Summary
Considering that the genre-definingSimsseries has been consistently updated since its release, the franchise’s first iteration on Maxis' formula provided the blueprint for what a ‘good’Simssequel should look like. WithThe Sims 2’s re-release as part of Electronic Arts’Sims Legacy Collectionpackage, unique aspects of the firstSimssequel are being highlighted by modern players and have seemingly stood the test of time.
From making a substantial graphical jump from isometric 2.5D to a 360-degree camera in a 3D environment, to providing an ultimate amount of neighborhood customization through cross-game collaboration,The Sims 2remains a strong entry in theSimsfranchise more than 20 years after its release.
8The Game’s In-Depth Illness System
A Potentially Fatal Inclusion To A Sim’s List Of Concerns
Despite the system’s reiteration in futureSimstitles,The Sims 2’s illness mechanic is arguably one of the game’s most revered features andcontinues to be a series highlight. While future installments would attempt to expand onThe Sims 2’s illness system, the breadth and impact of the ailments a player’s Sims could contract in the 2004 life simulator title were pretty extensive.
From regular illnesses like the common cold and food poisoning to potentially fatal contractions such as pneumonia and influenza,The Sims 2’s illness system adds an element of controlled randomness to an arguably by-the-numbers experience. While resting and taking medication are solid options for players to help their Sims get back to health, withThe Sims 2’s DLC packs installed, creative solutions such as a witch’s spell or a comforting bowl of ‘Grandma’s Comfort Soup’ can work wonders on all ailments.
7The Game’s Improved Life Stages
From Toddlers to Elders, A Sim’s Life Has Many More Stops On The Road
AlthoughThe Sims’ inaugural 2000 release formed the core of theSimsexperience that has remained strong in the franchise’s 25-year history, its vision was not without shortcomings. WhileThe Simswould progress a Sim through the journey of growing from a baby, to a child, to an adult,The Sims 2hyperfocused on its depiction of a Sim’s lifespan and doubled the number of life stages — adding the stages of toddler, teen, and elder.
These additions toThe Sims’original Sim life-cycle would go on to remain a series benchmark that would not be exceeded and did more than add cosmetic changes to a player’s creations. From toddlers requiring potty training and teens doing homework,The Sims 2’s life stages work in culmination with the title’s other systems to work toward one of the game’s core focuses ofhumanizing its virtual humans.
6The Game’s Improved ‘Interests’ System
Humans & Animals Alike Share In The Sims 2’s Improvements To Personality
As is par the course for sequels in any medium,The Sims 2not only incorporates many of the systems ofThe Sims' original title but expands upon them in meaningful ways. One such system that has gone on to evolve in contemporary titles — yet arguably remains the most fleshed out in the 2004 release — is that of a Sim’s interests.
WhileThe Sims' original release provided players with a suite of eight unique interests,The Sims 2more than doubles this with a selection of 18 possible interests for a player’s human Sims to focus on. With the added variety of pet characters inThe Sims 2, eventhe dogs and cats of a player’s Sim householdcan be turned on or off by a range of interests that — while less developed thanThe Sims 2’s human interest system — provides a greater amount of identity than even the human characters ofThe Sims' original release.
5The Game’s Cinematic Cutscenes
A Fan-Favorite Mechanic That Shines A Light On A Sim’s Biggest Moments
Although theSimsfranchise has garnered a seemingly insurmountable amount of success in the series' lifetime — and there now existsome competent competitors to Maxis' once-monopolistic life simulationproperty — theSims' adherence to a feeling of quirky, cartoonish reality has kept it comfortably afloat.
While some aspects of theSimsseries' kooky formula have been continuously iterated on and evolved since the series' first installment, some fan-beloved mechanics such asThe Sims 2’s cinematics have remained in the past. Provided to players at seemingly all stages of their Sims' lives — from their birth birthdays to their engagement and even being abducted by aliens —The Sims 2’s cinematics are a wholly unique aspect of the installment’s identity.
4The Game’s Neighborhood Customization
A Modular Level Of Interactivity With Cross-Game Functionality
Considering theSimsseries' focus on not just interpersonal interactions between a player’s Sims but the households within the game’s world, it was not untilThe Sims 2’s 2004 release that multiple neighborhoods were made available to the player in the base game experience. Compared toThe Sims 4’s confined lots, and even toThe Sims 3’s open-world nature,The Sims 2’s neighborhoods arguably provide players with an unprecedented level of control and customization.
No longer is a player’sSimshousehold stuck in an effective void, but now, the entire local world ofThe Sims 2can be customized and reassembled. Beyond the base game, when utilizing the expanded suite of control provided by applyingMaxis' 2003 city builderSimsCity 4, custom terrains can also be created by the player to add an extended level of personalization.
3The Game’s Introduction Of 3D Environments
An Isometric Landscape is Swapped With A Fully-Realized 3D Environment
Coinciding with Maxis' commercial and critical success in establishing its new Sims property and a time when"developers were starting to take notice of emerging 3D technology",The Sims 2’s jump from an isometric 2.5D perspective to a fully realized 3D space has continued throughout the franchise’s proceeding titles.
Although the isometric design ofThe Simsis novel and quirky,The Sims 2’s integration of carefully crafted 3D spaces in its 2004 release did not just establish technological progress but provided players with more control over their Sims' environment.The Sims 2’s landscapes, houses, and characters retained the personality and kookinessThe Simsseries is renowned for and bolstered their 3D environments with plenty of expansive interactivity.
2The Breadth Of The Game’s DLC Packs
From Werewolves To Vacation Spots, These Expansions Are Some Of The Series' Best
Despite the pressure of expanding on a genre-defining new property,The Sims' 2004 sequel didn’t flinch when standing on the tall shoulders of its 2000 predecessor,“covering a range of topics and adding various new features"while providing players with a plethora of new functionality and improved mechanics over the original Sims title.
However, even with all the improvements made to the formula inThe Sims 2, the game’s five-year life-cycle produced eight expansions — each providing arguably more content than the last — ultimately resulting in a gargantuanSimsexperience. From Sim-centric DLC packs that introduce pets and university life toThe Sims 2, to those that change the world itself — such as the introduction of seasonal weather and vacation spots —The Sims 2’s expansions change ultimately everything about the game.
1The Game Making Sims Seem More Human
With More Personality Than Before, The Sims 2’s Characters Are Full Of Life
Even with its seemingly diluted gameplay and rocky launch,The Sims 4remains"one of the best titles to check out"for fans of the life simulation genre, mostly due to the solid foundation it takes from concerning many of its systems and mechanics.
WhileThe Sims' framework established what it meant to be aSimstitle, andThe Sims 3iterated on many of the series' then-staples,The Sims 2arguably remains the most impactful installment in the franchise. From a ballooned ‘interests’ system, a greatly improved Sim life-cycle mechanic, and the inclusion of mixing attributes when creating children,The Sims 2’s inherent focus on humanizing the Sims under a player’s care is clear from the get-go.
