Singles 2 isn't as much a sequel as it is an expansion pack.

User Rating: 6.3 | Singles 2: Triple Trouble PC
By drswank | Review Date:
Everyone’s favorite “gotta get laid” game in sims clothing is back, only this time, it ups the ante by putting three people in a household (If you thought the title meant the addition of threesomes, well, you’re wrong.), adding a couple of new gameplay elements, and allowing you a veritable revolving door of sexual partners. Do these additions fix the shallow nature of the first game? Not really, nor does it fix any of the issues that plagued the previous installment, but it does extend the entertainment factor to warrant half of the retail price at most. This title does do what other adult related games fail to do, however, which is surround the full frontal nudity with a somewhat enjoyable game, thus making it one of the best games with boobies this side of God of War. Singles 2 isn’t as much a sequel as it is an expansion pack, just to get it out of the way first and foremost. The handful of gameplay additions are welcome, but not really enough to warrant repackaging the game as a sequel and reselling the same content with new skins for full price. As stated before, Singles 2 throws three characters into a housing arrangement where they have to perform every day mundane chores such as eating, sleeping, taking baths, using the restroom, and going to work; though these menial tasks are all distractions from the game’s ultimate premise, getting laid of course. The main part of the game is the story mode where you choose to play as either Josh or Anna, two ex lovers who have broken up only to find themselves in a new town to get away with each other, and coincidentally end up being roommates with an adorable chick named Kim. Oh the zaniness! The story mode acts as a tutorial, where your goal is to get Josh and Anna back together as well as learning the basics of cleaning, communication, buying furniture, and repair. Those who prefer to play strictly on the same sex couple side of things (raise your hand if you love girl-on-girl action!) will find themselves pretty much stuck in a rut if they decide not to go with the objectives provided. The story mode forces you to go on a wild goose chase trying to win your ex-lover back; only then will you be able to unlock the extra free play modes. The free play modes allow you to choose from a lean selection of prefab characters (two girls, one guy) to inhabit your aspiring love pad. One scenario takes place in what the game calls “the backyard” which is essentially the red light district of town while the other takes place in the swanky flat similar to what the first game took place in. The pursuit of getting laid doesn’t come without obstacles, after all, you have your own needs to take care of. All of the basic needs are here: hunger, hygiene, comfort, room, fun, romance, and eroticism. The overall life simulation is a simplified take on the Sims, though it’s simplified to the extent that you’ll find yourself performing the same tasks every day to keep life in line. You can guarantee your sim will wake up hungry, have to go to the bathroom after eating, require a bath or shower, then goes to work only to come home hungry and in need of the bathroom facilities again. One improvement over the original game is that an icon designating whether your character needs to use the toilet or shower will appear next to your hygiene bar whereas in the first game you could skip using the shower all together by using the toilet and vice versa, which was a gripe I had with the first game. Of course, you’ll need to eat to satiate hunger, clean the house to raise your comfort level, entertain yourself by reading a book or playing guitar to raise your fun, and communication with other singles to increase your romance and eroticism, or if you’re in the midst of a dry spell, you can also perform some “self service” before bed to force the romance into your life. In the world of Singles, communication is the key to finding your next partner. There are four basic categories of communication, namely friendship, fun, romance, and erotic. Once you’ve targeted your potential prospect, you can start laying the lines on them to increase their levels and get into your better graces. If you’re sick of your roommates, you can leave the apartment and go to the local bar for a change of scenery and to score some new partners, but tread carefully – the load times when you’re going to the bar and back are almost unbearable. Actually, it takes forever to save, load, and quit the game all together. Once you’ve established a friendship, you can call them up at any time and invite them over for further seduction. As you communicate, you earn experience points towards skill points that you can invest to improve cleaning, repair, or make your romantic advances have more influence. Seduction tends to be on the easy side since you can easily earn yourself a new notch in your headboard every week, though once you get through the game’s fifteen odd characters, the novelty is gone. Characters tend to become too high maintenance once you’ve had sex and will become jealous easily. Sleeping with your roommates can easily pose a problem since your new partners will become uncomfortable in front of them and will refuse any advances coming their way and ultimately ruining your conquest for good. Another problem that has carried over from the first game is the fact that you have to purchase a double bed if you want to engage in any kind of bedroom hanky panky. What’s a sim game without the whole “virtual dollhouse” aspect of buying furniture and clothes for your character? There’s a nice selection of furniture, appliances, and knick knacks to increase your comfort and impress your friends with here. Just be sure to save money for those pesky weekly bills. Unfortunately, I’m sad to report the clothing selection is virtually similar to the first game; it’s still a good selection so feel free to dress like a yuppie on Monday and urban on Tuesday. It’s your world, dog, tear it up. As I stated earlier, the game’s visuals are nearly identical to the previous installment, and while they still look good, The Sims 2 has it looking pretty dated. The same kinds of clipping issues are here with characters magically shoving hands through each other, themselves, and the blankets in their bed. Models look great, especially the women in all their full frontal glory, though strangely enough, men have been censored on this go around. It sounds fishy for a German developer, especially since they’re not supposed to have any qualms with their sexuality. While the models are designed nicely, they seem devoid of any kind of life at all, especially in the case of the women who sport funny shaped breasts and resemble plastic dolls more often than real people. In this post Dead or Alive 3 world, boobies should have more jiggle. No matter what acts they’re engaging in, characters are all animated the same and seem wooden and awkward while they’re at it as well. Environments all look great which good attention to detail and never seem to busy, leaving the focus on the characters living in them. Looking out of windows and seeing buildings across the street are also more lifelike than a plain blue background which is a nice touch. With all the nudity abound, who needs sound? The “simmish” language has been carried over from the first game and is well acted. The same can’t be said for the miscellaneous moans and groans coming from your characters while engaging in their dirty acts. They all seem like they’re faking it, especially when two women are going at it, they both groan at the same time and it sounds as much like a computer having sex as it looks. Singles 2 extends the enjoyment light years beyond the first game, though it will still lose its novelty once you’ve done everything (and everyone) there is to do. It’s just hard to recommend the game for the recommended price. On one hand, the adult only market has some slim pickings, and this is quite honestly the best of the bunch. The handful of new additions are nice and the sim lite gameplay coupled with an easy interface will be sure to let you get your jollies for a weekend, though once you’ve conquered, you’ll have no desire to go back.

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