Pyat's Review of Sims 2

[pyat]

You all knew this was going to happen, right?

You've seen my reviews of Roller Coaster Tycoon and the Conan MMOPRG.

You saw that I'd been playing Sim 2.

You knew what was coming next.

Let me tell you the story of Sammy Slan.



Sammy was just an ordinary SF fan, living in Pleasantville. He wanted to be popular and influential.


He lived in a concrete bunker, the cheapest house he could build. It was cheap and utilitarian. Sammy got a job as a campaign manager.


He started dating a pretty girl named Susan. We had all the same interests!


Things got really good for Sammy. He added a bunch of rooms to his concrete bunker. He could afford the good things in life. Things were going well with Susan. Sure, he flirted a bit, and maybe once he snuggled up with a creepy old man in a hot tub, but... hey, he was drunk, okay? Susan didn't mind.


Like, I say, things were going well. Though Sammy still didn't trust architects. He just added rooms as he needed them.


Sammy threw a wedding party. Invited a bunch of movers and shakers. They toasted his health. Sammy kissed Susan. That made a couple of people mad. Seems he'd been flirting a little too much. Something snapped inside Sammy. Maybe it was because he'd been living off Espressos for a week, and hadn't slept. I don't know.


So, here we are.


I added some more rooms.


I hope you find them comfortable. Maybe you're wondering where Susan is...don't worry about her.


Remember? We have the same interests.


Like outdoor underwear bowling at 3 AM.


Um, just to explain, I walled in the party guests in tiny rooms without toilets or chairs. And left them there for several days until they were passing out at random and really needed showers. Then I let them out. I've not starved anyone to death... yet. I added the glass panels so you could see them in their little niches.

I think I dislike this game. Seriously, most of my fun in games comes from finding interesting ways to do pointless or dangerous things outside of the intended playspace. That's the whole point of Sims 2. The entire game is one big sandbox where you can do almost anything... but the only fun things to do are hit other kids in the head with your shovel.

For me, it's sort of like the video game equivalent of that Twilight Zone episode. Sims 2 is A Night Place to Visit, but I think I prefer the honest sadism of a first person shooter.

Comments

[dagoski.livejournal.com]

This is almost as fun as a Red vs Blue movie.

[mwbard.livejournal.com]

Pyat, you sure you want to wall up Slan? If so, you are far FAR braver than I am.

And, if you have no clue as to what I'm talking about, then SHAME ON YOU! And when you are sufficiently whimpering and apologetic, you can take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slan :)

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Morgan, have you not seen the videos of my visits to the original Slan Shack in Battle Creek? :)

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

And the write ups, and the reminiscences? Out of curiosity, do you think we'll be going that way again, or have you decided not to hunt the ghosts of sci fi past?

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I suspect it will depend on whether or not we're ready for lunch as we pass through Battle Creek!

[mwbard.livejournal.com]

I remember it, but I remember it as something to do with Lovecraft, not van Vogt..

*goes to hose the egg off*

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I went there, too! Lovecraft's tomb, I mean, in 2007.

But I also did two seperate trips to the Battle Creek "Slan Shack", in 2006 and 2008. I know about the Slans in Voght, and what the phrase means in fandom history.

[paka.livejournal.com]

So that's where all the Chaotic Evil traits went.

[momentrabbit.livejournal.com]

"The Sims2 World of Dorian Grey" doesn't quite have the same ring of the original.

I'm also reminded of-
The entire game is one big sandbox where you can do almost anything... but the only fun things to do are hit other kids in the head with your shovel.

The problem with giving a child an unbreakable toy is often that they'll use it to break their other toys.

[lee-in-limbo.livejournal.com]

Sims 2 was a fun game to try to make gonzo architecture with, but I couldn't quite get it to do exactly what I wanted, and it was pretty persnickety about expansion pack assets. I haven't touched it in a while. Frankly, I never really cared for the Sims themselves. I just liked building stuff and letting them walk through it to see if it worked.

Lee.