The Sims 2: Pets

"A great game for any pet lover, but could have used a bit more work"

Hmm, The Sims 2: Pets. A Nintendo DS game in which you are a vet, and you take care of animals to earn money which you later spend either on items for you, or items for your customer's pets. A simple, yet fun, game.

Gameplay: 7/10

This game will entertain anyone for a while, except after a few days of playing, it seems to get repetitive. I think the game could use a bit more work to add more features such as more illnesses, more houses, and more items. When you first begin the game, there are not many patients that you can attend to, making the game very easy and quite boring. But, eventually, after you have treated a lot of patients, more and more patients will arrive, making the game more challenging. As for control, the touch screen is neither overused nor underused. It makes the game more interactive because you can pet the animals (or slap them). The controls are very easy to use and feel natural, so they are quite good overall.

Story: 2/10

The story in this game is basically: "You are a vet. You take care of injured animals to make money and run a successful business." There is nothing that leads up to you being a vet, and no "ending" to the game. I guess there really isn't much of a story for this game. At the beginning of the game, I remember how the game starts and you're all of a sudden just "in" the game. Right off the bat, you are thrown into a world of chaos and confusion where nothing makes sense and everything is chaotic. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but it does feel something like that. I think some sort of a story should have been added to this game, it definitely has the potential.

Graphics/Sound: 5/10

The graphics in this game are okay, but graphics are not a very important factor in Sims games. When you are diagnosing a pet and such (It shows a close up of the pet), though, the graphics are pretty good. Now, for the sound. The sound in this game is completely controllable by the player, so you can change the song whenever you want, or even turn the music off. Personally, I don't like any of the songs. That kind of thing is entirely dependant on personal taste, though.

Play Time/Replayability: 10/10

This is definitely the area that all Sims games are absolutely the BEST in. You can keep on playing forever, plus, if you have tons of money and find the game incredibly easy, you can restart the game and experience it all over again. If you really like this game, it will provide you with hours and hours of entertainment.

Final Verdict: 7/10

Overall, this game is pretty good and deserves to be in every pet lover's collection. If you are unsure about this game, I would suggest you rent it first before you buy it. If you really love pets, though, you might just want to go right out and buy it. And of course, if you don't like Sims games, I would recommend you don't buy this one.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/07