The Sims 3 Review

Anannya Sen’s Review

My kingdom for a sofa.

You should have heard of the Sims by now. In fact, the iPhone version is apparently so good that you should get it on your iPhone. I don't have an iPhone so I have had to make do with the java version. And let me tell all you good people that it's a bit confusing.

The basic goals are fairly obvious. You have to get a job, make ends meet and hopefully make whoo whoo with a sim of the opposite sex (I'm quoting from the game here). Or the same sex if you swing that way, something I didn't bother to check out in the game. In between there are some mini games like fishing, cleaning and repairing.

What's confusing about the game is there aren't really any instructions. You have to play the game a bit to figure out what you're supposed to do or what the icons mean. For instance, it's fairly obvious when you are sleepy, hungry or need to go to the toilet, but the icon for having fun or wanting to talk to someone can be a bit ambiguous.

At least there is a lot of freedom in this game. Design your own sim and then do whatever you feel like doing. No really, the sky is almost the limit with the things your sim can do. Get promoted in your job, quit your job, make acquaintances, enemies and even romance people. Then there is the enjoyable pastime of fishing as well as the chance to kick over someone's trash can.

What is even more confusing is the mini games which, while having somewhat reasonable instructions, take a while to figure out. It was ages before I realised how to repair my fridge and only after that did I get some food (it didn't occur to me to go to the restaurant). At least cleaning the shower was easier.

In betwixt all this figuring out, your Sim will tell you some wishes it wants fulfilled. Like take a shower or use the toilet at another Sim's house. Get to know them fairly well first or else it will be a bit weird. You can lock in these wishes to make them specific and achievable goals, or just pass them by and maybe get to them when playing the game.

There is apparently a surprise if you manage to achieve all the goals / wishes available. I'm not sure what that is yet, as I'm still trying to buy furniture. In fact there are a lot of things I haven't figured out yet, like the cooking game, or how to swap my TV for a new one. I've lost the old one, but can't seem to find the hardware shop even though it's supposed to have opened. And I have no idea where the gardening takes place even though I have seeds. Yes, I have seeds so I need to plant them. At least with the bait it's easy enough to go and fish.

Which I guess is my biggest drawback about the game. It would be nice for a full range of instructions telling what you need to do and what icons mean what. Instead the developers have opted for in game hints which can be a bit extraneous at times. Still, you should have at least figured out the basics. Talk to people. Eat. Sleep. Sh*t and go to your job. And if you want to see something funny, try not doing some of these things in a while. Then again, apparently if you create a Sim who is a jerk you will unlock some funny actions. But can they really be funnier than someone who has wet themselves? I'm not sure about that.