News: January - February 2009

A+E Interactive (that's Arts and Entertainment, not Accident and Emergency) has posted a new preview of The Sims 3:

The creation process itself is easy to do. They’re are preset or randomized templates for those who want to start the game quickly. For those artistic types, they’ll have the opportunity to fidget with their Sims’ features and clothes, including their shoes. The process is detailed and players can customize any article of clothing right down to the color scheme or print.

It's probably only me that finds that grammar mistake in the second sentence of the above quote annoying.
 > "The Sims 3 fosters Ikea-nesting instincts (preview)" at A+E Interactive

Kotaku have posted two new previews of The Sims 3, one focusing on ghosts:

Sims 3 Associate Producer Grant Rodiek is no exception. One of his many pet-projects in the game is the "playable ghosts" Opportunity. Opportunities in Sims 3 are like mini quests – they appear every so often in one of the Sims' sub-menus as optional tasks your Sim can complete to earn special bonuses or rewards.

Their other preview is more general, and covers how Sims can become criminals, bugs in the game when they played it, and more:

Now, you can go to jail while working the criminal career path. Now, you can steal things from your friends' and neighbors' houses. Now is when The Sims 3 gets interesting; because for the first time since a sim slapped on a striped t-shirt and snuck off into the night, players might find themselves facing real moral dilemmas instead of just random chance events.

They also got some new screenshots, which I've added to the game's Screenshots tab.
 > "The Sims 3’s Occult Connection, Plus New Screens" at Kotaku
 > "The Sims 3 Preview: Smooth Criminal" at Kotaku
 > The Sims 3 Screenshots

A preview by PC Gamer magazine in the US has also been posted on GamesRadar:

How do you go about improving a game that’s become, at well over 100,000,000 copies sold, the best-selling PC game franchise of all time? EA Black Box, I’m guessing, began with another question: Why didn’t the other six and a half billion people in the world buy it?

Find out why The Sims 3 will attract an extra 347 million new fans by reading the article, which might actually be quite old as the neighbourhood is referred to as Pleasant Valley, when it's actually been called Sunset Valley for quite a while now.
 > "The Sims 3 – hands-on" at GamesRadar

GameSpy have posted a new preview-type-article about The Sims 3:

I've discovered the sledgehammer tool, which allows me to "erase" bits and pieces of my house and its furnishings to facilitate a grand redecoration. The little box I purchased on a tiny lot in The Sims 3's suburban utopia is about to experience something akin to terraforming.

  > "A Slice of Life: The Sims 3" at GameSpy

Gameplanet have posted a new interview with The Sims 3 Associate Producer Grant Rodiek:

GP: Our community will want to know what DRM measures you’ve included – will there be limited activations? Will an internet connection be compulsory?

Rodiek: We’re not talking about DRM specifically at this time. I can say that we’ve listened to our community, observed DRM from other games, and are working on making The Sims 3 the best experience possible for players.

 > "The Sims 3 Q&A session" at Gameplanet

Brazilian fan site O Sim BR.net has posted a massive article about The Sims 3 after attending a recent event there:

Unfortunately you cannot modify anything in the neighborhood as was possible in The Sims 2. You can't add decorations or trees. Neither is possible to put where you want empty lots, because all lots of the neighborhood have their fixed places, which cannot be changed. There is a catalog of lots ready, but they should be placed in empty lots already found in the neighborhood.

  > "Sims 3 Brazilian Event For Fan Sites" at O Sim BR.net

Destructoid has posted a new preview of The Sims 3:

Once they were stolen and brought back home, Jenna was free to use the objects (or get rid of them for some Simoleons). Another hilarious trait is Loser. If your Sims have this trait, when they die, Death will feel sorry for them -- so they’ll be reborn.

 > "Preview: The Sims 3" at Destructoid

Kotaku have a feature about pregnancy in video games, which includes some information about how it works in The Sims 3:

"One of the challenges [of realism] was communicating to the player that it was time for the Sim to go into labor," [Associate Producer MJ] Chun said. "A couple of ideas were debated including having the Sim's water break but it was high on the icky factor and too subtle visually to easily observe in game."

 > "Knocked Up: A Look At Pregnancy In Video Games" at Kotaku

EA have released a couple of new The Sims 3 screenshots, both showing two Sims kissing with a lighthouse in the background. Scroll to the bottom of this page to view them:
 > The Sims 3 Screenshots

So, The Sims 3 has been delayed. How did the news make you feel? Vote now in the latest poll which asks just that, to the right of every page, and if one word just isn't enough, click "Vote with explanation" to say a bit more.

Last month, I asked this: Do some of the Sims in The Sims 3 look a bit weird to you, or is that just me? Well, it seems the majority of you think they do! See the full results, and comment on them, here:
 > Poll Results

Five new screenshots of The Sims 3 have been made available.
 > The Sims 3 Screenshots

Update: Another two screenshots have now been released showing the Create-a-Sim.

EEA have released a new trailer for The Sims 3. Check it out below:

EA has official announced the delay of The Sims 3 in a press release. A new worldwide ship date of the 2nd June 2009 is given.
 > Press Release at TheSims3.com

In other, possibly less depressing The Sims 3 news, two new screenshots have been made available.
 > The Sims 3 Screenshots

EA have failed to shoot down rumours that The Sims 3 has been delayed, according to CVG. They have got word from EA that they are "evaluating the launch window" for the game. The website expects a further announcement in a week's time.
 > "EA "evaluating" Sims 3 launch" at CVG

GameSpot has posted a new preview of The Sims 3 from the Creator's Camp:

There are also color sliders for your characters' eyes and hair color (and you can actually create matted hair colors to make characters with tasteful, and not-so-tasteful, dye jobs in which the hair roots don't match the ends). Oh, and the game will also have a few offbeat skin colors, such as blue (in case you wanted to re-create the eccentric Blue Man Group performer troupe, or simply create a philandering sim and see how many blue children you can father around the neighborhood) and green.

GameSpot have also posted a video of the event:

But that's not all from GameSpot: they've also posted a hands-on preview:

There are also traits that are apparently intended to help players put more of a focus on telling a specific story with their characters--for instance, the "Evil" trait will give you less-savory dialogue choices, as well as less-honorable things to do, like stealing candy from a baby, which we actually did, ourselves, with our own evil character. And in case you were wondering, yes, we enjoyed it.

And there's more! They've posted a video interview with associate producer MJ Chun as well:

Away from GameSpot, GamingHeaven.net has posted a new preview too:

Body weight and muscle definition are available for fine tuning but just like before there are no options for height. The age ranges vary with infant, toddler, child, teen, young adult and then adult and elder. Every Sim still ages so an infant will age and eventually grow old and die, just like real life. For those who want to be able to fine tune this, there are sliders to let you adjust the sims’ life span with the current maximum being around 1,000 days.

In other The Sims 3 news, it's looking like The Sims 3 has been delayed. GameSpot's previews and videos repeatedly say it will be released later this year, rather than next month, and EA UK's press site has changed it's release date back to TBA. If it has, let's hope it'll be better because of it.

 > "The Sims 3 Updated Preview - Creating Content for The Sims 3" at GameSpot
 > "The Sims 3 Hands-On Impressions - Creating a New Sim, and a Day in the Life" at GameSpot
 > "The Sims 3 (Preview)" at GamingHeaven.net

Six new The Sims 3 screenshots have been released, including one showing the Create-a-Sim, and two photos of people playing the game, probably taken at the recent Creator's Camp.
 > The Sims 3 Screenshots

Gaming Angels have posted a new preview of The Sims 3:

No longer is your entire Sims life going to be driven around whether or not they have enough time to eat and go to the bathroom before their ride comes to take them to the office. When nature calls - you don't even have to tell them to go either. There's an opportunity, if you're really into the whole Needs bar fulfillment, to continue to play the game the way you always have.

 > "CES 2009: The Sims 3 Preview" at Gaming Angels

Assistant Producer Feisal Maroof has added a new blog post on TheSims3.com where he discusses Buy Mode and Build Mode.

You’ll be able to place Objects like the Foosball Table at a 45° angle. You can also have fun with 360° object placement by holding down the “ALT” key while you rotate it. We had a strong debate about making free rotation & placement default, but decided that it was too advanced. This shortcut will give you the same effect.

 > "Build and Buy Mode Developer Blog" at TheSims3.com

IGN have got their first hands-on time with The Sims 3:

I was about 10 minutes into playing The Sims 3 when I realized something quite astonishing: my sims hadn't gone to the bathroom yet. And despite still having virtual bladders, they didn't need to constantly heed the call of nature. Now if you played The Sims and The Sims 2, you will remember that you had to handhold your sims' lives; this includes each and every bathroom break, which seemingly occur every minute or two in game time. That's a lot of flushing.

NoNot only that though, they've also released a video interview with Executive Producer Ben Bell:

Two new screenshots have also been made available, and have been added to The Sims 3's Screenshots tab.br />  > "The Sims 3 First Hands-on" at IGN
 > The Sims 3 Screenshots

The board responsible for rating games in North America, the ESRB has given The Sims 3 a Teen rating, and released a "rating summary":

These avatars often interact socially, which can sometimes lead to mild flirtation or more intimate encounters. Players can choose to "try for a baby" or "WooHoo" with another Sim – the later option being available to both heterosexual and same-sex couples. These two actions cause the selected avatars to jump into bed and go under the covers, where they wriggle, giggle, and moan until confetti bursts over the bed.

 > Read the full summary at the ESRB

In other The Sims 3 news, GamePro have posted a new preview of the game from the CES show in Las Vegas:

The final aspect of game play that completely solidified my purchase of this game was that they upgraded the A.I. of the characters. The point of the game is no longer to feed them and bathe them, but rather make them happy. If left alone your Sim is going to take care of itself completely, your main focus is to complete tasks to make your Sim feel fulfilled emotionally.

 > "The Sims 3 Preview" at GamePro

EA have invited some custom content creators to a week long event called "The Sims 3 Creator's Camp", where they get to play the game, watch demos and help populate the new TheSims3.com Exchange. TheSidDog is one of those creators, and he's posted a blog with some new facts about the game:

The Sims 3 Overview:

• You don’t need to use all five character trait slots.
• One of the lifetime wishes was “Gold Digger.”
• You can buy houses furnished or unfurnished.
• You can set lifespans to range from 25–1,000 days.

  > "Creator’s Camp: Day 1" at TheSidDog.com

At long last, I've been able to close the voting for "How do you read my news?". The results were a little disappointing - view and discuss them by clicking below:
 > Poll Results

As a poll has ended, it must be time for a new one then - and would you look at that, it is! This time, I want to know whether I'm the only one who thinks some of the Sims in The Sims 3 look a bit weird. Vote now on the right of every page. Seriously - do it now.

Kelly Saxton Lindner at examiner.com has written a piece about how The Sims 2 helped her learn some good life lessons, and select New Year's Resolutions:

I first started playing the Sims in January 2007 when I was unemployed (I had just graduated from grad school with a Master’s yet it took 3 months to find a job). I was also loveless and had been for years. But after playing the Sims for a month I had accomplished all of my New Year's' resolutions including finding a job and the man of my dreams (who is, coincidentally, now my husband).

 > "How the Sims 2 can guide New Year's' resolutions" at examiner.com

It's less than an hour until 2009, so I might as well take this opportunity first of all to wish you all a happy new year!

Right, onto business - I've completely overhauled The Sims 2 Expansion Packs section, with every pack having a page with tabs for information and screenshots, plus videos and reviews, so you can now watch videos without having to leave this website, and see what the critics had to see about it. The reviews tab also allows you to review each pack. I've also added a videos page to The Sims 3 section, so you can enjoy all the trailers, game tours and what not in one place.
 > The Sims 2 Expansion Packs
 > The Sims 3 Videos

Update: The About The Sims 3 and The Sims 2 Apartment Pages now also have a Previews tab, which provides links to all the previews and features I've found on the web, so you no longer have to trawl through the news or search for yourself.
 > The Sims 3 Previews & Features
 > The Sims 2 Apartment Life Previews & Features