E3 2010: First impressions on The Sims 3 for console

As many of you were made aware pre-E3, The Sims 3 is coming to console this upcoming fall, making the move from PC to XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, and Nintendo DS. I was able to check out the private demo while making the rounds at E3 2010 last week, and got a glimpse of the Sims’ new digs.

I was lucky to have gone there first thing on the third day, as the plumbob head bands ran out just as I got in line. I managed to get a keychain, button, and T shirt too. Sadly, the T shirt was lost in the media room after a frantic search for my SD card in my computer bag. A casualty in the chaos that was E3.

The tiny demo room was literally aglow with green light, and the row of sleek white couches was something straight out of the IKEA pack from Sims 2. In other words, the decorators did their job right:

Is it just me, or does this guy look ridiculously happy to be photographed?

Less impressive was the demo itself. While the console version of Sims 3 adds an amusing new twist, the “Karma” feature, diehard Sims fans will not appreciate some of the aesthetics. Namely, the zoomed out view of the neighborhood, which is now more reminiscent of a cartoon pedestrian road sign than a chiseled realistic landscape.

Now, arguably, this console version isn’t really for already-established PC fans of The Sims 3 (making my griping about the delineation from the standard aesthetic completely moot), but with such a delightfully new evil feature to try out, the market will still be there for those who don’t mind buying the same game twice. And while I’ve been reassured (read: yelled at by Internet commenters) many times that Sims 3 will run “just fine” on a console, that doesn’t change the fact that one of the most appealing features of Sims 3, the ability to mod the game and add tons of purchased and downloaded custom items, will pale in comparison. Don’t know about you folks, but there’s no way I can cram the same amount of content on my PC into a console experience. And there’s no way I’ll be able to put naked people on my Wii, XBOX 360, PS3, or Nintendo DS.

I also hated the control set up on the screen. The organization is completely foreign, and I’m not sure why they changed it up so much. Seems like they did more than they needed to.

One helpful feature they’ve retained from another Sims (I think the Playstation 2 version of Sims 2) is the targeting. Without a mouse it can be kind of hard to click on individual Sims while trying to perform tasks. The console version has modified that by creating a beam of light that hovers over your Sims and highlights each as you pass them over to make your selection.

The Karma feature is amusing, finding new ways for you to mess with your Sims’ lives by racking up Karma points to unlock events like earthquakes. Think of it as God Mode for Sims 3. Watching the little Sims dart around the screen in agony from fire-y hailstone will be well worth the admission price of buying the game again on console. In fact, I remember the demonstrator mentioning how much Sims players enjoy mischievously dismantling their characters lives, and combined with their recent “Sims confession booth” video, I think they’re deliberately capitalizing on the inherent deviancy their life simulator inspires. Not a bad move. I guess we dirty Sims players are rubbing off on ‘em.