The Sims 3 First Impressions

Unfortunately my brother is playing right now so I can't exactly provide any screenshots as much as I want to. Anyway, I pre-ordered The Sims 3 from Trinoma Datablitz a few weeks ago and it's just now that we were able to get to it. Obviously, if you surf the Internet a lot, it's no secret that publisher Electronic Arts places much faith in this game as it is being marketed rather aggressively across many forms. But enough about marketing, let's get on with the actual game.

Let's talk about the stuff that actually came in with the box. Since pre-ordering automatically enables you to a more costly Collector's Edition (although those who pre-order apparently have gotten a 200 peso decrease from the retail price of the Collector's Edition which is 2500 PHP), I got soooo many freebies. Those who pre-order (which means it's not part of the Collector's Edition) also get a nice mug and a simple black t-shirt with the plumbob. Then the inside of the collector's edition has a 2GB USB drive shaped like the iconic plumbob (check my Twitter account for pictures of the USB drive) which comes pre-loaded with Sims 3 wallpapers, screensavers and the theme song, a free download code for the European car from the Sims store, and a preview hard copy of the Prima Guide. Other less tangible freebies include a Sims 2 expansion of choice (which my brother gave to his friend and is only available for those who pre-ordered), and $10 worth of SimPoints when you register your game (all original retail copies have free $10). Note that all copies of The Sims 3 is also compatible with both Windows and Intel-based Macs on the same disc.

Installation took quite a long time to finish, and the Sims 3 Launcher took really long to load up. This particular launcher basically has links to The Sims 3 Store and it also acts as a download manager for purchased items. Of course, the Launcher has a big-ass Play button too.

So yeah, I click the Play button and guess what happened: the screen became black, the monitor changed resolutions, and suddenly there was a white border- and it didn't look normal. I only heard the audio cue of the EA logo, so my intuition told me that I should press the Start button- which I did- and maximize it again. Guess what, it solved the problem. Now I have to live with this relatively minor irritation!

The game made up for it by loading up surprisingly swiftly though. I never remembered the Sims 2 loading up so quickly, even during when it first launched, but it must be said that it could be attributed to my decent dual-core setup. Minimum specifications for The Sims 3 is actually very kind: a Pentium 4 is still all it needs- and it kinda shows in the graphics.

I thought it was just the same graphic fidelity as The Sims 2 and it was art direction that made it look more realistic, but there is actually a bit of an improvement in The Sims 3- but not by all that much. Instinctively, I selected the default Sunset Valley neighborhood and instantly noticed the absence of the option for creating custom neighborhoods. It should be noted that it is not Maxis that is developing the game this time around, but EA Redwood Shores. Still, a lot of the changes they made are actually for the better even if at first, experienced players will get thrown off.

Instinctively, I chose to Create A Sim, and boy did it take longer than I would in The Sims 2 to make a person. Getting used to the granular controls might take some time for me, but they're fun to mess around with nonetheless. By default, the game actually picks the Young Adult age group for some reason. In The Sims 2, the young adult was the age group that experienced college, but it seems that in this game, Young Adult is the same as Adult in the first two Sims. When it then came to the clothes, it was suddenly a world of flexibility. All of a sudden, I was choosing my own styles, colors and yes, shoes. The Create A Style mode surprisingly hooked me as I'm not normally into mixing and matching shapes and colors and patterns. It's a lot of fun to use this tool, and it took little time for me to get used to the filters and hierarchies. Hair coloration also works as advertised as you can now adjust a Sim's roots, highlights, base, and more. Making celebrity lookalikes just became a lot easier this time around, and early on in this stage do I find myself falling in love with The Sims 3 already!

Lastly, you can also set some interesting personality traits to your Sim. Instead of the archaic celestial signs system, you can actually put personality traits into your Sim through clicking actual adjectives- and boy are there a lot of them. These personality traits will actually narrow down the appropriate goals your Sim might want to have. For example, my Sim didn't have the option to have the goal of taking over the world, but the Sim of my brother had it. It's very interesting to experiment with them, so I might even go for the Evil trait later on. Perhaps a bit less of an impact to gameplay is the new Favorites system which could replace the Turn-On and Turn-Off system introduced in The Sims 2 Nightlife. It's just you selecting what food or musical genre your Sim wants, etc..

Now it's time to move in the family. I chose not to create my own house for now, so I moved her in a pre-made house. Yeah, I made a girl named Caroline Reese- a suggestion from my brother. Anyway, I moved her in and suddenly my younger brother wanted to play. I felt like giving him a chance to play so I saved the game.

This is where confusion starts. In The Sims and The Sims 2, it would be that pressing the button with the three dots (or F5) and click "Neighborhood" would send you back to the neighborhood view so you could select a new family or create a new Sim. In this game, it's radically different. For starters, there is no Neighborhood view where you can choose the next Sim you want to control, it's the Main Menu where you can choose the next Sim you want to control, and you have to select "New Game" from the Main Menu so you can access the neighborhood and create a new Sim. In time, I'll get used to it, but it's kind of clunky if you ask me.

Anyway, after actually restarting the computer because Windows froze, my brother started playing and creating his Sim. Next thing he did was to create an empty lot and build a new house. Just clicking at the Buy mode revealed a complete revamp of the UI. There were tabs that categorized the objects by function, and below those tabs would be really huge representations of what would've been a typical category in The Sims 2. And I mean HUGE. This makes for a more user-friendly experience for novice players, but experienced players (like me) will have to get used to them. The Build mode for creating a house is actually no different and could potentially be a bit of a hassle for experienced players. You are presented with a huge representation of an actual house, and there you could pick whether you want to edit the terrain, create a garden, make the foundation, etc..

So far, the actual building process seems like it's the same as The Sims 2. It's the color-coordination that's actually different. For example, you want to match the couch of your living room to the color of the walls in the room. Well, you can summon the Style editor and actually match it. It's really amazing what you can do with the versatile editor. You can actually use it on practically any object, and you can change the color of either, in the case of the aforementioned couch, the cushions or the wooden support. Trust me, just that aspect will already addict you.

I have yet to actually experience living life with a Sim, but I'll just reflect my impressions when I get to review it. It will be quite the task to review a game of this scale. So far, I am really loving the creation aspects of it, but the actual gameplay will have to wait.

Sims 3 First Expansion Pack Details

While The Sims 3 is getting ready to reproduce about a hundred million copies for retail, details about the first expansion pack have already been purportedly leaked.

There is yet a name for the expansion pack, but one of the alleged major points of the new expansion pack involves a 1st person perspective that can only be unlocked by those who pick the "Master Criminal" and/or "Evil" dreams and personalities respectively.

This enables those kinds of Sims to not only steal candy and other invaluable items in first person view, but to also be able to carjack ala Grand Theft Auto, kill other Sims and wield weapons in the first person view.

Other additions not relative to the first person view include the ability to create gangster mobs, hire hookers through the phone or through Craigslist in your computer, gain access to secret underground lots and hideouts (or create one yourself), and do drugs.

Those who pick the "Insane" personality have a bonus though: they can unlock doomsday machines!

These new additions will not only bring more realism to the simulation series, but also bring in a new slew of hardcore gamers because of the now dangerously jacked-up rating. As if sexual activities implied by the "Try for Baby" option wasn't thin a line enough!

LittleBigPlanet and... Muslims? and other gaming news

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the PS3 game title LittleBigPlanet?

Well, it's certainly not the Qu'Ran (or Koran if you want)! If you don't know what LittleBigPlanet is, let me tell you what it is. Basically, it is/was an indie platformer game made by Media Molecule for the PS3. After a showing in the Game Developers' Conference in 2006, fans who were instantly charmed by its physics powered side-scrolling platforming gameplay, user-friendly powerful level editor and cute little Sackboy mascots have been obsessively following the game around. Actually, this week was supposed to be the worldwide release of the AAA title, but it was cut short as reported yesterday because...

...one of the songs in its otherwise "great soundtrack," as Gamespot says in their review, has lyrics that, when translated, are actually passages in the Qu'Ran. And if you're still stupid enough not to know what a Qu'Ran or Koran is, it's the holy book of Islamic believers.
Although Sony didn't exactly confirm the exact translation of the lyrics, they have set out to delay the game for yet another week and recall all shipped stock to rectify some demonstrations agianst the game that would result from rash judgment... so PS3 owners may have to wait for their 'killer app' at least another week.

But if you just can't resist waiting further, you can call Media Molecule and say you want a copy because you want to play with the cute Sackboys. Perhaps you'll get some free ROFL stickers as consolation?

Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams?
There's an alleged leaked trailer of the sequel to the critically praised Bioshock- an underwater shooter created by Take-Two that comes with the PS3 version of the game. Is it real? Well, it's convincing, so I'm placing my bet on the answer 'Yes'.


Left4Dead pre-orders surpass Orange Box
I want The Orange Box, but I also want Left4Dead. Man, Valve is always the come-to for great shooter games, and even though the zombie shooter Left4Dead has been announced since January 2007, it wasn't until Valve acquired Turtle Rock Studios- the people behind the uber-popular Half-Life hack Counter-Strike- that the Left4Dead hype train started to catch steam.
Now, pre-orders for the game have already surpassed that of the Orange Box- a compilation of Valve shooters- which has been certified Platinum.

If you want to know what Left4Dead is, it's an FPS that lets you play as a "character" in a horror-movie type setting. Basically, if you think horror movies aren't scary at all, then why not get adrenaline pumping by being in one? There will be some great multiplayer action and great cinematic moments, as well as a certain level of accessibility thanks to the "AI Director".

Fill out the gap
If you have Soul Calibur IV for the 360 or PS3, you'll see that, besides the overly ginormous mammaries of its characters, there is this little gap in between The Apprentice and Vader/Yoda. If you want to fill out that gap, you can pay 5 US bucks on the respective services of both consoles to get Vader for the 360 and Yoda for the PS3 on October 23. But personally, seeing Star Wars characters on a Soul Calibur game as a shameless plug for the purportedly terrible Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is still as uncomfortable as seeing the character Ivy. I don't know why.

CAPTION: Yoda sticks out like a sore thumb... with snot.

EA actually comes out with a great survival horror game
Hey! That's news to me!
Anyway, EA just released this atmospheric survival horror game in outerspace called, well, Dead Space. And so far, it has been receiving heaps of praise from the critics and players. Wow, I'm surprised as far as I'm concerned. Imma go try it out and "strategically dismember" some aliens.

E3: Final Fantasy shockers!

Day 1: The Microsoft Keynote
Before I go to the really, really, really big shocker/s, let me clear these out first:
>Gears of War 2 gets a new trailer.
>Rock Band 2 gets AC/DC, thus causing rhythm fans to go baloney.
>The casual audience gets more games on the 360 Live Arcade platform, one of the most prominent being "I'm In The Movies!" which looks more like an Eye-Toy game for the PS2 by Codebreakers.
> Microsoft rips of Sony's SingStar karaoke series with their own "Lips".
> There's a new Halo game coming out called Halo Wars- and it may not have Master Chief!
> Resident Evil 5 gets co-op on our asses (although IMO, co-op will feel like SSBB's Subspace Emissary: it doesn't look like it's given much thought because the camera only focuses on the first player).
> Fallout 3 goes to 360 and not only PC.
> Mirror's Edge looks really sweet!
> Take a look at Spore: Will Wright's new simulation thingy.

BIG NEWS:
When you see Final Fantasy, what comes in your mind?

Cloud Strife, Tidus, Yuna, Squall, and oh, the PlayStation.


Now, it's all gonna change because the newest installment of the Final Fantasy series goes to the XBox 360.

Oooh, that's gotta hurt, Sony!

And then, come more rip-offs, courtesy of MS.

OK, they've revamped their famous dashboard, and it looks pretty nice. But look more into the first picture and what do you see?
A F**KING MII.

Thinking about it just sickens me, especially since the 360 was built almost primarily for the hardcore. And now they're going the way of the Wii? This is of course gonna be inducing some competition, but personally, when I mix the two terms XBox and avatars together, I get lost.

I mean, yeah, there seems to be a lot more Home-like options than that of the Wii, but still, this is just too derivative.

Tomorrow: NINTENDO!!!!
(Picture credit goes to my friend Hallway_Giant from the GameSpot community.)

ON X-PLAY: Hello Kitty... MMO???

Watch out Ms. Ileto wannabe's 'coz the kitten's going online. No, not a website, but an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) of sorts where you can customize avatars, communicate with other kitties, get skills and even go farming. Yup, Sanrio's trying to take over the world again. Will WoW ever compare?

*UPDATE
Just saw the screenshots. The game's presented in 2.5D with very colorful backgrounds that prevalently uses a garish pink... Just as expected. And I can't even believe that fans are going overboard for this thing. And what's with the HP? And why fighting (mentioned below)? Hmmm... I don't know whether to describe it as stupid or wrong. But I'd like to see how they die. >:) EVIL, EVIL ME. Good news for those who want to actually try this though, it's free and requires no subscription whatsoever.

Why do I get this strange feeling that there's already a Japanese version? (Note the ugly fonts.)

From the original X-Play article:
Watch out World of Warcraft: Hello Kitty is going MMO. Welcome to Kitty Town, b*tches.

Hello Kitty Online, the Sanrio-sponsored adorabiltiy simulator, is going into Beta, which means YOU can apply. Do it. You know you want to.

In addition to the standard MMORPG features such as customizable avatars, guilds, skill systems, and player economy, some of the unique Hello Kitty Online features are under the cut. Click it. The kitten says you must.

• Unique game world: a persistent, beautifully designed environment where thousands of players and NPCs live, explore and quest in a magical world with real and imaginary zones such as the Flower Kingdom, Tokyo, Paris, Moscow, and more. Real world locations offer players the ability to learn about those places.
• Unique NPCs: players will encounter and interact with popular Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, My Melody, Keroppi, and many others, all animated with a variety of contextual facial expressions.
• Free to play: Hello Kitty Online is downloaded and played free of charge. There are no subscription fees.
• Character upgrades: the Item Mall allows players to use real money to purchase special items and upgrades for characters.
• Player housing: players can build and customize their own houses after acquiring the necessary licenses and materials. Houses depreciate over time and need to be maintained properly or will fall in disuse. A homeowner can invite someone to visit by making an in-game telephone call, and the player called will automatically be transported to the house if she agrees.
• Crafting system: Hello Kitty Online has an extensive crafting system with output such as tools & weapons, farming implements & furniture, a wide variety of cooked dishes, and clothing for decorative and stat-modifying items. Raw materials include wood, minerals and metals, and crops.
• Farming: players can run their own farms, which offer extra storage room and have the potential to produce important raw materials. The farming system incorporates a number of variables such as fertility, pest infestations, and crop characteristics.
• A different focus: although it has a sophisticated combat system, unlike other MMORPGs combat need not be a primary objective for players of Hello Kitty Online. There are many puzzles to be solved, mini-games to compete in, story lines to follow, and adventures to experience

"Weird Al"'s our assignment...

My addiction's not pointless anymore. But I don't even know what the heck "You Don't Love Me Anymore" is! How Ironic.

(Speaking of Weird Al) Listen to This:
A mellow, steady beat combined with lyrics no one can beat, Usher's confessions has just reached another level.



GAMING (Not much of a) Jaw-dropper: Rock Band - now on the PS2

Obviously, EA and Harmonix know that the PS3 is a total flop.

If you shunned Harmonix for the decision to release such an ambitious project in next-gen consoles, shun no more. PS3 content is definitely also going to the PS2... considering the large fanbase it has.

It's still speculated that the pricing may well be at the hundreds. Pre-orders have reached to a hundred and ninety-nine point ninety-nine dollars, making people believe that this pricing scheme is in finality. Unfortunately, Harmonix isn't ready to reveal a real price yet so... a pirated version is a sure sell.

This venture by EA Games, Harmonix and MTV has made recording companies offer more master tracks, therefore increasing its big fanbase that Harmonix built with the Guitar Hero series... into potential garage bands and lots more. A Wii version might be on the works.