This is a great post! I LOVE the Sims 2....I was never able to get into the Sims 3 and I uninstalled it pretty soon after I bought just the base game. I never could figure what it was about Sims 3 that I wasn't bonding with, but now that that you've brought up the challenges of Sims 2 I think that had a lot to do with it.
The Sims 2 had a lot going on, even in just the base game in regards to their needs. I felt I was never able to keep up, but I never found it annoying or tiresome. I thought it was a lot of fun, and when all the expansions started coming out, it became more challenging with every hobby to master, and every business to build. And even University with all those papers and exams! Haha. I felt like I was not only creating this adorable, quirky little world..but it also felt like I was also playing a real game. (I did use a lot of cheats for money and fulfilling the needs, but even with those, I still had a million things going on!)
I always wondered if I should have given Sims 3 more of a chance (even though I couldn't get past how odd looking the Sims were). But after reading this thread, I don't think I missed out on anything that the Sims 2 couldn't give me :)
If I didn't have to be at work in the morning, I would probably start playing it now!