The Sims 2 DS – Review

Against all odds, who would’ve guessed that I’d actually like The Sims after all? Well, thanks to the Nintendo DS version of The Sims 2, the popular series seems to now have me in its unrelenting grasp. Even as I write, I cannot believe how this eventuality was possible, especially as I don’t like games that also include the completion of mundane daily activities—which aren’t on my favorite ‘to do’ list—such as cleaning, laundry, going to the toilet constantly, taking care of other people’s jobs, etc. I always wondered about all the hype and hysteria behind The Sims, never more so because you have to accomplish things that you don’t much like to do in ‘real’ life. But now with the DS version of The Sims 2, it’s a whole new perspective and a whole new story. I don’t know what to ‘blame’ in a positive way for my conversion. Is it the game’s story, its control, or the in-game activities that are ‘at fault’ concerning my fresh attitude to The Sims?

The Sims 2 storyline begins when your car breaks down in a deserted place called Strangetown. Luckily you meet a mechanic who may well be able to fix the car, despite all the holes in the engine. However, the repairs are scheduled to take a couple of days and, in the meantime, the mechanic suggests you stay in the not-so-fancy Strangetown hotel. While talking to the hotel’s concierge and mayor it seems that the owner of the hotel has walked out on the night prior to your arrival—and won’t be coming back. The mayor seems desperate; without a functioning hotel (with but one visitor a month) the tourist trade is bound to plummet, the town’s economy crash, and its people starve as the hotel is one of the only sources of money in Strangetown. Should it go under then the town goes with it. So, it duly falls to you to turn this hotel into a world-class palace of leisure. At the start of your reign, you get a vacuum cleaner to clean the floors, nuclear fuel rods(?) to keep the power functioning, and, last but not least, the manager’s suite to take a nice shower in. This is the beginning of your new job as Strangetown’s hotel manager—whether you like it or not.

To attract customers to your newly acquired establishment it’s necessary to have a clean hotel, be friendly to pretty much everybody, and obviously expand the hotel activities and amenities. One of your first tasks is to entertain guests and get them into a good mood by reacting in the correct way to their gestures. For example, if someone is spreading their arms towards you, you’ll need to hug that person (I’ll explain more about the involved gameplay control later). Ever vacuum cleaned in a hotel? Well, this is the time to learn as the hotel needs to be clean and neat, perhaps you’ll even find some money, Chinese fortune cookies, or other interesting items hidden within the dust. Not only do you need to run around with a vacuum cleaner, but you’ll also have to clean up spoiled water. Naturally, these aren’t my favorite activities though, and if I didn’t have to please people and clean up then I would be making music and paintings, scratching lottery tickets, dancing in a bar, shopping till I dropped, and spending most of my time in the casino. But I ‘do’ need customers, and therefore I treat them all as veritable kings and queens in order to keep the hotel’s rating high and the bills all paid.

The controlling of activities is mainly implemented by touching the bottom DS screen with your stylus. In case of necessary communication with your hotel guests, there are always three options/symbols visualised on the touch screen. As soon as a guest makes a certain move and babbles some Sims words, the option symbols start to shine and you need to react quickly by touching the symbol that best corresponds with the guest’s move. You’ll have a couple of seconds to touch the correct symbol before the communication is deemed unsuccessful and your ‘sanity meter’ drops—and that’s not good! The main control execution of the character needs to be done by pressing the square button. With the shoulder buttons the camera can be directed, and the ‘A’ button has been configured for picking up items or for starting communication. Last but not least, the ‘B’ button is very important as it speeds up your Sim. Let your character run to achieve the goals faster or help out the guests. Run, Sim. Run! Other actions, such as vacuum cleaning, fighting like a rat, painting the Mona Lisa, etc., can also be achieved through the touch screen.

Although it’s likely to become quite dusty in your hotel if you can’t maintain a steady flow with the vacuum cleaner, the graphics throughout The Sims 2 are decent…and also in 3D. Animation is, on the whole, fairly acceptable but, for example, the gesturing and movements of the characters aren’t always clear and understandable; therefore it is hard in the beginning to understand how best to react to them. Ah, well, you learn through doing, and also by listening to the Sims language, which can often help. Another negative point lies with the camera adjustment, which is always needed to gain a good overview of where your character is standing or moving to. Sometimes you can see your character freely standing in a room, but when you walk forward there’s suddenly a wall. Again, camera adjustment is constantly needed to best control your view and character.

Sound can be divided into three sections: language, music, and effects. The Sims characters have their own language, which sounds like a mix of Chinese and Baby talk. For example, if someone in the game asks “Nutaba tutu?” they actually want a hug. You’ll get used to their phrases, but it still sounds odd no matter how often you hear the Sims talk. The overall music is more satisfactory and can even be changed in some rooms (bar, restaurant, disco). Whether you’re into techno, blues, or rock, it’s available for your aural pleasure. Also, if you step outside the hotel, you’ll automatically know when aliens have landed (aliens?—Ed) as there’s a mysterious sound being broadcast. The in-game sound effects can be defined as pretty solid, without being overstated; they fit perfectly within the game, everything from the hissing of the vacuum cleaner, and fish splashing in the pool, to the detector zooming while scanning the environment, and even something simple like taking a shower. Anyway, if you cannot handle the Sims sounds because they get on your nerves, or perhaps because you have a hearing disability, then no problem, just turn the speakers down or completely off. You’ll hardly miss the sound, and you can still keep playing in a fun way as all tasks and due communications are based on visualization.

Meet Mamma Hogg and Ava Cadavra. These are the two main female characters in The Sims 2—if you’re playing as a male Sim, of course! Otherwise you’re the most impressive female character with the best outfit and hairstyle. But nevertheless Ava is, in my opinion, also an important lady. She’ll visit your hotel, demanding to stay in the penthouse. She is a Goth and orders you to build a dark place, a shrine in the basement, where she can hold her meetings. Mamma Hogg is more the depressive mother who seems to need cheering up all the time. But as a manager you want to keep the ladies happy, right? Of course there are more female characters, the ones who work in Strangetown’s shops, and the ones who drop by to stay at your hotel such as Misty Waters and Penelope Redd.

Who could have guessed that I’d finally fall for a Sims game? That I actually loved to play this game and checked in on it on a daily basis is a wonder unto itself. And the secret behind why I got hooked was, in the main, all the different kind of activities. I simply loved to hang out in the casino winning and losing money, scratching lottery tickets, creating paintings, scanning the desert and, of course, buying new things and expanding the hotel. The second reason why I liked The Sims 2 so much is that it’s sort of mission driven. You need to construct new rooms and achieve goals given by the hotel guests. So, the appraisal of varied missions and fun-filled activities soon sees a staunch non-Sims game player swiftly becoming a genuine Sims fan. Of course, there are still (unnecessary) things I don’t like to do in the game, such as going to the bathroom, taking a shower, eating, and all those dull daily activities, but luckily these are not the central or driving activities in the DS version of The Sims 2. Most of your time will be spent busily performing your new job to the best possible standard, interacting with other Sims to make them happy, getting assignments, uncovering secrets, and always seeking to progress in the game. All in all, The Sims 2 is a really cool and entertaining release for every type of gamer—even those who ‘think’ they don’t like The Sims. And now you’ll really have to excuse me, I’ve got to check if my hotel guests have paid their bills or need me to be of service. There’s always work to do, you know.

Review by Wencke
Thumb Bandits European Correspondent & manager of GGU.