The Sims 2 (Nintendo DS, 2005)

In this installment to the Sims line you find your character in a desert town where he/she has to fulfill many missions, interact with lots of strange characters, and ultimately build and maintain a hotel in weirdo-ville. Its cool that you get to create a character and choose how you will arrange furniture in the many rooms of your hotel. A clever aspect of this game is the game clock being based on the real time you have set on your nintendo ds. It can be a little frustrating at times since you might have to complete a mission only at night, but don't have time to play then, so you find yourself stuck for days at a point in the game.
This is a fun game overall. It has a fun story line, interesting options for personal customizing, and lots to do. It is a little confusing at times, but for the most part the game keeps you on track with clever hints as you complete each step in the story. The characters are each unique and have memorable personalities, so you'll actually feel an interest in interacting with them. The interaction game engine is a little confusing at first, but since you can talk to each character over and over, its easy enough to figure out this game through trial and error as you play.
The worst part of this game are the unresolved glitches in the game. It is clear that a little more playtesting was needed but left unattended to. My personal experience was frustrating when I was near the end of the game, and due to a strange glitch that allowed for a little lucrative cheating, I found myself suddenly stuck whenever I tried to go to a store. Also I've gotten stuck next to walls where you end up falling into nothingness with the hotel in the far distance. Glitches such as these are inexcusable, but as long as you save often and on a few slots to keep your options open, if you don't mind retracing your steps you can probably jump back to a point where glitches haven't screwed up your game yet. I was not so lucky, and now this game collects dust in my collection, since I am way way way into the game and the replay value just isn't there. Also some aspects of play control are pretty poor, particularly when the character ends up donning a hoakey super hero costume near the end of the game. When you go to fight crime it ends up being such a strange interface so ridden with glitches that it can leave you unable to capture the criminals you seek to seize.
Don't let these complaints throw you. If you can get this game for a good price it is certainly worth playing, as it is a lot of fun to watch your hotel grow and thrive and the characters are so memorable that you'll be able to think back to the time you ended up running a hotel in the desert and all the freaks you met there. I got my copy for about ten bucks. That in my opinion was a fair price. Happy shopping!!