Simmers News

The Sims 3 Best Seller in Europe

2009-06-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

The Sims 3 was the only PC game in the top 30 in the English top selling game chart. This is a good sign for EA that the game is selling very well and seems to have been well received.

What are you doing this weekend?

2009-06-12T20:00:00.000-04:00

Want to bring this feature back to SN now that we're growing faster then ever before! I want to know what you're doing in TS3 (or TS2) this weekend. Leave your responces in teh comments section.

As for me, i won't be playing TS3 much as i am currently at the beach, and will be until next saturday. Hope everyone gets a chance to respond!

The Sims 3 Sells 1.4 Million

2009-06-09T19:00:00.003-04:00

EA has announced that The Sims 3 has now sold a whopping 1.4 million units. That's in 1 week.

Some Stats:
200,000 A Day
8,333 an Hour
138 A Minute
2.3 A Second

If it continues at this pace it will sell 72.8 Million copies by a year from now.

The Sims 3 Sells 1.4 Million in Week 1 [Kotaku]

The Sims 3 Review: Revolutionizing a Virtual Dollhouse

2009-06-07T16:00:00.001-04:00

To fans of The Sims, The Sims 3 has been a long time coming. Announced in back in 2005 we finally have our hands on the third true game of the series.
The Sims series has always been known as a jewel of the game industry. Originally created by legendary game designer Will Wright, The Sims took off selling over one million copies in less than ten years. Smashing records the game moves into its third evolution.

The Sims 2 expanded upon the original Sims by introducing a brand new 3D engine. The Sims 3 adds greatly to the 3D engine rendering an entire town all seamlessly. The visuals for The Sims 3 look fantastic. You will see many breathtaking vistas upon your tour of sunset valley. Many visual areas from The Sims 2 have been improved as well. The foliage has had an incredible amount of detail put into it, and it shows beautifully. The Sims themselves have also gotten a facelift making them more realistic looking then their Sims 2 counterparts.

The biggest new addition to The Sims 3, that sets it apart from previous entries in the series, is the new seamless neighborhood. Your Sims can walk around and talk to other Sims in the neighborhood, which was previously never possible. There are no loading screens to split up the action. If you want to go shopping all you have to do is click on the location, and the Sim will immediately go. No loading screen, no slowdown. The town works incredibly well and is a great addition to the franchise. It refreshes the way you play and feels like a living, breathing town.

Another big addition to the Sims 3 is a new way to characterize your Sim’s personalities. EA has gotten rid of the old personality points system in favor of traits. You no longer have an outgoing rating of 6. Instead you can pick the “Flirty” trait. The new traits feel much more personable and realistic. There are a lot of neat personality traits to explore ranging from things like “Good” or “Neat Freak” to straight up bizarre like “Kleptomaniac” or “Never Nude”. Some traits effect your Sim’s physical interactions with the world and are pretty obvious. “Athletic” or “Natural Cook” are good examples of traits that are pretty easy to figure out. Other traits require more playing to see how they affect your Sim’s behavior such as “Daredevil” or “Family Oriented”. You can mix and match any 5 traits to make your Sim different than any other Sim. The traits feel much less robotic then the personality points in previous games.

One of the big differences between The Sims and The Sims 2 was the introduction of aging. In the Sims 2 your family would age and move on as the game progressed. The Sims 3 expands on this premise by aging the entire town as you play. As your Sim’s life progresses so does the entire town. While playing your Sim’s boss may pass away, thus your job performance may suffer or improve depending on how well you know your co-workers. It’s this new take on an old trick that makes The Sims 3 a more dynamic game then its predecessors.

The Sims has always been about creating a community, and this continues with The Sims 3. The new “Create-a-style” feature lets users “recolor” in game objects however they like. This new tool allows you to create very consistent homes. This tool is also used on clothing. If there is any object in the game you don’t like the color of you can change it in just a few clicks. The create-a-style tool is very simple to use yet at the same time can be very deep.

The Sims 3 is much more impressive on the web then The Sims 2 ever was. The new website provides tools such as a movie mashup maker that allow for casual players to experience a whole new area of gameplay without requiring expensive tools and tutorials. Obviously the tools aren’t very expansive but they’re not there for experienced movie makers, but rather for aspiring new directors looking to get started.

The sound design is as always a subtle mix of ambient noises such as birds and crickets mixed with a peaceful soundtrack composed by Steve Jablonsky. It’s a very nice and upbeat soundtrack that nicely compliments the gameplay and never gets in your face. It’s just there to back up the atmosphere.

Overall The Sims 3 is a definite pickup for any Sims fan out there. All the basics have been covered and improved upon. You won’t find much from previous expansions to the game in The Sims 3 but I’m sure they’re not far behind. If you enjoyed playing with dollhouses before you’re sure to enjoy playing with an entire town. The Sims 3 is a game that appeals to everyone whether a casual player or a hardcore gamer. There is always something to do in The Sims 3. Now stop reading this review and go buy the game.

The Sims 3 is in Stores Now!

2009-06-04T14:00:00.002-04:00

I picked it up a few days ago at best buy. Have you been able to pick it up?

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Let There Be Sims™! The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) today announced that The Sims™ 3, the next generation of the global cultural phenomenon and best-selling PC franchise of all time, is at retail nationwide and available for digital download today for the PC and Mac, and will be in stores worldwide in 60 countries and in 22 languages this week. The Sims 3 is also available today for download from the Apple App Store for iPhone™ and iPod® touch.

“The day is here and we can’t wait to see what kind of stories the players will tell, movies they’ll make, homes they’ll build and everything they’ll share using The Sims 3,” said Ben Bell, Executive Producer of The Sims 3 at EA. “Now you can create any Sim you can imagine. For the first time ever, you can explore a seamless, open neighborhood and give your Sims real personality traits. Sims fans and new gamers alike will have something to love in The Sims 3.”

In The Sims 3 you can create lifelike Sims with a unique personality and take them anywhere in the neighborhood. The powerful Create-a-Sim tool allows you to create Sims that are more realistic than ever. Select from dozens of personality traits such as brave, artistic, kleptomaniac, clumsy, paranoid and romantic. With Create-a-Sim, you can create a limitless number of truly unique Sims. The Sims 3 allows for infinite possibilities to design the interior and exterior of your Sims’ surroundings using the Create-a-Style feature. Additionally, you can enjoy the challenge of short-term and long-term goals and then reap the rewards! Based on personality traits, skills and career choices, your Sims have short and long term Wishes that provide constant, fun challenges and so many things to do and achieve. You have the ultimate freedom to choose whether to fulfill their destiny, giving them lifetime happiness and rewards or not!

Register your copy of The Sims 3 for PC and Mac at www.TheSims3.com to enjoy the robust online and community features unique to your game including an all-new town called Riverview that you can download for no additional charge once you register.* You will also gain access to 1,000 SimPoints to purchase items from The Sims 3 Store including exclusive outfits, hairstyles, furniture, home décor, and architectural items to customize your Sims appearance and houses in all-new ways. Visit the Store each month for new, never-seen-before themed items. Additionally, be the director of your Sims’ movies by capturing clips during your gameplay, visiting the official site, and editing the soundtrack, story, and transitions, then share it with the world! These easily accessible tools inspire creativity and allow you to share your masterpieces with your friends and other players on The Sims 3 official website, personal blogs, or any social media network. See what you can create with The Sims 3.

The Sims 3 is the first The Sims game experience for iPhone and iPod touch. Full 3D Sims environments that take unique advantage of the innovative Multi-Touch user interface and accelerometer in the devices give players the opportunity to experience The Sims in a whole new way, anywhere, anytime. The Sims 3 is available globally from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch, or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

The game also is available for purchase, globally, from wireless carriers for feature phones. For information on carrier availability and pricing for all EA Mobile games, please visit www.eamobile.com.

For more information about The Sims 3, please visit www.TheSims3.com. Developed by The Sims Studio, The Sims 3 is rated T for Teen by the ESRB, PEGI 12+, and USK 0. The game is available now for purchase at retail and online through digital distribution at http://eastore.ea.com/store/ea/ContentTheme/pbPage.the_sims3/ThemeID.718200. To download artwork, please visit www.info.ea.com.

* INTERNET CONNECTION required. See product pack or digital distribution rules for details.

About The Sims

The Sims franchise celebrates an impressive over 100 million units sold since its launch in February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages and available in 60 different countries, The Sims quickly has become a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. For the latest information about The Sims and to check out the new The Sims 3 official website to see what the players are creating, visit www.TheSims3.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EATM, EA SPORTSTM, EA Mobile TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO, and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Mac, iPhone, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.