The Sims 2: Pets [Wii]

If there's a game series or concept that seems tailor made for the Wii, it's The Sims. The quirky and oddly realistic people simulator has permeated nearly every other game system, from original PC releases to Nintendo's Wii predecessor, the GameCube. But a Wii edition of the game wasn't a launch title, and we've had to wait some time for the series to debut on the family-friendly console.

First off, The Sims 2: Pets isn't to be confused with MySims, the Wii and DS-specific game that will release later this year. While MySims features towns and characters that have been entirely redesigned in accordance with the Mii style, this version of Pets is simply a replication of the same game familiar to owners of PCs and other game consoles.

Now that we think about it, with the population of new gamers that have the Wii as their gateway, it's possible there are players out there who have no idea what The Sims game is. The core idea is simple: Create a person or, ideally, a family complete with pets, and then guide them through a simulated life through a mixture of direct intervention and gentle (or not so gentle) guidance.

The entire system of Mii's on Nintendo's console owes a certain debt to the series (hence the forthcoming MySims) and anyone who's played with the Mii creator will be up and running on The Sims with little effort. Just in case, there's a lengthy tutorial which explains most of the game's interactions, most of which boil down to a couple of pop-up menu selections, after which your Sims take over. Personalities of both people and animals are built as they interact with each other and the world, and it's impressive and eerie to see how individual some can become.

The primary new play method on the Wii is actually just a console-specific refinement. The game makes extensive and very good use of the remote as a wireless pointer, essentially as a surrogate mouse. Instead of using a joystick to guide the game's primary cursor to select Sims, their pets and interactive objects, you'll point with the remote.