Product ReviewsThe Sims 2: Castaway (Nintendo DS, 2007)

The Sims 2: Castaway Nintendo DS

I bought this game about a month ago, so far i have found it to be very entertaining and interesting. Sometimes it can get challenging and repetetive, but just when you are about to give up, something happens and captures your attention all over again. I love the creativity that has been put into this game, however i am not crazy about the save options and the user menus take some time to get used to. This game takes a lot of patience and trial and error. It isn't packed with a whole lot of action and excitement but it does keep you interested in the sense that your sim continues to progress, learn, and build their lives on the deserted isle. I recommend this game to anyone looking for a lengthy role play game that doesn't involve the use of weapons, magic, and secret codes. Overall rated "GOOD".!Read full review...

An adventure!

This was a pretty decent game. I've played all the Sims games for the DS system and this one was definitely the one with the most adventure to me. If you have never played the Sims on the DS before, you must be warned that it is nothing like the PC version..it's more of an adventure game. Out of all the Sims Ds games, this one has the least amount of customization features. At the beginning, you decide girl or boy, hair, and an outfit...all with very minimal choices. That's about the most customization you will get throughout the whole game. You will get to make your own clothes later on, but those are all made from templates.

What I did not like about it is, it was rather short. I escaped the island within 24 literal hours which took me a about 5 days. You would get more use out of it if you only played for about an hour a day, but it kept me glued to my DS bc I just wanted to get it done! Alot of the time I was just frustrated that I couldnt find certain things to move on to the next goal. This game was definitely a challenge and I had to look up some cheats. If you cant complete the present goal, you cant move on in the game so I got stuck ALOT. You have to figure out alot of things for yourself which can be a turn off if you are impatient like me...but that is a part of the whole adventure. It starts of slow but right when it starts getting intense, it's over out of nowhere. Even though you have found a way off the island you can still get back on it to collect the rest of the items. I felt unmotivated to because there is no reward for doing so other than the satisfaction of getting 100%. I escaped the island with 50%.

The minigames are kind of lame and repetitive. They include spear and pole fishing, squashing bugs, and I cant remember the rest if there was anymore. You do get to make your own clothes out of things you find on the islands and dye them. You will also get to craft items and make your own food.

You must take care of your hygiene, food, comfort, energy, etc...which would get aggravating because my sim would have to eat then immediately have to use the potty in a bush but that would cause her hygiene to get super low so she'd have to hurry and go wash herself and this would cause her energy to get low so then she'd have to sleep and so on and on! So I always had to stop and take care off all of that before I could complete tasks..annoying!

The graphics are kind of like the gameboy sp...a little better. It can get blocky at times.

Overall, I liked it..it entertained me for a little while but some will think it's just frustrating and boring.Read full review...

For Item Collection Lovers

I like the game, but it can be hard/long to get 100% on the item collection as ou can get some of those items completly randomly.
The "storyline" is not very long, but you still have a lot of gameplay to do if your goal is to complete the item collection.

P.s.: This is not the same game as The Sims 2 Casteway from the wii. It is different, but still fun ;) Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: batj_62

The Sims 2: Castaway is a lot more laid back than its counterpart.

We wish we could say an adventure game about being trapped on a deserted island was a great original idea. Balancing basic needs with exploration is an obvious choice for an adventure title, so obvious that it's been done before... twice. Still The Sims 2: Castaway, developed by Full Fat, creates a survival-adventure that is less about actual survival, and actually manages to be fun, despite it's flaws.

Castaway starts with the player's Sim falling into a crate, which, in turn, falls off of a boat, and gets washed ashore a tropical island. With only the tattered, yet stylish, clothes on his or her back, the player's Sim must figure out how to survive. If it sounds familiar, it's probably because the DS has seen two Lost in Blue titles that essentially did the same thing.

What sets Castaway apart from the Lost in Blue series is the signature Sims elements. Instead of three things to replenish for survival, the Sims on the island have the full gamut of needs, from hunger, to sleep, to needing to use the little castaway's room.

The game is not merely about survival, and it's not even the main focus. Sure there are a lot of things to take care of, like eating, but it's all pretty easy to accomplish. Food is always in abundance, and there are tons of areas to take care of most of the other needs. Instead, the game is more of a point and click adventure title, focused on exploration of the island and using the environment for the Sim's benefit.

There's plenty to explore and collect too. Castaway features three islands to wander around on: a large main island, and two smaller ones. Each section on the map has things to do or collect. By walking around, players find new things to eat, and various objects that can be crafted into useful tools. The motives system does limit the ability to explore the island at great lengths, and at times feels like a handicap that needlessly extends the game time. Still, no Sims game would be without it, and luckily as the game progresses the player can get upgraded items to help fill up the meters faster and more efficiently, giving more time to explore.

In addition to exploring, players are going to have to work if they want to get the objects they need. A few touch screen minigames highlight some of the more important aspects of island life, like squashing bugs. Players can hunt for bugs (used for dying clothes, making food, and trading), as well as go spear fishing, and start a fire. It's not a lot, but it definitely makes the whole experience feel more real. We felt just like Tom Hanks, minus going crazy and talking to a volleyball (instead the Sim can go crazy and talk to a skeleton).

The story for Castaway is pretty simple: get off the island. To do that the player must search out other inhabitants, and help them with various tasks to earn necessary items and information. It takes a solid 10 hours of gameplay to complete the story, and that's if the player stays focused. With so much to collect and make, the story mode is easily delayed. We wish there was a little more to the story. Since the characters speak in Simmish the dialogue isn't vague. If players look carefully at the speech bubbles they can actually see a picture retelling of how each castaway got to the island, which is one of many funny and clever details the developers put into the game. Still, with such a large and mysterious island, with crashed airplanes, dead pirates and treasure filled temples, some more exposition would have beenRead full review...

Mom loves it!

We used to play this game together when I was little and she talked about it a lot now saying she kissed the game, she was so excited to play it again when I gave it to her!!!

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: spud-rock-games

AWSOME GAME!

I am a Nintendo DS addict and since the Sims have come out I love to play all the games about them. The ability to control the characters is just so much fun. You can't control others in real life so I guess that's what makes these games go satisfying. With the Castaway game your little person has to start from nothing and build a life for it's self till the end when you're rescued.While trying to get by, you meet a variety of other characters who have been stranded on the island as well. I can honestly see myself playing it over and over again creating different people. GREAT FUN!!Read full review...

Good

Works well, good game. I got it because i remembered playing it waaaaaay back when i was like 10(I’m 20 now), and it definitely plays the same as i remember it. Good memories.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: chahughe-15

Castaway

This game still follows all the general Sim's past obstacles but in a whole new way. Our main character is on an island and talk about doing the oddest things to survive...they eat raw : BUGS.....sushi, and pretty smart to use coconuts to water the plants scattered all over this island.
I really like it..and yes, their needs still have to be met, so when they have to use the bathroom and you don't know that they can use the bushes to do this, and they do it where they stand, guess what: Hygiene goes downhill, but upside to this: jump in the ocean, you're surrounded!!!Read full review...

Cheap and Fun

Good game length, approximately 10 hours of game play. Nothing like the Wii version but it's still good.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: xxbobbyx

Very good shape plays perfectly

Recieved the game before it was scheduled to be delivered it was purchased for my granddaughter and she loves it

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: gengen4545