The Sims 3 (PC)

[aruljothi]

Release Date: 06/02/2009
ESRB Rating: Teen
Genre: Simulation
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts Redwood Shores

Thank God EA didn't try to reinvent the wheel with this one. The Sims 3 brings you the same addictive, ant-farm-esque gameplay you got in the previous games, but wonderfully improves upon those prequels in almost every way.

Longtime fans of the series will immediately recognize The Sims 3's graphical polish, but the changes go much deeper than that. While EA maintained many gameplay elements from The Sims 1 & 2, and their various expansions, this third iteration heralds the advent of neighborhood-level gameplay; totally revising the Sims' (the game's titular "inhabitants") persistent life cycles. Now, Sims will go about their own lives, develop goals and dreams for the future, interact with each other and their environments in (mostly) logical ways, and even get old and die. Of course, if that sounds too radical for you -- I, for one, wasn't thrilled with the idea of my alter ego going gentle into that good night -- you'll be glad to know that just about every new gameplay device is optional; the game will play smoothly whether you choose to allow your Sims to get all old and wrinkly, or if you keep them with that perennial new-car smell.

In addition to the new options that affect individual Sims, The Sims 3 also heavily expands your ability to interact with the community of other Sims (either those the player creates, or the ones that ship with the game) as they play. Now, in the course of a gameplay session, the location isn't restricted just to a Sim's house. Instead, the game seamlessly and immediately transfers from a house to the neighborhood, wherein your Sim can interact realistically with other Sims on the street or in their homes. Want to check out your neighbor's sweet new TV set? Make your Sim get off his keester and go "ring dem (door)bells." Not only is this new community aspect a great way to experience all the nifty new objects and décor The Sims 3 has -- without having to pay for them -- it's critical to expanding your Sim's social circle. And socializing is even more important in The Sims 3 than it was in previous titles. Promotions at work, skill improvements, and many of the game's new "moodlets" (temporary boosts/penalties to your Sims mood) are tied to your social life.

While this new persistent community approach makes the game feel much more dynamic and alive, it also means that your Sims are going to have to juggle a whole lot of relationships, in addition to handling their everyday needs. This can lead casual players, and even some of the more hardcore, to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information you have to process simultaneously, and the number of social-life plates you'll need to keep spinning. The game's built-in AI is helpful in ensuring that your Sims automatically handle these tasks, to some degree, but who wants to just sit back and watch AI have all the fun -- after all, The Sims is a series for the control freak in all of us.