Reviews and Quips: The Sims 3

While I certainly Realize this PC game has been out for well over a Month now (It debuted on June 2nd) This was the first Opportunity since the launching of this Blog to take a proper Look at It. So let's take it all a little at a Time, shall We?

For any of You PC Neophytes who have been living under a Pet Rock with Your AM Transistor Radios, Rubik's Cubes, and Apple II-E Computer trapped in a "Blast From The Past" Time Warp, The Sims series is a kind of "Life Simulator" game...or as some might call a "God Game" or a "Virtual Dollhouse."

You create Virtual People, with Virtual Personalities to live in a Virtual Town in their own Virtual House working Their Virtual Job earning Their Virtual Money (or cleverly called "Simoelons") living out Their Virtual Lives eating up more and more of Your REAL one with Virtual helpings of Theirs.

I must admit, I was quite the addict of the first game...played It quite frequently killing much Time on It I didn't have until the wheels pretty much fell off My Computer's original Hard Drive. (Quite literally so!)

Unless One has actually sat down and played It at some point, then I can't tell You why It's so addictive. Even as I finally broke down and bought the first Game Epochs ago back in April of 2002 when Tom Cruise was still Sane and married to Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson was still Sane (or at least delightfully coo-coo) married,and not acting as a Baby Daddy to young Russian Musician/Models, and the only Bad Guys We had to worry about were under sand Rocks on Arab Tatoonie...err..I mean Afghanistan... (Seems like a TOTALLY different World by now doesn't it?)

Like I said, when I first bought The Sims, and began actually playing It after the Tutorial with that weird looking "Bob Newbie" Guy, I thought to Myself, "That's it? You just go Day after Day, after Day after...Helping these dumb vVrtual People Eat, Sleep, Poop and talk ALOUD to inanimate Objects in Their adorable little Jibberish Language? ("Toe-Nockie-Agarble-Weeble-ZORT" Ummm...Yeah.)

But, there just was something about It...something FUNKY about creating your own People. Something kind of "Soap-Opera-ish" about writing all these Storylines in Your Head for Your Sim-tastical Characters. Then there's the fact One could edit and customize just about EVERYTHING associated with the Game. You could make new "Themed" Neighborhoods from Victorian, to ancient Roman to Colonial and Beyond. I even managed to create several of the Characters I'd created for My own Historical Fiction Novels and Screenplays into the Game. I mean seriously, In what other Universe are Viggo Mortensen, a Feudal Japanese Samurai, Jesus, a Mobster who looks an awful lot like Sonny Corleone and Horatio Hornblower going to live all on the same block?

Let slip the Dogs of Imagination and Slackery!!

The Sims Deuce....I know not why I never got into that One. Perhaps It was because My Computer died, or it was too old, or It was too old ANNND it died, OR even because In that Game Your Sims would/could Age beyond Your Control. (There was no way to turn that feature On and Off.)

But, It has been FIVE YEARS since the Sims 2 came out, and more than two since I had heard the Tongue of Similish being spoken in Ridiculousness, I figured, Times They are a-Changing, so Why not?

Why not Indeed!

Let's start with the Goode Stuff First!

Pros:

A Fully Integrated Neighborhood---- No more "Weird Time Zones" throughout Your Sims Town. No more getting up at 8AM at one Sim's House in the Neighborhood to go to the Store Downtown and it's 10PM There. Everything happens in "Real Time." Instead of every Sim's Individual House and every Commercial Lot being It's own separate Save Game, the whole Town is one big Save Game. Much, MUCH more realistic.

Awesome Graphics--- What Else can I say? Just peruse this Video and try and tell Me these Graphics don't look Delicious!!



Attention to Detail--- I must say that going from Sims 1 to 3 directly, that I am impressed with the teensy tiny little Details the Graphic Animators have put in Here and There in the Game. I noticed that when one of my Female Sims is wearing Her "Athletic" Outfit and say, going for a Run, that There are even little Freckles along Her back along Her Workout Top's Neckline. Or with one of my male Sims, when He has to...umm...do His...uhh..."Number 1 Business" in the Bathroom, that He makes the same goofy Faces that almost any other Guy would make whilst "Firing Off His Stream." Full Emotions and Expressions and that awesome extra Realism to the Gaming Experience.

Great "Beginning" Customization--- I'm of an older "Gaming Generation, one where it was quite common to see Stick Figure Baseball players in different rainbow multi-colors (even though They're supposed to be on the same Team!) hitting a square Baseball (put it this way, I remember when Atari wasn't just a cool T-Shirt, and I know what an Intelivision is!) So, I don't expect the Universe handed to Me on a Silver Platter in the First Game of what is to be a "Base Game" with a Series of Expansion Packs. Some Reviewers have complained that the "Create-A-Sim" section of the Game really doesn't offer enough options (Hairstyles, Face Shapes, etc) but again, it's ONLY the first game! Given the "extreme" limitations of The Sims 1 in comparison, Sims Tres is a great first Effort.

New Options at Work---- Used to be in the original Game, let's say Sim "Joe Blow Deluxe" is a Policeman. Sim "Joe Blow Deluxe" leaves for Work ay say 7AM while His Sim Wife "Lula Mae Blow" stays Home. Joe would "disappear" into a Vacuum of sorts until He gets back at 4PM. That's it, what happened at Work (unless you had a Celebrity Sim as a'la The Sims: Superstar Expansion Pack) was beyond Your Control. Not so anymore! NOW You can actually follow Them right to the Door of Their place of Employment and then CHOOSE what Their Priorities at Work for the Day (or even just for that Hour) are! This definitely allows for a little more Realism.

Private Cars--- In real Life, not Everyone takes a Bus or a Taxi. Continuing from Sims 2 into 3, the Sims' World reflects this. Gotta Sim Who is Wealthy and living like a "Big Time Baller?" You can buy for them a hot realistic looking Sports Car to reflect Their awesome "playa" status!

Personal Inventories--- Cell Phones, Laptops, Apples, Books, Footballs, and personal Books oh My! There are now a ton of new Things the Sims can actually take along with Them wherever they go.

Grocery Shopping and Recipes--- Just like in real Life your Sims need to go to the Supermarket and stock up on Groceries if They want to be able to cook up Their own Meals. Not to mention once They get cracking they can make a variety of Meals from Mac and Cheese to Key Lime Pie, to Sushi and Shrimp....awesome!

Five Personal Traits Per Sim--- One of the things I REALLY used to hate about the original Game was, when you'd create a Sim and choose Their "Traits" in the notchs kind of "Life Meter Bar" type System you'd often get weird outcomes you didn't want. (If I wanted a "Brave Tough Guy, but Normal" Sim and I didn't still load him up with high Notches for the "Nice" category he'd end up taunting his neighbor Sims at random and kicking their Lawn Gnomes....nice! Now, One has the option to choose Five lifetime "Personality Traits" for your Sims, from "Grumpy" to "Athletic" to "Vegetarian" to "Great Kisser" to "Insane" or "Evil" and more!

More Realistic Relationships--- In the original Game You always had to be VERY careful with how your Sims treated OTHER Sims. Let's say You have this really cool, "touchy-feely" kind of Uber Nice and funny Chic Sim, and You wanted Her to be the Nice, touchy-feely type with Everybody, even Her Boyfriend's best Friend. (You know, giving'um a Hug when His best Boy is having a Bad Day and whatnot.) In Sims 1, even a HUG would make the Sim Beau EXTREMELY jealous...and He then in turn would run up and go "Bitchslap" His best Friend just for receiving a nice comforting gesture on a rotten Day from a sweet Chic...which would then in turn send even Your most intended-ly macho Guy Sims running away crying like a Tweenage Girlie after They've been Bitchslapped. Funny as Hell yes, but NOT realistic!! Now there's quite a few more "Social Options" based on your Sims "Five Traits" You still have to be careful, but your Simmies can Hug and harmlessly Flirt a little.

Oh and now You can have more realistic Love Relationships between Sims too, They can go from just dating as a "Love Interest" to seeing each Other exclusively as a formal "Boyfriend/Girlfriend" then "Move-In" Together is You want them to, then get "Engaged" and then finally get Married by having either a public "Wedding Party" wherever You want in Town or a ultra-quickie "Private Wedding" just like the First Game if you don't want to go through all the mess of staging a Party just for a Sims Wedding. Cool indeed!

Preggers--- No more instant Babies! Sim Chickiepoos can now experience all the "Glorious Wonders" of Pregnancy, right down to the "Buddha Belly" weird cravings and all the Aches and Pains that come with it! (Poor Sims *Snort!* )

Technno Upgrades-- (Hello Personal Cell Phones and Laptops) As I've said before, your Sims have phones, so There is no more need for that dorky wall phone in your Kitchen or that icky mustard Yellow Payphone stand everywhere you go. The Sims is definitely with the Times now.

Multi-Stories on Buildings--- You can build up to Five Stories on Your Sims Houses now, up from the original game's measly Two. A McMansion for Your Sim? Here I come!!

Story Progression---- One of the cooler features of the Sims 3, Life goes on in Simulated Normalcy (Marriages, Preggos, Moving In/ out of Town, Job Promotions, Births, Deaths, etc) for even Sim Households You choose not to Control. (IF You turn this option On) Cool!

Aging On or Off--- Probably the "Key Clinching Feature" for Me in buying this game. Up from Sims 2, now YOU can decide where and when your Sim Generations grow up, get old and codgery, and then eventually Die.

Writing--- A HUGE plus for Screenwriters and Novelists/Blogger Sims fans like Yours Truly. Now Your Sims can learn how to write Stories/Books on Their Computers and eventually actually make Their Sim LIVING at it!! (Well, that last part's not realistic, but hey coooool anyway! *Snicker!!* )

Cons:

(Just a few little Things that "Irk" Me here and there about the Game so far.)

Bugs--- The biggest one so far? Most of the Music and all Modes of My Game has mysteriously disappeared, Then just as mysteriously, reappeared. (Sound yes, Music, no.) Also apparently when one of My Single Sims invites one of Their Girlfriend/Boyfriends over to spend the Night now, no matter how "close" They are in Their relationship the Guest Sim won't sleep in the same Bed with Them...the Guest Sims spends all Night roaming around the House and checking themselves out in the Mirror! Otherwise though It has been smooth sailing (crosses Fingers *Ha* ) It is still VERY early in this new Game's History, so I feel quite confident The "Geek Brigade" over at EA will come up with Patches to fix these little Bugs...eventually!

Movie Madness--- Apparently when One of Your Sims wants to invite a Sim friend out somewhere in Town, say to the Movie theatre for instance, there is no option to see the Movie, Rock Concert, Game or whatever, WITH THE GUEST SIM...Sure, You can "Tour" the location with the Guest Sim, and I suppose One could PRETEND the two Sims went to see a Movie Together when You click the "Tour With" option, but that's hardly the same thing in the Real World, now is it?

A Weird/Different Town/Neighborhood Interface System--- One of the side effects of having such a cool intergrated Neighborhood System in this Game is that the Moving in and out, changing which House You're currently playing with, and whatnot is significantly different and more complicated than in previous games. It MAY take a little longer to get used to for some Sims Players.


Missing "Golden Oldies"---- This is just Me, but I do find Myself "missing" some of the Features/House Items that were there in previous Games...even in the First one that are not in the Sims 3. (Hot Tubs?? Pianos?? Pets?? Christmas and Holiday Decorations?? Extreme Career?? Slacker?? Mechanical Bulls? Dance Floor? Mic Stages?? Shopping Areas that You can control Your Sims in while You visit??) Although, again it IS very Early in this new Sims 3 series, so I do suspect that many of these things WILL return in forthcoming Expansions.



Ideas:

(Just a few quickie Ideas I have for future Mods/Official Expansion Packs)

More Variety with Bodies!!--- While the Body Customization/Skin Tone options are a HUGE Improvement on previous Sims Games (especially if One is going from Sims 1 directly to 3 like I am ) I still have noticed something a BIT annoying about it....Something that perhaps ony a MALE Player of the game would pay Attention to....Okay I'll just come right out with It....

I'd like to see more...umm..."Section specific Customization" options on Sims Bodies. For example, all the Female Sims seem to have the exact same...umm....Cup Size....no matter what Body Size They are. (What if I see my Simette Character as being more...uhh...Boobilicious...or Flat-Chested?) And what about the Muscles? What if I see my Guy Athletic Sim as having the best ripped God-like abs in Town or being Morbidly Obese? I'd like to see more ways to "Tweak" things like this in the Game.

Poker Table!!--- The "Poker Fad" is still going strong, and the People over at the Sims should capitalize on it. Your Sims should be able to buy a Poker Table and have a "Poker Night" Party with Their Sim Pals!

Martial Arts!!--- It'd be cool if Sims could either go to the Town Gym or maybe a new "Dojo" location and learn either from a choice of Real Martial Arts systems, or like maybe a made-up "Simu-Fu" Martial art, and then maybe they could kick annoying or Evil Sims' arses!!

Public Speeches!!--- If Your Politically minded Sims can have Fundraising Parties, They SHOULD be able to deliver mesmerizing Public speeches to hundreds of Townsfolk at a time in the Public Square.

Bowling Alleys!!--- It'd be a great spot for a date, and Guy Sims need a "Guys Night Out" Bowling has served that purpose for centuries!!

Ethnic Areas!!--- A Sims town would be cool if it had a "Sims Italy" or a Sims "Chinatown" etc!

Theme Restaurants!!---The Bistro and the Dinner get old after awhile. This Idea would go along PERFECTLY with the "Ethnic Areas."

Foreign Travel!!--- The ability to go Abroad for Vacations...I think They had something like this in Sims 2, but it would be nice to see implemented even bigger and better in Sims 3.

Add Even More Traits!!--- Like in previous Games with each new Expansion Pack, add new Traits that You can than give to your Sims. ( Perhaps "Second Sight" or "Foodie" "Medieval" "Fanboy" "Spaz" etc)

Beach Swimming!!---This is something that has always ANNOYED THE HELL OUT OF ME about all Sims Games so far...just WHAT THE HECK is the point of going to the Beach if One's Sims can only go there to FISH?? For crissakes We're up to the THIRD Game now and Sims STILL can't go to the Beach AND SWIM IN THE OCEAN?? Give Me a Break!! Folks, it's time to let them take to the Open Water.

Actually Visiting More Public Places!!--- I'd like to see it eventually added that They can be seen actually attending the Movie/Watching it in the Theatre, maybe buying Popcorn/Refreshments etc...or say, at the Sporting Event etc.

Mini-Parties!!--- Can Sims NOT invite more that ONE Sim over to the house at a time?? There should be a way to have a "Couples Get-Together" or "Guys Night In" say, being able to invite over like three or four Other Sims for a "Small Party."

Dance/Night Clubs!!---- Bottomline, Sims SHOULD have more places to go out and Party on the Weekends.

A BEER-like drink--- A Sim dude SHOULD have the option to go to the Supermarket and pick up a Sixer or a 12-pack of suds, or have a Keg at their Party. Period.

Boats/Jet Skis-- Of Your Sims can fish, then There should be the opportunity for your Sims to own Their Own Boats, Jet Skis and PWC's on which to fish/play with.

Motorcycles--- If You can have Bicycles in a Sims Game, You can have "Gnarly Robinson" Motorcycles. Why?? Because They're Badarse, THAT'S why!

Ideas for Expansion Packs!!--- Renaissance Faire, Vegas (this would be the PERFECT opportunity to add the Poker Table to the Buy Catalog or a "Professional Card Player" Career to the Game.)

Celebrity Career with a Comedian option!!--- One thing that always bugged me in the Sims 1 about Its Superstar Expansion Pack was that you basically only had three "Celebrity" activity options to further Your Sims Fame-seeking Career, Actor, Singer, Model. But what if You want Your Sim to be a successful Comedian (like I do?) The dudes over at EA need to bring back the "Open Mic" Stage and include with It an option to do a "Comedy Routine" and from there Your Sim could work Their way up in the new version of the "Celebrity" Career track for Sims 3 to say, a "Comedy Tour" or "Join Improv group" and have special events in Their Career like "Appear on The Late Night Show w/Timmy Falloon" and even have a Lifetime Wish of "Getting Their Own Sitcom"


Final Grade: B +

Over All, a Fantastic Start to the new Sims Series...My Ideas are just Suggestions (albeit very COOL ones) My nitpicks so far are VERY nitty and Minor...YESSS I'm hooked all over again!

I definitely look forward to the Expansion Packs. Not such a big leap for People who signed on from Sims 2 going to 3, BUT if You're a Simmer who left the Series when Sims 2 came out I HIGHLY RECOMMEND You check this one out. If You enjoyed the Sims before, You'll probably get in to this One.

I know I did!

Keep On Simming!!