Sims 2
Score: 70% ESRB: Teen Publisher: EA Games Developer: Maxis Media: UMD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Simulation/ God Games/ Miscellaneous
Graphics & Sound: People play games for many reasons. I'm probably best classified as a gamer who plays for enjoyment, and I'm not ashamed to say I like escapist entertainment as much as anyone. Sims 2 is most definitely not escapist, so why would someone be drawn to play? Graphics are not motivation enough, to be sure. There's nothing fancy about the interface or the environments. Both are utilitarian and move you along toward the goal of controlling your Sim as he or she moves through the game. There are about five real unique settings, and roughly twenty locations that you can explore in each setting. Exploration in Sims 2 language means the interaction between characters, and the extent to which you can understand your Sim enough to steer him through challenges in the game. There's an equally flat presentation in terms of music, and I found the chatter between characters amusing for only the first few times. For those who haven't played the game, when characters talk they don't actually speak any language, but spool out nonsensical syllables that almost sound like language. Silly stuff. It is funny the first few times, but the charm is lost after about two or three repetitions.
Gameplay: Has Sims 2 made the leap to portable gaming intact? I don't think so. For people who love the massively multiplayer version or just remember the PC version fondly, I expect Sims 2 on PSP will be a disappointment. It's not that all the gameplay elements aren't present, but they are framed as a type of "Choose Your Own Adventure" instead of the very open-ended gameplay that created the Sims phenomenon in the first place. Control of the elements in Sims 2 for PSP are limited to interaction with a few characters or objects in an environment that is already constructed, rather than giving players a chance to really build out much of the Sim's world. In the beginning of the game, a mechanical snafu puts your car in the shop, and you are thrown into the intrigue of Strangetown. There is a good mystery to uncover, and in this way, Sims 2 feels like a good point-and-click adventure, but not much like the simulation game I expected. Solving puzzles and uncovering the mysteries of Strangetown is engaging, and the most intricate puzzle is always the interaction with other people. Building a Sim is a lot of fun, and monitoring the clues and secrets given to you by other NPCs is where the game really becomes engaging. Otherwise, there isn't nearly as much depth in Sims 2 compared to its PC counterpart. Not to say this is a fair comparison, but just don't come to this game expecting the same experience you have on PC.
Difficulty: One of the things that keeps the Sims 2 experience engaging is the level of challenge. The concept of a "sanity meter" is used to prevent you from just treating Sims 2 as an open-ended adventure/exploration game. If you don't take care of your Sim or interact with some care when you talk to NPCs, your Sim will start to... er, go bonkers? A meter does in fact represent sanity, so along with all the physical needs you have to satisfy, you have to keep on top of mental health. I question the logic of calling it sanity, since even a bad social interaction can steal points from the meter. It's really a scale for social equilibrium, but that doesn't look as good on the screen as "sanity meter." If you can't play the Social Game in Sims 2, you are doomed to a sad existence. In this, the PSP version is not so far from the spirit of the PC or console version, since Sims has always been more about social interaction than just building towns, zoos or theme parks. The human communication element within the game is probably what has created as many dedicated players as there are dialed into the MMO version of Sims. Since the game is necessarily more contained on PSP, goals and paths are clearly defined and there is a greater sense of success vs. failure. Some may find this frustrating and "non-Sim" but others may just enjoy a Sims variation they can take with them on the plane or train. In either case, there's good challenge in Sims 2.
Game Mechanics: As a famous man once said, either about dogs walking on their hind legs or women voting (I can't remember which...), "The miracle is not in how the thing is done but that it is done at all". Not to say I have no critique for the control scheme and interface of Sims 2, but the idea that a game with as many moving parts and corresponding keyboard/mouse controls can be ported to PSP is somewhat ludicrous. The translation for gameplay may be somewhat stuttering, but the ease of use in menus and control is brilliant. I found there was too much loading, especially in the midst of the Social Game that is the fundamental nugget of gameplay. I also found that selecting objects for interaction was a bit rickety in parts. Otherwise, you would really not miss the keyboard and mouse, ever. It's a great thing to do, and even though there has been thought put into this for the console version of Sim games already behind us, the ideas for mobile gaming are well executed. With screen real estate at a premium, Sims 2 never seems cluttered. The dialogue between players and the Social Game segments are pushed along as much by emoticons as by text, which saves a lot of space. The use of items is simple, and carried items are visible and accessible at the touch of a button at any time. Submenus, including those for sharing items or cloning characters in multiplayer mode, are clean and simple to navigate. There isn't much of a true multiplayer game, apart from being able to share items, but the trading aspect is intended to be a way that players can advance more quickly in the game, or add variety to what is a pretty stripped down experience. Long load times aside, the game is a good venture, but it is a questionable introduction to the Sims world for new gamers. Those who love the Sims experience might enjoy this as a form of Sim-pet alongside their full-blooded PC version, but there's an equal chance that die-hard Sim gamers might see Sims 2 for PSP as fluff. The ability to trade characters and items with other players is an interesting concept, but I wonder how many people will really take advantage of this as a networking concept. Taken to the Internet, trading might really make this a completely different proposition. Cut off from a MMO experience, and limited by its scope, Sims 2 for PSP is like a semi-sweet tidbit that leaves you wanting more.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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