Review of The Sims 2 Pets

I was seriously upset when I heard about the release for The Sims 2 Pets. It was a slap in the face, it was like Maxis was saying, "yeah we already made a pets expansion pack for the Sims 1, so we decided to remodel things a bit, and remake it again in the Sims 2, enjoy!"
Being a Sims fan though, I had to purchase it just to see what it was all about. It did look much nicer than the Sims 1 pets expansion on the cover of the box. Things looked semi promising, so I dropped down the $39.99 and went on my way.
The Sims 2 Pets installed in about 10 minutes, and usually when Sim games take a long time to install, it means you're getting a lot more.
HOW TO MAKE/GET A PET?
I got the new option to make a pet. I could make puppies, kittens, or adult dogs and cats. You make the pets in the same create a family area. You can create a pet, and add it to any household, or you can make a pet as you make a new family.
In this area you choose your breed of dog, you choose their colors, and you can alter their sizes, you can make a thin dog, or fat cat, huge ears, or miniature ears. I however found it difficult to make my dog look realistic to my dog I have in 'real' life. My main issue with body making for dogs and cats was that their heads would look too large for the rest of their body. In the game however things sort of proportioned themselves out, which was pleasing to see. All of these genes will be passed on to the animals pups or kittens if they have any.
This is not the only way you can obtain a new furry friend to your home. In the neighborhood there will now be stray animals. They range from raccoons, cats, and dogs. Your Sims can build a relationship with these animals, and once the relationship is high enough, a pop up screen will ask you if you would like to adopt the animal. You can choose yes or no.
PERSONALITY:
Like any animal, they each have their own personality. You can choose the personality of your dog, you can choose to make him friendly or aggressive, smart or doofy, lazy or playful.
PUPPIES AND KITTENS OH MY!
If you have a male and female dog or male and female cat, the option to 'try for puppies/kittens' becomes available. The animals though must have a high relationship in order for you to have puppies or kittens.
If the relationship is high, the dog or cat will have kittens in about 4 Sim days. You can raise them, or sell them to Sim friends.
WELCOME HOME FIFI:
When your pet first comes home it's going to need a lot of training. Some pets will break furniture, eat plants, pee on the floor, and be aggressive towards Sims just jogging by, or the mailman of course. Some pets will also eat from the garbage, or eat food left on tables. So naturally when you get your pet home, you must start training!
TRAIN YOUR PETS!
That' right, this is the main component of the game. Training your pet. You can train your animal numerous tricks, from sit, speak, pee outside, stay off of furniture, eat food, play dead, come, and many more. Once the dog or cat has been trained they can get jobs.
MOOD AND NEEDS:
Your pets will have mood swings usually because they are being neglected or are hungry. A dog will growl if it is unhappy or whimper, and a cat will scratch. Be sure to check the needs of your animals as often as you would your Sims.
CAREERS:
You can choose your animals career, from rescue dog, to police dog. There are about 4 careers for you to choose for your animal. However make sure your dog has some skills before throwing him or her into a job.
DEATH:
And also keep in mind your animals will age. Dogs will get old and die, as will cats, so enjoy them while you can. They become elder animals in about 25 days, and will become more sluggish.
I must say I was very disappointed in death, but the purpose of this game is to simulate real life, and death happens in real life.
BIG BAD WOLF! AHHHH!
A new interesting twist has been added into the Sims 2 Pets. Wolves. Some of your Sims may fear getting bitten by one which will lower their aspiration meter into the red. If your Sims do get bit though, they too will turn into..... HOOOOWWWWLLLL.
Don't worry though, you could by potion from the fortune teller woman. (The one who sets up blind dates) Call her on the phone, and she will always have the cure for changing you back into a normal Sim.
It's sort of like turning into a vampire in the Sims, it's cool until the Sims dies. Sigh. Regardless though, it was still a neat addition into the game.
PET STORE:
There will now be a pet store in town. Your Sims can bring the whole family in a taxi or by car. Here you can buy treat, other small animals (which I will cover later on), collars, and toys or bones.
PARK:
In town there will also be a few new parks for you to bring your pet. Here the animals can meet with other dogs, and play. There is not really very much to do here besides that though.
OTHER ANIMALS:
There are other animals in the game, the wombat (guinea pig type animal), or a parrot or fish.
A major problem I had with these small animals is that they require you to fill their food bowls like 4 times a day. Each time they need a food refill it will cost you $20, at almost $100 a day and the constant need for feedings becomes more annoying, and tedious. I don't know why Maxis set things up like this, but it seems like a flaw they were too lazy to fix.
MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF PETS:
You're household can hold up to six animals if you only have 1 Sim in the home. So you can make a neat old lady and her cats type home if you'd like. Doesn't everyone have one in the neighborhood anyway.
NEW ITEMS FOR PETS AND HOME:
When you have a pet, you need supplies, and there is a nice assortment of pet dishes food feeding, cat scratches, cat houses, dog houses, mouse toys, squeaky toys, bones, litter boxes, and basket beds.
Not only that, there are new pet themed rugs and walls. A statue, and a few random pet themed objects that you can place within the home. I am not too impressed with the small selection of objects for the home, but I did like the assortment of pet usable items.
MUSIC:
The load screen will have new music and pictures as it loads the game, but once in the game the standard Sims chime will be present. Nothing new here.
GRAPHICS:
Hey, they're not so bad, animals fur looks almost realistic, but not too realistic, and the animals match up to the rest of the game without looking awkward.
ISSUES:
Although it is a decent expansion pack, the fun factor runs out quickly. Once you visit the park, have kittens or puppies, deal with a bird that eats too much, and train your dog into a super dog or cat, the game play goes quickly to boredom. All aspects of the game can be played in less than a week, and after that pets become more of a nuisance.
OVERALL:
In my opinion The Sims 2 Pets is a decent expansion pack, however I would have liked to see something new, and not a remake of the old