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Good: Improved overall Sims experience, pets make for some interesting gameplay additions, good amount of content for series newcomers

Bad: Somewhat dated graphics, gameplay, sound effects, etc.

Aspiration: matching the PC version

Unless you own the PC version, chances are you haven't had the full Sims experience. The ever-popular series has appeared several times on console, but none those versions have ever seemed to capture quite the same feel as the PC experience. On computer, the series has always featured a very open feel, sophisticated AI, and a huge breadth of content that has never quite translated to the console versions.

That's why The Sims 2: Pets is a breath of fresh air for those patiently sticking by their PS2 or Gamecube's side. The game comes closer than any of its console predecessors to capturing the full Sims package. It adds a fair amount of content that should please series veterans and newcomers alike, most notably the ability to raise and train cats and dogs with the rest of your Sim family.

For the five of you that have never seen, played, or heard of a Sims game, the premise is fairly basic. You create a family comprised of Sims, move them into a neighborhood, and then guide them through their daily lives in order to keep them happy while fulfilling all their needs and goals. This entails making sure they eat, sleep, use the restroom, make it to work, etc., all the while ensuring that they find time to enjoy themselves and socialize with their family and neighbors. It's a tricky process, and the addition of pets only makes it trickier.

Serving as the primary new attraction, the pets are implemented pretty well. When creating your Sim family, you can choose to include cats and dogs in the mix. The number of customization options is staggering, with everything from their appearance to their personality being fully customizable by the player. You can even choose to dress your pet up in a variety of clothes and accessories if you feel cruel. A large number of breeds are available for both cats and dogs, so chances are, you'll be able to model a Sim pet after your own family pet if you so choose.

Once in the game, pets act much like any other member of your family, albeit a little wilder. Since you can't actually take control of the pet, you'll instead have to use your other Sim family members to properly train it. You can reward them and punish them to teach them not to pee in the house or chew up your furniture, and you can also devote time to teach them new tricks such as rolling over and shaking hands. Pets have need-based behavior much like your human family members, so finding a way to juggle all these needs along with your Sims' human needs can offer a bit of a challenge.

In addition to the new pet features, Pets offers a good amount of content in its own right. Like other titles, you have full control over the construction of you house, and the variety of objects available for your abode is staggering. Additionally, Pets does a nice job of implementing the PC version's aspiration system, and goes a long way in improving the Sims' autonomous AI. You'll still have to do a fair amount of stepping in to ensure your Sims don't stay at home wetting themselves all day, but the overall AI does feel much better than its console predecessors.

The look and sound of the game are both adequate, but feel somewhat dated. The graphics are largely unchanged from the previous title, but still do a good job at capturing the look of the series. The pets look good and animate fluidly, and the framerate is pretty consistent.

Sound also feels pretty much the same as the others. Sims still speak in their traditional "Simlish" tongue, and a few new upbeat musical numbers keep things interesting. There's nothing particularly new or groundbreaking here, but the sound package that is there is fine.

Overall, The Sims 2: Pets really is the best console title to bear the name, and comes the closest to meeting the standards set by the PC version. That said, the entire experience feels somewhat dated. The core gameplay mechanics are basically the same as when the first game was released almost seven years ago. Additionally, if you're able to run it, the PC version, with all of its expansions, is still a much bigger and better option. However, if you've avoided the series until now, and you refuse to use anything but your console, there's never been a better title to jump into than Pets.

Graphics: 7.0

Sound: 7.0

First Play: 8.0

Replay Value: 8.5

Gameplay: 8.0

Overall: 7.8