The Sims 2

The Sims 2 begins at the neighborhood level, where you can build a community from scratch or move into one of three pre-made neighborhoods, each with its own theme, then settle on a house and a family of Sims to guide. This time, Sims have aspirations, wants, and fears. Wants and fears are the day-to-day desires on their minds — to see friends or get married, to avoid rejection or death; satisfy a Sim's wants and they grow more capable at the tasks you set, but realize their fears and they turn listless, cranky, and hard to control. Aspirations are the bigger ambitions — raising a family, growing wealthy, gaining knowledge — and fulfilling them earns quirky rewards like a money tree or a "fountain of youth" water cooler. An improved "Free Will" system and sharper AI help Sims meet their own basic needs more sensibly than before. The biggest change, though, is the lifespan: Sims are now born with traits inherited from their parents, families grow across generations, and Sims age and eventually die — giving you only a limited window to help them reach their goals. The pre-made households even come with backstories that play like clever spoofs of soap operas, full of scheming, romance, ghosts, and family feuds.