows Release date (USA) | Aspyr Media, Inc. Mac OS X port Release | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sims 2 | 2004-09-17 | 2005-06-13 | First release of the core game |
| The Sims 2: Special DVD Edition | 2004-09-17 | n/a | Core game, Bonus DVD content |
| The Sims 2: Holiday Edition (2005) | 2005-11-17 | n/a | Core game, content from The Sims 2: Holiday Party Pack |
| The Sims 2: Holiday Edition (2006) | November, 2006 | n/a | Core game, content from The Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff |
[edit] Expansion packs
The Sims 2 expansion packs provide additional game features and items. Generally, expansion packs add one central gameplay element, several peripheral elements, a new type of "expansion neighborhood", a new "supernatural" element (Zombies, in University), and approximately 125 new objects. Five expansion packs have been released.
| Name | Windows Release date (USA) | (EU) | Mac OS X port Release | Major Additions | New NPCs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University | 2005-03-01 | 2005-03-02 | 2005-12-12 | College Towns, Young Adult life stage, lifetime want, pranks, Influence, Four graduate careers, Zombies | Professors, Streakers, Cheerleaders, Mascots, Baristas |
| Nightlife | 2005-09-13 | 2005-09-13 | 2006-03-27 | Dating system, Downtown community area, Pleasure Aspiration, Chemistry, fury, Drivable cars, Vampires | Servers, Waiters, Chefs, Disco Jockeys, Count/Contessa, Gypsy Matchmakers |
| Open for Business | 2006-03-02 | 2006-03-02 | 2006-09-04 | Business system, Shopping districts, talent badges, perk system, Robots, elevators | Reporters, Barber Shop Crew |
| Pets | 2006-10-17 | 2006-10-20 | 2006-11-06 | Pets system, pet store lots, Werewolves | Animal Control Officers, Obedience Trainer |
| Seasons | 2007-02-07 | 2007-03-02 | n/a | Seasons environment, Riverblossom Hills neighborhood, six careers, PlantSims, gardens, fishing ponds (you can now fish in existing ponds) | Garden Club Members, Penguin |
[edit] Stuff packs
Stuff packs are add-ons to the base game that add only new objects. There are currently four released. Stuff packs were originally called booster packs, as seen in the release of The Sims 2: Holiday Party Pack. Current releases are called "Stuff Packs" and include certain gameplay elements introduced in previous expansion packs (as opposed to Holiday Party Pack, which only added a package file containing object data). Stuff packs typically add around 60 new items. None have been ported to Mac OS X, however, there are plans to port them.[24]
| Name | Windows release date (USA) | Major components |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday Party Pack | 2005-11-17 | Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa |
| Family Fun Stuff | 2006-04-13 | Fairy tale, Nautical |
| Glamour Life Stuff | 2006-08-31 | Luxury, Couture |
| Happy Holiday Stuff | 2006-11-07 | Similar to Holiday Party Pack, but adds the Chinese New Year theme (which includes fireworks), along with some other Asian holiday elements. Packaged with base game for a limited time |
| Celebration Stuff | 2007-04-03[25] | Celebrations, Fiestas |
| H&M Fashion Stuff[26] | TBA | This stuff pack is yet to be announced by EA Games. |
[edit] Console and handheld releases
- The Sims 2 was released for Nintendo DS, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox on 2006-10-24 in North America. The same games were released in Europe 2006-11-04. The game was released for PlayStation Portable in December 2005, with European release 2006-01-13. The game is also available via mobile/cell phones, with availability depending on carrier. The Sims 2: Pets was also ported to the PlayStation 2, GameCube, PSP, Nintendo DS, as well as the Game Boy Advance. The Console versions are very similar to the PC game, except that they posses an alternate Story Mode, and Adult is the only age group, meaning that Sims can't age or have children.
- A Sims game for the new Wii, MySims has been announced for release in 2007. The screenshots reveal that it has a more cartoonish and anime-influenced feel to it, with the characters resembling that consoles' Mii's. It will also be released for the Nintendo DS.
[edit] See also
- The Strangerhood, a machinima series made using The Sims 2
[edit] References
- ^ Mac OS X system requirements. Aspyr Media. Retrieved on August 29, 2006.
- ^ Windows system requirements. EA Games. Retrieved on August 29, 2006.
- ^ Walker, Trey (2002-03-22). The Sims overtakes Myst. GameSpot. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ IMDb. The Sims 2 trivia. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ Thorsen, Tor (2006-11-02). Sims 3, next-gen Black, new SimCity & LOTR coming. GameSpot. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ Orry, James (2006-03-11). Three new Sims games in development. Pro-G Media, UK. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ Adams, Dan (2004-09-10). The Sims 2 Review. IGN. Retrieved on April 7, 2007.
- ^ EA Announces Plans For The Sims 2. The Sims 2 Press Release (2003-05-05). Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ Will Wright Speaks Simlish. GameSpy (2005-02-27). Retrieved on April 7, 2007.
- ^ Bradshaw, Lucy (2004-08-31). Zany Outtakes from the Cutting Room Floor. Maxis, mirrored at GameSpot. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ Official BBS Moderator (2006-11-17). Post by EA Games employee on the controversy. The Sims 2 Forum (BBS). Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ CNN (2005-07-28). 'Sims' content criticized. money.cnn.com. Retrieved on March 1, 2007.
- ^ Surette, Tim (2005-07-02). Sims 2 content "worse than Hot Coffee". GameSpot. Retrieved on March 1, 2007.
- ^ Best of E3, 2004 Winners. The Game Critics Awards. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ Best of E3, 2004 Winners. GameSpot. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ The Annual GameSpy E3 Awards!. GameSpy. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ PC Best of E3 2004. IGN. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ The Sims 2 Review. IGN. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ The Sims 2 Review. GameSpy. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ Main Reviews Breakdown. Gamerankings.com. Retrieved on April 7, 2007.
- ^ Billboard 2004 Digital Entertainment Conference & Awards. Billboard. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ Latest Winners and Nominees. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ 10th Annual SATELLITE Awards (.doc). International Press Academy. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ Cohen, Peter (2007-03-26). Macworld.com. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
- ^ The Sims™ 2 Celebration Stuff Videos. Maxis. Retrieved on March 8, 2007.
- ^ IGN (2007-04-02). The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff. Planet The Sims. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
[edit] External links
[edit] Official site
[edit] Producer journals
- The Sims 2: Nightlife Producer Journal by Tim LeTourneau
- Update on The Sims 2: Nightlife Producer Journal by Tim LeTourneau
- The Sims 2: Open For Business Producer Journal by Tim LeTourneau
- The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff Developer Journal by Lyndsay Pearson
[edit] Resources
| The Sims | Livin' Large • House Party • Hot Date • Vacation • Unleashed • Superstar • Makin' Magic |
|---|---|
| The Sims 2 | University • Nightlife • Open for Business • Pets • Seasons • Stuff packs |
| The Sims Stories | Life Stories • Pet Stories • Castaway Stories |
| Online/Console | The Sims Online • The Sims • The Sims Bustin' Out • The Urbz • The Sims 2 • Pets • MySims |
| Misc. | Sim • Simlish |
|
SimCity series (SimCity • SimCity 2000 • SimCity 3000 • SimCity 4) |
