A+E Interactive (that's Arts and
Entertainment, not Accident and Emergency) has posted a new preview of The
Sims 3:
The creation process itself is easy to do. They’re are preset or
randomized templates for those who want to start the game quickly. For those
artistic types, they’ll have the opportunity to fidget with their Sims’
features and clothes, including their shoes. The process is detailed and
players can customize any article of clothing right down to the color scheme
or print.
Ghosts, Criminals, New Screenshots and More as Kotaku Previews
The Sims 3 - Twice!
Friday 27th February 2009 | 1:15 pm GMT/UTC
Kotaku
have posted two new previews of The Sims 3, one focusing on
ghosts:
Sims 3 Associate Producer Grant Rodiek is no exception.
One of his many pet-projects in the game is the "playable
ghosts" Opportunity. Opportunities in Sims 3 are like mini
quests – they appear every so often in one of the Sims'
sub-menus as optional tasks your Sim can complete to earn
special bonuses or rewards.
Their
other preview is more general, and covers how Sims can become
criminals, bugs in the game when they played it, and more:
Now, you can go to jail while working the criminal career
path. Now, you can steal things from your friends' and neighbors'
houses. Now is when The Sims 3 gets interesting; because
for the first time since a sim slapped on a striped t-shirt
and snuck off into the night, players might find themselves
facing real moral dilemmas instead of just random chance
events.
A
preview by PC Gamer magazine in the US has also been posted
on GamesRadar:
How do you go about improving a game that’s
become, at well over 100,000,000 copies sold, the
best-selling PC game franchise of all time? EA Black Box,
I’m guessing, began with another question: Why didn’t the
other six and a half billion people in the world buy it?
Find out why The Sims 3 will attract an extra 347 million
new fans by reading the article, which might actually be
quite old as the neighbourhood is referred to as Pleasant
Valley, when it's actually been called Sunset Valley for
quite a while now.
>
"The Sims 3 – hands-on" at GamesRadar
A Slice of Life:
The Sims 3
Thursday 26th February 2009 | 1:32 pm GMT/UTC
GameSpy have posted a new preview-type-article
about The Sims 3:
I've discovered the sledgehammer tool, which allows me to
"erase" bits and pieces of my house and its furnishings
to facilitate a grand redecoration. The little box I purchased
on a tiny lot in The Sims 3's suburban utopia is
about to experience something akin to terraforming.
Gameplanet have posted a new interview
with The Sims 3 Associate Producer Grant Rodiek:
GP: Our community will want to know what DRM
measures you’ve included – will there be limited activations?
Will an internet connection be compulsory?
Rodiek: We’re not talking about DRM specifically
at this time. I can say that we’ve listened to our community,
observed DRM from other games, and are working on making
The Sims 3 the best experience possible for players.
Massive The Sims 3 Fan Site Event Article published
Monday 16th February 2009 | 10:05 pm GMT/UTC
Brazilian fan site O Sim BR.net
has posted a massive article about The Sims 3 after attending
a recent event there:
Unfortunately you cannot modify anything in the neighborhood
as was possible in The Sims 2. You can't add decorations
or trees. Neither is possible to put where you want empty
lots, because all lots of the neighborhood have their fixed
places, which cannot be changed. There is a catalog of lots
ready, but they should be placed in empty lots already found
in the neighborhood.
Destructoid has posted a new preview
of The Sims 3:
Once they were stolen and brought
back home, Jenna was free to use the objects (or get rid
of them for some Simoleons). Another hilarious trait is
Loser. If your Sims have this trait, when they die, Death
will feel sorry for them -- so they’ll be reborn.
Kotaku have a feature about pregnancy
in video games, which includes some information about how it
works in The Sims 3:
"One of the challenges [of realism] was communicating to
the player that it was time for the Sim to go into labor,"
[Associate Producer MJ] Chun said. "A couple of ideas were
debated including having the Sim's water break but it was
high on the icky factor and too subtle visually to easily
observe in game."
It's Almost Valentine's Day! Here's Some Screenshots of
Sims Kissing
Friday 13th February 2009 | 11:47 pm GMT/UTC
EA
have released a couple of new The Sims 3 screenshots, both showing
two Sims kissing with a lighthouse in the background. Scroll
to the bottom of this page to view them:
> The Sims 3 Screenshots
New Poll: How do you feel about The Sims 3's delay?
Saturday 7th February 2009 | 6:15 pm GMT/UTC
So, The Sims 3 has been delayed.
How did the news make you feel? Vote now in the latest poll
which asks just that, to the right of every page, and if one
word just isn't enough, click "Vote with explanation" to say
a bit more.
Last month, I asked this: Do some of the Sims in The Sims
3 look a bit weird to you, or is that just me? Well, it seems
the majority of you think they do! See the full results, and
comment on them, here:
> Poll Results
The Sims 3:
New Screenshots
Thursday 5th February 2009 | 7:24 pm GMT/UTC Updated Saturday 7th February 2009 at
1:18 pm GMT/UTC
Update: Another
two screenshots have now been released showing the Create-a-Sim.
New The Sims
3 Trailer Released
Thursday 5th February 2009 | 1:25 pm GMT/UTC
EEA have released a new trailer
for The Sims 3. Check it out below:
The Sims 3 Official Delayed: Now Coming 2nd June
Tuesday 3rd February 2009 | 11:58 pm GMT/UTC
EA has official announced the
delay of The Sims 3 in a press release. A new worldwide ship
date of the 2nd June 2009 is given.
>
Press Release at TheSims3.com
In other, possibly less depressing The Sims 3 news, two new
screenshots have been made available.
> The Sims 3 Screenshots
EA "evaluating the launch
window" of The Sims 3
Monday 26th January 2009 | 12:45 pm GMT/UTC
EA have failed to shoot down rumours
that The Sims 3 has been delayed, according to CVG. They have
got word from EA that they are "evaluating the launch window"
for the game. The website expects a further announcement in
a week's time.
>
"EA "evaluating" Sims 3 launch" at CVG
The Sims 3: GameSpot Previews and Videos, another preview,
and a delay?
Saturday 24th January 2009 | 1:03 pm GMT/UTC
GameSpot has posted a new preview
of The Sims 3 from the Creator's Camp:
There are also color sliders for your characters' eyes and
hair color (and you can actually create matted hair colors
to make characters with tasteful, and not-so-tasteful, dye
jobs in which the hair roots don't match the ends). Oh,
and the game will also have a few offbeat skin colors, such
as blue (in case you wanted to re-create the eccentric Blue
Man Group performer troupe, or simply create a philandering
sim and see how many blue children you can father around
the neighborhood) and green.
GameSpot have also posted a video of the event:
But that's not all from GameSpot: they've also posted a hands-on
preview:
There are also traits that are apparently intended to help
players put more of a focus on telling a specific story
with their characters--for instance, the "Evil" trait will
give you less-savory dialogue choices, as well as less-honorable
things to do, like stealing candy from a baby, which we
actually did, ourselves, with our own evil character. And
in case you were wondering, yes, we enjoyed it.
And there's more! They've posted a video interview with associate
producer MJ Chun as well:
Away from GameSpot, GamingHeaven.net has posted a new preview
too:
Body weight and muscle definition are available for fine
tuning but just like before there are no options for height.
The age ranges vary with infant, toddler, child, teen, young
adult and then adult and elder. Every Sim still ages so
an infant will age and eventually grow old and die, just
like real life. For those who want to be able to fine tune
this, there are sliders to let you adjust the sims’ life
span with the current maximum being around 1,000 days.
In other The Sims 3 news, it's looking like The Sims 3 has
been delayed. GameSpot's previews and videos repeatedly say
it will be released later this year, rather than next month,
and EA UK's press site has changed it's release date back to
TBA. If it has, let's hope it'll be better because of it.
Six
new The Sims 3 screenshots have been released, including one
showing the Create-a-Sim, and two photos of people playing the
game, probably taken at the recent Creator's Camp.
> The Sims 3 Screenshots
Gaming
Angels preview The Sims 3
Wednesday 21st January 2009 | 6:05 pm GMT/UTC
Gaming Angels have posted a new
preview of The Sims 3:
No longer is your entire Sims life going to be driven around
whether or not they have enough time to eat and go to the
bathroom before their ride comes to take them to the office.
When nature calls - you don't even have to tell them to
go either. There's an opportunity, if you're really into
the whole Needs bar fulfillment, to continue to play the
game the way you always have.
Assistant Producer Feisal Maroof
has added a new blog post on TheSims3.com where he discusses
Buy Mode and Build Mode.
You’ll be able to place Objects like the Foosball Table
at a 45° angle. You can also have fun with 360° object placement
by holding down the “ALT” key while you rotate it. We had
a strong debate about making free rotation & placement default,
but decided that it was too advanced. This shortcut will
give you the same effect.
IGN gets hands-on with The Sims 3 and interviews Ben Bell
Saturday 17th January 2009 | 1:21 pm GMT/UTC
IGN
have got their first hands-on time with The Sims 3:
I was about 10 minutes into playing The Sims 3 when I realized
something quite astonishing: my sims hadn't gone to the
bathroom yet. And despite still having virtual bladders,
they didn't need to constantly heed the call of nature.
Now if you played The Sims and The Sims 2, you will remember
that you had to handhold your sims' lives; this includes
each and every bathroom break, which seemingly occur every
minute or two in game time. That's a lot of flushing.
NoNot only that though, they've also released a video interview
with Executive Producer Ben Bell:
The board responsible for rating
games in North America, the ESRB has given The Sims 3 a Teen
rating, and released a "rating summary":
These avatars often interact socially, which can sometimes
lead to mild flirtation or more intimate encounters. Players
can choose to "try for a baby" or "WooHoo" with another
Sim – the later option being available to both heterosexual
and same-sex couples. These two actions cause the selected
avatars to jump into bed and go under the covers, where
they wriggle, giggle, and moan until confetti bursts over
the bed.
In other The Sims 3 news, GamePro have posted a new preview
of the game from the CES show in Las Vegas:
The final aspect of game play that completely solidified
my purchase of this game was that they upgraded the A.I.
of the characters. The point of the game is no longer to
feed them and bathe them, but rather make them happy. If
left alone your Sim is going to take care of itself completely,
your main focus is to complete tasks to make your Sim feel
fulfilled emotionally.
EA have invited some custom content
creators to a week long event called "The Sims 3 Creator's Camp",
where they get to play the game, watch demos and help populate
the new TheSims3.com Exchange. TheSidDog is one of those creators,
and he's posted a blog with some new facts about the game:
The Sims 3 Overview:
You don’t need to use all five character trait slots.
One of the lifetime wishes was “Gold Digger.”
You can buy houses furnished or unfurnished.
You can set lifespans to range from 25–1,000 days.
At long last, I've been able to
close the voting for "How do you read my news?". The results
were a little disappointing - view and discuss them by clicking
below:
> Poll Results
As a poll has ended, it must be time for a new one then -
and would you look at that, it is! This time, I want to know
whether I'm the only one who thinks some of the Sims in The
Sims 3 look a bit weird. Vote now on the right of every page.
Seriously - do it now.
How The Sims 2 can guide New Year's Resolutions
Friday 2nd January 2009 | 12:35 pm GMT/UTC
Kelly Saxton Lindner at examiner.com
has written a piece about how The Sims 2 helped her learn some
good life lessons, and select New Year's Resolutions:
I first started playing the Sims in January 2007 when
I was unemployed (I had just graduated from grad school
with a Master’s yet it took 3 months to find a job). I was
also loveless and had been for years. But after playing
the Sims for a month I had accomplished all of my New Year's'
resolutions including finding a job and the man of my dreams
(who is, coincidentally, now my husband).
Wednesday 31st December 2008 | 11:26 pm GMT/UTC Updated Thursday 1st January 2009 at 4:33
pm GMT/UTC
It's less than an hour until 2009,
so I might as well take this opportunity first of all to wish
you all a happy new year!
Right, onto business - I've completely overhauled The Sims
2 Expansion Packs section, with every pack having a page with
tabs for information and screenshots, plus videos and reviews,
so you can now watch videos without having to leave this website,
and see what the critics had to see about it. The reviews tab
also allows you to review each pack. I've also added a videos
page to The Sims 3 section, so you can enjoy all the trailers,
game tours and what not in one place.
> The Sims 2 Expansion Packs
> The Sims 3 Videos
Update: The
About The Sims 3 and The Sims 2 Apartment Pages now also have
a Previews tab, which provides links to all the previews and
features I've found on the web, so you no longer have to trawl
through the news or search for yourself.
> The Sims 3 Previews & Features
> The Sims 2 Apartment
Life Previews & Features