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IGN Review of The Sims 3
It's been five years since the last Sims title for the Nintendo DS was released, and the title offered more linear gameplay style than its PC counterpart. It was good but not quite the true god-simulator experience people have grown to love and expect from a Sims game. That's changed with The Sims 3 for the DS, as it stays true to the life-simulator formula and also includes Karma powers, a potent way to help or harm your Sims.
Because DS version is rated "E" for Everyone (console and PC versions are "T" for Teen), you can't kill Sims. You can torture them if you want, but starvation or fatigue lands them in the hospital instead of the morgue. You also can't "Woo-Hoo," partially because of the rating and because your household can only be a maximum of two people, so there's no room to reproduce. If you can look past those omissions, you'll find the game is largely the same.
You'll create a Sim (you can only create a household of one) or choose a pre-made family (can be up to two Sims) to start out with and then dictate their lives. The creation tool offers an in-depth way to customize your Sims -- pick their physical appearance, different outfits, voice, favorite things, traits and lifetime wish. Depending on your Sim's characteristics, these goals can range from learning every recipe in the game to becoming the top dog in the criminal career path. Once you have your household of Sims, you'll manage their daily lives making sure their needs of hunger, hygiene, social interaction, fun, bladder and energy are all met.
Redesigned to utilize the dual screens of the DS, the majority of your Sim's information (like their Lifetime Wish, Job, Traits, etc.) is sequestered on the top screen. You can tab through the info up there by using the left and right shoulder buttons, and all this frees up the bottom screen for the action. The controls work well and you can move your Sim through everyday life by tapping locations and objects on the screen. The camera is also handled nicely here – you can follow Sims by zooming in, out and around using the face buttons while the D-pad moves the camera around the map. Together, it all works well and the optional tutorial does a fine job of taking you through the motions.
However digging into the menus can get a little confusing, especially if you put the game down for a while and then pick it back up. There are obvious symbols for using your phone or traveling into town, but trying to open up the screen where you can buy furniture can be a hassle.
While guiding Sims along their lives, their desires will pop up on screen for you to accept or decline. It ranges from small things like buying a book on Logic to mastering a specific skill, and every time you complete a Wish, you'll be rewarded with some Lifetime Happiness points (the amount varies depending on how big the task is). Lifetime Happiness points are important for Karma powers and can also be used to purchase perks like getting complimentary entertainment or being a professional slacker at your job. The rewards are amusing and useful, so they're a great incentive for fulfilling your Sim's Wishes.
Opportunities also play a bigger role in the DS version – they pop up randomly and come in a wide range -- from something simple like cooking hot dogs to going undercover and questioning another Sim. Opportunities have a time limit and reward you with money and/or skill or career boosts, so you'll need to pick and choose carefully so your Sim isn't constantly failing them.
The customization that you'd expect from a Sims game is available but understandably not as robust as the PC or console versions. There's no landscaping, but you can still re-paint your walls, re-tile the floors, and knock down or build walls however you choose. There's a variety of objects for you to buy and make your Sims life richer. The clothing is also more limited (you can't change patterns or colors) but there's still a good selection of pre-rendered threads to choose from, but you can't mix together an outfit that might offend the Fashion Police, like knee-high boots and baggy pants.
Karma powers are included on the DS, but are a bit different than the ones included on consoles. There's a mixture of practical powers like The Muse (increases cooking and painting skills) and playful powers like Winter Wonderland, which changes the season. There are nine total powers, with six good and three bad. Unfortunately, it might take you a while to be able to actually use any of them.
The biggest alteration to Karma powers for the DS is the way they're unlocked. Gathering enough Lifetime Happiness points (which you get by completing Wishes) automatically uncovers a new Karma power, but then you have to search for a mystery object located in an undisclosed location in order to activate it. This process is a bit annoying, especially because there are "hints" that actually don't help you at all and can even lead you astray. It's disappointing that Karma powers are so well-implemented on the console version but the handheld makes them feel like more trouble than they're worth. Still, it's really a bonus more than a full-fledged feature, so you can ignore it entirely or look at it like a treasure hunt.
Though the handheld offers less customization, it makes up for that with an interesting town. There's a graveyard with a haunted house, a lighthouse, a dance club and of course the typical amenities like a gym, library, stadium and movie theater. What's really great is the variety of houses you can move your family into. The town seems fairly populated considering each household can only accommodate two Sims, so it's fun to wander about and meet new folks. It is only one city though, so if you plan on playing multiple games it can get boring once you've already met everyone.
©2010-11-05, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Because DS version is rated "E" for Everyone (console and PC versions are "T" for Teen), you can't kill Sims. You can torture them if you want, but starvation or fatigue lands them in the hospital instead of the morgue. You also can't "Woo-Hoo," partially because of the rating and because your household can only be a maximum of two people, so there's no room to reproduce. If you can look past those omissions, you'll find the game is largely the same.
You'll create a Sim (you can only create a household of one) or choose a pre-made family (can be up to two Sims) to start out with and then dictate their lives. The creation tool offers an in-depth way to customize your Sims -- pick their physical appearance, different outfits, voice, favorite things, traits and lifetime wish. Depending on your Sim's characteristics, these goals can range from learning every recipe in the game to becoming the top dog in the criminal career path. Once you have your household of Sims, you'll manage their daily lives making sure their needs of hunger, hygiene, social interaction, fun, bladder and energy are all met.
Redesigned to utilize the dual screens of the DS, the majority of your Sim's information (like their Lifetime Wish, Job, Traits, etc.) is sequestered on the top screen. You can tab through the info up there by using the left and right shoulder buttons, and all this frees up the bottom screen for the action. The controls work well and you can move your Sim through everyday life by tapping locations and objects on the screen. The camera is also handled nicely here – you can follow Sims by zooming in, out and around using the face buttons while the D-pad moves the camera around the map. Together, it all works well and the optional tutorial does a fine job of taking you through the motions.
However digging into the menus can get a little confusing, especially if you put the game down for a while and then pick it back up. There are obvious symbols for using your phone or traveling into town, but trying to open up the screen where you can buy furniture can be a hassle.
While guiding Sims along their lives, their desires will pop up on screen for you to accept or decline. It ranges from small things like buying a book on Logic to mastering a specific skill, and every time you complete a Wish, you'll be rewarded with some Lifetime Happiness points (the amount varies depending on how big the task is). Lifetime Happiness points are important for Karma powers and can also be used to purchase perks like getting complimentary entertainment or being a professional slacker at your job. The rewards are amusing and useful, so they're a great incentive for fulfilling your Sim's Wishes.
Opportunities also play a bigger role in the DS version – they pop up randomly and come in a wide range -- from something simple like cooking hot dogs to going undercover and questioning another Sim. Opportunities have a time limit and reward you with money and/or skill or career boosts, so you'll need to pick and choose carefully so your Sim isn't constantly failing them.
The customization that you'd expect from a Sims game is available but understandably not as robust as the PC or console versions. There's no landscaping, but you can still re-paint your walls, re-tile the floors, and knock down or build walls however you choose. There's a variety of objects for you to buy and make your Sims life richer. The clothing is also more limited (you can't change patterns or colors) but there's still a good selection of pre-rendered threads to choose from, but you can't mix together an outfit that might offend the Fashion Police, like knee-high boots and baggy pants.
Karma powers are included on the DS, but are a bit different than the ones included on consoles. There's a mixture of practical powers like The Muse (increases cooking and painting skills) and playful powers like Winter Wonderland, which changes the season. There are nine total powers, with six good and three bad. Unfortunately, it might take you a while to be able to actually use any of them.
The biggest alteration to Karma powers for the DS is the way they're unlocked. Gathering enough Lifetime Happiness points (which you get by completing Wishes) automatically uncovers a new Karma power, but then you have to search for a mystery object located in an undisclosed location in order to activate it. This process is a bit annoying, especially because there are "hints" that actually don't help you at all and can even lead you astray. It's disappointing that Karma powers are so well-implemented on the console version but the handheld makes them feel like more trouble than they're worth. Still, it's really a bonus more than a full-fledged feature, so you can ignore it entirely or look at it like a treasure hunt.
Though the handheld offers less customization, it makes up for that with an interesting town. There's a graveyard with a haunted house, a lighthouse, a dance club and of course the typical amenities like a gym, library, stadium and movie theater. What's really great is the variety of houses you can move your family into. The town seems fairly populated considering each household can only accommodate two Sims, so it's fun to wander about and meet new folks. It is only one city though, so if you plan on playing multiple games it can get boring once you've already met everyone.
©2010-11-05, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved