I think it paved the road for the sims 3, what it lacks in the mechanics that the sims 3 implemented, it makes for it with an incredible set of characters that inhabit its world. The fact that you could go through the memories of people that were already in the game and reconstruct their story (and often a WEIRD one) was incredible to me and really pushed me not only creating my family but made me care for the story of the other npcs, thing I barely did in the other games as you don't really have the same chance to connect with them. It makes you feel as you are stepping into a space that it's alive with or without you, not that it's there only for you.