The Sims
- October 18, 2002 00:00 AM PST
It�s life, Sim, but not as you know it�EA�s hit suburban simulation is headed to the PS2 with some major 3D overhauls.
Nobody expected that The Sims�Will Wright�s weird little game about controlling the lives of tiny fake people�would turn into the megafranchise it has become. Now that it�s headed to the PS2 at last, early signs are strong that the series won�t lose any of its personality or addictive gameplay, even as it gains a literal new dimension.The Sims will put the fates of electronic families in your hands. You�ll create them, shape their personalities, dress them up, name them, and try to make them happy, healthy, and wealthy. Direct your Sims through the trials and tribulations of modern home life, and you might see their little dreams�which just may be your little dreams!�come true.
The Puppetmaster
While the 3D overhaul looks great so far and the new animations (such as being shocked by a broken TV) are welcome additions, the biggest issue for The Sims will be control. A giant cursor, controlled by the analog stick, will give you the power to direct your house�s denizens to interact with the things around them, while the directional pad will let you keep tabs on each Sim�s emotional and career status. It was all fairly comfortable and intuitive in the early build. Buying items and placing them in your house was a breeze; building walls, however, proved trickier (it was easy to accidentally install aluminum siding in the kitchen).
Days of Your Lives
In addition to a vast Create-a-Sim building tool, the PS2 game will feature a new, goal-oriented quest called Get a Life. Players will start out as an unemployed slacker living at home with Mom. Borrow enough cash, acquire some basic skills, and get a job, and you�ll be able to move out to a better place with better belongings�but more responsibility. That mode was already working great in the early version; there will be a lot of depth packed in when The Sims ships early next year.
