The Sims 3 brings back a lot of fun from the phenomenal series. What is encouraging is that EA has now taken the whole Sims experience to a new level altogether. While we still manage the lives of our Sims household, with Sims 3, now that life is not limited to the home alone, but extends to the whole neighbourhood.
The basics of the game are still the same: you begin with a Sims, manage his life, nurture him into a competent being who aspires and achieves his dreams, falls in love, gets married, has a family, and lives happily ever after. That or gets bankrupt paying his bills.
The most obvious change that you will notice is the new polished, sleeker and richer in detail presentation of the game. The graphics are just so wonderful, and vivid. Add to that a better performance of the game (though needs a bit powerful system) than the previous versions and the open neighbourhood (which means good bye load times) and you can see that Sims 3 in many ways is a visual delight.
But, Display is not the only front where there are changes. Presentation is just the tip of the iceberg here. EA has, also, made some very subtle changes deep down inside, which take the fun to a whole new level. The most noticeable elements are the ‘Mood Bonuses’, ‘Sims Traits’ and the ‘Aspirations Systems’.
Mood Bonuses are small bonuses and penalties awarded to your Sims that affect their mood for a certain time period. Falling in love gives you a high for two days; a good meal doesn’t make you hungry for a couple of hours; caffeinated drinks keep sleep at bay for another couple of hours; not having slept properly will make you uneasy and sleepy for a day and so on. What these mood bonuses help in adding to the game are that now there are ways to bypass the needs system – to override it. This adds a whole new layer of gameplay.
While creating your new Sims, you can select up to 6 traits. In case of a Sim born within the game, these traits are gradually nurtured. These traits, now, define the psychology of your Sims and how they interact with others and their environments. Your art loving Sims will gel better with a Sims who loves art than someone who is childish and can’t stand arts. Geddit?
These traits, also in turn, direct the Sims thought process – his dreams and aspirations. Now the aspirations system has also got a major overhaul. It is way much simpler to manage your Sims Aspirations – as they are now divided into long term and short term aspirations. Long term aspirations are like your Sims goal in life, while short term aspirations are things he wants to achieve in the near future. So to paint a picture is a short term aspiration, be a world famous painter a long term aspiration. Also, you can promise your Sim the fulfilment of some of his aspirations, which will further add to the mood bonuses.
The Needs system doesn’t add anything new to itself. Though, how the needs are determined in the gameplay mechanics has changed – it is more realistic now. But the major difference in the Sims 3 Needs system over previous games is the effect Mood Bonuses have on your needs. That is sweet.
Then is the major boost in the Relationships Model. Sims 3 is practically all about relationships of your Sims with everyone else. The neighbourhood being open to your seems now, there are so many new Sims to meet and so many activities to do that you will be overwhelmed managing your relationships (aren’t we always :P). Additionally, the Aspirations and the Mood Bonuses system are very tightly integrated with your relationship. So is your career. Flattering your partners and being in the good books of your boss will see you jump up the corporate ladder quickly (wasn’t Sims supposed to be a Sim? It’s so realistic now!)
Sims 3 also adds a lot of stuff from the previous games – you now carry cell phones, have a personal inventory, and don jewellery, amongst others. In addition, the game has a lot more content than before.
The Online Community is also very closely integrated within the game. You can share all the customised items with friends, purchase more official content or trade customised user designs. On The Exchange, you can also share movies you have recorded during your gameplay.
All in all Sims 3 is a fun ride. It adds some new dimensions to the series gameplay and takes it to the next level with the open neighbourhood. Yuo can spend hours and hours perfecting the lives of your sims and not get bored of it. However, You have to have the taste though. If you are more of an action game type of a person, who likes the adrenaline to kick in you would be disappointed. But if you can appreciate a well made game and have some hours at your disposal, you will definitely love Sims 3, even if you wont make it your favourite.
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Author: Kinshuk Sunil (72 Articles)
Kinshuk Sunil is the founder of the WiSy Blog. An active evangelist for Open Source and a enthusiast Game Designer, Kinshuk focuses on reviewing Softwares, Services and Games here. However, a jack of all trades, Kinshuk can be found talking about almost everything. Catch up with him on twitter @kinshuksunil.
