Introduction
The world is known for its many strange trends, and with every trend comes an end. This is not the case for The Sims. This series has pulled the PC out of its sales decline and has become one of the best selling game series of all time. Not only is it addicting, but it has the ability to teach people the values of life and it provides good insight on what happens when you sit on the couch all day and watch television. That may also seem like a contradiction considering that people who are addicited to the game would sit at a computer desk all day, but hey the concept was never support to make sense. That is another aspect of the series that some people don’t get. Many people do not see a point to the game, or even a reason for existence. Games were not made to redefine rocket science or turn computer AI into the next Albert Einstein. Games are there to entertain. So even if The Sims doesn’t seem to have a point, it can be uncovered if you invest time into playing the games. You’ll quickly find that the whole point of playing The Sims is to have fun. So when it came time to bring this giant franchise to the Playstation 2, not everyone was so sure that it could be translated into a decent console experience. The good news is that those people were more wrong than the man who gave the final word to bring an axe to the Sega Dreamcast. This game is everything the PC version was, and much more. From an added mission based single player mode to the brand new multiplayer mini-games, this game delivers on all counts and proves that a Playstation 2 game doesn’t have to make sense to be good.

Gameplay
Relationships are another large aspect of having a good time with this game. It is always very good to have friends around for when the loneliness rises to a peak. The relationships can go so far as marriage and even further to lead to parenthood. While many might shy away from that due to the chore of having to keep up with another sim, keep in mind that the whole point of the game is to take care of Sims. The next area of the game is the “Get a Life” mode. It is a mission based level set up that gives you certain goals to attain over a period of time. It is a great way to learn the ropes of the game and truly prepare you for the “sandbox” mode. After you complete the missions you can buy new items from the inventory. This mission mode can take quite a while to complete, but to be truly honest, there is no end to the replay value that The Sims present. Speaking of furniture and items, the game is filled with tons of different things to decorate houses with, from televisions to refrigerators, there is no end to how much can be added to a house.

Fun
The audio presentation is superb. Almost every sound from the PC game has made it into this version and many new ones are available for the ears as well. The Sims language is also back and still to this day many people really feel as if they know what they are saying, which is another contributing factor to its popularity. The music is upbeat and represents a family attitude. The sound effects made by some of the objects like the television are hilarious and sometimes you cant help but stop and listen to the radio with The Sims because although the songs in the game are spoken in The Sims language, they are still cleverly written and do a great job of showing that audio can enhance a game experience.

Story
Gameplay is a term that has been lost in the latest generation of action games and it is finally the time for a game to come along and redefine it. The Sims does just that by providing an enthralling game experience that has depth that goes above and beyond a simple first person shooter. The game features the familiar “sandbox” mode from the PC that gives you the opportunity to create any type of family and place them in a house. Or if you feel creative, you can build your own house which is highly recommended. The custom options go deeper than any game before it and usually no house look similar to one another. After you build your house, you move in and begin to control the lives of a bunch of people. Yes, you actually control every aspect of a digital person’s life. To clear this up early, yes there are many ways for you to torture and kill your Sims, but frankly that is not the heart of the game which many people seem to think is. You can tell them to eat, clean, feed the fish or even throw house parties. The options are limitless and there is really no time in which there will be nothing to do. You may send them to take a shower, and yes they do take a long time, but you have a fast forward button to move the action along. This game is like interactive satellite television. When something happens to break, you need to make sure that you have the skills in which to fix thing or you might end up with an unwanted surprise from Mother Nature’s fiery breath. That is why you need to learn skills and gain skill points from reading books or searching the internet. Jobs are another important part of the game. To buy all of the wonderful things that the game has to offer, then you better make sure your pocket is as deep as your imagination or you will end up broke. You also need to monitor your Sims mood so that they don’t fall over and eventually croak. They need to keep up their fun factor, hygiene and especially their energy. When you tell a sim to go to sleep time will speed up so you are not sitting there waiting for a natural disaster. Another handy utility is the phone; you can set up parties and call on maids to clean your musty old house. Another fun thing is to change the wallpapers and add rooms to your house to make life easier as time goes by. House parties are by far one of the best aspects of the game; many friends will come over and dance. That is also the best time to hook up with a new person and possibly begin a relationship.

Graphics
A highly debated part of the game is the two player mode. Many did not think that it would warrant a purchase for owners of the PC game. To be honest if you’re skeptical about the multiplayer then buying it for the “Get a Life” mode alone is worth it. Now to put all this discontent to rest, the game has an excellent multiplayer mode that will keep you and your friend up for hours. It is only two players and that is ok since sometimes only one friend can be a screen hog when it comes to sharing the many riches that wait for you. You can play the “sandbox” mode and some other missions that can be unlocked through playing “Get a Life”. I highly recommend playing “sandbox” with a friend because it can be a real good insight for people who plan to live in a dorm room when they reach college. That may scare some people off but it depends on how you and your friend cooperate. The gameplay is something that cannot be surpassed by most games of the recent decade and that is surely something to celebrate.

Sound
The visual presentation of the game is quite good. The Playstation 2 version got rid of the two dimensional environments and static camera angles for the glory of full 3D. The camera is excellent and provides full control of the experience so that you won’t miss a bit of the action. The textures are stunning and really show what the Playstation 2 is capable of. The character models have also been redone and they look a lot more fluid and realistic, which helps the believability factor big time. Even the objects look spectacular, as every cabinet door and toilet seat lift and close. While the graphics are not the best of what the Playstation 2 can offer, it is clear that it wasn’t the point. The graphics are merely there to convey the experience for the player. The final aspect of the graphics that need to be mentioned is the limitless emotions that a sim can convey in this game. They can express any feeling and really tell you how they feel. That is what separates this game from the many tried and true formulas from the past.

Conclusion
In the end, one must ask themselves why they play this game. The only true answer to that question lies in you. Maybe it’s the sheer limitless possibilities or maybe it is the care that some people put into keeping their lives enjoyable. Whatever that is, it has touched millions of people. We can only ask that Maxis, continues to deliver the best in simulator games and never forgets the fans that keep their Sims healthy and new. I recommend this game to everyone because it teaches real values. It allows you to teach yourself, and that is what this world needs.