The Sims 3 Console E3 2010 Preview

Quick Take: One of the most popular PC gaming franchises heads to the console world (again) with some new twists. The upcoming version of The Sims 3 has the classic elements of its PC counterpart with some new additions that deepen the gameplay.

While previous The Sims entries have been watered down in their transition to consoles, this one has a chance to surpass the original.

The Sims is no stranger to the console world, but something always seems to get lost in the transition from PCs to consoles. EA aims to eliminate that problem with The Sims 3. From the get go, it seems on par with the PC version. As the game unfolds, new twists that add more depth to the gameplay are unveiled.

Starting off is similar to the PC version. You create your character and dwelling. You select your character's personality traits and lifetime wishes. Then it's all about the classic god gaming, voyeurism, and persistence that has made the series so popular. Challenges mix up the gameplay by giving you specific tasks. These range from snagging a kiss on a date, meeting a certain amount of people, reaching a level of athletic fitness, and more. Challenges unlock new items, buildings, and town upgrades.

The big twist is the addition of karma points and powers. As you play, you earn karma points depending on how you play your character's life. When enough karma points are gained, karma powers are earned and can drastically change the flow of the game. You can reward your character by granting him or her instant beauty or you can punish your character by bombarding his or her dwelling with a rain of fire. Other karma powers include cosmic curse, get lucky, poltergeist, and epic fail -- you can pretty much guess what those do. Karma powers add another fun layer or manipulating life in The Sims 3.

For a franchise that gained its popularity on PCs and hasn't done as well on consoles, it's surprising that this version of The Sims 3 has the chance to trump its predecessor. At the very least, it should be on par with the PC game, but I can see many preferring it.

Already available on PC, The Sims 3 will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS in October 2010, with a Nintendo 3DS version in the works as well.

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