the sims medieval looks spiffy

I have to admit I haven't read much about this newly announced title and actually just heard about it recently but I am pretty excited for The Sims Medieval! It's hard to tell at this point what kind of game this will be. From the footage in the promo video on the website (just about the only thing there so far) the Sims look pretty, um, similar to the Sims 3 peeps but I'd venture a guess that there are some additional gameplay styles thrown into the mix.

Read more »

my sims 3 ambitions follow-up

I posted awhile ago (original post here) about enjoying Sims 3: Ambitions very much but having a couple of criticisms about it. I have to post again and say that after more time spent with the last Expansion Pack to have been released, I truly think it is a perfect EP.

Read more »

sims 3 ambitions

The latest Sims 3 expansion pack, Sims 3 Ambitions, has been out for a few weeks now and I have to say that for the most part I am really loving it. Sure, I've got a few criticisms here and there but overall I think that this new career-themed EP has a lot to offer and enhances the base game and the previous expansions.

First of all, I love the idea.

Read more »

i support all girl gamers

I mean it when I say that. I don't care if you play the games I play, you love sports games, ultra-girl-oriented games. I'm just glad that girls play games. Which is why I was slightly tickled (if not, to use her words, annoyed) to find a mention of my lil' blog at a new video game blog called OneGirlGamer. As I said, I'm happy to see anything out there about games from a girl's perspective but apparently she doesn't quite feel the same way!

Read more »

sims 3 ambitions!

The next Sims 3 expansion pack has been announced and is getting pimped all over the online community, and with good reason - it looks awesome.

Read more »

sims 3 high end loft stuff!

The first (of many, I'm sure!) Sims 3 Stuff Pack is coming out tomorrow. High End Loft Stuff promises to "transform your Sims' homes into sleek, edgy lofts" with "sophisticated furnishings, must-have electronics, and cutting edge fashions". Translation: if you like your Sims to be hooked up and tuned in, you'll love this Stuff Pack. I know I will.

Read more »

peta loves the sims 3

I'm still working on being on top of all the awesomeness related to video games that gets reported on the internets these days so forgive me for posting a story that's a few weeks old. However, I think this is just totally blogworthy! The Sims 3 and Electronic Arts were awarded a Proggy award from PETA this year for progressive views on vegetarian lifestyles. Apparently the bar is low enough in video games when it comes to standards of humanity/progress that having the option for Sims to lead vegetarian lives is impressive enough to win an award. It is a pretty damn cool Trait to select for your Sims - they get a whole new range of food options, avoid meat in meals and get sick if they eat meat dishes.

Rumor has it that game testers have reported that vegetarian Sims live longer and age more slowly than meat-eating Sims. Of course, that would jibe with studies showing that real-life vegans and vegetarians are less prone to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other life-threatening conditions.

The Sims 3 Gets PETA-Vegetarian Friendly Award

**disclaimer: I love all animals. I don't love PETA all the time. I do think it's rad that they can get their points across in this kind of promotion.**

sims 3 world adventures

The first expansion pack for the Sims 3 came out this week and I have to admit, I am really enjoying Sims 3: World Adventures so far! I was skeptical at first - we've seen vacationing before in Sims 2: Bon Voyage and while it was well done there, I was worried that World Adventures would seem like merely a reinvention of the new stuff introduced in BV. Not to worry! World Adventures is in fact a really cool addition to the many already cool and new features of the Sims 3. For one thing, there are three new locations to visit, replicating China, France and Egypt - your Sims can visit these locations as vacations for a small fee and spend time without advancing time in the normal game. There are new skills to acquire - martial arts and photography - and several new personality traits that can influence your Sim's behavior and lifestyle. I have only played through some of the new stuff but overall I am pretty impressed. Also, this could totally be a coincidence, but I have to say that my game has been running waaaay better than it ever did before World Adventures and the accompanying game patch, so that's something for sure. All in all, there is a lot of cool new game content and gameplay details to be had in World Adventures, plus registering it on Sims3.com gets you a free 1,000 points to put towards downloading new hairstyles, outfits and furniture. If you're a big fan of the Sims, I don't think you'll be disappointed with World Adventures. I look forward to exploring it further and figuring out all the cool new things I can do with this first expansion pack.

busy busy lately

It's been over a week since I posted anything here and I am setting out to break this bad habit I've fallen into. Things have been crazy busy for me between my two jobs and, well, it's summer and there are more fun places to spend time than in front of a computer writing a blog. Still, I am doing my best to find time to get some gaming in here and there. I have been playing quite a bit of Sims 3 lately and finally took the chance on setting up a Sim with the Evil trait. In fact, he is not only Evil but also Insane and Inappropriate! These traits really do make for some hilarious situations, like the friendly interaction options of "Talk About Conspiracies" (his brother is Neurotic so this is their favorite conversation topic) and "Speak Madness", which has become my go-to social interaction to use. In addition to the Sims I also managed to get a perfect score and a medal on the Crop Stomp level of Rhythm Heaven that has plagued me for a long time. It definitely helps sometimes to take some time off from a game and approach it again later. I've also been doing a fair amount of rocking out in Guitar Hero, which coincidentally has a prominent cameo in Orphan, the (very scary and disturbing) movie I saw last night.

spore: galactic adventures review

The newest expansion pack for Spore on the PC has hit stores and it sounds like Spore: Galactic Adventures has some cool new features to offer that really enrich the Space stage of the evolution-based strategy game. I have to admit that I played through several different creature evolutions in Spore and enjoyed the game quite a bit but definitely agreed with many critics that you get to the Space stage and, well, other than mining spice and terraforming planets I didn't find all that much to do. I think the controllable captain mode of Galactic Adventures as well as the level/adventure editor tools that come with it will be really cool and add a lot of innovative gameplay aspects to Spore. IGN gave Galactic Adventures a "Good" 7.7 in their review. I think I will pick this EP up eventually but I think for now Sims 3 is still at the top of my PC gaming priorities.

getting friendly with the sims 3

There is so much to discover in The Sims 3 that it can seem a bit confusing, and that’s a longtime Sims 2 addict talking. If you’ve never tried the Sims franchise before and just started Sims 3, you may be finding it a bit overwhelming. That’s why I decided to list a few hints and tips that I have found useful in my week’s worth of playing. I’ll add more as I think of them but here’s the first few that have occurred to me:

-A pair of Sims is actually easier to learn with than a solo Sim, especially if they keep very different schedules.
-What a Sim does at work can really affect his or her life so keep close tabs on how your Sim spends the workday.
-Spend your Sim’s Lifetime Happiness points ASAP – my favorite 5,000 point rewards so far are the ones that let you clean faster and slack off at work with no consequences.
-If you’re looking to build a home for your Sim, pick a lot near the beach for multiple benefits like happiness from a good view and easy access to fishing.
-Check your Sim’s inventory tab regularly as useful items like books or plant seeds can appear there without you noticing.
-If you have an HP computer and are wondering what happened to the cheat code box, you can access it by holding ctrl + shift + the windows button + C. Many cheat codes carried over from the Sims 2 including the always useful “kaching”.
-Take time to explore each Sim’s available interactions. Each personality trait adds a ton of distinct behaviors and socializing and many will combine for even crazier options!

first impressions of sims 3

Well, it's been a fun three days of enjoying The Sims 3 on the PC since it came out. One thing I know for sure is that Sims 3 makes all your Sims 2 games obsolete because OMG the advancements! My favorite things so far are the new personality system with mix'n'match traits, the recolorable clothing, and the moodlets triggered by actions, positive or negative. The map view is pretty revolutionary and you almost don't notice that you never hit a loading screen because, well, you just never do! That in itself is a huge step forward, especially if, like me, you were playing Sims 2 with 8 expansion packs and 9 stuff packs, not to mention ridiculous amounts of custom content. I have yet to try out the new movie making features but am looking forward to creating some cool movies with my Sims using the new tools built into the game. One thing I've noticed is that it's definitely worth playing multiple-sim households because the fastest fast-forward speed is waaaay slower than in Sims 2 and they do spend a lot of time sleeping and at work. Still, the ability to define what your sim is doing at work and have it affect his or her jobs and relationships is pretty great. All in all I couldn't be happier with Sims 3 and I look forward to learning more about it and discovering all the cool features that I haven't even used yet. Two thumbs up for sure!

omg!

!!!

!!!

!!!

!!!

!!!

!!!

!!!

!!!

game news from all over

The Sims 3 is charming people left and right. Read what this New York Times writer has to say about The Sims 3, in stores today. When I get home I'm playing this game for hours.

Halo: Reach trailer debuts after ODST demo. Microsoft unveiled the next game in the hugely successful Xbox exclusive Halo franchise after showing off their demo of Halo 3: ODST, out this fall, at their E3 presentation.

"Rape games" are now officially officially banned in Japan. Can't say I have any kind of problem with this.

Microsoft unveils new video/motion capture controller. The device lets the player control characters in a game by moving their arms and legs. Personally, I like sitting on my couch, but that's just me.

Sega's E3 booth lineup of games includes The Conduit, Aliens vs. Predator, and Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games. And the crowd goes "meh".

sims 3 review at IGN

We're down to less than 24 hours until the release of my most anticipated title of the year, EA's the Sims 3! This game looks like it will improve on a lot of the criticisms thrown at the Sims 2 over the years that it's been coming out. I can't wait for the new character design, new house building, new movie-making tools and more! If you're as excited as me, don't miss this IGN Review of the Sims 3, which they give a respectable 8.9.

electronic arts plans merchandise blast

Do you love being able to buy non-gaming products featuring the characters, franchises and stories of your favorite video game titles? No? Well, too bad, because Electronic Arts is in the process of teaming up with Creative Minx Marketing to release several new lines of videogame-inspired shirts, toys and other merchandise. The games that will be getting the merchandising treatment include the Sims franchise, MySims, Dead Space, Dragon Age, Dante's Inferno, Army of Two and Mass Effect 2.

"Creative Minx is proud to be working with EA, and to be able to represent such a strong portfolio of highly-recognizable gaming titles," Andi Riordan-Scott, President of Creative Minx Marketing. "We look forward to building successful merchandising franchises across multiple categories and distribution channels for EA's top brands and leveraging the awareness of its strong consumer base."

EA Plans MERCH Attack

sims 3 trailer yaaaaay

We're getting closer and closer to the Sims 3 being released on its delayed date in June and I'm just as excited as I was in February when I thought it was coming out then. This is a really cool video trailer with a lot of gameplay previews plus a look at the character customization scales and design. The personality creation looks like it will really be revolutionary. I'm also very excited by the ease at which you can recolor pretty much everything and make more detailed and varied character types. This game is going to rock!

godfather 2 is pretty cool

We picked up Electronic Arts' recent release Godfather 2 and have been enjoying it so far. The graphics are very nice and we haven't seen much clipping or graphical issues yet despite some reviews mentioning problems there. We haven't gone very far but one of my first impressions is how awesome the character design system is. There are tons of customization options for hair, eye color, face shape and clothing. Even on the extreme ends of the x-y axis sliders the faces all look believable and lifelike. It actually made me wonder if EA borrowed from new character design in the Sims 3 for this game... I was very impressed with how much you could custom-create a character and it really felt very Sims-like to me, so if Sims 3 delivers a character design system as good as the one in Godfather 2 I'll be very happy!

more apartment decor

We've been dealing with piles of video games surrounding our TV for awhile now so I finally went out and bought us a new shelf to store them all. And here it is! I love having an entire shelf for all my Sims stuff. Wow. I'm obsessed. Luckily there is still room for Sims 3 when it finally comes out! Also, not game related, but don't you wish you had my ferrets-as-movie-characters calendar on your wall?

noooooooo

Today is a sad, sad day, because today it turns out that the Sims 3 is getting delayed... until June! This is such terrible news. I have been getting myself psyched for Sims 3 for months now and was so happy to be only weeks away... It sounds like Electronic Arts felt the game needed a bit more work, and also more of a buzz surrounding its launch, so the June 2nd, 2009 date is where it's at now. Boo-urns.

IGN: The Sims 3 Delayed