It’s been a long time coming, but finally Sims 3 has been released today (unless of course you live in the US, in which case you have been enjoying the game for a couple of days now).
So what do you think? What are your favourite new features?
Please post your comments below.
We are getting very close to the Sims 3 release date. Make sure you pre-order your copy soon to ensure you are able to play when it releases on February 20th.
The latest (and likely final) Stuff Pack for The Sims 2 has just been released. The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff Pack includes unique building elements to help you create mansions and gardens for Sims in three architectural styles: Moroccan, Second Empire and Art Deco.
Click here to find out more and buy your copy of The Sims 2 Mansions & Garden Stuff Pack<
Finally the news we have all been waiting for, The Sims3 will be released on the 20th February 2009.
If you need more of a reason to write that date in your diary now, then check out the new video here.
There is a great interview on gamespy with Rod Humble, the man in charge of the Sims franchise. The most pleasing part of the interview for me was him acknowledging how frustrating load times can be:
The biggest thing that annoyed us, frankly, were the loading times.
The only disappointment is there is still no word on a release date beyond ‘some time next year’. My guess is it will be later in the year rather than earlier.
Your Sims are moving into a brand-new apartment, and their lives will never be the same! Adventure, fun, and drama await them as they meet new people and explore their new neighborhood. Will they take their kids to the local playground, mingle in coffee shops, or hit the park to learn from the breakdancers? Close quarters mean new opportunities-move in with compatible roomies for a thriving social life, advance your career with the right social network, or find true love just down the hall. Whether they live in artsy converted lofts, the ultimate studio bachelor pads, or luxury apartments with their own butler, your Sims will experience all of the excitement of apartment life!
Features:
Move into the perfect apartment: a spacious loft, a cozy place for a young couple, or a multi-bedroom flat-share with friends.
Mingle with Sims from all-new social groups: stylish socialites, artsy bohemians, sports jocks, gadget-collecting techies, or edgy gearheads.
Take advantage of apartment life: form social networks to make new friends, advance their careers, or look for love.
Build your Sim’s new reputation meter: with a good reputation, your Sim can find the right friends to help them achieve their goals!
Control multiple households: will you make your Sims live in happy harmony or comical conflict?
EA teased it, and now Games for Windows: The Official Magazine is giving you all the full blown coverage. The April/May issue of GFW will sport a world exclusive cover story of the newest entry in the second best selling franchise in all gaming.
Some of the details from the 12-page preview:
The biggest change to The Sims 3 is that it takes place in a wide-open, constantly changing neighborhood — a much bigger sandbox, if you will, and a much more complex simulation. The town and park you see on the cover image to the right (click to enlarge) exist in the same seamless space as your Sims’ household, and what you do outside your home now matters as much as what you do within. (Yes, previous expansion packs added out-and-about activities, but they were always separate sub-games. Here, everything’s completely integrated.) The game also sees a major shift in how Sims’ motives are handled: Individual meters indicating bladder and sleep-deprivation levels are replaced by a new system of discrete moods, the aim being to get players off the treadmill of fulfilling primal eat-sleep-pee-repeat requirements so they can focus more on, well, going out on the brand new town.
1UP will be home to all sorts of coverage of the game in the coming weeks. From a community Q&A to a podcast with Sims Studio head Rod Humble, you’ll find out everything you want to know.
And don’t forget to keep checking back here for the latest news as we approach the release day later in the year
Now your Sims can rediscover the joys of leisure time! Awaken your Sims’ true passions in life as they discover and excel at all-new activities. Whether they’re tossing a football with the family, practicing ballet, restoring cars with friends, or building train sets, your Sims now have more ways to build skills, enhance friendships, and make their lives more successful.
Craft new, unique items for your Sims to use in their daily lives including clothing, pottery, and more. Your Sims will even unlock secret rewards by mastering their hobbies and advancing all-new careers. Explore a wide variety of new hobbies that will change your Sims’ lives!
Features:
Discover your Sims’ passion from a wide range of new activity types, from sports to science to arts and crafts. All-new hobbies include basketball, soccer, restoring cars, ballet, even searching for stars and planets!
Hobbies offer lifetime rewards. As your Sims master new activities they’ll unlock aspirations, earn rewards, and uncover secret lots.
Once your Sims build up their skills, they can sell their arts and crafts or see how they stack up against the competition by entering dance, food, and video game contests!
All-new group activities are a great way for Sims to spend time with family and friends. There are even special activities for kids and toddlers, including an activity table for drawing and playing with blocks!
Hobbies can be full of unexpected moments, especially for Sims with low skill levels. Your newbie Sim might sew a bear with one eye, make a lopsided jar on the pottery wheel, get poison ivy while hiking, or who knows what?! 
Due for release 7th September 2007 – Click here to buy from Amazon
Whisk your Sims away from their everyday routines and take them on exciting trips to three exotic locations! Whether relaxing on a lush tropical island in a luxury suite, camping with the family on a pristine mountaintop, or exploring the culture of the Far East, your Sims will enjoy new activities to relax and rejuvenate them. Transform them from bumbling tourists to savvy international travelers as they learn new customs including local greetings, dances, and more to take home and teach to their friends. Send your Sims packing for the trip of a lifetime!
· Travel to Three Dream Destinations-Each location offers unique landscapes and local residents, such as the Fire Dancer and Ninja, for your Sims to meet and learn from. Try local cuisine and admire cultural landmarks as your Sims explore these new locales.
· Send Your Sims on Tours-Glass bottom boat rides, adventurous van tours, and other excursions are fun new activities for your Sims, but there may be some surprises in store!
· Buy or Find Unique Items-Shop for unique objects found only on your Sims’ travels, including rare jewelry they can wear or take home as gifts. Stumble upon hidden locations, collect shells on the beach, or dig up treasure.
· Stay at New Travel Accommodations-Splurge on the luxury suite for your Sims or save Simoleons and choose a more cozy lodging. Your Sims will enjoy the comfort of room service, get pampered at the spa, and more.
Due for release 20th October 2006 – Click here to buy from Amazon
Get your paws on The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack! From scampering puppies to cuddly kittens, add a new furry or feathered friend to your Sims’ lives. Choose from dozens of the most popular dog and cat breeds like Dalmatians or the American Shorthair. Or create a unique cat or dog by modifying their body shape and facial features, choosing specific colours and markings, and more. Decide on a personality – smart, sweet, silly, or sloppy.
Your Sims can teach their pets tricks, take them for a romp in the park, and countless other things as they share their lives with their pets. But keep one thing in mind – your Sims’ pets have minds of their own. Don’t be surprised if cats scratch the sofa, dogs dig holes in the garden, pets sleep on your Sims’ bed, or worse. Expect the unexpected.
Key Features:
Sims Have Pets
Your Sims can share a lifetime with their pets. Sims can adopt dogs, cats, birds, and more.
Create-a-Pet
Choose from dozens of dog and cat breeds, or customise features for a unique pet and then pick their personalities.
Pets Have Genetics
Cross different breeds to create designer pets or make new ones and register them to appear in Create-A-Pet as a unique pedigree.
Sit, Spike, Sit
Your Sims can encourage and discipline pets, training them to shake, play dead, and more. Unruly pets might dig in the yard, claw the sofa, topple the trash, or surprise their Sims in other ways, but Sims can change their pets’ ways with the right training.
Pets Have Careers
Now your Sims aren’t the only ones bringing home the bacon! Skilled pets can earn a living from three career tracks – Show Business, Security, and service – and work their way up through five job levels.
Your Sims’ pets are members of the family and share all of life’s great moments whether it’s kids training puppies, teens playing fetch in the park, adults watching TV with their cats, or elders enjoying a sunny day in park with their long-time companion.