CrazyGamer

So The Sims 3 is on our cover this month, in case you didn’t notice, or in case our sales team put one of those annoying “fake cover” ads over the real cover - and I feel the need to write an editorial that I am pretty sure I have written before. The gist of which is this: You are not cooler than The Sims. Yes, I know you think you are. I know that thi% series has long since lost its iibergeek cred. I know that it’s hard to get excited about a franchise that never seems to go away, with what feels like a nonstop bombardment of Sims 2 expansion packs (the latest of which. The Sims 2: FreeTime, is reviewed in this issue), and what feels like a takeover of the fan base by teenage girls (one of whom, my 14-year-old daughter, is, in fact, the reviewer of FreeTime.)

Nevertheless, I am here to say that even if you think you are “over” The Sims, I urge you to drop the cynicism just long enough to flip to the story and give it a read. Senior executive editor Sean Molloy and I spent a full day with The Sims 3 design team, and it was one of those great experiences that really make me love this job: a group of supersmart, ambitious game designers sharing their creative process with us. Listening to them describe their goals for this game, the challenges of working with this franchise, and all the pressure and expectations that come with it, you come away realizing - as you do with all the best designers (or artists in general) - that all the “success” in the world isn’t going to matter to these folks if they don’t feel they have created something that they themselves are proud of.

The Sims 3 is not just another Sims game. It’s not The Sims 2.5. It’s a bold step forward, a reimagining from the ground up of what a “people simulator” can and should be. Oh yeah, it also looks like it should be a heckuva lot of fun, too. So don’t let the success of The Sims franchise turn you off completely. Don’t let its mainstream success make you think there’s not also a compelling strategy game here for you, too. As the cover story should make clear, the developers haven’t forgotten about you at all.

So that’s my sales pitch. Pardon me if I get a little worked up about these things. I’m a Sims geek going way back. I’ve got the love. And like all people with a little love in their hearts, I want to share it with you. Just look how high my happiness meter is! - Jeff Green