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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as The Urbz, January 8, 2006
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
In the Trinity that is The Sims for GBA, I would rate The Sims 2 as just that, #2, the first being The Urbz and the last being Bustin' Out. The Urbz had the right amount of fun, challenge, and humor, while Bustin' Out was repetitive and irritating. The Sims 2 is a little bit of it all rolled into one - repetitive, irritating, fun, challenging, and funny... but not on the same level as The Urbz. In TS2, you are the latest addition to a reality series called Strangetown, which is controlled by none other than Daddy Bigbucks himself. Some of the other "canon" characters are there: Dusty, Luther, Pepper Pete; while there are other new Sims: Kayleigh, Mama Hogg, Jebediah, etc. There's also aliens, Bigfoot, and a Yeti! Your goal is to complete every episode of the 3 seasons (with the exception of the special reunion; you can't complete that unless you link up your GBA with a friend's - stupid rule if you ask me) with the highest points. One of the main differences between TS2 and the other Sims is that you no longer have your urgencies meter; you can't eat whenever you want to eat - you have to wait until your little cartoon bubble alerts you. Plus there's no Cheat Ninja, but that's a minor point.
The overall strategy was different, the plot kind of weird, and the dialogue lame. But it's a pretty good addition to The Sims series. I'd still recommend it for a play or two.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"To my counting down to destruction!!! Five...Four...Two...Three..."---Emperor Xizzle, August 17, 2006
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
I finished "Sims Bustin' Out" (twice) and couldn't wait to try "Sims 2." In many ways this game is a lot different. Some elements are still there, including a few familiar characters like Dusty Hogg, Misty Waters and Giuseppi Mezzoalto and picking up stuff off the ground for recycling, but a lot has changed.
The point of this game is that you are hired by Daddy Bigbucks (remember him?) to star in a reality show called Strangetown. Actually, your character and a band of aliens are the only ones who know about the reality program. All the other characters are living their normal lives running organized crime, operating a nuclear power plant, etc. Ratings is your goal. Basically, you have to keep the four Goths watching your show happy by: completing the mission, running an errand, discovering and carrying out the hidden want, and succeeding in five conversations that fulfill your character's aspiration (friendly, intimidating, or romantic). There are 10 episodes of varying difficulty ratings (actually, the ones with higher ratings seem easier to me) and an 11th episode that requires a second game boy. Here is how this game compares to "Sims Bustin' Out" with pros and cons so, even if you haven't played the first game, this review will be useful.
PROS:
1. Awesome graphics!! Aluminum cans actually LOOK like aluminum cans instead of D-batteries. Your character is better looking too. Only in the facial expressions of the other characters and the extras you can buy for your place do I prefer Bustin' Out.
2. Time is not a factor in this game. Places like the saloon, pawn shop, recycling center are opened 24/7. The only limitations are that some of the side games cannot be played between 11:pm to 1:am for some reason. That is not much of an inconvenience. Also, characters stay put. Many times in "Bustin' Out," I'd need to find someone to carry out an errand and call him, he'd say where he was at, I'd rush to meet him and, as soon as I got there, he was already gone. I'd call him again and he'd not answer or be on the other side of town! Not a problem here.
3. A walkthrough is not needed. Once you figure this game out, you will not need to keep referring to a walkthrough because each episode is self explanatory. The missions are easy to follow and, as far as the other stuff, just talk to everyone you see. The errand is easy to find as it will prompt you to "Ask for errand." The hidden want might take a little thought, but that's the fun of the game.
4. Increasing your skill levels is a breeze (kind of). It doesn't take 10 minutes in a library like in "Bustin' Out," it just takes a lot of Simoleons. You buy a book and select it and you increase your level instantly. Actually, you do not need to increase your skill levels to complete the episodes. It is not really necessary unless you want to make a killing in the side games (especially "Bigfoot Loves Chickens"). To reach the highest levels in the easiest games ("Bigfoot"--if you keep playing, quitting, and replaying and not save until you win, "Kheelhaulin' Cards," and "Chop Shop") you need Intellect 4, Strength 5, Personality 4, Mechanical 3.
5. Side games are fun! They might get a little tedious because you play all five games from the first episode on. Games aren't added as you progress like in "Bustin' Out," but I still enjoy playing them, especially the card game and "Chop Shop." The hardest one to reach the top level is "Cattle Cleanup." It is similar to the lawn mowing game in "Bustin' Out" but the 10 canister goal is very difficult to achieve. I only reached level 3. The commercials (one per episode, usually the car one) are kind of annoying, though. The King Chug Chug commercial is tiring and very difficult to reach the goal for the next level. The car commercial is kind of fun once you get the hang of it but, if you crash all the time, it can be very frustrating.
6. Emperor Xizzle! This guy is the funniest character! He is an alien who flies around and speaks in strange, mixed-up sentences. When his nephew Burple interprets for him in the episode "Brand New Scent" (my favorite) it is hilarious!
7. There are two ways to end the series finale.
CONS:
1. There is no way to monitor your needs. You have to eat, drink, sleep, etc., like in "Bustin' Out" but there are no individual meters for each need. There is also no way to prevent a need from arising. If you decide to take a nap to speed up the time, as soon as you get up you might find you need sleep. You have plenty of time to rush to wherever you need to go to fulfill a need but it is frustrating that you can't take care of everything beforehand before you leave on your mission.
2. Conversations are odd and impersonal. Instead of choosing sentences to say, you try different moves (i.e. chat, entertain, brag, etc.) and see if you get a reaction. If you get the diamond meter to max out, you get a level (up to three) with that character based on the aspiration your using. If you are rejected too many times, you pass out. Sometimes you can find things that work best with certain characters, sometimes the reactions seem to be random. It can be very frustrating, especially if your character is romantic. There are only certain members of the opposite sex you can have romantic conversations with and it is very difficult to get points. It's best to save right before the conversation and keep reloading until you get the point.
3. You can make tons of Simoleons but there is nothing to really buy aside from food and drinks and occasional errands. The stuff you can buy is uninteresting and boring. Only the house makeovers you buy with ratings points (friendly, intimidating and romantic themes) is worth it. The graphics for the extras are lousy which is puzzling considering how excellent the graphics are throughout the game. All you really need to buy is a shower and (for convenience) a bed, fridge, and maybe a stove to save money but, if you play all the games everyday, money will not be an object. The scooter you can get for ratings points is a total waste. Unlike in "Bustin' Out" where the scooter was essential for getting around quickly, here it is slow and bulky. Running is much quicker and you have more control.
4. Although the graphics are great, Strangetown is a rather ugly place. As opposed to "Bustin' Out," it is very industrial to the point of being a trash heap. Some places like the Dance Club (which looks like a hideout for a militia) seem pointless. Even the zoo looks strange (hence the name, I guess).
Despite these cons, I really enjoyed this game, in some ways more so than "Bustin' Out." I was genuinely bummed after I finished the final episode for the third time (I finished the game for three characters to try each aspiration). I will soon be getting Urbz and any other Sims game that comes out for Game Boy Advance!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
If someone who never played a Sims game created a Sims game..., June 17, 2006
Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars
...they would probably create something like the GBA version of The Sims 2. I've played the original, first version of the Sims for PC, the GBA Sims Bustin' Out and The Urbz, so I have had experience with other Sim games, including ones where there is a "forced" storyline (all the GBA Sims games are like this as far as I can tell).
My complaints:
- WHAT HAPPENED to all the meters? Instead of toilet/hunger/exhaustion/etc. meters, you just have one long bar. You have no sense of your sim's needs, and it seems that randomly they will complain about being tired/hungry/etc. You can't preemptively take care of their needs-- you just have to fulfill them as they pop up. (And actually I've had instances where I have my sim go to the bathroom...only to have them complain about having to use the bathroom a short while later)
- Conversation/character interaction is tiresome and also random. Instead of choosing conversation topics, you choose conversation "actions" (for a friendly conversation, you choose from "Chit-chat," "Entertain," "Hug," etc.). And if the other character doesn't respond well to your selection, your health bar drops, sometimes significantly. If a conversation goes poorly, you risk your sim passing out. And you can't really get a sense of how the other character will react to what you say!
- Shopping is limited! Only one store, and the catalog of things to buy isn't impressive at all. What happened to all the bizarre and funky items you could buy (like the skydiving machine in the Urbz?)???
- Storyline seems way way way too forced and uninteresting. By "forced," I mean that it felt like I was just running one errand after another. There wasn't a sense of "open-endedness" (perhaps because the world is so uninteresting that there's nothing really to explore/do other than the objectives?).
- You're stuck in ONE house. The major changes that you can do to it is change it's "theme" (from friendly, romantic, or intimidating).
I bought this and The Urbz at the same time. Since then, I've finished The Urbz *twice*, and I still have yet to wrap up this one. Slogging through it, but it's definitely one that I have no problem putting down if I have to attend to other things...
I'd say try the other GBA sims games instead of this one. I'm curious to know if they even used the same design/writing team for this game...because it definitely doesn't have the same entertainment value.
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