The Sims 3
Review
Get ready to explore your neighborhood
by Blackened Beans
reviewed on PC
Interface
The interface is nice and simple, so if you are a Simmer you will get it immediately, but if you are new to the series you will pick up on the basics relatively quickly. While The Sims 2 gave your Sims random wants that you had to fulfill, The Sims 3 will present you with one or two wants at a time that you can either cancel or promise to your Sim. The new system is a lot easier to use than the one in The Sims 2, and itis also a lot more interesting. When you start the actual game for the first time you are treated to a helpful tutorial that will teach you the basics of the game, but as you progress you get the option to view guides for things such as gaining skill levels and going to work. You don't have to view them, because everything is really quite easy, but they are still helpful. It is neat that they are an option, rather than something being shoved down your throat.
Building is still a big part of The Sims 3 as well. You can create your own house on an empty lot like in the previous game, and for the most part it is the same as before. But the ability to completely change colors and textures on your objects adds a lot more room for creativity, and because you can change just about everything, you can make your entire house look like just about anything you can imagine. The new interface helps to make the experience much easier as well, as everything is organized, and the new layout for the makes everything a lot easier to find. I had a lot more fun designing landscapes in The Sims 3 than I did in The Sims 2, and that is saying something.
Graphics and sounds
Graphically The Sims 3 is an improvement over the second, though not a whole lot so. It is still extremely cute and colorful, but there are some dated animations and the frame rate drops in more active areas. The good news is that you can probably run the game no matter what computer you are using. Because there aren't a whole lot of flashy effects and super advanced textures and animations, the requirements are relatively low, which makes the less-than-satisfactory graphics forgivable. It would still be nice to have less frame rate drops and graphical glitches, but I guess beggars can't be choosers, and I will take what I can get.
The same catchy Sims tunes remain in The Sims 3, but they've been slightly updated this time around. While the songs in The Sims 2 are catchy, there are actually quite a few songs in The Sims 3 that can even be considered good, and that's a nice improvement. The Sims still speak their crazy foreign language, and it is as goofy as ever, but it is a bit of a hit or miss thing. Some players might get annoyed by the peppiness of it all, but I actually quite enjoyed it. The sound effects are still cute and over-exaggerated, and between all these goofy sounds, the game's aural presentation meshes well with the art style.
Endless possibilities
If you are a Simmer, or if you are fascinated by the series in any way, then by all means, get The Sims 3. It's a fantastic addition to the series, improving upon the winning formula with tons of new customization options, an awesome new living town, and an endless number of possibilities that will keep you coming back for a very long time. If you didn't understand all the buzz about The Sims 2, then The Sims 3 likely won't change your mind, but if you are a fan, then The Sims 3 is everything you could possibly want in a Sims game and more, despite the rather limited content. If the fantastic gameplay doesn't convince you that it is worth your fifty dollars, than the sheer amount of things to do should.
8.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
