The Sims 2

The Sims 2
Developer(s)	Maxis, Ideaworks Game Studio (Mobile Version)
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts (PC) Aspyr (Mac)
Designer(s)	Patrick J. Barrett , Jenna Chalmers, Shannon Copur, Michael Cox, Seth Olshfski, Amy Dallas, Kevin Gibson, Daniel Hiatt, Kevin Hogan, Hunter Howe, Creighton Hurt, Trevor Jalowitz, Charles London, Lyndsay McGaw, Ashley Monif, Solveig Pederson,Todd Reamon, Kana Ryan, Lauren Wheeler, Jeannie Yang, Stuart McArther, Will Wright
Composer(s)	Mark Mothersbaugh
Series	The Sims
Platform(s)	OS X, Windows, Mobile, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable
Release date(s)	Windows NA September 14, 2004 EU September 16, 2004 Mac OS X June 13, 2005
Genre(s)	Life simulation game
Mode(s)	Single-player
Distribution	CD (4), DVD (1),Direct Download

The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which was released in February 4, 2000. It was first released on September 14, 2004 for Microsoft Windows. A port to Apple Mac OS X was released on June 13, 2005. Eight expansion packs and nine stuff packs were subsequently released. In addition several console versions have been released. Though not commonly known, The Sims 2 is offered on mobile platforms. Mobile manufacturers such as Nokia offer The Sims 2 from the Ovi Store. A sequel, The Sims 3, was released in June 2009.

The Sims 2 has the same concept as its predecessor and sequel, The Sims 3, players control their Sims in various activities and form relationships in a manner similar to real life. The Sims 2, like its predecessor, The Sims, does not have a defined final goal; gameplay is open-ended. Sims have life goals, wants and fears, the fulfillment of which can produce both positive or negative outcomes. All Sims age, and can live to 90 sim days depending on the degree to which their aspirations are fulfilled. The Sims 2 builds on its predecessor by allowing Sims to age through six stages of life and incorporating a 3D graphics engine. Although gameplay is not linear, storylines exist in the game's pre-built neighborhoods. Pleasantview is based 25 years after the town in the original The Sims. Strangetown's storyline is based on the supernatural, and is loosely connected with Pleasantview. Veronaville's characters are based on Shakespearean characters.

The Sims 2 was an instant success, selling a then-record one million copies in its first ten days. As of July 2012, The Sims 2 has sold more than 20 million units worldwide and is the best-selling PC video game of all-time. During April 2008, The Sims 2 website announced that 100 million copies of The Sims series had been sold. In addition to its commercial success, The Sims 2 was well received by critics gaining a 90% score from aggregators Metacritic and GameRankings.

On December 15, 2012, Electronic Arts announced that the official website would be shut down on January 14, 2013. It is now no longer possible to download content from the official site, create exchanges, or participate in the official forum communities.

Gameplay

From the neighborhood view, the player selects one lot to play, as in The Sims. There are both residential and community lots, but Sims can only live in residential lots. Community lots are where Sims travel to in order to purchase things like clothing and magazines, and to interact with NPCs and townies.

The player can choose between playing a pre-made inhabited lot, moving a household into a built-up lot, or constructing a building on an empty lot. One novelty from The Sims is foundations.

The player switches among the "live" mode (default) to control Sims, the "buy" mode to add, move or delete furniture, or the "build" mode to rebuild the house. Buy and build mode for community lots is locked when player Sims visit the lot but are available from the neighborhood view. It is also possible to import neighborhood terrains from SimCity 4.

The game contains some time-bound social challenges that provide a reward if successful. Sims can throw parties to gain aspiration points or invite the headmaster over for dinner in order to enroll their children in private school. Some expansion packs have new mini-games, like running a Greek house in University or dating in Nightlife. In Nightlife, each date is a challenge to keep both Sims as happy as possible while accumulating aspiration points. Various other expansion packs introduce supernatural characters which Sims can be turned into. This includes Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, Plantsims, and Witches.

Sims

The main part of the game is to lead a Sim from the start of life to death. A Sim will be born when a female Sim and a male Sim try for a baby. The mother will spend 3 days pregnant before giving birth to a baby. The baby's appearance and personality will be based on the genetics of its parents (though the baby's appearance is hidden until it becomes a toddler). Players can name the new Sim. The baby will change into a toddler in 3 days, and 4 more days for the toddler to change into a child. After 8 days, the child morphs into a teenager, and will live 15 days before changing into an adult. After 29 days, the Sim will become an elder and will die, the length of the final stage depending on the aspiration bar when they age.

Babies, toddlers, children, teens, and adults can be advanced to their next life stage at any time during the 24 Sim hours before they will grow up automatically. For babies, this requires using the birthday cake. Toddlers, children, teens, and adults can use the "Grow Up" self-interaction. If the University expansion pack is installed, teens have the option to go to college, where they will be young adults for approximately 24 days. Aging can be disabled via cheats.

Players will need to build up talent badges, skills and relationship with other people, so that they can be successful in their career. A player will also need to make sure a Sim is happy and well by fulfilling wants (including lifetime wants, avoiding fears, and fulfilling motives).

Pregnancy, toddlers, teens and elders are new stages of life. Young adult is an unique age added with the University expansion. Teen Sims will become young adults once they are moved to a University, and will be adults once they leave campus, regardless of the reason. During Pregnancy, the belly does not expand gradually. Instead, every day, it "pops" to a bigger size.

Create-a-Sim

In The Sims 2, Create a Family is entered by clicking the "Families" button in the lower left-hand corner of the neighborhood view, then clicking the large "Create New Family" button. Clicking the button labeled "Create A Sim" will expand a tab which has the "Create a Sim" and "Make a Child" icons. "Make a Child" will be grayed out unless the family contains an adult male and adult female. Clicking the "Create a Sim" icon will generate a random adult Sim, who may be male or female which can be edited by the player.

As opposed to The Sims, any age besides baby or young adult (which must be made in the University Create a Student) may be created. Instead of having to choose from already finished faces which include hair, it is now possible to alter the facial structure (e.g. widening the nose, thinning the lips, elongating the chin, etc.) and choose any hairstyle to go with it. Different eye colors and an additional skin tone is available for the Sims as well. If the Sim is older than a child, their aspiration and turn-ons/offs (Nightlife or later) may be determined. As in The Sims, there are five personality traits, and 25 personality points which can be assigned to those traits. However, in The Sims 2, all personality points must be assigned. Additionally, there are twelve pre-set personalities, one for each of the twelve zodiac signs. A zodiac sign will be set which matches the personality the player has selected for the Sim.

Social interactions

There are several new social interactions introduced in The Sims 2. These new social interactions can create memories and can be related to certain age groups. Social interactions can come up in the Wants and Fears panel and can be dependent on the Sim's personality and aspiration. Sims with certain personalities may not want to complete certain social interactions.

Influencing

Influencing social interactions are introduced in the University expansion pack. A Sim is able to influence another Sim to complete a social interaction or a chore. Sims gain influence points by completing Wants and can lose influence points by completing Fears. The size of the influence bar depends on the number of friends that the Sim has. It also can grow in size with business perks from the Open for Business expansion pack. Influence was also in the Nightlife expansion but added nothing.

Chemistry

The Nightlife expansion pack introduces Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs. Teenagers and older are able to choose their turn-ons and turn-offs. These determine the chemistry that one Sims has with another in the form of lightning bolts. Sims can have up to 3 lightning bolts with another Sim. The higher the chemistry is that a Sim has with another Sim, the greater the chance for social interactions to be accepted. New turn-ons and turn-offs are introduced with the Bon Voyage expansion pack.

Fury

Fury is introduced in the Nightlife expansion pack and occurs when one Sim gets angry at another. During this time relationships with the Sim who is furious are harder to build. Also, the Sim who is furious may pick a fight or vandalize the home lot of the Sim they are furious with. Fury can be caused by another sim burgling the sims house, getting fined after calling emergency services when there was no emergency, fighting, cheating on (the cheater or the sim that was cheated with) and more.

Reputation

Reputation is introduced in the Apartment Life expansion pack. A Sim gains reputation by interacting with other Sims on community lots. Sims with higher reputations are more likely to gain perks such as free objects and job promotions.

Careers

There are careers that come with the game that require skills and a certain number of friends in order for promotion. Success in these careers unlocks career rewards and higher salaries plus bonuses. Sims also will receive chance cards. Correct answers to these chance cards will create rewards for Sims while incorrect answers could cause a Sim to lose its job. Nightlife and Apartment Life allow Sims to gain promotions through social interactions with other Sims.

Comparison to The Sims

Graphically, The Sims 2 is more detailed than The Sims and lets players view its world in full 3D. This is a change from earlier Sim games, such as SimCity 2000, which used dimetric projection and fixed resolutions, as the camera was in The Sims. In The Sims, Sims are 3D meshes, but The Sims 2 introduces far more detail in mesh quality, texture quality, and animation capability. A Sim's facial features are customizable and unique, and Sims can smile, frown, and blink. The player can adjust a Sim's features in the in-game Create-a-Sim tool; for example, noses can be made to be very large or very small. Texturing is achieved through use of raster images, though it appears more lifelike.

The Sims 2 characters pass through seven life stages - babies, toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults (only with University), adults, and elders - with eventual death of old age, while babies in The Sims only become children before ceasing to continue aging. The aspiration system (described above) is also new to The Sims 2. Sims can become pregnant and produce babies that take on genetic characteristics of their parents, such as eye color, hair color, facial structure, and personality traits as opposed to Sims, in which the baby would take on random appearance and personality. Genetics play a major role in the game, and as such, dominant and recessive genes play a larger role than they did in the original game. A player can also aspire to have a Sim abducted by aliens. Males then have the chance to become impregnated and produce after three Sim days a half-alien child.

Some of the other additions to gameplay are career rewards, a week cycle, the cleaning skill (which was a hidden skill in The Sims), a variety of meals (depending on time of day), exercise clothing, body shape affected by diet and exercise, and houses built on foundations.

Development

EA Games announced on May 5, 2003 that the Maxis studio had begun development on The Sims 2. The game was first shown at E3 in Los Angeles, California on May 13, 2004. Will Wright admits that while most of the content of The Sims 2 are original ideas, inspiration for its own expansions and constituents spawned from the successes of the first game. The community interest in the antecedent The Sims: Unleashed and The Sims: Hot Date expansions ensured the creation of The Sims 2: Pets and The Sims 2: Nightlife expansions, respectively.

After development concluded, designers from Maxis regarded The Sims 2 as very capricious during creation. Bugs would appear, and Sims would be "tweaked", or have anomalies not present in a previous run. A teaser trailer was provided on the Makin' Magic CD but was later uploaded to websites all over the Internet.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	90%
Metacritic	90
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	A
Eurogamer	8 of 10
GamePro	5 of 5 stars
Game Revolution	B+
GameSpot	8.9 of 10
GameSpy	5 of 5 stars
GamesRadar	9 of 10
GameZone	9.4 of 10
IGN	9.4 of 10
PC Gamer (US)	85%
Awards Entity Award Blimp Award (UK Kids' Choice Awards) Best Video Game Apple Design Award (Apple Design Awards) Best Mac OS X Game

The Sims 2 had a successful E3. The game also received the Editor's Choice Award from IGN and GameSpy upon final review of the finished product. From 71 online reviews, the average score was 90 out of 100. Seven of those sources awarded the game a 100 out of 100 score. X-Play gave the game a 4/5. However, critics noted some serious bugs in the game.

The Sims creator, Will Wright, was recognized by being nominated at the Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards for Visionary and Game Developer. The game was also nominated for two international awards in 2005. The Mac version of the game won an Apple Design Award in 2006.

The Sims 2 was an instant commercial success, selling a then-record one million copies in its first ten days. The game sold 4.5 million units within its first year, and 7 million by October 2006. As of July 2012, The Sims 2 has sold more than 20 million units worldwide and is the best-selling PC video game of all-time. During April 2008, The Sims 2 website announced that 100 million copies of The Sims series had been sold.

Controversy

The Sims 2 malleable content and open-ended customization have led to controversy on the subject of pay sites and sexual modifications. Custom content is distributed through independent websites, some of which charge for downloading materials. Charging money for custom content is a violation of the game's EULA, which prohibits the commercial use of Electronic Art's intellectual property.

On July 22, 2005, former Florida attorney Jack Thompson alleged that Electronic Arts and The Sims 2 promoted nudity through the use of a mod or a cheat code. The claim was made that pubic hair, labia and other genital details were visible once the "blur" (the pixelation that occurs when a Sim is using the toilet or is naked in the game) was removed. Electronic Arts executive Jeff Brown said in an interview with GameSpot:

This is nonsense. We've reviewed 100 percent of the content. There is no content inappropriate for a teen audience. Players never see a nude Sim. If someone with an extreme amount of expertise and time were to remove the pixels, they would see that the sims have no genitals. They appear like Ken and Barbie.

Prior to Thompson's statement, there was an enterable code which allowed to modify the size (including to zero) of pixelation accessible from the console menu. Shortly after the statement, subsequent patches and expansion packs removed the "intProp censorGridSize" code; this code had been left over from the beta testing stage of the original game and had not been intended for a public audience.

Editions, compilations, and add-ons

The Sims 2 base game, eight expansions (University, Nightlife, Open for Business, Pets, Seasons, Bon Voyage, FreeTime, and Apartment Life), and nine stuff packs (Family Fun Stuff, Glamour Life Stuff, Happy Holiday Stuff, Celebration! Stuff, H&M Fashion Stuff, Teen Style Stuff, Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff, IKEA Home Stuff, and Mansion & Garden Stuff).

Many Sims games have been ported to OS X by Aspyr. The Sims 2 has also been released for a number of video game consoles including the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, Nintendo DS and the Nintendo GameCube.

OS X version

OS X ports of the base game, six expansion packs, and three stuff packs have been released by Aspyr Media. The port for the base game was announced on October 19, 2004. The Sims 2 had reached beta status on March 1, 2005, and was released on June 17 the same year. It was, at release, compatible with Mac OS X Panther and above. The Sims 2 Bodyshop was also available for OS X.

Expansion packs

The Sims 2 expansion packs provide additional game features and items. Eight expansion packs have been released with no current plans for more expansion packs beyond The Sims 2: Apartment Life.

Name	Release date	Major Additions	Neighborhoods	New NPCs	New Lifestate/Creature	New Careers
University	Windows: NA March 1, 2005 EU March 2, 2005 Mac OS X: December 12, 2005	Universities, Young Adult age group, Influence system	Campus: La Fiesta Tech, Sim State University, Académie Le Tour	Barista, Bartender, Cafeteria Worker, Cheerleader, Coach, Evil Mascot, Mascot, Professors, Streaker	Zombies (Also in FreeTime and Apartment Life)	Natural Scientist, Paranormal, Show Business, Artist
Nightlife	Windows: NA September 13, 2005 EU September 13, 2005 Mac OS X: March 27, 2006	Dates, Groups system, Outings, Pleasure and Grilled Cheese aspiration, New relationship states, ownable cars, Attraction system	Downtown: Downtown	Gypsy Matchmaker, Waiter, Chef, Bartender, DJ, Mrs. Crumplebottom, Vampires (Counts/Countesses)	Vampires	None
Open for Business	Windows: NA March 2, 2006 EU March 2, 2006 Mac OS X: September 4, 2006	Businesses, talent badges	Shopping District: Bluewater Village	Reporters, Barbers	Servos (Robots)	Shop Employees
Pets	Windows: NA October 17, 2006 EU October 20, 2006 Mac OS X: November 6, 2006	Ownable Pets	None	Animal Control Officers, Obedience Trainer, Wolves, Skunks	Werewolves	Pet careers: Security, Showbiz, Service
Seasons	Windows: NA March 1, 2007 EU March 2, 2007 Mac OS X: June 11, 2007	Weather system, Seasons, fishing, new talent badges, gardening	Main: Riverblossom Hills	Garden Club Members, Penguins	PlantSims	Adventurer, Education, Gamer, Journalism, Law, Music
Bon Voyage	Windows: NA September 4, 2007 EU September 7, 2007 Mac OS X: December 17, 2007	Vacations in different cultural areas	Vacation: Twikkii Island, Three Lakes, Takemizu Village	Fire Dancers, Hotel Maids, Bellboys, Masseurs, Wise Old Man, Pirate, Tour Guides, Unsavory charlatan, Witch Doctor, Ninjas	Bigfoot	None
FreeTime	Windows: NA February 26, 2008 EU February 22, 2008	Hobby system, lifetime aspiration system, new talent badges.	Main: Desiderata Valley Secret: Hobby	Hobby Members, Rod Humble, Hobby Leaders, Food Judge, Genie	None	Oceanography, Intelligence, Entertainment, Dance, Architecture
Apartment Life	Windows: NA August 27, 2008 EU August 29, 2008	Rentable apartments, reputation system, witchcraft system	Main: Belladonna Cove Secret: The Magical World	Butler, Landlord, Roomies, Breakdancers, Street Performers, Social Group Sims, High Witch of Light/Darkness, Spectral assistant (played by cats), Human statues	Witches, Warlocks	None

Stuff packs

Main article: The Sims 2 Stuff packs

Stuff packs are add-ons that intend to add only new items (usually in the amount of 60) to the base game. However, some releases include certain gameplay elements introduced in previous expansion packs. There are nine stuff packs so far. The Sims 2: Holiday Party Pack served as the pilot release for this line of products, which were called "booster packs". After the success of the pilot release, EA named the releases "stuff packs" and launched the line with The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff. The Sims 2: Mansion & Garden Stuff is the final stuff pack for The Sims 2.

Name	Release date	Includes
Holiday Party Pack	Windows: NA November 17, 2005	Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year themed stuff, plus new NPCs: Santa Claus, Father Time, and Baby New Year
Family Fun Stuff	Windows: NA April 13, 2006 Mac OS X: April 30, 2007	Family-oriented Fairy tale, outer space and nautical themed items mainly for children's bedrooms
Glamour Life Stuff	Windows: NA August 31, 2006 Mac OS X: June 1, 2007	Luxury, couture and glamour themed objects, floors and walls
Happy Holiday Stuff	Windows: NA November 7, 2006 Mac OS X: September 4, 2007	All items from Holiday Party Pack plus added Asian and European holiday themed stuff
Celebration! Stuff	Windows: NA April 3, 2007	Wedding themed hairstyles, fashions and accessories, furniture, and other party enhancers
H&M Fashion Stuff	Windows: NA June 5, 2007	Fashion collections from H&M and H&M branded build objects
Teen Style Stuff	Windows: NA November 5, 2007	Goth, Thrasher and Socialite themed stuff for teenagers' bedrooms, teenage haircuts and new teenage clothes
Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff	Windows: NA April 15, 2008	Kitchen and bathroom objects, floors, walls and clothing items
IKEA Home Stuff	Windows: NA June 24, 2008	Fashionable furniture, floors and walls from the styles of IKEA
Mansion & Garden Stuff	Windows: NA November 17, 2008	Items featuring three new decorative themes (Moroccan, Art Deco and Second Empire)

Core game editions

Name	Release date	Includes
The Sims 2	Windows: NA September 14, 2004 EU September 16, 2004 Mac OS X: June 13, 2005	The first release of the core game on four CDs.
The Sims 2 Special DVD Edition	Windows: NA September 17, 2004	The core game on one DVD, plus a bonus DVD with exclusive content.
The Sims 2 Holiday Edition (2005)	Windows: NA November 15, 2005	The core game and The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack.
The Sims 2 Holiday Edition (2006)	Windows: NA November 7, 2006	The core game and The Sims 2 Happy Holiday Stuff.
The Sims 2 Deluxe	Windows: NA May 8, 2007	The core game and The Sims 2 Nightlife, and a new bonus DVD that is different from the one included in the Special DVD Edition.
The Sims 2 Double Deluxe	Windows: NA April 15, 2008	The core game and The Sims 2 Celebration! Stuff and The Sims 2 Nightlife

Expansion-only compilations

Compilations of expansion packs and stuff packs without the core game have also been released.

Name	Release date	Includes
University Life Collection	Windows: NA August 24, 2009	The Sims 2: University, The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff, and The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff.
Best of Business Collection	Windows: NA October 6, 2009	The Sims 2: Open for Business, The Sims 2: H&M Fashion Stuff, and The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff.
Fun with Pets Collection	Windows: NA January 12, 2010	The Sims 2: Pets, The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff, and The Sims 2: Mansion & Garden Stuff.

Downloadable Content

Pre-order Content

Most of expansion packs and stuff packs were released with pre-order items. This game content was redeemable at the official site using a code supplied by the retailer from which the player purchased, each retailer was often associated with an exclusive download. A total of 60 pre-order items were released.

The Sims 2 Store

The Sims 2 Store was an online store where players of The Sims 2 for PC could purchase and download content for their game online for additional fees. It offered objects, clothing, skins, and hairstyles that are both exclusive to the store and also come from earlier expansion and stuff packs.

It also had featured seven exclusive item collections that could only be found in the store. The store used a point system that players can purchase. It was opened from July 2008 to March 31, 2011 as a beta version limited to the United States and Canada. To download, players must install The Sims 2 Store Edition and the EA Download Manager. The exclusive collections were "Cubic", "Art Deco", "Spooky", "Castle", "Asian Fusion", "Art Nouveaulicious" and "Oh Baby", including a total of 471 items.

Third-Party Tools

SimPE is an open-source utility for The Sims 2 that allows editing of Sims' characteristics, relationships and careers. It also allows the creation of objects. The SimPE interface is not considered intuitive and users risk corrupting the game files. TS2 Enhancer, developed by Rick Halle, is a commercial utility for editing characters and neighborhoods, but has since fallen into disuse.

External links

• Official website (Archive)