For personal reference more than anything else.

Played for over a couple of days because I was in the mood for it and also I wanted to write this. Have played this a lot over the last 10 years and it was my first PC Sims game. Will be like what I wrote for This Sims 2 and will look at how this game feels while taking the rest of the franchise into account rather than trying to look at it on its own or for when it came out.

To start off with, I really like this game and due to it not only being an important milestone in my history of The Sims but also my main Sims game for a fair few years, I'm a bit more positive towards it compared to a few of the other games in the series. With that said though I'm still going to note what issues I have with it.

But first is Create-A-Sim and its a massive improvement over the previous games, there are so many options when it comes to customising your sims, you can make a supernatural sim straight from CAS and there's been an overhaul of the personality system. The points are gone and now there's traits, I really like the traits and I think its the best way of giving sims distinct personalities. While I was playing I saw sims dumpster diving, wanting to tell my sim their plot to take over the world and when speaking to a couple I would learn one of their traits which made me re-evaluate how I was interacting with them (a sim I was considering as the romantic partner for my sim turned out to be unflirty so I decided to scrap my plan and go for someone else). There are a lot of traits to choose from (I was playing base game only and was surprised by just how many there were) and having 5 slots makes it so the sims feel more multifaceted in their personality, even with all the years I've played I still haven't used them all and there are some that I could easily see bringing a new way of playing (like a challenge of sorts). The aspirations have now been replaced by lifetime wishes that also have a fair amount to choose from and I'm also a fan of.

I quite like how the sims look in this game (although I do think that I prefer how they look in other games) and I don't really have the issue of creating sims that look alike, because altering specific parts of them feels like it works quite well and is quite simple. The hair and outfits are generally good and there's a good amount that I really like but due to the time the game/expansions came out, some things are very much a product of their time and in all honesty just look really bad to me but there's enough choice so that I don't have to feel like I choose a hair or outfit I don't like.

Unfortunately though CAS and the game as a whole can have a pretty big problem and that's how it runs. While I don't use a gaming PC or laptop and never have done, the laptops I have had over the years (including my current one) are at the recommended specs of the game (at least going off of what it says on the EA App thing) and yet the game can run pretty terribly if I try to use more than 2 or so packs. If I have more than this then the game will run very slowly and start crashing after about an hour and a half of playtime in a save and CAS will take ages to load all of the clothing options, making choosing outfits in this game feel very annoying and not worth doing just to save me the hassle. I really don't like this as creating a sim is one of my favourite parts of these games. I wouldn't have too much of an issue if it wasn't for the fact that I know this is an incredibly common problem for this game and also that Sims 4 (where I'm pretty sure I've got more packs than I do with this one) doesn't have this issue for me, yet came out 5 years after this game. As it stands though, this is my biggest problem with this game and the reason that I struggle to come back to it.

However, one aspect of this game that is probably the reason why it can run so badly but is also one of if not the main reason I come back to it is the open world. I don't always get a chance to fully explore the worlds in this game but the fact its there and that it really brings something to the standard Sims gameplay makes it one of my favourite things that the series has done. Being able to just go anywhere at anytime is great and even though a lot of the locations are rabbit holes that doesn't really matter to me as the areas that aren't, like the park, beach and graveyard are fun to go to and do whatever in, but also it still makes the world feel real and I just love it. This game being the only Sims game to implement this (aside from the Wii port of this game from what I've seen) really helps the game stand out and gives me a reason to come back to this game as often as I do.

Something else this game brings to the table is an unbelievable amount of what I consider to be improvements, most of the things I had an issue with in Sims 2 are gone. You can have more than one save file, lifespans are not only changeable but are so good that you get a really specific lifespan with each life stage being the length you want it to be. There's a map so its now incredibly easy to get to anywhere you want, you don't need to go out of your way to get groceries or a mobile phone, you actually learn things about other sims and can find out what their personality is like and whether or not they're single. Playing through this game not long after Sims 2 and also re-reading what I wrote for that game really opened my eyes as to how much changed and I am so grateful as it makes the game less annoying and quite fun to play.

As for the DLC for the game, its quite good and it feels like when it comes to this game's take on the series mainstays it manages to get it the most right I think in a couple of cases. University Life is at its best purely because of the open world, that is exactly what a pack like that needs, it also has a gameplay loop that feels different from the core Sims gameplay. Pets is also at its best here as you can actually play as the pets themselves which offers its own type of gameplay that is pretty fun.

Seasons is good as the festivals are nice to do and can just feel like a special moment as its fun to take part in the activities and can be great for something like a family day out or a date. Late Night gets a special pass from me as it was the first expansion pack I got, but in all fairness I do enjoy the city-based packs as I really like living in the apartments. Ambitions is decent enough as while I'm kind of lukewarm on the professions in this pack, I've always loved the inventing mechanic (mainly for when you get the ability to detonate objects as I get great enjoyment from going into other Sims' homes and blowing up their toilet or whatever).

Supernatural is the second pack I got and I really liked it when I was younger and was even really looking forward to it before I got the game which was why I asked for it. But having played the supernatural type sims in 4 have kind of made me look at them in this game and notice how little there is to do with them and how they get kind of boring a bit too quickly. Generations is neat I guess but I don't really use much from it outside of CAS items (probably because I don't play with families all that often). Showtime is sort of interesting but the showbusiness theme doesn't interest me much here (I greatly prefer Get Famous from 4 when it comes to the celebrity stuff in this series) and while I enjoy a city pack for each game I don't exactly feel like I need more than one for each game. World Adventures seems good but almost never gets used by me. Into the Future is admittedly quite a cool concept and I enjoy when an entry in this series will try something different but I don't really think it actually works all that well as a Sims experience and I severely dislike the CAS items from this pack so much and the teleporter appearing two seconds after you start a new game every time (same can be said for recruitment Llama from University).

So while most of the packs offer at least something for me, something to note is that I'm pretty sure that this game has the most things in it. Every pack feels like it brings a high amount of stuff and that is another thing that gives Sims 3 its identity, but in all honesty its something I have mixed feelings on. I like the idea of there being a lot of stuff to do in the game but I feel like if I ever try to engage with it, I don't spend too long before I'm done with it. Supernatural has multiple types of supernatural sims but they just don't feel like they offer much gameplay outside of a five to ten minute play around and then moving on to something else, the professions in Ambitions each feel different from each other and are fun to use like once but then they just get repetitive and then there's just the packs that feel like they do so many little things like Generations but realistically get used once or twice by me before I forget about them and never really feel the need to use them again. There are some things that certainly stick for me though and I use them a fair amount.

The thing is though when the game is itself recommending to not play with too many packs and one of the biggest things about this game is how much there is to do (at least that's the way I see it), it becomes all too apparent just how little time I spend with the various stuff the expansions bring. But saying this, playing with nothing but the base game can still lead to a great time and the game doesn't need all that other stuff to make it interesting as it does the Sims experience really well by itself, I came out of playing base game only still really liking it and that shows what a good game this is at its core.

A couple of scattered thoughts:

• The music is good but I don't quite think its as strong as Sims 2's music.

• Building houses in this game is great and I have no real issues with it.

I think this is a great game and because of when I played it and my relationship to it, its really special to me. I don't exactly come back to it all the time and I do have some issues with it but the good absolutely outweighs the bad here and its more than likely one of my favourite Sims games.

The Sims 3 is an absolute delight for life simulation enthusiasts. As a dedicated player who's spent countless hours in its virtual world, I can confidently say it's a game that keeps on giving. The freedom to create and shape your Sims' lives, personalities, and relationships is incredibly satisfying. From crafting their looks to building their homes, every detail is in your hands. The variety of careers, hobbies, and interactions ensures that no two playthroughs are the same. Whether you're guiding your Sims to success or letting them follow their wildest dreams, the game offers a fulfilling sense of control. The Sims 3 truly excels at capturing the essence of life and imagination, making it a must-play for anyone who enjoys crafting stories and experiences in a virtual realm.