The Sims 3 Review - PC

8

Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 8
Audio: 8
Innovation: 6

The Sims has been part of our collective consciousness for quite some time now. Whether or not it holds a positive place in there is a subject of some debate, but there's no question that its popularity is potentially unmatched, particularly with regards to its reach. The Sims 3 is exactly that: the third game in a long-running series of life simulation titles. The question however, is 'do we need another'?

The original Sims perplexed me. Not in terms of its mechanics and structure, but rather its appeal. I was given a copy of it many years ago and whittled away many an hour struggling to keep on top of the endless needs of my Sim. I felt like an overbearing father, tending to the various intricacies of my Sim's life. What really puzzled me though was how legions of non-gamers have managed to adopt The Sims as their own and grow so vastly competent at it. So much so that they easily outstripped my own abilities. 

How did this happen? I watched my sister play endless sessions of the original game, micro-managing her Sims through their day to day lives. It dawned on me that perhaps this isn't so much a game as something else. It's exactly how the Sims 3 must be approached, or you're in for some potential disappointment.

The Sims 3 does not attempt to break its own mould as much as it tries to improve on it. The core gameplay remains as steady as it ever was: you have a Sim, or a family of Sims and your task is to control their lives. Whether they succeed or fail on the various aspects of their life was entirely your decision. While the first game gave the impression that you were essentially a god, the Sims 3 feels a lot more intimate and personal. Creating a Sim is ridiculously detailed, so much so that it's incredibly easy to create a Sim that resembles yourself, like mine did.

It was creepy.

One could spend eons customising every aspect of their Sim, to the point where it almost becomes tedious. Don't like the shape of the eyes? Change them. Don't like where the eyes sit in relation to the nose? Change it. Don't like how those nostrils are shaped? Change them. EA certainly understand that their audience takes immense pleasure in creating an avatar that is relatively true to life, and they do not disappoint with the myriad of options available. Once the Sim (or Sims) is created, it's simply a matter of dropping them into a house and getting into the game.

Sim veterans can just dive in after this. Not a lot has changed from previous iterations: the menu feels a little tighter, and the various building options have been tweaked, but for the most part, it's an unchanged experience. Newcomers can go through some quick tutorials to get them started. So far, so similar. The big change, however, is ...