The Sims 3: Pets Preview - Create a Pet

Any pet owner knows that your life changes when you own a pet. A popular expansion back during the days of Sims 2, The Sims 3: Pets is now adding what sims fans have been clamoring for: horses. Along with cats and dogs, you can now create your own horses and then gussy them up in a variety of accessories and even ride them in game. Horses are limited to the PC version, and at the EA Summer Showcase in Redwood City, we were able to play with the pet creator to see what kind of adorable pet--or hideous monster--we could create.

One of the biggest changes to this expansion is that you have full control over your pets. You can choose to play as your pet if you choose, mingle with other animals, and socialize with your owner. We weren't able to see how these animals work in game because the build we were playing was still in pre-alpha, but we did get an idea of how in depth you could go with the creator. You will have access to more than 100 breeds of cats and dogs, and you can further customize their fur and the shape of virtually any body part. You can re-create your childhood pal or conjure up some kind of four-legged freak--the option is there!

There are markings that you can put on your pet and then move around on the body to make a unique pattern. Other than giving you a brush and painting your dog, you have the freedom to give your puppy those droopy ears or shave your cat. Like your sims, you can assign three traits to your pets to give them that loveable--or destructible--personality. The animations that appear when you select a trait is a good indicator of whether or not you'll wind up with a pleasant and obedient dog or a couch chewer.

While we weren't able to get too deep with game, we'll have more on The Sims 3: Pets in the coming months, so stay tuned to GameSpot.