A Gamer's Guide to the Sims 2

The sequel to the popular people simulation game, The Sims, The Sims 2 is a new and definitely improved version of the original. The graphics are better, the game play is better, everything is better. Don’t get me wrong, I love the original, but I love The Sims 2 even more. They’ve even given you a story element to the game, it doesn’t seem to be that important and you don’t have to follow it, but it still adds a little more life to the game. This is a guide to the base game The Sims 2 and not the Expansion Packs. To understand this guide, you'll need a basic idea of how to play the original. I know it doesn't seem fair, but it is very difficult to explain the entire game in one article.

The Neighborhoods

In The Sims 2 you are given three neighborhoods to start your playing. They are Pleasantview, Strangetown and Veronaville. You can create your own neighborhoods, but you start with no Sims, no houses, absolutely nothing, so unless you’re willing to invest the time to build a neighborhood from scratch, stick with the three you’re given. Each neighborhood has it’s own theme, own characters and own story. The Sims from one neighborhood cannot visit other neighborhoods, but you can take an occupied house, put it in the occupied houses bin on the main neighborhood menu, got to another neighborhood and place it within the new neighborhood, the transported Sims will not remember they’re old friends from home, but their relationships with other members of their households. So the Jones’ of Pleasantview (not the name of a family you actually start with) can’t visit the Smith’s of Strangetown (they actually do come as a comp. created family) unless one family moves to the other family’s neighborhood. I usually stick to Pleasantview when I play The Sims 2, so my knowledge of the other two is limited, but I will try to give you as much info. on them as I can.