The year is 2006. I'm just six years old, sitting in my older brother's room on a hot summer day in Bosnia and Herzegovina. "Is it ready?" I try to peer over his shoulder as he configures The Sims 2 on my volcano red laptop – a true relic of the early 2000s. I didn't realize at the time that the silly life sim game he was installing for me would swallow thousands of hours of my life over the years, or that it would one day kickstart my career in games.
My earliest memory of The Sims 2 sees that same six-year-old girl crowding around her friend's PC alongside other curious children, craving just a few minutes of gameplay. I had to tell my brother and mother about it immediately, and whether it was wise of them or not, they caved and gave me my very own copy of what might just be the most revolutionary entry in EA's beloved series of 25 years. These memories are still dear to me today.
When I was offered the chance to play The Sims 2 again to preview EA's exciting re-release, you can imagine I jumped at the chance. Getting in-game has instantly transported me back to 2006 – although this time, I have a much better PC and, perhaps unfortunately, the ability to detect the jankiness six-year-old me didn't care about. Despite all of the bugs and the crashing, though, I'm one happy camper with The Sims 2 back in my library.
Sul sul!
What's the worst thing that's ever happened to one of your Sims?
The silly intro. That's what strikes me first about the re-release. It's a minor feature from The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 that The Sims 4 lacks, yet its impact is anything but small. Hearing that "sul sul" at the start genuinely made my heart flutter. Then the music – oh my god, the music. This really is the same Sims 2 I've loved for so long, for better or worse. Even when I'm not actively in-game, I can still hear Mark Mothersbaugh's banger tunes on repeat.
After embarrassingly jamming out to loading screen music, I find myself finally selecting my neighborhood. I pick Strangetown, of course, because if I'm going to experience The Sims 2 again it's only going to be with all of the wild little things that set the sequel apart – alien abductions, craters, and UFOs included. I scatter a few decorations around the map before entering Create-A-Sim, prepared to tackle one of my favorite parts of every Sims game.
I'm blasted back to the early 2000s, an era in which crop tops, mini skirts, and zodiac signs were just so in. The overall customization isn't great compared to The Sims 3 or The Sims 4, but its simplicity is what makes it so great. The choices I do have are enough – I mean, what more could a girl need than some hot pink lipstick, a bright blue bikini, and a disgustingly tight dress adorned with a thin fuzzy scarf that screams Y2K?
I make my household – a small family with two sisters, a cat, and a dog. It's time to find a house they can afford now, and as always, my go-to is Tidy Tudor. No, it doesn't fit well in Strangetown, but yes, I'm going to customize the ever-loving hell out of it to make it work. The Nightingales, my little family, move in and I set out to work on their ill-fitting home. As I enter the build-and-buy modes, I'm blessed by nostalgia-inducing music once more.
This isn't The Sims 4, so there aren't a billion expansion packs' worth of objects to use while decorating. This is, however, The Sims 2, which means that everything present in-game is more than enough for me. I mean, come on, just look at Teen Style Stuff – that colorful gaming PC and boombox are all I really need. I never feel overwhelmed by choices, but I do wish things were easier to navigate after being spoiled by more modern entries.
I also wish my Sims had more money, but that's nothing a motherlode or two can't solve. I'm happy to report The Sims 2 cheats we all know and love are still intact, and you bet I'm going to use them. Suddenly, the Nightingales are 50,000 Simoleons richer – and I can decorate to my heart's content. But no cheat code can save me from the real problem The Sims 2 still suffers from decades on: how damn broken it feels sometimes.
O vwa vwaf sna!
"This is the Sims 2 I've adored for almost two decades now"
I try to use the redesign tool, and I crash. I open my game again, and all of my settings are gone and my progress on Tidy Tudor has fallen back to square one. No bother, I'll just redo everything – oh no, I've crashed again. I figure out what inputs seem to trigger the crashing and avoid them, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't all a nuisance. I should be able to use the tools the game has to offer without worrying about losing saves.
What annoys me the most, however, is that even when I do everything "right" and avoid the supposed triggers, I still crash at random intervals. It's fine, I guess, I tell myself – I'll save every few minutes and crack on. I finally finish the Nightingales' house, saving constantly out of paranoia, and dive into the whacky live mode. This is what I've truly been waiting for, and I absolutely will not allow The Sims 2's jankiness to get in the way.
I'm glad I don't, because it's amazing. Awesome, as six-year-old me would describe it. There's an alien on my lot, rotting newspapers on my lawn, and random Sims dipping in and out of my pool. This is the Sims 2 I've adored for almost two decades now. I search for jobs via the news, employ both my Sims and their pets, and flirt with just about every stranger visiting the revamped Tidy Tudor – weird alien neighbor guy included, of course.
Dag dag!
"I simply can't get enough of it – the chaos, the charm, the downright simulation wilderness that is The Sims 2"
Everything is so ridiculous, and I love it. It's all ten times more difficult than The Sims 4, an entry that has arguably watered down so much of the series' identity. It takes ages to build a relationship with another Sim and every decision matters – every decision, y'all. One of the Nightingale sisters works in the medical field, and I'm thrilled when I make the right choice that leads to a spontaneous promotion on her first day on the job.
I'm not so thrilled a few days later when I opt for the wrong choice and she's fired. Fired, just like that! It's brutal, but I'm so here for it. The Sims 2 makes decisions feel like they actually matter, just as it does with interactions and relationships. Even though the wants and fears system is less advanced than it is in newer Sims games, it also seems far more impactful. I truly care about my Sims' desires and strive to avoid what sets them back.
I simply can't get enough of it – the chaos, the charm, the downright simulation wilderness that is The Sims 2. Whenever I crash, I immediately boot my game back up and resume playing. I'd recommend any longtime fans of the original give the re-release a go, honestly, despite its performance-related quirks. Newcomers might not enjoy it as much, but that's okay – I'd say this re-release is launching with us hardened Sims 2 veterans in mind anyway.
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