The Sims 2 (Mac Games, 2005)

The Sims 2 is one of the best games to be released for Apple/Mac. It’s a great game for all ages, but particularly teenagers and young adults. Although all the expansions have not yet been released, which I highly recommend, it's still worth purchasing. The game itself is very different from the original Sims, with that said the controls are also different and take a little time to get used to playing. Aside from the graphics, the plot has also changed. You can go from the cradle to the grave; starting as a baby, going through the awkward teen years, becoming a real adult and then a senior citizen. Every choice you make will change our relationships with others including friends, family, acquaintances and even the grocery deliver person (just make sure to tip them or they won’t want to be your friend)! There are a few things about this game that most people may not notice, which I will point out here. Those three things are: creating your own house or dream house, creating a gay couple and creating single-parent families.

First, you don’t only have the option of using prefab houses that come with the game. You can design the house, apartment or duplex you live in. Finding your way around the editor can be tricky, but persistence will pay off. I used this feature to lie out my entire house and discover ideas for interior design. Then I added the people and witnessed the unforeseeable problems and made adjustments to create my dream home. I was able to better design my own house through playing Sims 2! You can also download other people’s houses by going to Sims 2 communities. Finding communities that cater to Mac users can be difficult, but using other’s links, MySpace groups and Google will help. Here’s one to get you started: www.aroundthesims2.com

Second, you can have gay and lesbian couples in the Sims 2! This was also possible for the original Sims, but now you can move in, get married and not just kiss. You can also adopt children and start your own little progressive family!

And lastly is the ability to create single parent families. This took some tweaking but I figured out the best approach, aside from killing off one of the parents! (Not recommended, a little too traumatic for the children.) In the editing screen, create the single parent (male or female). Now, create the “spouse” of the single parent. You can just click the opposite sex and click “OK” without editing them, since you will be removing them later. Then, in the connections screen, choose for them to have a child. The game simulates what a child by these two adults will look like and creates the baby! Now, delete the parent that you didn’t want in your Sims’ family. Wa-la! One parent and one child, ready to move in and start their life as a Sim.

If you’re short on bills this month, why not try a cheat code to get you through those tough times. Press Ctrl + Shift + C to bring up the cheat console. To add 1,000 dollars to household funds, type “kaching” or type in “motherlode” to add 50,000. When you’re done, type “exit” to close the cheat window.

Also, be sure to download any patches that will include game play. Here’s one released specifically for Mac Sims 2 players: http://www.macgamefiles.com/detail.php?item=18775

Enjoy your new life in Sims 2 and be sure to check out the expansions!