3D X Gamer

Sims3
The kids like it. No problems encountered, just follow instructions for installation. It does take awhile, this game has large files. Amazon had a great price on it.

Sims 3 is pretty neat
This game is pretty neat. I like the fact that you can choose personality traits for your Sims and that while one Sim is at work or school you can determine how hard(or not) they work. I don't really like that they cannot go on dates but you can ask someone to leave their current partner. Also the camera view takes some getting used to. Overall, I am having a blast discovering new stuff in this game.

Sims
The delivery of the game was fast and even during the Christmas rush, i got it when i needed. the condition was new and it worked out great as a gift.

How Do I Save Game?
My saved games constantly disappeared. They not only vanished from the game's launcher view, but from the actual Sims folder. I didn't remove ANY of these files manually. Nor does my computer appear to have any new viruses. Yet this weird data loss thing happened at least twice a week. If I didn't remember to back up EVERYTHING, and after each game, all progress got lost. Today, my games disappeared again, as well as all my saved sims, and even the custom content from EA's website. Plus, the game itself won't start. Apparently, the last 'update' messed up some file.

This just isn't worth it, especially since 80% of the game is people disappearing inside buildings, eating, and sleeping.

Has Nothing For Seasoned Sims Players
I really don't think there is all that much more I can add to the critical reviews that are already here.

Yes, there are some new interactions and career aspects but for me they did not add all that much to what was pretty classic Sims gameplay. It was cool to experience something new with a Sims game but it turned cold when I realized just how many aspects were missing. Klepto Sims can do some funny things, Insane Sims have some funny social options. These are cool, but unfortunately the novelty is extremely brief. Like other players, I kept playing with hopes that something interesting would happen to make my expenditure of time worth it. It just never did for me.

I personally found the career tracks way too EASY. Whereas the Sims 2 career goals were sometimes next to impossible to achieve without cheating, it's like they did a complete 360 and made these careers way too easy. The promotion system is different but it's not hard to get the hang of. Between the ease of accruing lifetime points and the special abilities that can be purchased for cheap, I found it to be extremely easy to reach the top of careers. So easy, in fact, that it was more than a little bit boring (in brief, there are just a lot of things about this game that are just that - BORING).

I have a lot of the same beefs with how the Sims appear (they look great in the initial creation, horrible in the actual game and I've got jacked up graphics on my system) but I won't repeat what other reviewers have shared very accurately. I just had to agree in terms of how soulless these new Sims are. I could not believe the lack of facial expression on these Sims. In the Sims 2 there were truly vibrant smiles, hilarious looks of confusion, sweet expressions of affection, and so many other endearing emotions. These Sims 3 versions are just lacking those expressions and it makes it all very cold.

As a seasoned Sims player I was just left feeling this game was not created with me in mind, or they simply hired designers who paid no attention to why seasoned Sims players really love this series. I think the Sims 3 might work rather well for a brand new player who has never played a Sims game before but it's just not rewarding for an old school Sims player. At least, for me it wasn't.

Not to mention I too think EA are jumping on that micro-transaction bandwagon to nickel and dime everyone and I can't think of one reason why it's fair or acceptable. EA gives us buggy, unpolished PC games that crap up our systems and then they charge us insane prices to buy them. We're the guinea pigs for performance issues, we get their crummy patches that may or may not help, they punish honest players with SecuRom while pirates ALWAYS find ways around that stuff, and now they're asking us to front all this money for unremarkable content? No, that's a sleight of hand trick for newbies to the Sim world and it's a real spit in the face to those of us who have fronted our money for the same content in the past. I could go on forever, suffice it to say EA doesn't have to listen to any of this sort of criticism but it doesn't make it any less true. Their greed is showing, case closed.

I also have to note I am a player who really loves building things in Sims games. I HATE (I'm using the word HATE here) the building interface on the Sims 3. The new floor grid system is annoying, hard to see, and for me it made placing foundations/objects more arduous than it should be. The selection menu for all the different building components seems to have been designed for toddlers, and while the customization for building materials really does offer a lot of choices, the lag is unforgivable (again, I have an extremely fast system). I find building in the Sims 2 to be relaxing and engrossing. I found building in the Sims 3 so annoying and aggravating that I have barely done any at all. It just ruined the fun 'wannabe architect' aspect of it for me, and in a very big way.

I've personally played The Sims 3 on and off since I received it as a gift for Christmas, and I am finished with it. No interest in any custom content, even if it's free. I've pretty much run through the entire spectrum of 'new aspects' to this version and there is just nothing calling me back to it. I don't care to check out the expansion either. There is just nothing appealing enough in this base game to tempt me back.

The Sims 2 on the other hand! It has still got it and I bet it will keep me entertained until EA gets their brains (if not their marketing morals) together and releases a decent Sims 4!