| The Sims 2: Castaway | |
| Developer: | EA Redwood Shores Full Fat (NDS) |
| Publisher: | Electronic Arts |
| Series: | The Sims |
| Platforms: | Keypad-based mobile phones Nintendo DS PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable Wii |
| Genre: | Life simulation, survival |
| Modes: | Single-player |
The Sims 2: Castaway is the third console spin-off of the life simulation video game The Sims 2 for the Wii, Nintendo DS (NDS), PlayStation 2 (PS2) and PlayStation Portable (PSP).[1] It is also available on mobile phones; Nokia offered Castaway on the Ovi Store.[2] A roughly similar game, The Sims Castaway Stories, is available for personal computers, but is not a direct port of Castaway.
The game begins on a boat after the player creates a crew of characters. The crew can consist of one to six Sims. After the crew's creation, a slide-show starts of some mobile phone pictures that are taken showing the trip and also showing the storm that wrecks the ship. The player's starting Sim wakes up on First Beach on Shipwreck Island. The Sim finds books detailing the goals the Sim must follow to survive on the islands and escape. Shortly after exploring Shipwreck Island, the Sim discovers a second island, Airplane Island, this one considerably larger and more interesting than the first, and builds a raft to reach the new location. After arriving on the island, the Sim is reunited with some of their lost crew. The player then has the option to form a tribe of Sims if the relationship is strong enough. While exploring Airplane Island, the player finds radio parts that are required to complete a goal later in the game. A third island, Volcano Island, can be reached once the player finds the second beach on Airplane Island and builds a canoe. On Volcano Island, the player will discover the remains of the llama people. The player has the option to return to civilization on this island. They can either build a boat or travel to the volcano's summit and use the radio parts to send an SOS signal to a nearby ship or airplane. The player can also repair a broken ceremonial forge on Volcano Island that will cause a fourth island, Crystal Island, to rise out of the sea, however this isn't a priority and is not required for the player to escape the island. The game contains many optional discoverable secrets, including secret areas such as Hidden Lagoon and the Secret Pirate's Cove. These areas can only be accessed once the player has gathered objects such as hieroglyphics and treasure map pieces, and obtained the necessary skill points. This is a relatively extensive process which requires a lot of exploring.
The game received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. IGN said of the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions, "Designed for everyone's inner Gilligan, The Sims 2: Castaway is an amusing, if somewhat flawed exploration of island life. While it gives an interesting twist on the standard shipwreck concept, the hampered nature of the guidebooks, strange placement of plans in menus and continual micromanagement does hamper some of the fun of the title. However, Sims fans will find this to be a good break from the traditional Sims formula, and one that will keep them entertained for a while." In Japan, where the DS version was ported for release under the name on January 24, 2008,[3] Famitsu gave it a score of all four sevens for a total of 28 out of 40.