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The Sims franchise makes a proper appearance on the Nintendo DS. Although The Urbz: Sims in the City launched with the hardware, it was really just a tweaked version of the GBA game of the same name. The Nintendo DS version of The Sims 2, however, is totally unique to the hardware which is good to fans of the series.
The Sims 2 has a pretty focused story mode divided into a number of chapters. In the game, you’ll manage a hotel in the town of Strangeville. During the game, you’ll control a specific sim and will be able to control their appearance. Your goal is to get money by building up the hotel, including saving the town, performing odd jobs, and gambling. You’ll have to work with and for a number of characters in the game to get this money. You need to meet their requirements and make them happy before moving on to the next person, with their own set of requirements. The Sims 2 for Nintendo DS doesn’t use the same time system as other versions of the game, instead choosing to work around the real time based on the Nintendo DS’s internal clock. This games the game a bit more dynamic since the developers were able to play around with the time element now. However, it also adds some unnecessary waiting time which is a bit of a downside since the story mode is pretty structured.
As expected, the game still lets you decorate the various rooms in the hotel to your liking. This is especially neat since you can use the touch screen on the Nintendo DS to create paintings that you can then use to decorate the hotel. The paint program is pretty in-depth allowing for truly unique creations. You can also use the touch screen to create in-game music via the included application. You can also use the touch screen to do things like vacuum and metal detect.
The game includes a wireless multiplayer mode where you can trade furniture with another play. There are also a few card games tossed in there. You’ll both need cartridges to play but at least the game has some sort of multiplayer mode.
The game's graphics is now in complete 3D. This upgrade is definitely appreciated since the previous game didn't really tax the graphical capabilities of the Nintendo DS. The move to 3D makes the game more in line with the other versions of the game. The engine manages to keep up with the framerate very well. The characters are decently detailed and animated, although there is nothing spectacular going on. The lighting is pretty simplistic, though.
The game's audio is very solid. The background music is well done and fits the game perfectly. The addition to make your own music was very creative, makes good use of the Nintendo DS hardware, and adds some variety to the mix. This also helps alleviate the somewhat repetitive nature of the music. The sound effects are top-notch and fit the game perfectly. The Simlish voice acting is pretty good and helps make the game authentic.
The Sims 2 is a pretty compelling game on the Nintendo DS. It is structured enough to give you some purpose in what you’re doing but contains enough of the more open-endedness of the other modes to keep things interesting. The game was also benefited by moving to 3D and taking advantages of the Nintendo DS hardware. -- Michael Taylor, PGNx Media
---- Nov 2, 2005
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