The Sims 2 – PC – Preview


E3 2004 Previews
When
asked what the best game I saw was after the first day of E3, I surprised even
myself by saying Battlefield 2 AND Sims 2.  Sims 2?  How is this game of home
economics supposed to compete with the big boys?  Quite easily, it turns out. 
Just as the original brought new life to reality games, Sims 2 brings new life
to artificial intelligence.  Ever see the flick The Thirteenth Floor?  In it, a
scientist creates a societal simulation where everyone in its existence is the
result of a computer program.  They walk around, talk to each other, form
friendships, marry and have kids, even murder each other.  The developers of The
Sims 2 have done something remarkably similar.  Eerily similar. 

Lucy Bradshaw of Electronic
arts took me on a tour of her Sim life, and it began with a movie.  Sims 2
features a full movie making system that allows gamers to piece together
vignettes from their Sim’s life, put it together in a short video presentation,
and add text and icons for flavor.  It’s a recipe that will be extremely popular
among Sim fanatics everywhere.  In her video, Don, her amorous Don Juan, was
shown getting his hands and lips on just about every girl in the neighborhood. 
He would go back to old flames, make new flames, and have some make-out sessions
that would make Gene Simmons jealous.  The guy was a stud, and it was all
packaged together nicely in the film. 

 

At the end of the film, she
resumed her Sim’s life at an important point – he was stopped motionless above a
pool in the middle of executing a swan dive.  Since we last saw him in his film,
he settled down, got married, and had a son.  It was his son’s first birthday
party, and all of his Sarah’s, his wife, family was present.  As she scanned the
crowd, many things became obvious.  First, the graphics in the Sims 2 are
unbelievable.  They maintain a cartoonish quality, but it works… VERY well. 
It’s like watching live-action animation.  The second thing I noticed is the
camera system.  Gone is the rotating ninety degrees and zooming in and out at
stages.  This camera is fully rotatable and fully zoomable.  Everything renders
spectacularly. 


Sarah, the red-headed green-eyed bombshell, was playing with her son while the
other guests mingled.  As Lucy gave me a better view of the guests, it became
quite obvious, from sight alone, that they were part of her family.  She had her
dad’s nose and her mom’s eyes.  Her sister, also red-headed and green-eyed, had
a different style, but there was no doubting they were sisters.  This is another
fantastic addition to the Sims 2 – the idea of a family.  A second look at the
son revealed traits from both Sarah and Don, who were both created by Lucy.  The
Sims 2 passes on genetics to offspring, both physical and personality traits. 

 

A major problem Sims users
complained about was the constant upkeep of their Sim.  They had to make sure
they went to the bathroom, took showers, weren’t late for work because it took
thirty minutes to do the dishes.  This time around, the Sims are much better at
automating themselves.  EA wants Sims to spend less time with the day-to-day
tasks, and more time enjoying themselves and their possessions.  The object of
The Sims 2 is to help the Sims by “satisfying their life goals, dreams, and
inspirations.”  Hence, the addition of the aspiration bar which (sort of)
replaces the needs menu from the old Sims.  The bar is contains four of a Sims
“wants”.  Depending on your Sim’s style (Don was a romantic), they will want
different things.  Don yearned for chatting with female friends even they he had
tied the knot with Sarah.  Once a dog, always a dog.  Sarah, on the other hand,
had a familial style.  She longed to strengthen the bonds of her family by
needing attention from her son, Don, and other family members. 

 

Aspirations are nothing
without fears, and EA put these in as well.  One of Sarah’s biggest fears was
the fear of being cheated on.  Meanwhile, in the other room, Don was seducing an
old girlfriend and laid one on her.  Sarah’s sister entered the room, clasped
her hands over her mouth, and ran off to tell Sarah.  Sarah was shocked (you
could even see it in her face), and Don immediately ran to apologize.  Don’s old
girlfriend gives him a kiss in front of Sarah and Sarah immediately collapses to
the ground in tears.  Her greatest fear has been realized, and her emotions got
the best of her.  Sarah’s sister starts a fight with the old girlfriend, and all
hell breaks loose.  Sound like a soap opera?  It is, and The Sims 2 has captured
it spectacularly.  Between the facial animations and complex bonds, The Sims 2
IS life.  Just as it was in The Thirteenth Floor.  But be cautious – at the end
of the movie, the scientist who created the simulation realizes that he too is
part of a greater computer simulation.  You’d better pinch yourself just to make
sure.

 

 

 

 


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