Where to begin? Well I guess, you should ignore the unjustified 1* star rated reviews, who apppear to give the game NO credit at all, even though the game is actually very good.

There seems to be alot of confusion in the reviews. People are saying "the game hasn't got as much as The Sims 2." It seems people are not aware that this is the basegame, with no expansions packs. As far as Sims basegames go, this is possibly the most creative and innovative, with quite alot of stuff thrown in as far as features and functionality go.

The neighbourhood is now open for all to see, there are no more loading screens! A huge change, compared to the games of old. This allows you to see where your Sims work, see your Sim's friends and go to community lots without worrying about a transitional "loading" screen.

It would appear alot of people are nit picking (the past time, not the investation of hair!) with this game, saying "Why can't you see inside the work buildings". This is… more »

Where to begin? Well I guess, you should ignore the unjustified 1* star rated reviews, who apppear to give the game NO credit at all, even though the game is actually very good.

There seems to be alot of confusion in the reviews. People are saying "the game hasn't got as much as The Sims 2." It seems people are not aware that this is the basegame, with no expansions packs. As far as Sims basegames go, this is possibly the most creative and innovative, with quite alot of stuff thrown in as far as features and functionality go.

The neighbourhood is now open for all to see, there are no more loading screens! A huge change, compared to the games of old. This allows you to see where your Sims work, see your Sim's friends and go to community lots without worrying about a transitional "loading" screen.

It would appear alot of people are nit picking (the past time, not the investation of hair!) with this game, saying "Why can't you see inside the work buildings". This is completely unfair and unjust towards EA, considering this is the first game you actually SEE where your Sims work, let alone using a drop down menu to determine what they do at work "Business as usual, word hard, watch TV, sleep or chat to co-workers/the boss". It also allows for teens, young adults, adults and elders to work part-time in some jobs - such as a store clerk, reception or bookclub moderator inside the Bookstore, Spa and Grocery Store. Not forgeting, you don't have to have "10 friends to advance", as work places now take into account the skills and general relationships with people, making friend hunting less important for those Sims who find it hard to socialise (with the loner trait, especially).

Yes, the lack of ability to see inside the usual places like the restaurants, bookstore and clothes store is, as for the moment, non-existent. But no, this isn't a reason to completely abandon and shun the game as "terrible" or "RUBBISH" and what it doesn't do, it makes up with, such as;

The game now makes use of personality traits - something never before looked at in the Sims franchise (turn ons and offs were close, but not as indepth as this). Your Sim can be a vegetarian, clumsy, a genuis or a computer whiz, all of which shape the way your Sims learn and communication. This also makes it easier to make friends - Sims sharing similar traits tend to enjoy talking about the same things.

Harvesting - This is a feature that first appeared in The Sims 2 Seasons. In The Sims 3, Sims can make proper use of vegetables making a range of dishes from scratch using the usual cooking skill which means the higher the cooking skill, the better the food. This can be combined with gardening and fishing, to further improve the quality of food.

Collectible are also very interesting, you can find gems, precious metals, bugs and insects around the town. Gems can be cut into different shapes - shapes can be unlocked the more gems you find or have cut.

So, to cut this lecture short - well done EA on making a decent Sims base game. I look forward to seeing the new Expansion Packs that are in order!