The Sims 2 (Nintendo DS)

The Sims 2 for Nintendo DS is the first DS game of The Sims 2. Like the many of the console games it takes place in Strangetown with some of the same faces.

The player's character arrives in Strangetown after crashing their car. The local old guy Jebidiah S. Jerky, who informs them that "your engine has more holes than a donut shop," suggests they should probably check in at the local hotel. An interesting coincidence is that the manager of the hotel left the previous day and has left a note at the check-in desk addressed to the player's character stating that they are the new manager of the hotel.

The aim of the game is to improve the hotel by adding extensions, furnishing rooms, completing goals, rescue guests or help them find missing objects and keeping the hotel clean.

There are three main guests, Frankie Fusilli, Ava Cadavra, and Optimum Alfred, who have quests that must be completed.

Touchscreen
The game incorporates touchscreen with its game play. It is used for the menu, the minigames and the social interactions.

Real-time
The game plays in real time, with some options only occurring at night and others only in the day, some missions can only be carried out at night. Building rooms takes 8 real-time hours and the guests checkout on specified dates. The shop has new items every week and a limited edition item every month. Skill points that are found around the hotel only appear at certain times on certain days. Weather is random (the only weather is rain). Also, if the player changes the time backwards, the aliens will appear in every alien spawn point in Strangetown, so it's probably best not to travel back in time.

Social interaction
The player can increase their relationship with Sims by interacting with them, provided they are in town. Social interactions with them depend on their moods. Depending on what the Sim is feeling, they will interact with the player in different ways (text messages will be in different tones, their greeting will be different, etc.). Items can be given as gifts to improve relationships. Sims waiting in the hotel lobby can be checked into any vacant guest room in the hotel. They will give a day that they are staying to, unless they are evicted by the player or choose to randomly leave (which is announced via text). They can also be checked into the Penthouse after all quests have been completed. Depending on their mood when they are checked out, guests will pay either the full bill or half, and may even tip. A brochure holder is in the lobby, Sims wondering around the lobby can purchase them for 15 simoleons each, which the player can restock for free.
 * Neutral Sims don't need interacting with, but can be impressed for a boost in relationship. The interaction doesn't give a physical reward like money or gourds. They come up as "happy" if messaged on the phone.
 * Angry Sims can send rude text messages at any moment. These Sims should be calmed down if they are guests in the hotel, as they can break furniture in their room, which cannot be repaired and must be cleaned up. The object will be replaced with an object called 'Debris' which resembles a pile of dust and wooden planks.
 * Sad Sims can sometimes alter the colors of the furniture in their hotel room if they are guests. They can be cheered up.
 * Loopy Sims need to be restrained, otherwise they leave ick piles on the floor that need to be cleaned. They will send weird text messages, such as 'Wow! Look at that thing burn. It's a purple and green flame. And I am flying!'
 * Romantic Sims can be romanced, but the interaction gives no reward other than a relationship boost. If the player's Sim is male, they can only romance females (and vice versa). Some Sims can't be romanced, which are Lord Mole, Optimum Alfred, Bigfoot, Jeb, Pepper Pete, Emperor Xizzle, and Horus.

Returning Sims

 * Ava Cadavra
 * Bigfoot
 * Cannonball Coleman
 * Detective Dan D. Mann
 * Dusty Hogg
 * Futo Maki
 * Giuseppi Mezzoalto
 * Grim Cowboy
 * Jimmy "The Neck"
 * Johnny Smith
 * Luthor L. Bigbucks
 * Misty Waters
 * Tank Grunt
 * Pepper Pete

New Sims

 * Emperor Xizzle
 * Auda Sherif
 * Frankie Fusilli
 * Ara Fusilli
 * Kayleigh Wintercrest
 * Lord Mole
 * Horus Menhoset IX
 * Optimum Alfred
 * Penelope Redd
 * Kent Hackett
 * Sancho Paco Panza
 * Mamma Hogg
 * Honest Jackson
 * Jebidiah S. Jerky
 * Tristan Legend
 * Concierge
 * Safari Chick
 * Saloon Chick

Sanity
Sanity is the player's character's mood. Sanity can be increased by interacting with objects such as beds, benches, chairs, showers, toilets, fridges, etc. Flashing red icons displayed above the player character's head display a need that should be resolved immediately or else their sanity meter will drain. When the Sanity meter runs out, the player may be thrown in jail and lose 200 simoleons for bail. If the player has insufficient funds to bail themselves out, Mamma Hogg will bail them out. Otherwise, they will pass out and are returned to the Manager's Suite by the Grim Cowboy. Sanity can also deplete from spending time in the desert and the freezer. There is a hanging chunk of meat inside of the freezer, which can be interacted with for a large boost in sanity.

Being shot by robots, attacked by criminals (such as Crime Spree Bob's gang or Jimmy the Neck's goons), or being abducted by aliens also drains sanity. Sims that have been abducted by aliens will have difficulty walking until their sanity has recovered.

Sanity meters can vary in color depending on levels. Depending on their aspiration, interacting with Sims that are in a specific mood will eventually increase their level (for example, Sims with the fortune aspiration will increase their level by calming down angry sims). Levels can be checked on the Stat Panel in the Manager Suite under the "aspirations" tab.

There are four levels, each with its own color as shown in the table below:

Hotel
The hotel begins with only the main lobby, second floor lobby (with the small room by the elevator), the basement (where the furnace room and freezer are located), the manager's suite, the penthouse and sundeck. There are many other rooms which can be built, including a vault, casino, and art gallery. Certain rooms must be built when the three special guests are checked in. Frankie Fusilli asks for a vault, and the Bovine Shrine is a room requested by Ava Cadavra. As well as completing the in-game goals, it is the players' job to maintain the hotel. Building every room in the hotel will bring the rating of the hotel to 100%. The player can purchase rooms by talking to the Clerk in the City Hall for Simoleons, and Tristan Legend will build it over the next 8 hours.

There are three extra rooms that can be built for guests to stay in, which are the Jungle Guest Room, the Deluxe Guest Room, and the Modern Guest Room, all found on the 2nd Floor Lobby. Inside of the Atrium, there is the Sax Lounge, the Art Gallery, the Asian Emporium, the Casino, the Spa and Gym, and the Lion Lounge. The basement holds the Bovine Shrine, the Rat Cave, the Vault, the Secret Warehouse, and the Government Lab. The Rat Cave costs §3,500 to build; however, Tristan will build it for free if it hasn't been bought by the final fight.

The Town
In the town, there are a handful of locations that the player can visit. Other than their hotel, they can visit the shop, where Johnny Smith resides and the player can buy furniture and necessary progression items, the jail, where they will go if they lose sanity under certain conditions, the city hall, where the player can get permits to build new hotel rooms and sell nuclear rods, and finally the saloon, where the player can buy food, drinks, and sell gourds to the Saloon Chick. Right outside of town is the desert, where the player can find missing items but will rapidly lose sanity while out there. There is also a field filled with three cows that the player can either tip, milk, or give gifts to.

Skill points
There are 5 types of skill points: Body, Business, Charisma, Creativity, and Mechanical.

Skill points, when they appear, will remain in the same location for 8 hours, changing at 8 a.m., 4 p.m. and 12 a.m. Only one skill point of each type can be found at a certain time, day and location. There is no other way to build skills in the game. The player needs to reach level 5 in the Mechanical skill by the end of the game to complete a task.

Note that a bug exists to take a skill point as many times as you want: before taking it, shoot it with the Super Drencher (the lock needs to be activated), take it, now go out of the room and enter again. The Skill point will be there again, this can be repeated for an unlimited amount of times.

Earning Simoleons
Players can earn Simoleons by getting guests to check in the hotel. The more expensive the furniture is in the guest rooms, the more the guests will pay for their stay. Checking Sims out when they are neutral/happy is the best way to guarantee the bill will be paid in full, and if Sims are in a good mood they will often leave a tip. Keeping the brochure holder stocked helps to make money, as each sells for §15 each.

Alternate ways of getting Simoleons include; finding license plates and selling them to the sheriff in the jail, selling fuel rods to the clerk in the city hall, selling gourds to the lady in the Saloon, and selling UFO parts to the general store clerk, Johnny Smith. Odd things like rocks and spare furniture can be sold to Johnny as well. Calming down, cheering up, and restraining Sims will result in a reward, such as simoleons, fuel rods or gourds.

Players can also make Simoleons by creating art in the gallery, playing music in the Sax Lounge and the Lion Lounge by playing on the keyboard, winning the lottery cards found in the shop, or by winning Keelhaulin' Cards in the Casino. The metal detector can find things like mummified aliens and metal bars in the desert that you can sell to the shop clerk. Mummified aliens can also be dissected in a minigame inside of the Government Lab.

Once the player builds The Vault for their hotel, there is a money machine near the back where Sims can print Simoleons. However, doing this can get the player arrested. Copper, silver, and gold bars can be sold in this room for a larger amount than in the shop.

Ratticator
As the story progresses, there are more threats to Strangetown (Jimmy "The Neck", Crime Spree Bob, aliens, and robots). These attacks are mostly random; however, time travelling backwards will cause an alien invasion in every available spawn point. These can be fought off by your Sim as the Ratticator. To unlock this, the player must have access to the Rat Cave. This can either be purchased for §3,500, or will be shown to the player for free by Tristan Legend if it hasn't been purchased by the third antagonist.

The Rat Cave is set up like a metal cage, similar to a hamster cage, with tubes leading to different sections. There is an area for the player's character to sleep, as well as a bathroom. Through one of the tubes, there is a large rat suit inside of a glass container. The player can change into this and can then defeat the enemy by scaring them, hitting them with the batarang and using sim-fu on them (which can be used by pressing the icon in the corner of the touch screen). The Ratticator is needed to complete the game, so it's a good idea to get used to the attacks.

Upon seeing the Ratticator, aliens, Jimmy the Neck and Crime Spree Bob will all flee; however, robots will still attack the player. Sims are also unable to be interacted with, as they cower away and yell. The player's mobile is also unavailable, although requests can still come through. Checking the tasks and avoid staying in the suit for too long is the best idea to not miss requests from NPCs.

Trivia

 * There is some speculation over when the game was set because of Johnny Smith and Tank Grunt. In The Sims 2 for PC Tank and Johnny are both teens, but Johnny is far closer to becoming an adult than Tank. At the start of The Sims 2 for DS, Tank appears to be an adult and Johnny is still a teen. This is unusual as it should be the other way round.
 * This may be because Johnny is an alien, however they age in the same way as human Sims in the other games.
 * The game shares a majority of the Sims from the GBA version, but they all own their own houses in the GBA game. This could mean it is either an alteration of the history of the GBA title or possibly even a sequel.
 * The only non-hostile alien in the game is Johnny Smith, who is actually an alien-human hybrid.
 * After the Frankie Fusilli part of the game is done, Honest Jackson will disappear from the game. If the player calls him, it will say that he is in the city hall. However, he will not be there.
 * If you 'block' an NPC Sim and force the NPC to walk to a wall, the NPC will eventually stop and will do an action showing frustration. This action also occurs when the player chooses the incorrect choice while calming, cheering up, and restraining the NPC.