As if it hasn't been enough yet the past few days, there is still a lot of news about the Sims 2. First of all, we've made a complete list of all currently known cheats. If you don't want to play the game the fair way, view our cheats page to find out how to get more money quickly. Some new cheats are there as well, including one to get ยง50,000 in one go! If you'd rather extend the game with some downloads, you can go to the official site's Exchange. 1 Computer and 5 topiaries are yours to grab. More goodies are on the Cool Stuff page, where you can find some MP3s, buddy icons, and more. Another thing you can find there is a TV Ad, in QuickTime format. You can find it on the videos page. Another advertisement, scanned from the RTE TV Guide in Ireland, is shown below. It's been sent to us by James Magenta.
Need some help with the game? The customer support section has been updated and many new questions and answers have been added. You can of course also visit our Knowledge base for a lot of help. Furthermore, SnootySims (and several other sites) has posted a nude patch, which removes the blurring when Sims visit the toilet or the shower. It's recommended to back-up files that are patched, and this download may not be appropriate for children. You can download it from this page. The Dutch site SP Zone is also posting a bunch of movies this week, one every day. So far 2 have been posted. You can find them on their front page in the news items tagged with "[Video]". Use the "DOWNLOAD HET FILMPJE" links to download the movies.
Finally, the SimsZone review has come to an end. The conclusion has been written and posted. Read on for the English summary. No screenshots this time, but if you still want to read it, visit their review index for the link. The "Fazit" one is this final article, the others are of course still there (with screenshots).
The past month, SimsZone has reviewed the Sims 2 in a very in-depth manner, describing many details of the game. Now it's time for a general conclusion - the final thoughts. No new details, just a brief summary of what's been said before. To start with graphics, it's of course not strange they say they're much better than The Sims 1. Everything is alive, and when you actually see it you'll be more impressed than from just watching the static screenshots. However, the graphics are not as good as some games are showing these days, and technically they could've been better. But you'd need a monster PC if they made it even heavier, which most Sims fans don't have. So it's a bit of a compromise between good graphics and performance in the end, but a good one - even on some low-end systems the game still looks good.
Need some help with the game? The customer support section has been updated and many new questions and answers have been added. You can of course also visit our Knowledge base for a lot of help. Furthermore, SnootySims (and several other sites) has posted a nude patch, which removes the blurring when Sims visit the toilet or the shower. It's recommended to back-up files that are patched, and this download may not be appropriate for children. You can download it from this page. The Dutch site SP Zone is also posting a bunch of movies this week, one every day. So far 2 have been posted. You can find them on their front page in the news items tagged with "[Video]". Use the "DOWNLOAD HET FILMPJE" links to download the movies.
Finally, the SimsZone review has come to an end. The conclusion has been written and posted. Read on for the English summary. No screenshots this time, but if you still want to read it, visit their review index for the link. The "Fazit" one is this final article, the others are of course still there (with screenshots).
As for gameplay, there are some changes, but there are not too many experiments. A lot has stayed the same, although Maxis did add new features like more floors to build, and aging of the Sims, which have been the most-requested features for the Sims. Everything is quicker too - Sims learn faster, make friends more easily, and get promoted quicker. Of course things have to go a bit faster now the time they live is somewhat limited. No more waiting like in the predecessor. Also, the wants and fears function like missions a bit, and always give you something to do. Sims gain more personality too, through these things.
You also develop a better relation with your Sims in the new game. You become attached to them. You'll look back to "those times" when your Sim was still a young toddler. It's a bit unfortunate you can only turn off aging for young Sims using the aging cheat, though as soon as they're teens they can finally use the Elixir of Life. The best thing is that Maxis has given you the option to extend the life of a Sim this way. The change of generations is the biggest change in the game, and it's something you'll have to get used to. But it's worth it - there's a lot to explore and gives you a completely new experience.
There's nothing to complain about the Live mode, and the build and buy modes are good enough. New possibilities like foundations, attics, 2-story windows, etc are great additions. However, the amount of objects and textures may be somewhat limited, especially to those who are used to having hundreds or thousands of downloads in the Sims 1. This is compensated a bit with the option to choose different colours of an object, but still it's a bit limited. It's not Maxis' fault though, they could hardly put thousands of objects in the game. The community will have to jump into that sooner or later. It's obvious the game has been set up to handle many downloads, and the collections are a good addition to keeping them organised. It's just a matter of time before downloads will appear on the net, and you'll be using as many as in the Sims 1.
Compared to the Sims 1, there's a lot more to explore. SimsZone has spent hours in build mode, just to find out what's possible to build. It's a surprise how much is possible with the new features. Everything you need is in there. A downside are the community lots. Sims can buy food and stuff there, but they're not too exciting. Besides a pool or grill, there isn't much more entertaining like restaurants. You can easily play the game without ever visiting a community area. It's quite possible Maxis will add more features to the community lots in upcoming expansions - but currently they're quite simply no good.
There have been 18 other articles from SimsZone now, and even they are far from complete. There are many little details which you'll have to find yourself. You will be surprised when playing the game. So, is the Sims 2 a good sequel? Definitely. Maxis has done the right thing by keeping the existing concept of the game, and improving it on many areas. The game is built for many downloads in the future, which should keep the game running more smoothly and quicker. As said, there's a lot to explore, enough to wait for the first downloads. It's definitely worth buying the game.
Of course thanks go out to Jan and Robert from SimsZone for the information and the huge review. The views and opinions above are theirs, and not necessarily ours. Of course we will give you our opinion soon enough - stay tuned for that. If you still haven't done so yet, you can of course buy the game from our shop.
Written at 23:36 on Thursday, 16 September 2004 by ChEeTaH.
