GamesSimulationThe SimsMySims' Switch launch is cute and all, but it has nothing on the best old school Sims 2 games that really deserve a portWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSimulationThe SimsMySims' Switch launch is cute and all, but it has nothing on the best old school Sims 2 games that really deserve a portWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: EA)
It’s Christmas Day 2005 and I’m huffing and puffing down the mic of my new Nintendo DS. I’d been begging for this particular gift for months, both because I yearned to play Nintendogs with my cousin,andbecause I clearly craved putting my 10-year-old asthmatic lungs through the ringer in The Sims 2’s vacuum cleaning minigame. Blowing dust bunnies away while tidying my hotel is not something I’d ever done in the PC version of EA’s beloved life sim, which I was fully committed to as a lifestyle choice at that tender age. Soon, though, it became the focus of my daily routine. Flash forward to present day, I still get just as big of a kick out of it, because the mechanic is just as unique, interactive, and charming as ever.
The Sims has a near constant presence throughout my life. I’ve talked in the past abouthow well The Sims Medieval holds upto this day, and reflected on the benefits and drawbacks of the mainline series’generational format– including how it complicates the future ofThe Sims 4as alegacy product. But with 2008’s MySims soon to be landing on Nintendo Switch, I decided to revisit two iconic Sims 2 handheld reimaginings that I feel deserve to be brought to the modern console next. Sorry in advance to any PSP truthers out there, but the GBA and DS versions are the ones I’m championing today.
Yee ba hey
(Image credit: EA Games)
Full circle(Image credit: EA)The Sims 4 Life and Death is everything I’ve ever wanted from EA, and it’s so good I don’t even care there won’t be a Sims 5
Full circle
(Image credit: EA)The Sims 4 Life and Death is everything I’ve ever wanted from EA, and it’s so good I don’t even care there won’t be a Sims 5
(Image credit: EA)
The Sims 4 Life and Death is everything I’ve ever wanted from EA, and it’s so good I don’t even care there won’t be a Sims 5
I traded in my pearlescent pink DS classic for a swanky Guitar Hero DS Lite back in 2008, and it still lives in my bedside drawer. Sure, the screen calibration is far less reliable, and my keen little jaws have done a number on its stylus in the years since, but I can’t bring myself to scrap the neat little handheld for two reasons: Sims 2 DS and Sims 2 GBA.
Having ready access to both versions via the same little machine has its advantages, even if I only pop in to experience them once or twice a year. It’s a reminder of the weird and wonderful Sims spin-offs that have captured my imagination and affection in equal measures over the years, not to mention the welcome distractions they proved during long plane journeys or when my siblings jostled me off our shared PC as a kid.
The irony is that my little sister is the one who had a Game Boy Advance at the time, and despite how much I loved my DS version of The Sims 2, we both found ourselves arguing over the little rectangle cartridge. Eventually my mother gave in and bought me my own (perks of being a middle child), meaning we could do a little back and forth trading to give us both a taste of each. Years later it’s still hard to pick favorites, but if I had to choose: Sims 2 DS has the best mechanics, story, and mission progression, but Sims 2 GBA is a clear winner for novel concept and worldbuilding.
(Image credit: EA Games)
Having ready access to both versions via the same little machine has its advantages, even if I only pop in to experience them once or twice a year.
Having ready access to both versions via the same little machine has its advantages, even if I only pop in to experience them once or twice a year.
Set in the arid dustbowl of Strangetown, The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS forces players to take up the mantle of hotel owner extraordinaire, building it up from a ramshackle ruin to a five-star establishment with themed suites, a casino, and multiple bars and lounges. Oh, and did I mention a top secret lair belonging to a dormant superhero? Constructing all of this requires plenty of Simoleons, earned from hotel guests paying for their stays in full upon a pleasant visit. The likelihood of happy customers increases with the cleanliness, quality, and environment of the guest rooms and facilities available, so it’s a matter of completing side jobs on top of the main quests to build up those coffers. The time-honored money-making tradition of creating and selling paintings is still a staple here, with paintings either sold at the art gallery or used to decorate rooms and suites for a little aesthetic boost.
It’s a hotel hustle I would love to see on modern platforms. Condensing the two-screen experience to just the one would probably take a little tinkering, but if MySims can make the jump to the Switch, I don’t see why Sims 2 couldn’t follow suit. The main snag is that Nintendo’s latest does not sport the built-in mic of its double-screened predecessor, putting my dreams of playing the vacuum minigame on the backburner. However, the Switch’s touch screen is its saving grace. It’s a much wider used mechanism in the game that can be given greater focus in a port. Tapping dust bunnies is just as effective and blowing on them, after all, and making a masterpiece worthy of gallery perfection – a single dot on an otherwise blank canvas, of course – could be as fulfilling on the Switch as it was the DS. Plus, whodoesn’twant to do shady missions for high-baller penthouse guests, even if it means offering gourds to a strange old statue and bringing a mummy back to life? Ah, nostalgia.
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(Image credit: EA Games)
Sims 2 DS has the best mechanics, story, and mission progression, but Sims 2 GBA is a clear winner for novel concept and worldbuilding.
Sims 2 DS has the best mechanics, story, and mission progression, but Sims 2 GBA is a clear winner for novel concept and worldbuilding.
And then we have the ugly duckling of the Sims 2 handheld spin-offs: the Game Boy Advance version. Framed as a reality show, the player must complete a series of mission-based episodes to create drama among the people of Strangetown. Think The Truman Show, onlyyouare the only one who knows that you’re in a TV show.
Meddling in the lives of unaware citizens turns out to be a blast, moral quandaries aside, and you even get a sweet, customizable motorbike to jet around the town on. Episodes cover a variety of topics, from a cola craze to missing Sims, and no one is none the wiser that your character is in on producer Daddy Bigbucks' nefarious schemes. As a kid, I loved how both the DS and GBA Sims 2 games share a similar cast of characters, from Al Capone-like Frankie Fusilli to Kayleigh Wintercrest and the devious likes of intruder alien Emperor Xizzle. There’s an implied shared aspect connecting the two games that makes them feel linked somehow, and maybe that’s why they both occupy a similar space in my nostalgic memory.
Check out thebest Sims 2 cheats(aside from the hallowed motherlode) that can be total gamechangers.
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The Sims creator’s first game in over 10 years is an AI life sim that uses your real memories: “The more I can make a game about you, the more you’ll like it"How to collect all the tarot cards in The Sims 4 Life and Death
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5
Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”