DreamStation writes: "I tried to like The Sims 2 Apartment Pets for Nintendo DS and played it for awhile hoping it would get better, but it didn't. The game has you controlling your Sim that you can customize some at the beginning of the game and a little more while you play as they take care of pets at their uncle's apartment. You will take care of animals, such as, dogs, cats, a hamster, snake, bird, rabbit, and guinea pig. Apartment Pets leads you to believe that it is a game that mixes Nintendogs with The Sims, which should be a decent combination, but it fails by not doing either very well".
GamersInfo writes: "If you're looking for that quintessential Sims experience, you won't find it here. If you want a pet simulator, keep looking. But if you want to spend a little time managing a shop, a little time caring for pets, a little time collecting items, and a little time playing mini-games then this is a very high quality title that will meet those requirements with ease".
"There are some things in my life that I'm proud of. I have wicked strong fingernails and make a pretty good grilled cheese sandwich. On the other hand, there are some things I'm not so proud of, like my affinity for Duran Duran hits and French fries dipped in soda. You'd call these Guilty Pleasures, and probably have a few of your own. So what makes a Guilty Pleasure game?
Arguably, gaming in general isn't something you always want to boast about. Out in the less virtual world, there are detractors who would call gamers geeky, isolated, and square. But in our hearts, we know we're hip-and the only thing Square about us is our appreciation of the Final Fantasy franchise. Still, not all games are created equally rad . . . in fact, some of the following treasures are frowned upon within our own community. So why are they so damn addictive?"
Ever since The Sims skyrocketed to popularity, the sandbox simulation title has seen expansion after expansion and spin-off after spin-off. While not every title in such a large franchise can be solid gold, The Sims has proven that it's a franchise that's here to stay. The Sims 2: Apartment Pets tries to downplay any Sims-like interactions in favor of providing a Nintendogs experience. You can pause the game time to mess around with virtual puppies, cats, hamsters and just about anything vaguely pet-like.
Unfortunately, there's just not a whole lot of Sims magic left in this tired rehashing of a long-loved series. Everything has been streamlined and downgraded to make it function on the DS, but while the system is technically capable of running this watered-down game, it's clear from the first 20 minutes that The Sims 2 was just not meant for Nintendo's handheld console.
