As the family strolls down the sidewalk, they encounter Claire Ursine, a single pregnant woman living next door. She loves to fish, but she also happens to be a career criminal whose lifetime wish is to be The Emperor of Evil. Matthew and his daughter Bebe give Claire a wide berth, but mom Dorie stops to chat for a few moments. Claire doesn’t seem to care for Dorie, however — maybe it’s because Dorie is pretending to swat at imaginary things in the air.

A Surprising Development. Something shocking on TV? An unexpected visitor? The story is yours.

“We want players to dive into the game and feel like they have complete freedom to explore without interruption.”

- Ben Bell, executive producer

Matthew stops and calls to his wife, who reluctantly breaks off the conversation — I notice he’s wearing bunny slippers, so perhaps off-kilter behavior runs in the family. Claire seems relieved. Bell and I continue to follow the trio, who pass a grocery store and a movie theater on their way to the park. Unlike in the first two Sims games, we never had to pause during our journey while a new location loaded.

“When you’re being creative,” Bell explains, “the last thing you need is to be interrupted by a loading screen. We want players to dive into the game and feel like they have complete freedom to explore without interruption. How many stories could you tell about the interactions between two neighbors? That’s just one avenue of the many possibilities that are available now.”

The Power to Change Anything

Those possibilities also extend to the customization options available in The Sims 3. Create-a-Sim features granular tweaking of everything from body type to skin color to hairstyle, and we can see the result of those choices as Bell and I take in the wide variety of Sims enjoying the sunshine, playing games, or spending time with friends and family in the park.

One For the Bucket List. These Sims achieved their lifetime wishes.

In addition, the game gives you unprecedented power over its inanimate objects. Bell provides an example by touching a Sim’s plaid shirt and then tapping the beach ball she’s playing with; the ball instantly displays a plaid pattern. Then he touches a wooden bench and changes its material to concrete.

“We wanted players to have the same power that our artists have to change things in the game,” notes Bell. “Create-a-Style lets you change the look of just about anything. You can take any material and apply it to any object or article of clothing. You can also change the look of those materials. Now it’s so much easier for players to make something totally unique.”

• Site: The Sims 3
• Publisher: EA Games
• Developer: EA Games
• Genre: Simulation

The Sims 3 available for online ordering 24 hours a day, every day.

 

The Sims 3 for iPhone/iPod touch

Slip an entire neighborhood in your pocket with The Sims 3 for iPhone/iPod touch. More than 10 hours of gameplay await you in an open-ended, ever-changing neighborhood. Create your custom Sims and explore a 3D world full of other Sims who may love or hate your characters, or simply treat them with indifference. Choose one of six personas, such as jack-of-all-trades or maniac, and select from among 17 personality traits.

As in the computer game, your iPod touch Sims have wishes to dream of and goals to aspire to, from the lofty to the mundane, such as “use every toilet in the neighborhood.” Successful Sims receive rewards, while four mini-games — fishing, gardening, cooking, and house repairs — keep them busy between socializing.

Learn more in the Apps Store

The Sims 3 Collectors Edition (with bonus content) available for online ordering 24 hours a day, every day.

 

“The Sims 3 is a game that celebrates the player’s humor, creativity, and imagination.”

- Ben Bell, executive producer

You can share your creations at the Sims 3 Exchange, which highlights popular downloads, lets you see what other players recommend, and includes powerful search and browser features for sifting through content. Don’t forget to share the news of your creativity by publishing blog posts directly to your My Page at the Sims 3 Exchange or to MySpace or Facebook.

The Sims 3 for iPhone/iPod touch. Portable Personalities: Gab with other Sims any time you like.

Below the Skin

Bell’s team also overhauled what was happening below the surface by developing moodlets that represent a Sim’s long- and short-term moods, exploring the “nature vs. nurture” aspect of genetic traits, and giving the digital characters new artificial intelligence (AI). In a departure from previous games, each adult Sim has five personality traits, along with a lifetime wish, all of which drives their behavior. (Similar factors influence the characters found in The Sims 3 for iPhone/iPod touch.)

At that moment, a good example of those three concepts enters the park: the Alto family, which is currently locked in a struggle with the Landgraab and Goth families for control of Sunset Valley. Nick Alto, the father, wishes to become Leader of the Free World in his lifetime and counts evil desires and hot-headedness among his personality traits. He has to start somewhere, so he’s participating in the upcoming Sunset Valley mayoral election — he’s in the park glad-handing potential supporters. Unfortunately, his tendency to be a slob and engage in inappropriate behavior turns off more than a few people, which ignites his temper.