14 DAY TRIAL // The EA Play division of publisher Electronic Arts has officially announced that The Sims 3 will be arriving on home gaming consoles and on handhelds during the fall of this year. The life simulation title will be ported to the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 from Sony, the Nintendo Wii and the DS family. Apparently, the PlayStation Portable is not worthy of getting a version as well.
From the initial announcement, it seems that the console and handheld version of The Sims 3 will be keeping most of the features seen in the initial PC launch of 2009, with the addition of Karma Powers, new instant and powerful mutations, which can be delivered onto a Sim in the game. They include things like “epic fail,” “instant beauty” or “get lucky.” The Karma system will be balanced in order to make sure players do not abuse it.
EA Play is also saying that the social nature of The Sims 3 will be enhanced for the versions on consoles, allowing players to get Trophies and Achievements, which can then be shared via Facebook. The game will also include the mechanisms needed to design, build and share the objects and neighborhoods they create.
The Nintendo Wii version of The Sims 3 will feature a new and exclusive beach front town, with unique residents, traits and careers. This version of the game will also have a Life Moments minigame, which allows players to compete with one another and some adventure game-like quests.
Scott Evans, who is the general manager of The Sims Studio, stated, “The Sims series continues to be one of the most successful videogames of all time by providing universally appealing content and focusing on the player’s imagination, emergent gameplay mechanics, and the innate humor evident in the virtual world of The Sims. We’re building on this foundation and applying new features that will make for a robust, deep and rewarding gameplay experience. I’m extremely proud of the game that the team is making and can’t wait to bring these exciting new features like ‘Karma Powers’ to life and get them into players’ hands.”