Topic: The Sims 3 (3DS)

Could anyone give me their opinions on the original The Sims 3 games on PC/Wii, in hope of reflecting how good it might be on the 3DS? I'm limiting myself to buying 3 launch games for the 3DS on launch day, so I'm considering The Sims 3, and I really don't want to choose a game I'll regret. So if I could get some views on The Sims 3 on other platforms, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

The Sims 3 on the PC is excellent. A real surprise. Great fun, lots of character and house customisation and it all lasts a really long time. There's tons of stuff to do with careers, hobbies, opportunities, relationships, real estate, collecting, house building and furnishing, child raising, travel, puzzle-solving, mischief-making... it pretty much never ends and it's entertaining almost the whole time.

I know it sounds kind of girly but it's not really. The Desperate Housewives veneer is firmly tongue in cheek - though you actually could play the game that way if you wanted to! There are quest-like things to do and finally there are objectives in the game in the form of wishes which you can promise and fulfill (whereas the previous games just let you do whatever without having any satisfying goals). The expansion packs also add a lot to the game as well, but I don't know if the console/handheld versions have those.

Basically the premise of The Sims 3 is that you create your own household (whether they are a family, a couple, roommates, strangers or even a lone Sim), building/choosing a house for them and then observing and intervening in their day-to-day life. You choose personality traits, their career, their appearance and then guide them through each day.

It's partly about becoming successful (or not) in your Sim's chosen field. You can be as creative with them as you want. For example, you could have a husband and wife who are the head of police and a criminal mastermind, or a rockstar with his groupies, or a doctor who's always on call and never spends time with his kids, or a teenager working to become an politician in between part-time jobs, or a struggling writer who can only afford microwave meals, or a CEO who goes through a mid-life crisis and decides to quit his job and get a holiday home in France and fish all day long. Some people play the game as if they are watching a story play out. If any of that sounds like fun then this game would appeal to you.

The Sims 3 trumps the original Sims in pretty much every way (though I never played The Sims 2 so I can't compare that). The first one got boring after a week or two of seeing their daily lives then letting them drown in the pool or burn in the kitchen (lol). The Sims 3 puts a lot of fun in the playing of the game itself, not just in the house building and such. It's the sort of game that would appeal to both gamers and non-gamers. My mum and brother love the game too and they've made several households.

I have no idea if the console/handheld versions are anything like the PC version though. Knowing EA they may not be, so you should find out about that yourself.

For PC review: http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/990/990438p1.html
For DS review: http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/113/1132593p1.html
For Xbox review: http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/objects/061/061011.html
For Iphone review: http://uk.wireless.ign.com/articles/989/989265p1.html

The PC version is brilliant (or it will be, once EA sorts out some more of those bugs). After playing The Sims 2 for PS2 I decided to stay away from the franchise on anything but the computer; it just wasn't that fun. The main thing I liked was having 2-player. I have no idea what The Sims 3 is like on consoles/handhelds, but it might be okay. I think it's widely accepted that The Sims is at its best on the computer, though.

Thanks, guys. Maybe I'll drop it for the launch day, and wait until a review comes out to see if it's worth buying.

I took a chance and preordered it. I hope this was a good idea.

I've been wanting to get it but I'm waiting for a review. I love the pc version but a handheld version may not be what I want.
Though I definitely am curious since they're finally making it like a real sims game instead of forcing a strange storyline into it.

I've played The Sims 2 for the DS and really once you finish the storyline portion of the game there isn't anything else to do... and it's frustrating since there are things you see in the game that suggest that there should be more content but there really isn't.

What I find interesting is Sims 3 for the DS has an E rating and the one for the 3DS has a T rating.

Probably because in the 3DS version you'll be able to "do whoopie" with other Sims and have children.

The review for the DS version did say that what was missing was the "whoopie" part, as well as you were no longer able to kill your sims, and that you couldn't have a household of more than two.

I'm don't care much if they take out the ability to kill the sims through hunger or whatever. Doing things with the purpose of trying to do that really isn't why I play the game. Though I would like it if the household could have more than two people.