Alright boyz, here we go!!! 'The Sims 3' First Impressions!

[JetsIn06]

Comes out today. I'm not super into the games, but love playing them once in a while. My girlfriend on the other hand, is obsessed. I'm waiting patiently until 10AM to head to EBGames (Which is tough, since I just worked all freakin' night and want to go to bed!) to pick it up for her, but since she's got work all day I'm gonna mess around with it.

I'm a bit concerned about one thing. Supposedly, they're now doing the always fun micro-transaction shit for new items. I'm very, very worried that EA has taken out things I've grown to love (the drum set) and made them purchase-only. I would be fucking livid, but I'm hoping for the best. This is also the first game not developed by Maxis. This one, I believe, was done by EA Redwood.

Anyway, anyone else picking this up?

[JetsIn06]

Installing it now while the girl is at work.

[Cringer]

Going to go pick it up for the wife while I am out doing things right now.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by JetsIn06

I'm a bit concerned about one thing. Supposedly, they're now doing the always fun micro-transaction shit for new items. I'm very, very worried that EA has taken out things I've grown to love (the drum set) and made them purchase-only. I would be fucking livid, but I'm hoping for the best. This is also the first game not developed by Maxis. This one, I believe, was done by EA Redwood.

This is the part that terrifies me. Both the microtransactions and the fact that Maxis didn't have their fingers in this one.

Though once the modding community kicks in, and a shit-ton of free stuff goes available, I'll be less worried.

[Emiliano]

Can't wait for it, but it doesn't come out until Friday here. I hope my local Gamestop will have it...

[RendeR]

I just don't get the attraction. I thought the original was fun for maybe a week and then I realized I was doing boring tedious repetition to earn play money to buy the same things over and over and over again.

Whats the point?

[Draft Dodger]

pre-ordered mine from GoGamer because it was $39...but they are out of stock.

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by RendeR

I just don't get the attraction. I thought the original was fun for maybe a week and then I realized I was doing boring tedious repetition to earn play money to buy the same things over and over and over again.

Whats the point?

that's exactly how i feel about my life

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

that's exactly how i feel about my life

Exactly, why would I want to waste my precious free time doing ona computer with a made up character exactly what I do EVERY DAY?!?!?!

it just seems so awful.

[Neon_Chaos]

I've pre-ordered the Collector's Edition, but I'm not getting it until the weekend.

[PackerFanatic]

Ordered it this morning for my wife and she is downloading it as we speak. She is crazy excited, and I might check it out. I thought the first two were pretty cool, and apparently they are doing some really cool stuff with the new one.

[Neon_Chaos]

I'm interested in how they're going to apply the seamless neighborhood concept.

[Coffee Warlord]

Ran into best buy and picked it up. We'll see tonight.

[Bonegavel]

I'm definitely getting this.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by RendeR

I just don't get the attraction. I thought the original was fun for maybe a week and then I realized I was doing boring tedious repetition to earn play money to buy the same things over and over and over again.

Whats the point?

That was exactly my reaction. But (stereotype alert), like the Olympics appeals to chicks who don't like sports, The Sims seems to appeal to chicks who don't like computer games.

[CamEdwards]

Originally Posted by RendeR

Exactly, why would I want to waste my precious free time doing ona computer with a made up character exactly what I do EVERY DAY?!?!?!

it just seems so awful.

+1

[Capital]

FWIW - Gamespot gave this game a 90.

[Bad-example]

It was the house building aspect of the first game that I found interesting. The actual Sims just seemed like playing with Barbies. I never bought Sims 2 nor will I buy this one, mainly because I hate the way they bleed their customers dry with the expansion content.

[sabotai]

Preordered it and it arrived a few minutes ago. I had the original before all of the expansions came out, played it a few days and never touched it again. I skipped the last one. So why did I preorder it? It was a bit of a whim late one night after seeing several videos for it....sometimes I wish I didn't have my credit card information memorized.

Anyway, i am anxious to see how far the series has come over the last decade. It's a concept I do like (much like Spore, Black and White, etc... I like the concepts...not so much the execution). And if these microtransactions replace the constant stream of expansions (which I somehow doubt), that would only be a good thing. That way I can just pick and choose what I want and not pay $30 for the $10 worth of stuff that I want. (I don't mind paying for expansions that add gameplay, but some of the expansions for 1 and 2 looked like just a bunch of added stuff and no gameplay changes)

[sabotai]

dola,

I also wonder if it'll be easy to make machinima with this version. Still a bit bitter about how The Movies was abandoned and limited in mod abilities.

[DataKing]

I will be picking this up on my way home from work tonight.

I've enjoyed the Sims games in the past, but it's always difficult for me to explain it when people as why I enjoy them. I guess what it boils down to for me is the game is a way for me to satisfy some sort of God-complex somewhere in my psyche. I enjoy the fact that I can create these fake people and put them in different circumstances, and see what happens to them.

I've read some reviews and a number of rants on a Sims-specific board I occasionally read, and from what I've been able to gather, Sims3 will have one big upside compared to Sims2, and one big downside:

Upside: Sims3 is supposed to be much richer in the personalities department. Sims traits, wants, desires, aspirations etc were quite limited in Sims2, but Sims3 is supposed to be much deeper in this regard, especially with regards to how the different personalities interact with one another. I look forward to placing an evil, cowardly, insane kleptomaniac with commitment issues in the same household as a friendly, nice, excitable, family-oriented sim and watching the ensuing carnage. (Note: those traits are all on the list of available sim traits in the game...each sim can have up to five).

Downside: One of the best things about Sims2 is the modding community. If you look in the right places, you can find gobs and gobs of user-created content to include in your game. You name it: cars, physical attributes, housing items, interactions...there is tons of material out there. But some of what I've read about Sims3 leads me to believe that modding capabilities are going to be extremely limited, which may lead to either a very stale game very soon, or EA trying to nickle-and-dime people to death with purchased add-on content.

I don't even have it in my grubby little hands just yet, but I'll be taking it for a whirl tonight after the hockey game...I'll try to post some real first impressions in the next day or two.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by DataKing

Downside: One of the best things about Sims2 is the modding community. If you look in the right places, you can find gobs and gobs of user-created content to include in your game. You name it: cars, physical attributes, housing items, interactions...there is tons of material out there. But some of what I've read about Sims3 leads me to believe that modding capabilities are going to be extremely limited, which may lead to either a very stale game very soon, or EA trying to nickle-and-dime people to death with purchased add-on content.

They're gonna try, but one thing I've learned from last time I mucked around with the Sims 2, the modding community is insane. They'll have 3 hacked and wipe open for content within 2 weeks, I'm betting.

Hell, they already have the censor blur hacked out.

[DataKing]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Hell, they already have the censor blur hacked out.

You knew that would be the first thing to go.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by DataKing

You knew that would be the first thing to go.

Duh!

[Icy]

Originally Posted by RendeR

Exactly, why would I want to waste my precious free time doing ona computer with a made up character exactly what I do EVERY DAY?!?!?!

it just seems so awful.

I guess the key to enjoy this game is to make up a character that doesn't do what you do every day

I played a lot the first one, skipped the second and i'm not sure about this one. I'm curious about the relationships and the alternative reality you can live there, of course only if well done.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by RendeR

Exactly, why would I want to waste my precious free time doing ona computer with a made up character exactly what I do EVERY DAY?!?!?!

it just seems so awful.

Can you build 4 walls around your neighbor and leave him there until he dies? Then, have him come and haunt you?

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Can you build 4 walls around your neighbor and leave him there until he dies? Then, have him come and haunt you?

Only if there's a cask of amontillado involved.

[Cringer]

So after I bought this for the wife this morning I went ahead and installed it on my laptop just to check it out. Before I did I went to "Can I Run It" and I passed with flying colors. I get into the game and it is SLOOOOOOW, even in the create a sim mode. She wakes up, I check it on her laptop real quick and hers fails. I didn't say anything.

She has it loaded up and it is playing perfectly fine. Not a huge surprise but I was a bit worried. Not a surprise because SimCity Societies ran better on her laptop then mine, I figured this would as well. Just odd how Can I Run It failed her laptop big time and passed mine.

[Pumpy Tudors]

pics of wife playing sims 3 naked

i mean pics of wife playing sims 3

sorry

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

pics of wife playing sims 3 naked

i mean pics of wife playing sims 3

sorry

She is seven months pregnant right now Pumpy. I mean, I kind of find pregnant women hot, but I know a lot of guys don't so I am just throwing that out there for you.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Cringer

She is seven months pregnant right now Pumpy. I mean, I kind of find pregnant women hot, but I know a lot of guys don't so I am just throwing that out there for you.

excellent point.

just the boobs, then?

[Draft Dodger]

oops, used the wrong login there

[Wolfpack]

I don't know if I'd be interested in this or not. In some respects, I'm not as interested in being a person in the Sims and dealing with the semi-tedious clickfest that occurs when you want them to process a series of actions (or even getting to a spot in a room as was occasionally a problem in the original Sims). I'd almost rather run things like an ant farm of sorts, if that makes sense. I'd rather not be the people in their daily lives, but instead throw a "seed" community together and let the people and society evolve on its own with some benign interference from me from time to time (i.e. building houses or buying things or meddle in certain social situations to spin things in different directions). The Sims should be capable enough to handle their basic needs on a daily basis. It's cute the first few times to watch them dance and so forth trying to use the bathroom or need sleep, but it's dull to have to tell them to do it.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Cringer

She is seven months pregnant right now Pumpy. I mean, I kind of find pregnant women hot, but I know a lot of guys don't so I am just throwing that out there for you.

No problem for me. Sign me up for some of that.

[JetsIn06]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

I don't know if I'd be interested in this or not. In some respects, I'm not as interested in being a person in the Sims and dealing with the semi-tedious clickfest that occurs when you want them to process a series of actions (or even getting to a spot in a room as was occasionally a problem in the original Sims). I'd almost rather run things like an ant farm of sorts, if that makes sense. I'd rather not be the people in their daily lives, but instead throw a "seed" community together and let the people and society evolve on its own with some benign interference from me from time to time (i.e. building houses or buying things or meddle in certain social situations to spin things in different directions). The Sims should be capable enough to handle their basic needs on a daily basis. It's cute the first few times to watch them dance and so forth trying to use the bathroom or need sleep, but it's dull to have to tell them to do it.

I'm pretty much in agreement with you here. I don't find it as tedious as others...it still feels like a "game" to me, and I have fun. But I love throwing a bunch of people in a house, turning the free will to it's highest setting and just watching what happens.

One thing that's great about the new version, and really it's biggest new feature, is the "living world." Before, you would have your house, and if you wanted to play a different one, you would advance, but the old household would stay static. You could go through three generations, and go back to the original and have them be the same age as they were when you left, which totally defeats the "neighborhood" aspect of the game.

Now, when you leave a household to try a new one, the old one will get promoted, have kids, age, and so on. You can turn it off, however.

One thing I did was create three completely wackos and stuck 'em in a house together. I went back to playing my original household, and now in a week or so I'll check back in on them to see what's happened.

[JetsIn06]

Also, Wolfpack, just to make a point clearer, the "free will" setting in this game is much, much better. You can now choose low, medium or high. On high, the Sims will pretty much take complete care of themselves. I keep it on medium, but it would be very easy to do what you wanted to on the high setting.

Another point I wanted to make about this game, in comparison to Spore, is that it's incredibly deep through every phase of the game. I only played Spore once, but after reading about it on here and hearing from friends, it seemed that the beginning of the game was very shallow, it moved to fast...I also heard that the only real "meat" of the game was in the space-portion.

I have to say, the Sims 3 does such a great job keeping things fun and exciting whether you are just starting out and poor, or completely rich, whether you are young or old, etc. There's so much to do at every stage.

Bah...one more point. In the Sims 2, to advance in your career, no matter what it was, you needed to have friends. Now, it's MUCH less tedious. In TS2 I remember having to just call random people all the damn time to keep them close. You still have friends, but no longer need them to advance in your career.

Plus, with traits like "Loner", you're better off NOT being close to people.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by JetsIn06

Another point I wanted to make about this game, in comparison to Spore, is that it's incredibly deep through every phase of the game. I only played Spore once, but after reading about it on here and hearing from friends, it seemed that the beginning of the game was very shallow, it moved to fast...I also heard that the only real "meat" of the game was in the space-portion.

You had to go and bring up Spore again. Single biggest dissapointing video game ever.

[PackerFanatic]

My wife is really digging all the new stuff so far. I played about 15 minutes of it and really liked the new features, but didn't dig around much yet. They seem to be outdoing themselves with every new installment though.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

You had to go and bring up Spore again. Single biggest dissapointing video game ever.

Non Molyneux division?

[Qwikshot]

So far, I like the game. The graphics are nice. I do like that everything is integrated. My character jogged to the pool instead of taking a taxi. There are options galore. I haven't gotten fully into the depths of the game, but I like what I see so far.

[MizzouRah]

My daughter and her two friends have been up until about 3 am the past two nights.

[Coffee Warlord]

Something Awful with their always amusing "review" of Sims 3.

hxxp://www.somethingawful.com/d/feature-articles/sims-3-life.php

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Qwikshot

So far, I like the game. The graphics are nice. I do like that everything is integrated. My character jogged to the pool instead of taking a taxi. There are options galore. I haven't gotten fully into the depths of the game, but I like what I see so far.

Me too, although I fail to see where the routine, boring functions (cleaning, pooing) have been de-emphasized. I still need to spend time doing those.

[DataKing]

Overall I'd have to say I'm pretty pleased so far. Despite the amount of poo-pooing on The Sims 3 I've seen on some other boards, I think it's a pretty solid product. I won't list all of the changes/improvements over The Sims 2 here, but here are a few of the ones I find the most important:

1. As was mentioned earlier by JetsIn06, each town is now a living world. You can set it so the entire town progresses along with your sim(s). So now the other sims grow older, get promotions, get married, have kids, etc right along with the sim(s) you're concentrating on. A very nice addition, but also nice that you can turn it off.
2. Along the same lines, you can now determine the approximate lifespan of your sims. In The Sims 2, unless you turned off aging completely or took other "precautions," a sim would grow up, grow old, and croak all within 60 game-days or so...way too short IMO. Now you can determine the lifespan of all sims, and set it as high as 970 game-days.
3. Graphically the game can be downright stunning. I've read some other with lower-end machines have had problems with the game, but my box is pretty high-end (2.6 quad-core, 4gb RAM @ 800 mhz, RAID-1 array, 8800 GTX graphics card) and I have to say, the game is pretty. That being said, the skin tones provided seem pretty flat and lifeless...I'm hoping the modding community finds a way to import custom skin-tones soon.

Overall I'm pleased, but as of right now it's all still shiny. We'll see how much appeal it retains once the shine has worn off. And as with The Sims 2, I suspect the mod community will be vital to keeping the appeal of the game long-term.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by Capital

FWIW - Gamespot gave this game a 90.

EA must not have bought enough ads to get a 95.

[Cringer]

Anyone have the crash problem? My wife has been having the game crash, she looked it up and I guess there are a decent amount of people having the same problem. I can't remember what she said they think it is, but no one has been able to fix it. She isn't happy.

[Tasan]

Well I've had fun with it. Taking a cue from the PC Gamer review, I created a very distinct looking lady killer of a guy and knocked up about 12 of the ladies in the neighborhood, finally settling down with one of them. I've got about 14 little bastards running around the hood with this guy's god awful nose and chin. To top it all off, the chick he settled down with had 3 more kids, and they all got taken away the other day when I failed to notice the oldest getting depressed. That was kind of a gut punch, because I was kinda enjoying finally expanding the house and settling down. I had even just gotten a job for the guy.

So now he's gonna go back to his knock 'em up days and see how many more he can get before he croaks. I'm horrible.

[SFL Cat]

Do guys actually admit to playing this?

[sabotai]

With my first guy, I knocked up one of the chicks, and the morning after, I did every mean thing I could until we were enemies. Then the bitch wouldn't let me see my kid so I beat her up.

[SFL Cat]

Originally Posted by Tasan

Well I've had fun with it. Taking a cue from the PC Gamer review, I created a very distinct looking lady killer of a guy and knocked up about 12 of the ladies in the neighborhood, finally settling down with one of them. I've got about 14 little bastards running around the hood with this guy's god awful nose and chin. To top it all off, the chick he settled down with had 3 more kids, and they all got taken away the other day when I failed to notice the oldest getting depressed. That was kind of a gut punch, because I was kinda enjoying finally expanding the house and settling down. I had even just gotten a job for the guy.

So now he's gonna go back to his knock 'em up days and see how many more he can get before he croaks. I'm horrible.

Ummm, so you actually get to see your horny little sim going to town or is it implied? What's this thing rated again?