The Sims 2

The Sims 2 is the official sequel to the "best-selling PC game of all-time", The Sims.

In this sequel, Maxis has created an entirely new, 3D engine, similar to the console Sim games. You can rotate the camera in a 360° view, or shuffle the camera to the left and right.

Your Sims are also fully animated, articulated characters. They have a wide range of movements, most of which are humorous. Eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, getting kissed, proposing marriage... everything has a specific animation to it.

The Sims 2 has an expanded Build mode. You can now create large houses, going up to four floors, with new types of wallpapers, carpets, stairs, fireplaces, and more. You can connect parts of your house via a deck or patio, or a balcony-type catwalk.

When first playing the game, you can choose to move your family into a pre-made neighborhood with different themes, or you can create one from scratch. If you have SimCity 4 and/or Rush Hour installed, you can import cities into The Sims 2 to use custom neighborhoods.

The biggest change to the game is aging and fears/aspirations. Your Sims will now age, from a newborn to a toddler to a child to an adult and finally, to a senior. Your Sims will also eventually die of old age (or other means, for evil players), but there is a way to prolong your Sims youth.