The most addictive PC simulator had a great run and now it was time to take up the console world. Myself, being a fan of the series I was quite happy with the console move, since my PC was running a bit low on resources when running the game. You know, on the consoles you just insert the disc and play. The port to the consoles wasn’t an easy job since the game had a lot of controls and functions which you could easily do with your keyboard and mouse, but to do everything with you gamepad is a huge changeover and a big challenge. If you’re a fan of the series on your PC and you are still confused about the changeover to consoles, you shouldn’t, since the console controls are a very good substitute to your keyboard and mouse.

The Sims series has always been addictive and you will put most of the time put yourself to the side to make sure that your Sims get their food, rest, happy and leading a successful life. This isn’t an easy job and it won’t be an easy job to get used to the new controls, but it’s quite easy to get acquainted with the gamepad controls after some gameplay, especially using the in-game tutorials which are very helpful and will make your Sims life easier.
Comparing the console version to the PC version, the game performs pretty well. The only thing is the loading screens which of course it’s normal since it loads most of the things from disc. You will start off by creating your Sim or a pre-made family to get you started. Your first experience of the game is the extensive customization tool the game offers. You can deeply customize the physical appearance of your Sim from his body to the outfits which differ from casual to gala nights. The next step is to customize your Sim’s lifestyle by choosing his or her voice, triats, lifetime wishes and favourite things. This will be the recipe to create Sim’s persona and character which will make him or her success in their career. Of course you must attend to their daily needs to keep up with their lifestyle and social interactions to keep them happy and healthy.

If you intend to start your home from scratch or refurbish your existing one, you’re in a great experience. The customization which is the same you would find in the PC version is pretty wide with a huge number of features and items, from making a nice home to a luxurious mansion. Apart from the customization of your Sim, this is what takes a lot of my personal time since I will always end up making a super home which of course my Sims cannot afford, hehe.

The home customization isn’t the only thing with a lot of items to choose from, the clothing industry of Sims 3 offers a huge amount of cloths which you can tweak to your own desire. If you don’t find what you are looking for, you can make it on the online exchange list were you will find a lot of stuff that other people create and download them individually. This operation is seamless and the exchange of items is easy and greatly integrated in the customization tool. ‘The Exchange’ is a free of charge for the game owners and will allow you to exchange a lot of things, from homes to Sims where you can upload your own creations or download stuff from other players.
The Karma powers play a fundamental part of the game as these powers will make your life easier in the Sims world, especially when you want to master a specific skill. When you complete one of your Sim’s wish, apart from making your Sim happy, you will be awarded Karma Points. Karma Points can also be awarded when completing Challenges.

The idea behind these powers is to speed up some of the game’s processes which of course have their ups and downs. If you gain the Giant Jackpot power, your Sims will be lucky in lotteries while if you get the Epic Fail will make your Sim a big loser where everything will go the other way. Different Karma powers will affect your Sims life to the best or to the worst. There are 13 different powers to unlock and quite hard to get since you will need a lot of Karma Points. Luckily, getting Karma Points isn’t that hard and if you play your cards right, it won’t take you too much effort to get them in your hands. As I explained before, you will be awarded these points by completing Wishes or during the hour of reckoning. This hour is basically every day at midnight where you will be either awarded Karma Points or a disaster will be unleashed in your home. You have to correctly make use of your powers and without abusing them since they can go wild and unleash havoc in your Sim’s lives.

The game is a great way to have a life simulator along with a very good and seamless online exchange system. The only thing is that when you have completed your first lifecycle, you will need to see more, and that is where new add-ons will keep the buzz in the city

Conclusion

The move to consoles was a big step for the Sims series and it was a very good step. The game performs and feels great. The controls are easy to get along with them, especially with the tutorials. The Karma Powers are a very good asset to the game and graphics look very good on the consoles. Replay-ability tends to get a bit less interesting but it will get more interesting once the add-ons will get out.