The Sims has always been a rather resource-heavy game that drained the life out of many a processor, especially when the series switched to an all-3D graphical appearance with The Sims 2. It's built on the The Sims 2 engine, although this is the first Sims game that truly feels different despite the coattails it is riding.īut before we tell you about the new features, we need to discuss the intention of the game. It's a stand-alone game, needing neither The Sims, The Sims 2, nor The Sims: Life Stories to play. The Sims: Castaway Stories is the newest game in the long-running franchise. If you don't know what The Sims is, and haven't seen any news or features of it since it debuted in 2000, then you really need to quit your job and start reading IGN more. For The Sims: Castaway Stories, I believe we can dispense with the usual introductory summary of an add-on game's core title.