Sims 3: Pets (Xbox 360) Review
Posted by Dan Watson on 12.03.2011
Come find out if this game is a keeper or if it should be put out of its misery.
Title: Sims 3: Pets
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Sims Studio
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Rating: T for Teen- Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
When was the last time you sat down with a Sims game and enjoyed the game? When was the last time you sat down with a PC to Console cross-over that actually worked out flawlessly? Well, I am going to bet that your answers to both of those questions are far too long ago and it is time to pick up Sims 3: Pets for the Xbox 360. This game has crossed over perfectly to the point that you can forget about how it felt to play on a PC and really get into how it feels playing on a console with a controller. The game is smooth. The addition of pets in the game makes it all the better. Let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this game.
Visuals
I should preface this by saying I skipped Sims 3 on the PC and didn’t get to it on the consoles this year. Previously, I had played the hell out of the Sims and had multiple expansions on the second game. With that said, WOW, Sims 3: Pets looks amazing. The visuals are everything you have come to love from Sims universe and more. I sat back and just admired how far this series has come visually. Of course, I being immature still laughs when the Sims go to the bathroom or shower or any other time the blurred out view comes into play.
Sound
Ever wonder why the Sims don’t speak English? I did but now I don’t care. The sound in the game is pretty much on par for what you would expect out of the Sims games. I do find it funny and almost inviting to join into the Sims jumbled up language. In the end though, each of the sounds that you have grown accustomed to is in the game. The door bell ringing, the grumbling of the characters, the cooing and love sounds are all present in this game.
Gameplay
The switch from PC to Console seems a bit different. The control scheme seems almost too simple at times but once you get over the very low learning curve the game moves flawlessly. While we are on the subject of gameplay though, I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up the character and family creation system. It is amazing to pick out your characters likes and dislikes, their dreams and goals, and overall personality instead of just a shell of a person by creating their appearance. It was almost a goal to see how my family in the game played out compared to the family in real life. I looked at my goals compared to my wife’s as well as careers and choices we made. We both sat and created our characters and in the end it worked out quite well. I would say that the companies involved in this game did an amazing job of perfecting the character creation pieces of this game.
Day to day life is quite fun as well. Of course you have your basic needs that need to be met just like in real life. But after that you can have some fortunate or unfortunate situations take place. Karma powers involved in the game can make you very lucky or just put you in a really bad spot. Do better to get out of your rut or to stay on your hot streak. It really adds a bit of fun to this game.
These all were aspects of the previous installment as well. The new feature such as bringing a pet into the family adds a bit of added humor. Ever bring a pet around someone who hates pets or is allergic? Well in the Sims you can see first-hand how much of a bad idea this is. Ever have a pet you think is pure evil? Create the cat or dog with the personality trait of mortal enemy to owner and see how that goes for you. For added humor do like I did, have a person that loves dogs, a person that hates dogs, and a dog that hates it owner. Watch the hilarious efforts ensure after that. The person that loves dogs (me) will keep cleaning up after the dog and try extremely hard to win it over. On the other hand, the person that hates dogs will end up pissed off and hating that dog even more. The dog will piss all over and destroy anything it can knowing that one person will still love it.
The biggest problem I had with this game was the loading screens. I could have gone out into the real world and trained pets faster than the game loaded most of the time. This was a major issue for me and hindered my playing time.
Replayability
If you have ever played a Sims game and enjoyed it this game is for you. Haven’t played a Sims game yet, then go grab this one as it is the best you can get on the console. The options are endless which creates the ability to replay the game numerous times and never relive the same life twice if you don’t want to.
The 411
I really enjoyed my time with Sims 3: Pets. This game was much more than I expected it to be and created a feel that doesn’t leave you longing for the PC versions. The drawbacks of the loading screens so often and long really does make the game hard to sit with at times but can be cut back by downloading the game to your hard-drive.
In the end this game is worth your time and should not be looked past if you have enjoyed the Sims previously.
Graphics
8.0
Great visuals, everything you have come to love from the Sims' Series
Gameplay
7.5
Loading screens hurt the score
Sound
8.0
Again, everything the series has provided thus far and more
Lasting Appeal
9.0
Every time you play as a family you should get different results
Fun Factor
8.0
Great game but minor glitches and issues hurt the game
