The Sims 2

The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game in history, The Sims. more...

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It was released on September 17, 2004 and sold a record one million copies in its first ten days. The Sims 2 has been released for Windows, Mac OS X, and several game consoles. Four expansion packs and three stuff packs have been released to date.

In The Sims 2, players control computer characters known as Sims as they interact with their virtual environment, engaging in activities and forming relationships in a manner similar to real life. It builds on its predecessor by allowing Sims to age through six stages of life and incorporating an all-new 3D game engine. A sequel titled The Sims 3 has been announced by EA.

Gameplay

The Sims 2 does not have a defined end objective. Gameplay is open-ended, allowing the player the freedom to engage the virtual human characters called Sims in whatever way suits the player's purpose. The general cycle of gameplay reflects that of real life: birth, grow up, marry, have children, grow old and watch the next generation take over before death. This cycle is not absolute, as there is no requirement to marry (Sims may adopt), nor is there even a requirement to bring about a "next generation."

Neighborhoods and lots

A neighborhood in The Sims 2 is roughly equivalent to a save slot in other games. Players can save a theoretically unlimited number of neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are self-contained; Sims from one neighborhood cannot interact with Sims from another. However many duplicate sims are in neighborhoods separate from their identical counterparts, since every neighborhood has the same set of premade NPCs. The neighborhood shown in the neighborhood chooser is sometimes referred to as a "base neighborhood" to distinguish it from expansion neighborhoods, or "sub-neighborhoods", made available in expansion packs -- College Town from The Sims 2: University, Downtown from The Sims 2: Nightlife, and the Shopping District from The Sims 2: Open for Business (no new neighborhoods were included in The Sims 2: Pets). The Sims 2 shipped with three pre-made neighborhoods, these are: Pleasantview, Strangetown, and Veronaville along with the new neighborhood known as by Riverblossom Hills (which comes with Seasons).

Each neighborhood contains lots. There are two types of lots: residential and community (more were added in The Sims 2: Nightlife). Residential lots contain houses where Sims live, while community lots contain destinations where Sims visit. A community lot may contain food services, shopping opportunities, recreation facilities, etc (a sim can buy a community lot to host their business in The Sims 2: Open for Business). A neighborhood may contain numerous lots of both types. Expansion neighborhoods are commonly used to distribute lots so that the memory strain of opening a neighborhood is reduced.

Read more at Wikipedia.org