The Sims 3 (console)

The Sims 3 is a multi-platform game, developed by Electronic Arts for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS consoles.

For the first time ever, players can take on up to three friends in the Life Moments Game on the Nintendo Wii, upload and download content on Xbox Live and Playstation Store, including furnishings, houses, and player creations or experience a full life simulation on a handheld with Nintendo DS.

Description
"Create Sims with unique personalities, fulfill their desires, and control their lives within a living neighbourhood that you can customise. Unlock all-new Karma Powers and unleash them on your Sims: help your Sim get lucky with the power of “love connector”, bless them with the power of “age defier” or 'instant beauty' or curse them with an 'instant enemy'. Use these powers wisely, because they may have unexpected results! As you guide your Sims through life, you can complete challenges to unlock additional items, new buildings and landmarks."

Features
lt features a new Karma system


 * "Create any Sim you can imagine – give them unique personalities! Fine-tune your Sims’ appearances and personalities. Make them evil, romantic, paranoid, kleptomaniacs, or a mix of something completely different."


 * "Unlock all-new Karma Powers. Wield the ultimate control over your Sims giving them wealth, beauty, and love—or take it all away with the click of a button."


 * "Control your Sims’ destinies – Choose whether or not to fulfill your Sims’ destinies by making their wishes come true—or letting their dreams die. Will your Sims be rock stars, world leaders, or expert thieves? It’s up to you."


 * Complete challenges to unlock additional items, new buildings and landmarks


 * It has been confirmed by IGN that life cycles will be included.


 * Kids have been confirmed for the console version of the game.
 * PS3 and 360 versions will have the Exchange. Items can be shared between both consoles.

Xbox 360/PS3 only features

 * An online exchange is featured which allows Create a Style objects and Sims to be shared with other players.
 * The player can connect with Facebook and Twitter to share their achievements with others.
 * The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game does not have direct controls, but instead uses traditional controls as seen in The Sims 3 for PC.
 * An Internet connection required for online features.
 * The city in 360/PS3 has short loading times when moving between areas, unlike the PC version.
 * The town in the 360/PS3 versions is called Moonlight Bay.
 * The game supports Xbox 360 achievments and PlayStation 3 trophies.
 * The game features challenges to complete and rewards players for completing them by giving them challenge points which can be used to purchase new karma powers, clothes, furniture amongst other things.

Nintendo Wii only features

 * This game will feature weather which can be controlled with Karma Powers such as: hail, lightning, rain, snow and thunder.
 * You can play the new Life Moments Game with up to four players. Bet on life’s most important moments to earn points and garner rewards.
 * Some traits, careers, lifetime wishes, and weather will be exclusive to the Wii version of the game.
 * The Wii version offers direct control which will give the players the use of the nunchuck controls and the Wii remote.
 * The beach city can be explored seamlessly with no loading screens, similar to the PC version.
 * Exclusive skate park community lot.

Nintendo DS only features

 * The NDS version allows players to "sculpt" Sims using the stylus.
 * Experience a full life simulation on a handheld with Nintendo DS
 * You cannot WooHoo, have children, or die.
 * The neighborhood is called Beacon Bay.
 * Due to the presence of an adult Alexander Goth, it is presumable that the game takes place about 20-25 years after The Sims 2.

Nintendo 3DS only features

 * New camera angles that take advantage of 3D
 * Face-mapping feature
 * Take a photo of yourself to transfer to your sim and have your sims look like you.
 * Possible online functionality

Trailer
The trailer for the Sims 3 console was released on June 14th, 2010. It shows many of the original features of the Sims, such as cycling around town and changing Sims' appearance. It also shows the newly-added features, such as 'Karma Powers', such as when a female Sim is exposed outside a restaurant, leaving her totally nude with only the blur to cover her, presumably after doing something bad. It also shows that, unlike previous games, players are allowed to build more than one floor onto buildings. Another feature seems to be the ability to have children in the game, unlike its predecessors: (The Sims 2, The Sims 2: Pets, and The Sims 2 Castaway). Also on the Sims 3 for Wii, Sims can have WooHoo, and players can remove the blur, and it also shows features from The Sims 3 PC Expansion pack Ambitions, although we don't know if they will be in the game. The 2nd E3 trailer features the Kris Allen song, "Live Like We're Dying" and shows the possibility of the aging system as the trailer shows Sims life memories of when they were younger as well as one point of the trailer showing the 6 life stages from The Sims 3 as well as an elderly man with the Grim Reaper. The aging system was later confirmed by Sam Player in an interview with Gamespot.

Images
"Promotional images"=

Videos
Video:Die Sims 3 Nintendo DS - gamescom Hands On

Video:The Sims 3 Wii Trailer

Video:The Sims 3 Nintendo DS Trailer

Video:The Sims 3 on Console trailer

Video:The Sims 3 Console Commercial

Video:The Sims are Alive!: The Sims 3 Console TV Spot

Music

 * 3OH!3 - Double Vision
 * Flo Rida and Jovi - Fresh I Stay
 * School of Seven Bells - Dust Devil
 * Saturday Night - Jessica Mauboy

Reception
Reviews have been generally positive with Gameblog.fr giving 3 stars saying that it will "satisfy fans of the series". Gamespot gave a 7/10 praising the new features given to the console version but critisised the performance and load times. However, Game Informer scored the game with 9/10 on the 360 and PS3, praising The Sims Studio for the console controls and the all new features, commenting that "The console edition of Sims 3 plays just like its PC predecessor". Currently, the PS3 version of the game is scored at 77/100 at Metacritic, while the Xbox 360 version is scored at 76/100. .

Trivia
The idea of karma is taken from the Hindu religion. However, the Western interpretation of the term more accurately describes the Karma system in the game.