There is no real life in the neighborhood itself. It is all predictable FX effects only. What I loved about the Sims 2 was how interactive the small creatures were. I mean there was even a consequence for leaving dishes out with the death by flies. The environment just felt so alive and wasn't dictated by a buff system. The buff system was the worst thing introduced into the series and turned the series from a life simulation game into a MMO RPG style game. The multitasking is broken too with the simulation lag so even breaks up the simulation effect and makes Sims act more like mimes or robots than human beings with broken up interactions that Sims will most likely not carry out even if automaticity is turned off. It is like watching a fish move that is out of water slowly dying watching Sims move.
