The Game of Life 2 Review – Life is Short and Sweet

The Game of Life 2 Review

A sequel to a beloved classic, The Game of Life 2 is coming for newer consoles with upgraded visuals and more modern affairs. Much like its predecessor, players make choices in their lives to hopefully be better than their friends. With newer job titles, gender choices, and options to choose between kid and pet, the game simulates real life from the moment you start work to your retirement. 

The Game of Life 2 is a very simple and quick game to play. There are no suggestive themes or anything inappropriate for children, making this an easy choice for a weeknight with the kids. The best part is that you don’t have to keep track of how everyone is doing because the game takes care of it. You’ve basically purchased a board game with its own game master. It lays out exactly what you have to do, where you need to go, and even moves your pieces for you. Gone are the days when you had to count money and have someone play the banker. It’s a very convenient way to play an old classic, headache-free.

Family-Friendly Fun for Everyone

You can enjoy this game with up to four people without purchasing any additional equipment at all. It’s playable in local or online multiplayer, meaning you can choose to play with those in the same room or friends in another house. If you choose to play locally, one of the biggest benefits is being able to use one controller for everyone. This means you don’t need to provide a controller for each person who decides to join. It’s convenient if you only have one controller–just make sure you remember to pass it to the next person. Helpful prompts will remind you to do so, and each player is color-coded to ensure as little confusion as possible.

While it’s nice to play the game with only one controller, it would also be great if players could have the option to utilize multiple controllers. This isn’t a complaint though, because being able to play using one controller is a huge cost-saver. I do think that if someone has enough equipment per player, it would be a nice option to have!

You can also play by yourself and compete against AI. If you’re bored and feel like playing a board game by yourself, there’s no need to wait for someone to join you. However, I have experienced instances of glitches where the AI freezes on its turn. This forced multiple restarts of the game. It has happened three times already, all with the AI not completing its move, so there may be a bug fix in the works.  

Life is Short, Enjoy It

One of the upsides of The Game of Life 2 is having multiple worlds, but the board is pretty much the same. It is more interesting when you can choose to be a Mage instead of a Chef. Unfortunately, the only differences are the world you live in, the jobs you get, and the houses you purchase. Otherwise, it’s all the same. 

In a way, it’s just like a new edition of the same board game. You could get novelty versions of one game but play the same rules and traverse an identical number of spaces. It would be nice if there was a world where the board was slightly different, such as adding length to the game or having more opportunities to perform special actions.

It can be a great way to unlock bonus content, though, because each goal you fulfill can grant you a puzzle piece. Once you’ve completed a puzzle, you can find yourself the owner of a new vehicle, outfit, or game avatar. Although the game gets repetitive quickly, this small reward is effective at giving players an incentive to keep playing. 

A classic and nostalgic board game, The Game of Life 2 is just like real life–it is short, sweet, and you might get paid decently but your taxes are insanely high. It’s a fun game to play with family and friends without having to purchase additional equipment. Plus, bonus points for being easy to understand. Sadly, I found it hard to buy a house. But as I said, this is just like real life. 

***A PS4 code was provided by the publisher***