The Sims 2 (PSP) (PSP)

What the portable Sims trades in freedom (there are no jobs or families, no ability to write your own back story or let your Sim wander on its own) it makes up for in story. Strangetown is built on an amalgam of paranormal myths and feels like a lighthearted X-Files. Settings and graphics are nice enough, and the sound does an excellent job of setting the mood -- something along the lines of a campy 1950s B-movie.

The Sims 2 loads game features on an ongoing basis -- players spend as much time waiting for something to happen as they do playing. On top of that, success in the social game -- and in various Mini games -- comes down to well-timed button pushing. When the game hangs for several seconds as data loads, timing gets thrown off, Mini games are lost, and frustration ensues.