The Sims 3: yep, that's definitely The Sims.
By Dalai 3 Comments
Hey, The Sims 3. I couldn't resist buying you and I have many people to blame (Giant Bomb DS ambassador oldschool and numerous real world friends.) So with that, my on again, off again history with the series is now back on. With that said, my personal history with The Sims franchise goes like this. Bullet wipe, go!
- Bought the original PC game, absolutely loved it. One of my favorite PC games ever. It was everything I hoped for at the time and it further cemented my appreciation for Will Wright as a game designer.
- Bought all 7 expansion packs meaning I spent almost $300 on the game. It was a lot of money to invest in what is essentially one big game, but WoW fans know how expensive a single game can be.
- Skipped The Sims 2 even though I'm a huge fan of the original. I'm the kind of guy who needs the full experience and after all the stuff The Sims and its packs had to offer, buying just the core game and a few expansions just would feel a little empty. Plus, that was at a point where I played fewer games and when EA was at their evil empire stage. Also, I didn't like some of the changes they made with the game as a whole so I decided not to invest in the game.
- Bought The Sims 3 despite owning a piece of shit PC that can't run the damn game. I can play it elsewhere... i have my ways. I got a sneak peek on Wednesday, bought it on Friday, and played it over the weekend.
And The Sims 3 is a great first step in what I expect to be a massive game once the expansions and stuff packs make their way into the system. From the almost too detailed Create-a-Sim feature to the open world setup, The Sims 3 lives up to my lofty expectations. Seeing as I literally upgraded from The Sims (2000) to The Sims 3 (2009), the differences I saw are much more dramatic. The graphical differences are great, but it won't break down most PCs. Mine is 6 years old so mine can't run shit at this point. Being able to walk around town and go shopping, visit other homes without the need of a loading screen, and watching them frolic at the beach is awesome. I personally got a kick getting my couple really fat by gorging on pancakes and waffles all day. And yes, my couple had fat sex... I mean fat WooHoo. It obviously feels more stripped down in spots like in the number of objects, the lack of pets, and the absence of vacation destinations, but I'm expected to pay later on for that stuff. The best thing about The Sims 3 in my opinion is the aging feature which was what turned me off in The Sims 2. It's not that I don't like aging, but I wanted a much longer lifespan for my sims... and they gave something for everyone. I prefer the epic lifespan (960 days I believe) but your sims can have the lifespan of fruitflies if you want... or you can just shut it off without the aid of cheats.
Stuff I hate? Nothing with the game so far, but The Sims 3 Store is pure milkage bullshit.
If you're going to check out The Sims 3 and you've played the previous games, basically you know what you're getting already, but I'll applaud the guys at The Sims Studio for making such a fantastic game that works better than I anticipated and I can't wait to give EA all my money in the future.
I can't wait to check on my family again. For the record, my sims are named John and Jane Doe. Yeah... totally original.