The Sims 3 Review

If you’ve been paying attention to the launch line-up of 3DS games currently doing the rounds, you may have found it hard to escape the notion that many of the big titles were ports of DS games miraculously rendered in 3D.

You’d be right course; that’s not to diminish their worth in any meaningful way, that’s just what they are. The Sims 3 falls right into the category of launch title rework and though the 3DS adds a novel spin to things, this fails to make any major strides from the DS version already out there and in fact makes many of the same mistakes.

It’s business as usual for Sims fans; that is, Sims fans of the larger console and PC versions. This is just as complex, involving and funny as always.

The wealth of options is truly huge and there’s, amazingly, minimal difference between this and the other versions. Where other handheld Sims games have moved away from attempting to replicate its bigger, full-fat, counter part The Sims DS went ahead and tried to make a comparable experience and in many ways it succeeded.

On the 3DS it makes a few cosmetic changes (though not as many as you’d think) and of course, has one screen in full 3D - try not to fall over now.

Building up your Sims life is as addictive as it’s ever been and with the increased power of the 3DS, it now looks a whole lot more like the console iterations than ever before.

Problems quickly reveal themselves, though, when you try and do anything more complicated than look at your Sim and click on few options.

It’s odd really and more of an inherent problem in the way the game requires you to hold your 3DS. With your left hand holding the console, your thumb on the analog-stick, you’re required to move the cameras (both the top and bottom screen) while making options with the stylus.

Unfortunately, as you’re physically moving around quite a bit, it renders the 3D useless and in many instances a hindrance as you’re unable to keep the thing level – you might as well turn it off.

With the 3D gone, The Sims 3 feels an even shallower purchase and the problems from the DS version are now more apparent than ever.

Namely, cluttered screen furniture and the simple fact that The Sims, in your hands, is just too big a game to be contained there. Yes, it’s impressive that it is actually in your palm, but trying to play quickly becomes frustrating.

Despite its size problems and general clutter, there’s a lot to admire once you’ve spent some time building up your Sims life and sharing in their experiences.

The 3DS really doesn’t bring anything new to it, apart from the extra processing power to make it look a lot sharper and when it’s on a screen that small, you could argue the effect is wasted anyway.

The ability to capture your face is welcome and a there are times where this almost manages the magic of its larger cousins, but ultimately, it feels small. And quite why the loading times are so long is beyond us.

As launch titles go, The Sims is initially impressive; the console experience in your pocket is generally the aim (and in 3D no doubt!), but each of its unique selling points are quickly washed away by the limitations of the device.

It’s still The Sims, now in more ways than ever, but it’s been a bit of tight squeeze.