Walking Leaf

I haven’t played The Sims 2 for quite some time – around two years – but since I have purchased all the expansion packs, I’ve decided to install all these onto my PC and experience the new game playing features in my favourite life simulation video game.

Playing The Sims 2 is a fantastic experience. I love the social interaction by controlling each of the little characters. Yes, sometimes I can be a bit cruel by finding amusing ways to kill off unwanted Sims… But it is part of the game’s charm. The ability to manipulate each Sim to your own action in making friends, working in jobs and buying stuff is part of the appeal.

The latest expansion pack is Seasons and for the first time ever, the Sims environment is affected by different weather conditions. In the past, a typical day in the life of a Sim is usually bright and sunny… Pretty dull to be honest, but this new feature gives a realistic feel to the changing of the four seasons.

In addition to the Seasons, the ability to have pets brings a whole new set of game play to the popular Sims. I believe the success of Nintendogs on the Nintendo DS has made EA (the developers of the game) to add this in to make it even more lifelike. The AI of the dogs and cats are pretty impressive, mimicking the behaviour of the real life animal (from scratching the furniture to chasing the postman)!

One thing for sure, without the lasting appeal of The Sims, I wouldn’t have got into Animal Crossing! Both of these games are similar in concept. Don’t have any goals to complete and yet, compelling to play and addictive.