The Sims 2 [PSP]

After you've taken over virtually every platform known to man, you no longer have to follow the rules -- not even your own, it would seem. The Sims 2 is slated to hit the PSP in December, and it makes a considerable departure from the well-established gameplay of the series. Add the fact that this new portable incarnation throws in some weirdo story elements redolent of B-grade spook films and a particularly goofy episode of The X-Files, and you've got another promising look at a (virtual) day in the Simlish life.

It's still a game of shaping and influencing characters, but it's much more hands-on this time: You'll have direct control of your customized sim and move it about the aptly-named Strangetown, a place where secrets are as much a currency as Simoleans themselves.

Depending upon which type of gamer you are, it could easily be an hour or more before you even get around to playing the actual game. The Sims 2 offers a thorough character-customization scheme, with which you can tweak the character-model to your heart's content, right down to the shape of face, type of nose, tone and color of skin (and since this is Strangetown we're talking about, where alien abductions-and-returns are par for the course).

Further, determined players who really want to "populate the scene" can also customize the exact looks of other non-player neighbors in Strangetown, for entire matched sets of in-game characters. The entire Brady Bunch, anyone? Who's up for cobbling together facsimilies of all their fellow students or office mates?

The story -- yes, there's an overarching story -- starts off like anything in a place called Strangetown should. Your car breaks down on the outskirts of town, and the news from the local gearhead is not good: You're going to be here for a while. It's time to meet the locals.

Interaction with other characters can still take the form of gibberish Simlish conversations, but it can also occasionally manifest in actual, readable, multiple-choice exchanges that shape the story. Loa's curio shop also offers a tutorial in the ways of Strangetown and its social interactions. Sims mainstay Bella Goth is also, as it happens, a patron of the store, and this is a good chance to work on your casual conversation.

From here, you'll be given a few fairly obvious tasks that (again by way of tutorial), will familiarize you with the "needs" scheme and set you up with some temporary digs while you await repair of your car and rub virtual elbows with the locals. Your first sign that strange things are afoot should be that your "temporary digs" are a local mansion. At this point, the guided linearity of the game opens up quite a bit, and you can explore on your own.

As you get to know the locals, you'll learn the other primary form of conversation, which is comprised of a mini-game. The Sims 2 is all about gaining friends and, more importantly, learning secrets Some people, of course, are less willing to give up their secrets and must be convinced, seduced, or outright bullied into kicking down -- enter the chat, flirt, and intimidate aspects of conversation.