The Sims 2: Castaway

"Being stranded on an island isn't cliche..."

Imagine it, you're a famous chef, musician, doctor or mechanic, deciding to take a trip on your great yacht. Then, a storm hits, and you crash, washing up on an island. You need to survive now, and who knows what lies in the jungle.. Well, nothing dangerous, except a few berries that make you vomit and some apes to keep you company. Atleast they're nice huh?

Gameplay
Well, this game starts off slow, especially if you have only one Sim, even though thats the easiest way to play at some points. Making crafting benches to create spears, instruments and even rope. Your Sim is somewhat of a genius by default, and not to mention the fact you have books to help you along the way. They give you goals and other missions to do, forcing you to explore the jungles, befriend monkeys and even go to other islands. Theres also little secret missions the game dosen't really tell you about, that you find out by yourself. You eventually upgrade to harvesting crops and hunting boars and chickens. Gethering takes a good chunk of time, however, with one Sim. If you have a whole crew, it becomes much easier with 'jobs' you assign.

Sound/Audio
The sounds of this game are clear and loud enough for anyone to hear, no matter the quality of your television. There are new music selections and make you believe you are on some tropical island. The music is also in great numbers, so you often never hear the same song twice, unless you quit the game, then load it up again. The only thing that was bad about the music, was it never plays during the actual game, only during loading scenes. Then again, you could have the music play once you turn on a radio.

Final Comment
The game is great, really worth the time to play, especially if you love Sims games. Although gathering can be the most annoying thing in the world, it makes it up for when you build modern conveniences such as lamps or houses. Another annoying thing is if you build a house, you can't take it with you, no matter the quality or how small it is. But, having friends that are monkeys and water-proof books that tell you what to do make everything much easy to make parodies of. And yes, its alright to yell Wilson or saying Bakersfield while gathering or swimming. All in all, a good game, just don't play it too much, or else you'll get very bored.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/13/07

Game Release: The Sims 2: Castaway (US, 10/23/07)