As odd as it may seem, I have never actually played a Sims game. I am seriously considering getting the Sims 2 (with 2 bonus expansions) because Walmart has it for only $20 but I am not sure if it would be worth it. What do you guys have to say on the matter?

They are okay, depending on how or with who you play them with, if you have the expansions. There is just no way that I'll be paying that much for a complete edition though.

If you're thinking about solo play, meh, go play something else. By the way, Sims 3 is out, why buy Sims 2?

the game is fun as long as the stats are good... once you fail to keep your sim happy, the game burns you down quick

A friend of mine who is usually a CoD fanboy tried Sims 3 and is loving it, I may try the medieval one cause I like medieval type things.

Because the Sims 3 vanilla is $40... the Sims 2 with two expansions is $20

Well for only 20 bucks I'd do it if you're really interested.
The graphics might be slightly worse than 3, but the gameplay is pretty much identical.
If you don't like it, it was only 20 bucks and you know you don't have to get any future versions.
If you do like it, you have a game you can play until the Sims 3 Ultimate Edition can be bought for 20 bucks.
That's just my way of thinking though.

The Sims 3 is awesome. I still haven't bought an expansion because I can't decide between them, but the job-controlling one sounds neat.

http://www.direct2drive.com/6231/product/Buy-The-Sims-2-Double-Deluxe-Download

This is the exact thing I am wanting (except in DD format). Do you think this pack in particular is worth it? Speaking of which, how good is D2D? I haven't actually ever bought anything there before.

D2D is fine. The only thing I'd keep in mind is that depending on who you buy the base game from, you'll have to buy the expansions from them as well. For example, I have a boxed copy of The Sims 3, and that prevents me from buying expansions from Steam or D2D. If I do want a download-only version, I have to get it directly from EA's digital download store.

I've been playing the sims since 2004, so this will be biased.

I play the sims not to escape my real life, but to explore and build alternate lives that can last only months at a time. The power to do so is very well realized in the sims. Whatever takes your fancy can be done. People often talk about mods being stripped from high profile games, buy if anything, the sims franchise disproves that. The mod scene is simply flourishing 11 years later, with near countless stuff you can add into the game, for free. The same goes for expansion packs as well. They have lots of great fully featured packs that add a hell of a lot to the game, yeah sims 3 does have a few rip off packs but you can always avoid that crap, I did.

But I think the best thing about the sims is that you can mould the world, people and buildings to you liking, like a cut down, people focused version of simcity. For the past year and a half I've been (very) slowly creating my dream town in the sims 3, complete with a dichotomy of people. Trying to individualise people to their very mannerisms is hard work, but can be extremely rewarding. I personally think having a creative mind adds a whole lot to the sims playstyle since you can create wildly different goals for each and every person you control. Just recently I have masterminded a family feud that had a wildfire effect and has fanned across my once docile neighbourhood. I'll ensure it ends amicably, but it was great fun playing out your own soap opera storyline.

Another save I'm a business man trying to commercialize the town without sacrificing people jobs but realize the change of management is inevitable. Some of the consequences are hilarious because often the same people you fire know you or your family.

There are endless opportunities in the sims games and if you are a person who loves to write your own story (per se) then the games allow you to write a few that will stay with you.

Another thing I love in The Sims is all the knowing humor they hide in there. For example, in Sims 3 Ambitions, you can play as a Ghostbuster, complete with a Proton Pack and PKE Meter (but they don't call it that in the game). Your Ghostbuster character uses the gadgets in a very exaggerated fashion, and the ghost's reaction is priceless. In past games, there have also been Back to the Future and ET references.

I bought the Sims 3 when it first came out, after a lot of my friends raved about the sims 2. Being a programmer I usualy break games down into sets of features that I like to try out. I found that the actual range of things you can do in the sims 3 is quite limited. This is mainly because EA stipped the game of all the features that were present in the sims 2, so that they could sell them as expansions. This left me feeling a little bit sour about the whole thing. I felt that I'd bought a shell of a game, which without buying some of the expansions was just a very limited set of operations.

Having said that I did find some enjoyable ways to play. I liked buying a plot of land so large that my sim had virtually no money, then I had to try to keep him going while I slowly built a house around him. Oh the joy when I was finally about to build an enclosed room and give my sim a roof over his head.

I've yet to meet anybody that played the Sims and wasn't all about torturing them. From what I gather the main appeal is the ability to treat it like a spin off of that old series EDIT: Dungeon Keeper.