Comparison between The Sims 2 and The Sims 3
The Sims 3 is based on The Sims original game and The Sims 2 original game, and contains most features of these.
Completely new features
These features have not existed in any Sims game before:
- Seamless neighborhood
- Bicycles
- Time passes on all lots on the same time - in The Sims 2 it was frozen on the home lot as long as Sims visited community lots. To avoid exploitation of this, Sims could not learn skills, or sleep, in community lots. In The Sims 3, Sims can do almost everything regardless of where they are.
- Create-A-Sim features:
- Continuous body shapes (muscularity/obesity)
- Footwear
- Traits
- Variable lifespan
- New skills (Guitar, Painting, Writing) and challenges
- Elementary civic buildings
- Opportunities
- Enhanced job features
- Job performance options
- Raises
Sims 2 expansion features in The Sims 3
Many features introduced in The Sims 2 expansions appear in The Sims 3 base game.
- Young adults (University)
- Mobile phones (University)
- Guitar (University)
- Treadmill (University)
- Private cars (Nightlife)
- Personal inventory (Nightlife)
- Fish tanks (Pets)
- Gardening (Seasons)
- Fishing (Seasons)
- Storing and eating leftovers (Seasons)
- Jewelry (Bon Voyage)
- Ceilings (Apartment Life)
- Toothbrushing (Apartment Life)
- Playground structures (Apartment Life)
Lost features
These game features were found in The Sims 2 base game but not in The Sims 3.
- Cleaning skill
- Creativity skill - replaced by Guitar skill, Painting and Writing
- Aspiration - replaced by lifetime happiness
- Slacker career
- Fears
- Underwear styles - though underwear can be used as the pajamas style
- Private school
- Visible retail stores - replaced by "rabbit holes"
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Interests
- Memories
- Aliens, alien abduction, alien pregnancy
- Environment and comfort needs (replaced by moodlets)
- The ability to create new neighborhoods
- Illness
- Inheritance
Lost NPCs
Lost objects
These objects (with unique interactions) were found in The Sims 2 but not The Sims 3:
- Aspiration rewards - replaced by lifetime happiness rewards
- Career reward objects (sandbag, hydroponic garden, obstacle course etc)
- Piano - replaced by Guitar
- Springboard - though pools remain
- Hot tub
- Retail objects - cash register, shelves etc
- Farstar e3 Telescope - the simple telescope remains
- Specialised weight machines - the game now has only one combined weight machine.
- Magazines - though specialized books exist
- Wedding arch