The Sims 2

Story

The game starts at the neighborhood level. Here you can create a housing development from scratch or start with one of three pre-built neighborhoods, each with its own theme. From there, you decide on a house and a Sim family to control. Sims now have wants, needs, and fears. The wants and fears are the everyday things that occupy their minds, like wanting to see friends or get married and fearing death or being rejected for a kiss. Fulfill their desires, and they become more efficient at completing the tasks you ask them to do. Fulfill their fears, and the Sims become lethargic, moody, and unresponsive to your commands. Aspirations are the big goals, like starting a family, getting rich, and acquiring knowledge. If you succeed here, you can buy your Sim strange gifts to improve their lives, like a money tree that pays dividends or a "Fountain of Youth" water cooler. Of course, you wouldn't be able to juggle all this if it weren't for the improved "Free Will" option, which makes it easier for Sims to fulfill their basic needs. The game's artificial intelligence has been noticeably improved; they no longer turn on the radio when a family member goes to bed, but they do, oddly enough, occasionally put their dishes on the floor. Another big change in the series is the concept of lifespan. Now Sims are born with the characteristics of their parents, families grow, and Sims grow old. Not only does this go hand in hand with wishes (growing up is the first wish a baby Sim has), but there is also a limited time in which your Sims can achieve their goals. The pre-made households all have a backstory that is an intelligent parody of a soap opera plot - lots of intrigue, romance, ghosts, and family squabbles.