Finally, Sims has made its way into iPhones and iPods as its latest version, Sims 3 now provides an iOS of the said game deemed well-worth its $6.99 price.
Last updated around November 2010, Sims 3 version 1.3.65 only takes up about 82.2 MB space, and is a cut-down version of the previous Sims that was played on PC and MAC. But even so, being a stripped-down version of its predecessors doesn’t make this new version less fun or less time-consuming than the older ones. Those who haven’t been able to play The Sims or The Sims 2, the game is basically about creating a character and living its life. Yes, you will get to control when it eats, sleeps, bathes and etc. You have complete control over it, though you may also put in auto mode if you want to. But other than those basic necessities, your own Sim will be given goals to finish, and the player may choose to keep up until four unfinished tasks in his list. In this version, a goal-system has been included in order to help give the player a clearer objective, and not make the open game seem rather pointless.
Much like in the previous versions, the player will get to custom-design his own house, although there are only around 3-6 options available for the pieces of furniture the player gets to choose for his house. If the player wishes to get more area for his house, he will have to purchase upgrades that add space and extra rooms. More items will unlock as the game wears on, and hopefully, future updates will provide a lot of other items. It also wouldn’t at all be surprising if an option to buy pieces of furniture using real money comes along with a newer update too.
Players are able to converse with other Sims too, although not human-controlled ones. The conversations are either part of a dialogue included in completing a task, or part of everyday Sim-to-Sim interaction. Hobbies are also available for Sims. These hobbies include cooking, gardening, fishing and repairing. Each hobby includes its own set of mini-games that increase each hobby’s levels, and is a sure way to pass time with. The only flaw is that these mini-games are rather easy, and that whenever one mini-game for a particular hobby starts suddenly (e.g. a lamp is broken), the camera is directly shifted towards that new goal even though you still aren’t done with your previous one.
Although there is no major main objective in playing Sims, raising money is one of the things you can do not only to pass time, but to earn enough to buy things as well. There are various ways to earn money, those of which include selling vegetables from your Sim’s garden, doing tasks for other Sims, selling fish that you’ve caught, and of course, getting a job. Getting hired is a cinch, but since there are countless of opportunities to steal easy money from your job, the chances of getting fired are higher too. Although your Sim can do things like sleep with the boss to slim down that possibility.
The biggest downside to the current version of the game is the constant crashes players encounter for no definite reason at all. At times this can be solved by simply rebooting the iPhone or iPod, but even that doesn’t stop that crashes from recurring.
With more updates, however, The Sims 3 will surely be as much as a hit and just as great a gaming application as that of its previous versions, if not even more.