EA teased it, and now Games for Windows: The Official Magazine is giving you all the full blown coverage. The April/May issue of GFW will sport a world exclusive cover story of the newest entry in the second best selling franchise in all gaming.
Some of the details from the 12-page preview:
The biggest change to The Sims 3 is that it takes place in a wide-open, constantly changing neighborhood — a much bigger sandbox, if you will, and a much more complex simulation. The town and park you see on the cover image to the right (click to enlarge) exist in the same seamless space as your Sims’ household, and what you do outside your home now matters as much as what you do within. (Yes, previous expansion packs added out-and-about activities, but they were always separate sub-games. Here, everything’s completely integrated.) The game also sees a major shift in how Sims’ motives are handled: Individual meters indicating bladder and sleep-deprivation levels are replaced by a new system of discrete moods, the aim being to get players off the treadmill of fulfilling primal eat-sleep-pee-repeat requirements so they can focus more on, well, going out on the brand new town.
For whatever reason, I recently developed a craving to play The Sims. And while I resisted, reading all of this actually makes me want to go out and pick up The Sims 2 (although I think I can skip the 72 expansion packs – for now). There is, after all, a strategy game underneath the cute dress-me-up game we oftentimes characterize the game as being.
1UP will be home to all sorts of coverage of the game in the coming weeks. From a community Q&A to a podcast with Sims Studio head Rod Humble, you’ll find out everything you want to know.
8 Comments to GFW Magazine Unveils The Sims 3
by: Shadowmancer
On March 8, 2008 at 8:29 am
This is what is killing pc games this cancer of sims games, we don’t need any more of them they are ruining the pc gaming market.
by: Chris
On March 8, 2008 at 8:48 am
How so? I’d absolutely argue the contrary, as they’re inviting more people into the market that might not otherwise play a PC game. And once they’ve done that, maybe they’ll pick up some other PC game, now that they’re familiar with a mouse and keyboard as a gaming interface.
by: Bob
On March 8, 2008 at 11:10 am
Sim games are one of the great backbone genres. Spore looks like a lot more fun, but then again, this is just a bit of a teasers. Of course I’m sure it will mean I have to build the wife a new system, but of it keeps her out of my hair it’s worth it.
by: Mustikos
On March 8, 2008 at 12:28 pm
What helps about sims is it shows another truly great thing about PC gaming and that is user made content, mods, etc. I am really looking forward to spore myself. I hate people that think that only girls, gays and any other weak-minded stereotype they can try to enforce, play the sims. Yeah I play the sims 2 off and on, I also play grand theft autos, cod4, the witcher and so on…so yeah…
by: Sam
On March 8, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I’d take issue with your statement that the “out-and-about activities” added by Sims 1 and Sims 2 expansion packs are “separate sub-games” – I don’t know where you got that idea from. Sure, they happen in a different ‘location’, and take a while to load up, but they’re just as much part of the game as your home lot is. While you’re there (at least in The Sims 2) ‘real’ time passes in your game, and you can meet people and develop relationships which will continue wherever you are, buy clothes and items which you can then take home and use, and interact with anything and everything just the same way you can on any lot. The only way they’re “separate” is the fact that when you get in the taxi to head to another lot there’s a short loading screen in-between – and they’re definitely not “sub-games” – they’re just extensions of the original game.
by: Faith
On March 8, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Showmancer
It’s called Capitalism
Chump
by: joe
On March 12, 2008 at 12:01 am
lol! the guys name is ”
SHADOWMANCER 
”
hahahahahahahahaha
of course he despises the sims.
by: Vanessa
On March 19, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Actually, Sam, some of the things you said were wrong. You wrote “While you’re there (at least in The Sims 2) ‘real’ time passes in your game”, and that’s not true. When you go to a community lot with your Sim, no time passes in your residential lot. Yes, when your Sim is at the store 2 hours may pass, but when your Sim gets back to their home, those 2 hours did NOT go by. In Sims 3, your Sim can walk out of his house and, without changing screens at all, go to the store, more like real life.