Pros: More sims, different features
Cons: removed features, not enough direction
The bottom line: Good value,some good extras, but don't expect huge improvements on past versions.
For the Sims virgins out there (if there are any), this is a game that is a life simulator., in which you have to house, educate and generally take care of your cyber people (Sims).


Having patiently awaited the release of the new revolution in the Sims series, I couldn’t wait to get to grips with it on my PC.
I’ve been almost as eager to get this review written, but it’s been some time coming as the game needs testing out first.


Game on -

Ok, so day one was probably the most revealing day of game play. Leaving me with four initial thoughts…

A/ Different variation of the same thing (well it would be somewhat the same. it’s a Sims game!)
B/ Potentially some great new features (playing time will tell)
C/ Where have some of my favourite options gone?
D/ My six year old is going to struggle with this (not like the previous games and add-ons).

Hmm, day two…. Ok, so I’ve discovered the build mode (where you design and build your own houses) is definitely not there, as were my first impressions., but in place of it ,is a selection of pre-built houses.
Seeing as I so love building and designing the houses this proved to be a major flaw for me. I have also had great faith in the educational qualities of the Sims original game, so being minus one of the key features that can help children understand the basics of a home and human needs, adds more to my concept of a fatal flaw.

All of the additional tool bar features that are linked to the daily lives of your Sims, I found to be almost too much.
The addition of ever changing targets in the form of both desires and fears does give the game some direction, but I am still finding it just a niggle that I have to maintain and that doesn’t increase my game interest much.

There is some really cool stuff though, with the repertoire of furniture and objects varying from previous editions, and the need to acquire certain things before more become available (including enhancing your persons skills).

Day three…..The variety of neighbourhoods is a bonus, as I’ve always felt stifled by the limited areas of living (this was cured in making magic add-on).
The draw back with the neighbourhoods is that I found myself floundering when it came to interacting them. I’m still struggling with it .

What is starting to really impress me, is the evolution of my little characters, They actually grow and age!!!
A baby can turn into a child and so on. In order to achieve this growth successfully though, you need to be fulfilling those pesky targets and avoiding those fears!!
I found this to be one of the greatest improvements in the game.



Week two….Skipping forward to the point where I’ve had a good play with my new toy, and I found most of my first impressions stuck and few new ones came to mind.
Maxis, the producers of this game have certainly produced a Sims game with a difference, but I’m really struggling to evaluate it objectively.




Appearance and performance-

There are marked improvements in the general graphics from previous versions, both generally and in the details displayed. This certainly gives something to this latest creation.

The availability of the more neighbourhoods and more features is incorporated quite well, although anything other than a top spec machine can experience glitching and jerky spots, something I have experienced before when using add-ons or multi game set-ups (Sims 6- and incorporation of several Sims games at once).
I think this is just symptomatic of a larger game that requires more resources, especially in the graphics department.

Modes such as the fast forward (speeds up game play) are fine, but tend to be less smooth than on previous editions. This too is probably down to the larger game size. My game came on 4 discs!!


System requirements-

As I’ve mentioned, lower end machines may experience problems, so I’ll list the requirements specified by the game and the requirements I have found desirable for a really smooth game.

Needs-

If you have a T&L capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM (such as nvidia GeForce 2 or better or ATI Radeon 7000 or better) then you need at least:
600 MHz P3 processor
256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

If you have a non-T&L capable video card (such as TNT2 or Intel Integrated for example) then you need at least:
1.5 GHz processor
256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98, or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

Recommended video cards (and the more video memory the better):
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
Nvidia Geforce 4 or FX series cards

Wants-

Minimum, 1.8 GHz processor
512 MB SD Ram or 256 DDR
4 GB hard drive space (to allow for swap files too)
GeForce 4 and above.



Technical issues –

Whilst officially maxis are not claiming any technical problems, the disc actually includes a read me file with a selection of compatibility issues and possible running problems.
The main issues I have encountered is the general settings, even on a state of the art machine (64 bit , all seeing, all dancing) you need to adjust some of the preferences to lower settings else the game simply locks up and you lose that periods game play.
Information on this is available on the internet and small reference can be found in the read me file.



Cost and availability –

You can pick this game up from almost anywhere, your local supermarket, games shops, PC shops, Argos, Amazon.co.uk…the list is endless.
Expect to pay £29.99, although the RRP is £39.99 and that’s it’s original sale price, this newly released game has soon dropped in price via offers. Possibly an indication of it’s failure to be the new revolution in real life simulation!
Alternatively for those criminals amongst you, it’s been available for download via many sources since a month before its release! Of course I wouldn’t recommend illegally downloading it for free.



The low down –

For Sims fans and fanatics, maxis have come up with a varied and partly different version of the loveable Sims game.
Addictive as all the Sims games can be, it’s addictiveness is substantially lower than on previous versions.
I feel this can be partly attributed to it being one more in a line of altered games, and partly to the fact That it’s not all I was expecting.
Whilst I could previously find myself losing half a day in an instant whilst playing the former editions, here I find I rarely lose more than an hour or two, then I want a rest.

The game does seem to have more direction than before, but I’m not convinced it’s in the right direction. I’m not even sure what direction it is!!

After a good bash at it, you’ll probably feel as though you’ve enjoyed it, been amused by some of the new features, but also that it’s just more of the same and not the revolutionary game you were expecting.



My final word –

Sims fans, fanatics and experimenters, you need to get it. You know you will buy, borrow beg or steal it in the end!!
Try it, enjoy it and don’t feel too disappointed. After all, 30 quid barely buys you a night out, so no matter how much it failed to live it up to it’s promises, it is good value in entertainment.



A note for Maxis –

Don’t fix what isn’t broken !! Sims 3 needs to be something totally different or a hugely expanded version of your original game play!!