The Sims 3

Yes, it’s true.  I managed to get my hands on a copy of this game prior to it’s scheduled release.  Thanks to my husband.  Now…I’m not 100% sure that this is the actual retail version because it seems to me that there are some things that are missing when I compare it to the quality of TS2.  For example, in TS2 you’d see your sim change a baby with the change table, there are no change tables in the version I have.  Your sim would walk to the car…right now they teleport into it.  But either way, I have something that resembles The Sims 3 and here’s what I think of it.

The Sims 3 Loading Screen

Some of the biggest improvements to the game are the Create-A-Sim options (aka CAS).  Now there are sliders for weight so you can range the weight of your sim from really thin to very large.  This makes your sims slightly more realistic.  As well, rather than the standard three or four skin colours to choose from you have sliders.

Weight and Skin Colour Sliders

Every single outfit, facial option, make up option, etc. is customizable.  You don’t like the hair colours given, you can use the pallet tool to pick one of your own…or even go so far as to create highlights and root colours.  This will dramatically cut down on the amount of custom content required for users to keep on their machines.  I won’t need 8 or 10 versions of the same hair that’s different colours because I can just make that myself right in CAS.

My first CAS Sim

The outfit selections and hair selections are a bit lacking and at first I couldn’t figure out why…then I saw that there’s a store being advertised where you can buy new clothing and hair styles and whatnot for your sims.  So stuff that I’d rather have had them put directly into the game (like curly hair for example), I’ll have to buy from EA through the Sims store.  That’s not something I’m happy about and I’m sure it won’t be long before someone has hacked that stuff up and is giving it away for free anyways.  But I digress.

Actual game play is pretty smooth.  You can go anywhere you want in the neighborhood without encountering load screens.  I sent my girl for a jog around the block and if she wanted she could walk to the store.  That is pretty cool.  The downside to this is that most lots don’t actually let you into the buildings.  Say you want to buy a book, well your sim goes in and you get a pop up menu.  Okay I suppose that’s fine for now.  I foresee an expansion called “The Inside of the Buildings”  LOL.

Some of the things are a bit more complex now.  There is gardening in the game, which is nice for those of us who enjoyed the Seasons expansion.  But you can’t just start off gardening.  You have to learn about it first by taking a class or buying a book and reading it…then you can start gardening.  The same thing for fishing.  You’re not looking at the same skill set that was in TS2.  I haven’t found a mechanical skill but rather skills in handiness and tinkering.

I think my most favourite thing about TS3 (aside from being able to make my sim-self actually have a butt), is that you give your sims personalities.  Gone are the days of being a “fortune sim”…now you can select 5 personalities for your adult CAS sims and each one you choose will cause them to behave in a different way and roll up different wishes.  For fun, I picked quirky things for my first girl.  She’s neurotic.  That means she needs to check the sink all the time, and if she doesn’t she stresses out about it which brings down her mood.  In order to make her mood better, she has to check the sink.  Moods are effected by what I’ll call buffs and debuffs.  Buffs increase mood and Debuffs decrease mood.

A Mood Debuff

Anyways, I’ll be putting a series of posts on my personal sims website as I play through and evaluate the game.  But for the extent of this review, I’d say that generally the game is the Sims that we love.  They cheaped out on a few things but gave us some new entertaining things.  Do I think everyone currently playing TS2 with all the expansions and stuff packs are immediately going to switch to TS3?  No.  There’s not enough different for that in my opinion and some of the things that I loved about TS2 are missing (dating, pets, businesses, etc).  It’s not as big of a jump from TS1 as TS2 was…however, it shouldn’t be discounted because it seems more challenging and more creative.

(Oh and Kristen, yes the birthing process is a bit different.  You can leave the house when your sim is preggers now and when it’s time they tell you to get home or go to the hospital.  Labour lasts a bit longer and is a bit more realistic.)

ETA:  For more in-depth discussion about this game and the different features, skills, etc., please visit JennTheSimmerGirl.com.

• CAS screenshots are available now.
• General Gameplay information about Moodlets, Lifetime Happiness, Needs, Happiness Rewards are available now.

~ by Jenn on May 20, 2009.