A Review of The Sims 3

• More Sims free will means less micromanaging
• New personality types keep things fresh
• More like "real life"
• Pattern editing makes it easy to create matching clothes/furnishings

Cons

• Still takes too long to go to the bathroom
• Added complexity may be overwhelming for new players
• Fans of The Sims 2 may miss some of the micromanaging possibilities

The Sims are back and now you have more options. With new occupations, personality types and ways to interact, the Sims franchise has taken on a fresh new look. Create your own Sims, move them in and set them out on their life paths. Work towards life goals, or just do your own thing. The Sims 3 comes with plenty of flexibility, which is a nice change from previous versions.

New to The Sims?

The Sims franchise allows users to take control over one or more virtual people called Sims. Once you've chosen your family, you can purchase a lot and either move into a pre-existing house or build your own. From there, it's up to you. Will your Sims get a job, or make their living by playing guitar in the park? Will they make lots of friends, or choose a solitary existence? Perhaps they'll have children, paint a masterpiece, or just spend their time at the beach. Make sure they have their basic needs met and they'll be happier and more productive, but if you want grouchy Sims, you can do that, too.

Create the Right Look in The Sims 3

From designing your Sims to selecting their clothes, wallpaper and furniture, users have more control than ever. In previous games, you were forced to choose from a set of included patterns and colors. Now, you can tweak the colors in your hair, eyes, clothes, furniture and even wood grain. Have a pattern you love? Copy it onto the couch, carpet and walls. Or create a different pattern using the same colors. It's easier to create coordinated rooms of furniture and outfits.

The career tracks in The Sims 3 are similar to careers we've seen in the past... things like military, science, medicine and journalism. But what's fun about The Sims 3 is that you don't have to take on a career to earn money. Hobbies can be lucrative, too. If you want a more carefree lifestyle, you can become a street musician, a gardener (sell your wares) or a fisherman. You can collect bugs or rocks and sell those as well. Become a writer and earn royalties on your published books (nothing like passive income). There are even some part-time jobs to give you more time to socialize and play. While I was playing, one of my characters maxed out her career path, so I had her retire and become a science fiction novelist. This gave her plenty of time to work out and get in shape (she was forever complaining about not exercising). This is one of the best improvements on the game for someone like me who wants time to play as well as work!

Growing Up, Moving Out, Moving On

One of the interesting new features of The Sims 3 is that the neighborhood is more closely integrated into your personal game. As time progresses, your neighbors grow older, get married, move, and die. This means that as your kids grow, their friends grow with them so you’re no longer stuck with your adult Sims hanging around with elementary school kids. In addition, you can more easily visit your friends around town (and vice versa), as well as meet people out. If you save up enough money, you can even buy your own car to get around in.

One of my biggest complaints about previous versions of the Sims is the level of micro-managing that is required to keep your Sims happy and healthy. While there’s still a certain amount of micro-managing left, the Sims now are a bit more capable of taking care of themselves. They generally don’t pass out from exhaustion or lack of food. Instead, they get negative mood points, which impact their ability and willingness to take part in other tasks throughout the day. Negative points are easily counteracted, so you can spend less time worrying about sleep and more time having fun.

On the other hand, there are players who enjoy the ability to use the Sims to create their own movies and stories. These players may be frustrated by the additional free will given to Sims, especially as it pertains to certain personality traits. In the end, this is going to be a bonus for some and a drawback for others.

Bottom Line

The Sims 3 ups the ante on the fun parts of playing and decreases some of the drudgery. There are still some aspects that are infuriating, like how long it takes to walk across the room relative to other tasks. Still, the changes are overwhelmingly positive and there are plenty of new things to explore.