The Sims (The Sims (PS2))

Member Name: redballoon

Product:	The Sims (PS2)
Date:	26/03/04 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Addictive, very playable

Disadvantages: Can get boring

If fed up of all the fighting, action and war games that only seems to be available then why not try The Sims game for an alternative!

The game is basically a role playing game in which you can create your very own sim which is a virtual person

If you like reality TV programs such as big brother then this is the perfect game for you.
But if you are impatient then it may be worth you staying away from buying it as it can take a long time for the game to get going and interesting.


Keeping your sim happy
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Your sim needs your attention on every part of it's life from feeding to washing to socialising.

There is a gauge on the screen of how happy or unhappy they are and it shows you what they need. The sim's needs must be fulfilled otherwise it will become very unhappy!

The categories that need to be kept high are social, Hunger, hygiene, comfort, toilet and energy.

For social you need your sim to talk to other Sims in the game. There is a telephone in the house that your sim can use to talk to other Sims that you have met in the game You can call to talk to them or to invite them over.

For hunger you must feed your sim regularly. As your sim learns more cooking skills by reading cookery books your sim will produce satisfying meals.

For comfort, you need to rest your sim on a nice comfy chair whilst watching TV.

For toilet, well this category is quite clear...

For energy, your sim needs to have a decent nights sleep otherwise it will be grumpy and in a foul mood.

For hygiene you need to make sure that your sim has a shower every day, otherwise it will smell and it will go in to a horrible mood!

If these are kept high then your sim will be happy and successful if not then they will get depressed!

Learning skills
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Your sim can also learn different skills in o
rder for it to be successful in life.

In certain career paths, the sim will need a certain level of skill in order to be successful at the chosen job

There is cookery skills which are earned by reading cookery books and produces satisfying meals. If you do not do this your sim will set the kitchen on fire!

Mechanical skills which is learnt also by reading mechanical books. This will enable your sim to fix things around the house.

There is logical which is earned by playing chess.

Creative skill is earned by painting and these can also be sold for money when your sim becomes good at it!

And the last one is body which is how fit your sim is. You can earn body skills by buying your sim a running machine or by swimming.

Employment
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Your sim will only look for a job if it is happy.
There are several ways of getting a job for your sim. You can read the newspaper for jobs or if you have brought your sim a pc then you can look for jobs on that. When you start to first look for a job it will give you only the basic jobs. To get promoted your sim needs to be happy and to have the correct level of skill.


Modes of play.
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There are two different modes of play

The first one is a level based game where you have to go through different levels and complete certain tasks.
You start at the bottom by living with your mum and you have to complete certain tasks such as mend the TV to move out of home.
If you reach certain levels the two player game gets unlocked.

The second is Build a life where you can create your dream house and don't have the borders of completing tasks and levels.

Customising your sim
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There is the option of making your sim resemble you!
You can change:

The sex of the sim
The star sign of the sim
The clothes of the sim,
down to adding glasses, hats, shoes.
You can add make up to a female sim or have a beard on a male sim.


Building houses
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In the Life mode, you can build your sim's house. There is a limit to how big you can build it, but it gives you a massive plot to build upon. Once you have built the walls, you can decorate it by adding wallpaper, carpet and furnishings. You can also add a brick effect to the outside of the house as well as a path up to the front door and fencing around your garden.

If your sim is happy enough then you will be promoted at work so you will earn more money and then be able to buy nice things for your Sims house. There are many accessories that you can buy. The more money you have the more extravagant items you can buy which make your sim happy.

There are many different types of furniture that you can buy for your sim. It depends on how much you have to spend. If you buy expensive items then your sim will be more happy in it 's environment.

But be careful though as if your house contains lots of expensive stuff then you will be burgled!

Life
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If you are successful then your sim wil be able to fall in love get married and have a family! I have yet to reach this stage!

Overall
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This game has so many possibilities it is hard to write them all down. It is extremely playable and quite addictive. It is hard at times to keep your sim happy.

It is very easy to move your sim as you just move your directional joystick.

There are a couple of things that I would change about this game. One is when the sims talk, they talk in gibberish not English. I think it would be interesting to find out what the sims are talking about!

I am glad I brought this game. I brought it when it first came out £39.99 from Game.

Summary: