2. The Sims 2
Maxis | Electronic Arts | 2004
Forget the dollhouse metaphor - with simulated age, death and emotion, the follow up to The Sims feels like you're controlling living, breathing people
What made it so great?
Incredibly, The Sims 2 is as revolutionary, in its own way, as the groundbreaking original. The sequel simply feels more real. The characters aren't pieced together out of stock heads and torsos anymore; they're brought to life through infinite customization tools. And they aren't forced to express emotion solely through body language, either, as they now have believable facial animations.
But most importantly, Sims have DNA. Although they age and die this time around, their looks and personalities can be passed from generation to generation. Nothing in gaming is quite as poignant, or creates quite the same emotional attachment, as recognizing your long-gone original Sim in the eyes of his great-great grandson. Plus, with a fully 3D world and completely free roaming camera, you can zoom within a millimeter of those eyes and then pull out until the entire surrounding neighborhood is visible.
Get ready to play
Go ahead. Be vain and mold a Sim to look exactly like you. Just be careful with the age selector, as The Sims 2 has no problem predicting how you'll appear as an elderly man or woman. Considering how eerily accurate the game is with your present form, do you really want to see what it thinks the ravages of time have in store for you? Hint: liver spots.
Been there, done that?
Although there are a million entertaining things for your Sim to do at home, none of them include cheerleaders or keg parties. The Sims 2: University adds those, as well as an additional stage of life between teenager and adult.
