After much anticipation and years of hype Electronics Arts (better known as EA Games) has released The Sims 3 for not only the PC but also for the iPhone/iPod Touch. While the iPhone title is not a direct port of the PC version its far from being some watered down variation. No, The Sims 3 is its own experience designed specifically for the mobile gamer.
The Sims 3 starts off in a similar fashion as its PC cousins, you create your own avatar by selecting its gender, clothing, and most importantly, its personality. In order to customize your Sim’s personality you select from a variety of traits (both positive and negative) that culminate in an over-arching persona that will modify your sims goals and life long aspirations. These aspirations can range from being as generic as becoming friendly with every Sim in town, the more promiscuous, making WooHoo (The Sims’ politically correct way of saying sex) with several other Sims if you have the “Sleaze” persona, to the disturbing maniac persona’s lifetime goal of watching at least three other Sims sleep.
However, the lifetime wishes are not the only desires of your Sim. Each day, your Sim will ask you to help him or her fulfill smaller wishes like acquiring a promotion at work or buying nicer furniture. You are not required to accept every wish thrown at you. Choosing wishes gives you a constant stream of smaller, manageable, goals that keeps the game moving forward. According to EA, there are almost 75 wishes in the game. If you manage to satisfy all of them, you unlock an extra career option (criminal) and the ability to buy a car. Finishing all of these wishes will likely take you around 15 hours of playtime, but that’s if you move from one wish to the next and doing everything in your power to fulfil them. I’m not exactly sure how enjoyable it would be to treat this game as a checklist. I definitely preferred to just let things happen and see what the game would throw at my Sim on its own.
In addition to personality and appearance, one of the main draws for The Sims has always been the customization of your virtual home and this iteration of the Sims is no different. You start with a small house and some essential items, such a fridge, shower, and toilet. As you earn money from the game’s various career paths, you can buy new items for your house like stoves, beds, and computers.You can also customize items with different colors so that they match your personal tastes.
For the most part, Sims 3 for iPhone looks great. There are occasional glitches like Sims walking straight through other Sims, but the Sims themselves are nicely detailed and have good animations, such as when they make silly faces or begin their decent into madness because you aren’t talking care of their needs. The town itself looks pretty good and is easy to navigate by touching buildings and then selecting a corresponding action.
Overall, The Sims 3 for iPhone is a very complete game with a huge amount of content that I would recommend to any fan of the franchise. Especially considering all the talk about additional updates and online components expected to coincide with the launch of the iPhone OS 3.0.
Pros:
- Slick graphics and character animations.
- Good music and effects.
- Near limitless customization.
- A slew of wishes and desires ensures longevity.
Cons:
- Some Mini-games are just downright annoying.
- Town view makes your Sims look like little playmobile figurines.
- Interface has a moderately high learning curve.
Tall Fir Trees are a man's best companion.
The town is bright and colorful
So that's what happens when you drink from an unlabeled vial of chemicals
