Monday I was able to go down to the Redwood EA offices to get my first hands-on demo of the new Sims 3 game. There was so much to see and so much to do in the game that it made my head spin - but in a good way. The jump from the first Sims game to Sims 2 was not as big or as jaw-dropping as the jump from Sims 2 to Sims 3. What I saw at EA made me even more excited for its June release date.
Any of you Sims players out there will remember that in Sims 2 you had very little control over the color and style of your clothes. In Sims 3 that all changes. You go from having no control to having an all-access pass. In Sims 3 everything about your clothing (even shoes!) is customizable, from the colors, fabrics, patterns and even each individual color within a pattern. If you create a pattern that you just love, you can also save the template and use it on your wallpaper, carpet and even your furniture. And speaking of furniture, now when decorating your house you can turn furniture at a diagonal! That is a Sims first and any Sims player will know it's a huge bonus.
Some careers now have different branches. This time around, you don't just choose the Law Enforcement career as a whole, you choose what field within Law Enforcement you want to get into.
Another biggie, even to people who have played a Sims game before and didn't enjoy it, is the motives -- such as peeing, eating, or hygiene -- are no longer such a huge aspect of the game. Sure, these things are still there, but they are fairly insignificant, and your Sims will do them on their own if needed.
As you roam around the Sims neighborhood you can find collectibles, or by completing goals or "wishes" you unlock in-game awards that allow you to completely turn off the motives or upgrade items to get things like the fire-resistant stove or a break-proof toilet.
Why did the makers of Sims 3 decide to steer away from the daily maintenance of bathroom breaks and snacks? "We have to move past peeing," says Associate Producer Grant Rodiek, who did an awesome job showing me around the new Sims 3 world.
One of the things that really made me gasp was the open-world environment of Sims 3. No more loading time in between leaving your house or going to a community lot. Now you just click on where you want to go and you can either take a cab, drive your car, walk or ride a bike there. In the Sims neighborhood, there is so much to do and see...most of which will give you "moodlets" that boost your Sims with bonus modifiers for a short while (just remember, working out at the gym is much more effective than working out at home, reading a book at the library is more effective than reading at home, etc.). Also, there are things to do like attending BBQs, getting pampered at the spa, seeing a concert or a show, or even go fishing; all of these things will have a temporary effect on your Sims' mood, which will also affect your work performance and social skills.
Sims 3 is also a lot more interactive. How, you may ask? Sims respond to "current" in-game activities. For example, if you were just reading a book, you now have an option to talk to another Sim about that book. Or if you just got a job promotion, that could be a new topic for discussion between your Sim and a friendly ear. Many of the general "Chat" or "Joke" type dialogue choices are much more specific now, too.
There is a new "drag and drop" element that will make any daily Sim chores go by a lot quicker as well. Remember when your Sims would occasionally leave a book on the floor or a newspaper outside on the lawn? Well now while your Sim is doing other things like working on a skill or chatting up another Sim, in-game you can simply click on the item and drag it to its desired location. So now you can drag and drop that newspaper in the trash can yourself rather than interrupting your Sim to do it. Some items can be picked up and put in your inventory to be used later, like packing a book for your Sim so that he/she can read it while out in the park.
After everything was said and done, I walked out of that demo even more excited than I was when I went in. Everything that was added or fixed from the last two Sims games was so impressive and really quite mind-blowing. If you are already a Sims fan, then this is a must-buy. Even if you have never played a Sims game, I would suggest giving it a try. Sims 3 is a great blend of a simulation game with a bit of RPG thrown in there -- perfect any type of gamer. Now all we need is a little bit of online connectivity support.
