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Is the sims 2 better than sims 3? what's your opinion?

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  • SPARKY1922SPARKY1922 Posts: 5,965 Member
    I started with the 3 series after briefly playing 2 years before at a friends house and I have to say I adore 3 for the open world however when I managed to get my hands on the ultimate S2 collection it seemed so different I really struggled to get used to it but then ended up loving it due to the emotion system and the way sims behave naturally depending depending on what is going on around them so that really hooked me in and I started to play regularly and so as i have recently had a long stint doing everything 3 I am now back to 2 for a while and with the right mods and CC it can look as modern as a player might like :)

    One of Rflong7's custom neighborhoods (neither of us can remember the name of it-) at the time I desperately wanted a beach area for my sims to live on and could not achieve it myself so she was kind enough to provide both the hood and the houses that fit on that beach area perfectly lol

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    and a modern day version of Dustin & Brandi Broke

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  • windweaverwindweaver Posts: 7,372 Member
    Is 2 better than 3? Well......it's complicated for me. When ts3 was new, I hated it. I still played and got all the content for it and all the while, I complained bitterly because it wasn't ts2 made better, as far as I could see. But after ts4 came out, I suddenly loved ts3 and still loved ts2. So, depending upon what aspect you are talking about, some of ts3 IS better than ts2, but overall, ts2 is still the game for me.

    I like the open world of ts3, and which I could use that in my ts2 game. I love the style thing in 3, can't remember what it's called now, oh brother I'm getting old! But nothing has yet replaced the behavior or look of ts2 for me as the best of the lot. I play ts2 mostly today, and probably will continue to do so, as I find ts4 really bland compared to 2 and 3. Hope that helped your understanding of the two games.
    My Origin Name is: Cynconzola8
  • IndieblueIndieblue Posts: 29 Member
    Def better than sims4 but idk if it is better than sims3... everyone has different opinions! I personally like sims3 more than sims2 because of the open world :)
  • Mstybl95Mstybl95 Posts: 5,883 Member
    I wish they would do a reboot. This would be the best game, add in optional open world, update the graphics, have the design tools from TS3 and the build tools from TS4 and MAKE IT 64-BIT! That would make me the happiest.
  • texxx78texxx78 Posts: 5,657 Member
    i'm installing sims 2 right now. Will give it a go after 16 years. I have had only the base game and haven't played a lot cause i was in uni irl with lots to do and a lot of outings :blush: in a couple of days i think i'll be able to answer. For the moment i must say that i love sims 3 and recently went back to it but unfortunatelly the lagging has begun again :disappointed:
  • windweaverwindweaver Posts: 7,372 Member
    edited February 2020
    I think is subjective. It's all a matter of taste. Do you think blue is better than red? Or pepperoni pizza is better than cheese? or new is better than old? It all depends upon the person playing, what that person likes and what that person thinks is fun.

    To me The Sims 2 IS better than all the other sims games, including the original. But somebody else has a different view based upon their own preferences.

    Your question cannot be answered by anyone but you.

    Edit: I just noticed that I replied to this post in the past. Sorry. I hope I was consistent.
    My Origin Name is: Cynconzola8
  • TheWOlfGamerHDTheWOlfGamerHD Posts: 1 New Member
    I have sims 2 instaled and yes it full of loading screens and the game has tons of bugs on the modern hardware and now i can t take it anymore i stayed a freacking month to make the game work and i did it but that s how i have spend a month of my life for nothing.i have started to stop enjoying the game and now i will uninstall it and i will install sims 3 because i can play it without problems
  • MagnezoneMagnezone Posts: 212 Member
    edited March 2020
    If you'd have asked me a year ago, I'd have said The Sims 2 is better by far, but after revisiting The Sims 3, it's actually way better than I remembered. The only things I really dislike about it is that certain towns run like garbage and have a ton of routing errors (looking at you, Isla Paradiso and Bridgeport), and the lack of options for rotational style play. You only have the option to turn ALL aging off, or turn aging on for everyone with or without story progression. This is where The Sims 2 and 4 has the advantage - I can make it so no one ages but the sims I'm currently playing. Also, even on a high end PC, the game doesn't exactly run flawlessly with many expansion packs enabled, to say the least.

    As for actual content, The Sims 3 is hands down the best. There is SO much stuff in every single expansion pack compared to both The Sims 2 and 4 that it's kind of unreal, especially given how cheap you can pick up expansions for now. A couple of weeks ago, I got Pets, Island Paradise AND Showtime for £12 total. There's at least one expansion that will cater to you playstyle, and the only thing The Sims 3 is really lacking is an Open for Business style pack, and I don't think, upon revisiting, there's not a single expansion pack I'd call bad or worse than its Sims 2 predecessor (except maybe Bon Voyage vs World Adventures, but they don't fulfill the same niche tbh) whereas I can certainly say that about The Sims 2 and 4. By comparison, The Sims 2 Seasons sucks and basically has nothing unless you REALLY like gardening and weather effects, and The Sims 4 Get Together is basically a joke.

    The issue with The Sims 3 is it has a lot of content that doesn't fit into most people's lives and probably wouldn't get used by a majority of players. World Adventures, Supernatural, Showtime, Into the Future - I personally like all of these packs actually, but they don't cater to regular family and generational play. They cater to people who want to play specific scenarios and themes, or mostly play with aging off.

    With that said, I prefer the general playstyle of The Sims 2. Wants, Fears, the lifetime aspiration meter, the influence meter, memories, interests. The Sims feel more fleshed out, like real people with real hobbies, personalities and interests, and no other game has really captured this since.

    So if you were asking me this now, how would I respond? I'd say I prefer The Sims 2 with mods for family play, and The Sims 3 for more content based play, or for creating stories with specific themes. Overall? I don't know. The Sims 2 probably on the sole basis that it runs better.

    The Sims 4 I could do with revisiting too since the new packs came out and my sister bought them, so I could give them a go, but as stands, The Sims 2 > The Sims 3 > The Sims 4 > The Sims 1. I actually like a lot of The Sims 1's content with that said, and I play a lot without aging on anyway so the lack of aging and life stages wouldn't bother me, but it just feels dated and difficult to play nowadays.
    My blog full of things that never get finished!
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    Magnezone, the lover of Calientes, Lotharios, Landgraabs and Curiouses everywhere.
  • MoniqueMNMoniqueMN Posts: 2 New Member
    Every sims game has his own beauty/fun part. If I had to choose, I would pick sims 2 because playing the neigborhood style of sims 3 was something I am still nog used to. And sims 2 has a lot of cute little details. But sims 3 has awesome graphics and my sims would really look like the person I tried to make.
  • roman2886roman2886 Posts: 702 Member
    I prefer The Sims 3 never really played The Sims 2,there is a lot more choices more lifestages the Sims look a lot more realistic Sims 2 doesn't have Generations it has seasons,The Sims 3 has Generations.
  • WeirdAlienWeirdAlien Posts: 23 Member
    The Sims 2 has the best game-play, in my experience. It is spontanious, impulsive and exciting. It has many small details that add depth to the game. I find it far easier to create stories with TS2 than the other ones. I have been playing it for 16 years - since its release in 2006 - and to this day I still manage to be surprised by all the crazy things happening in this game.

    I still enjoy the other games, but TS2 has a special place in my heart. It is also the one that can hold my attention for 12 hours straight.
  • Jordan061102Jordan061102 Posts: 3,918 Member
    I love both of them. Right now I'm pratically only playing TS2 cuz I've really dug on it but I still think TS3 is a beautiful, meaty game with tons of things to do. So I'm always gonna prefer TS3.
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  • xGinnexGinne Posts: 6 New Member
    I just reinstalled the Sims 2 yesterday. I gotta tell you guys, it's so darn fast compared to my Sims 3 game, LOL. I'm installing my custom content today, so RIP my fast game.
  • OugonmusouOugonmusou Posts: 33 Member
    If you ask me, yes I do feel that the Sims 2 is better than Sims 3 for the sake of performance alone. It's the only thing that's actually preventing me from actually liking The Sims 3. Even with nraas mods installed, the Sims 3 probably just dislikes me since it likes to bug out so often. If the Sims 3 had better performance then I'd love it a lot more than I do but sadly my opinion on it is just an overall 'meh'. Neither good or neither bad. Although if it's one thing I do like about the Sims 3 is the Dark Wave music station. I'll give them props for that station since I do listen to that station a lot whenever I do feel like playing the Sims 3.
    I am just a simple Sims 2 lore addict
  • NatashaLeeuwendaalNatashaLeeuwendaal Posts: 1 New Member
    I loved the Sims 2, my disc is scratched now and I'm so afraid I'll never be able to play them again. Why don't they just make the games available on Steam for a little bit of money?
  • Eurosim_7202Eurosim_7202 Posts: 50 Member
    I prefer sims 3 - Sims 2 has the worst graphics, like, I'm not being funny, but I played sims 2, but after 6 months, I ended up deleting it because it started to stress me out.
    Anyway, sorry if you think sims 2 is better, but sims 2 has its fair share, i.e those cutscenes really gave me chills.
    Saroczky
  • SimsAddict_244SimsAddict_244 Posts: 274 Member
    edited May 2020
    What make S2 such a great game to me is in the details:

    + The way my sims react when they see other sims and vice versa, they'll leap into the arms of their lover, another sim will autonomously give my sim a back rub etc.
    +The open restaurants
    +The different ways to buy groceries when the fridge is empty and clothing
    + Owning different type of businesses
    + You can bath a toddler on a sink or a bathtub or a changing table
    + Lively community lots
    + Rotational gameplay
    + NPCs doing what they're meant to do (there are already bartenders in community lots)
    + Family spending time together while eating
    + Sims asking you for blind dates, giving us samples of things
    + Cars that you can interact with
    + S2 is definitively more of a family-focused game than S3
    + All the romantic interactions
    + I love that we can choose the order of seasons (want to have a town with eternal winter, you can do it)
    + Individual memories (children learning things thanks to one parent, not both)
    + Attraction system (would have loved to have more options though)
    + The apartments, not just at the top of a skyscraper
    + You can move in/out to other worlds
    - Unfortunately, There is no in-game opt-in/out feature for things I don't like in the game (supernaturals etc.)
    - Kids can't go to community lots alone
    - I can't really do REALLY messed up family dynamics with the social worker automatically taking kids away, teens automatically running away when relationship with both parents are too low , going to military school when grades are too low etc. (maybe they should have let us decide, or not doing it for every single teens/children) but that's a problem I have with all Sims games.
    - I don't like that we have to all 25 personality points. As someone who like to explore features in game that I like, not being able to create "perfect" sims or not using all personality points bothered me.
    - CAS needs improvements (why can't I also choose which make up to use for each clothing)
    - Only aging 3 sims (how many times did it mess up with my carefully planed childhood romance stories when only 1 of them can age)
    - You can't change the length of a life stage
    - Teen and YA can't become pregnant without mods
    - You can't make a teen household
    - You can't edit/save on community lots in live mode
    -/+ It took me a while to get used to build and buy mode, it was easier to find things in S3
    -/+ There's too many way to corrupt the game (I was shocked to read how many simple actions such as deleting sims/tombs could permanently
    corrupt my game)


    S3 is more on the creative side of things what with CAW, CASt etc. but also more focused on the YA life stage while the others are kinda neglected. I feel It's also less focused on family gameplay, especially compared to S2, there's also more RPG elements to it with quests that you have to do. There are still things I like about it.

    + The open world: I can finally roam around the town
    + Teens can learn to drive cars
    + Aging the whole town rather than just 3 (This was one of the most frustrating thing in S2. I would have preferred something more akin to S4 or something with more options). We can change the length of a life stage.
    + They separated make up and shoes
    + Houseboats, swimming in the ocean or underwater
    + Supernaturals who are not "just there"
    + Skyscraper (too bad we can only live at the top)
    + Online dating
    + Much more improved CAS and build mode, mostly thanks to CASt
    + Horses
    + Professions
    - Memories needs to be improved
    - One household per save. I've always been a rotational player so not being able to have multiple families in the same save was a major bummer.
    - You can't travel to other available worlds after you choose your town (only DA or university worlds)
    - I didn't like opening/closing hours even if it makes sense to have them.
    - I feel like I lost that family gameplay I loved so much in S2
    - A focus on YA life stage
    - Same thing about not being to play really messed up family dynamics
    - This is the only game I use mods to prevent it from lagging too much.
    - I didn't understand the Katy Perry SP
    - Rabbit holes for every stores ( I understand for things like careers but restaurants, grocery stores, book stores etc. should have remained open, imo.
    - The store, especially when they added worlds and gameplay that SHOULD have been in the game
    -/+ Simport, I don't like it because I prefer to play my game offline and I don't want other players in my game but I know some like it. I just never use it.
    -/+ You have traits but now all sims having this trait will react the same way (it would have been great to have some points or sliders to determine the intensity of the trait. I think it would have been fun way to make traits relevant to the sims' personalities).
    -/+ There are some opt-in/out features but most of it has to be done through mods again.

    Basically, just give me more options, gameplay and creativity and I would be a very happy Simmer.
  • daisy1989daisy1989 Posts: 87 Member
    I have a soft spot for The Sims 2 - I remember the leap to that from The Sims was just so exciting. I loved all the expansion packs and the Sims themselves were dynamic and sometimes unpredictable which was really fun :) I loved the wants/fears element and how they had memories.

    As for The Sims 3 I had the base game for my Macbook and it ran OK but I lost interest quickly. I never played any of the expansion packs. I just hated the design of the Sims and the open world wasn't that interesting to me. I also know a lot of people loved the colour wheel and the endless CAS and build/buy options but it just took me forever to create something and I soon got bored. Maybe if I'd have stuck with it I would have a better opinion!

    Check out my YouTube channel @ DaisySims
  • klovesjenklovesjen Posts: 361 Member
    .... I'm just glad that The Sims 3 is almost over. Maybe EA will redeem themselves with The Sims 4. :D
    oof, hope this isn't how it will go with Sims 5 :open_mouth:

  • Calico45Calico45 Posts: 2,038 Member
    edited July 2020
    Some things are better in one and some things are better in the other. If I had to rate base games, though, I liked Sims 2 better. I actually got 3 when it first came out, tried to play it, and hated it so I went back to 2. When the Pets expansion came out for 3, I went back and loved it since.

    3 has the best personality system. I love the traits and favorites. The sims are ugly, though, in my opinion. It was so hard to create something I liked in that aspect. It was also difficult to run and I experienced more bugs and glitches in 3 than in 2. The expansions were great, though, and they really brought the ideas to fruition in all new levels. However, I would count the Sims 3 store as a negative. Yes, you can pick and choose, but it was so expensive for even single pieces and you really cannot feasibly have everything for 3.

    2 was fairly revolutionary for me. The jump from 1 to 2 was amazing and the time I sunk into it was a testament. I also finally experimented with relationships and families unlike in 1. I loved the graphics at the time and had plenty of fun with the limited personalities. The packs were pretty good, too. My problem with going back to 2 is that just keeping them alive is difficult. I can do it, and it is more rewarding than 1, but I think 3 balanced it the best.

    So yeah, mixed. I never cared about things like an open world, so that doesn't bother me. Both are an experience.
  • PingliPingli Posts: 8 New Member
    I am kinda biased here but I'd say TS2 is better than TS3. I grew up with TS2 and have amazingly fond memories of it and still to this day I start the game here and there while I can't say the same for TS3. Sims 3 is not bad sims game but for me, it kinda has lesser charm than the 2 and in a way feels less detailed in some parts while in some parts obviously does feel better. Both are great but TS2 is the best.
  • Sorak4Sorak4 Posts: 3,934 Member
    I'm not sure if I posted here before, but I'll have to reconfirm I love the Sims 2 more than 3 + 4, we have crazy slider bugs and exploits like these two , a lot of nice things like wishes and fears to add depth to ones life and give some direction, perhaps the cutest base game Sims (compared to SIms 3) if you don't mess around with sliders. Bigfoot! Witches with uniforms, good/evil balances and learning spells in the best way

    And the best of all was the custom paintings! You could throw anything in your house and really give it a nice look like that.
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  • SpatzSpatz Posts: 41 Member
    I think sims 2 is better than Sims 3, because you have more possibilities and you the gameplay is (mostly) without crashes.
    Sims 3 is also a good game with new possibilities, but I love Sims 2.
    In my opinion Sims 2 is very similar to Sims 4 and I love Sims 4 too.
  • NyxValkoinenNyxValkoinen Posts: 15 Member
    They're equal to me, because they honestly both have equal pros and cons. My 2 favorite pros of Sims 2 are; Animations and Cutscenes. The Animations look so much more interesting to me than in Sims 3, and I really miss those Cutscenes that made such great moments to remember. My 2 cons are; Forced Rotation and Needs Don't Match Time. Sims don't age on their own, so you're forced to play every family in order to have a realistic hood. For the needs thing, your needs don't match the community lot time. If you leave home at 7PM and leave that community lot at 11PM, you'll return home at 7PM, with all of your needs down. It really ruins any form of realism the game tries making.


    For Sims 3, 2 pros are; Story Progression and Open World. Being able to play one family the entire time but watch the neighborhood still age and change around you is very realistic, and the open world adds more immersion because you can watch your Sims go about their day entirely without any need for a loading screen in the main town. Sims 3's 2 cons are; ...Also Story Progression and Open World. The Story Progression is laughable. Sims age, which is amazing, but they also divorce, remarry, have billions of babies, move houses, and even leave town. So even if you wanted to do some rotational play in Sims 3 to bring back the Sims 2 feeling, you can't, not even with mods. You can get somewhat close with them, but you will never, ever fix that EA progression ruining your game. And then the open world is by far the main reason why the Sims 3 is super broken, laggy, buggy, crashy, ect. No matter your computer specs, the game will never run smoothly. It can be playable, especially with NRAAS, but never smooth.
  • alwaysraeealwaysraee Posts: 36 Member
    Sims 2 has great gameplay and the smallest details like the slices of pizza and the kids walking on their loved ones feet are some of the greatest things I've seen. Sims 3 has the open world and no loading screens. I really hate comparing things lol but sims 2 and sims 3 have so many different things that each of them do to satisfy us players. I love them both so much. I wish the gameplay from sims 2, the open world from sims 3, and the graphics from sims 4 could be combined but thats just wishful thinking huh? lol They're all great to me though!
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