Addiction on a whole new level.
The Sims 3 is undoubtedly the best version of the Sims yet. It's the first Sims game not created by Maxis, and it may not seem like a big leap as The Sims 2 was from the original at first glance. But as you start to play the game, you will notice just how impactful its new features are.
Perhaps the biggest addition to the Sims feature set is the addition of a cohesive neighbourhood. No more are your Sims regulated to an isolated house or shopping lot - everything is fully integrated into one massive Sims playground. This means that other Sims will go about their 'lives' while you control your own family. This leads to the restriction of one 'active' household per map, though you're able to change the 'active' household at any time. While it initially might look like a purely superficial change, it's when you start to see your neighbour's children grow up, get married, and have kids that The Sims 3 starts to work its magic
Every Sim you see in the game is an actual sim you can fully interact with, thus, cheating with the the housemaid actually feels like you're cheating with the housemaid and not some lazy Sims clean-up feature. Or call the plumber to unclog the toilet and then cook him some lunch before letting him go back home to his family. You will soon realize that without the isolation you had had in the previous Sim games, you invest into all the characters of the neighbourhood that much more.
One of the core aspect of the Sims series is the Needs tab. Your Sims can be hungry, sleepy, smelly etc and that contributes to their overall mood. The Sims 3 introduces Moodlets which can greatly affect moods. For example, for a long time an hygienically obsessive-compulsive Sim I controlled could not stand her slobbish boyfriend. It came to the point where for one entire week her mood was consistently bogged down for by uncleanliness, despite cleaning the entire house several times. She always took it out on her poor boyfriend. Little did she know that what was killing her was the incredibly old bowl of spaghetti sitting in her personal inventory. When she realized it was sitting in her back pocket all along she threw it away and instantly became happy again. Oh Sims, you guys are a silly bunch!
The Wants and Fears system of the Sims 2 has been replaced by the Wishes system which governs the Lifetime Happiness score. Fulfilling a temporary wish gives you bonus points that contribute to the overall Lifetime Happiness score; the greater the wish, the greater the reward. In one particular instance, the husband of my family only wanted to kiss his wife. The wife however, wanted a baby. I got the husband to kiss and knock her up and both of them became very happy in the end. You also get one Lifetime Happiness wish, which is usually derived from the personality traits you choose. Should you achieve that wish, you will be swimming in Lifetime Happiness Points which can give you some really cool toys and/or personality perks.
Skills have been elaborated on in the Sims 3; for example the creativity skill has split into painting, writing and music. You can mould these skills from young and as usual, you will climb the career ladder with them. Careers are much easier to manage due to the options available and the way the performances are marked. You can work as normal, go all out, suck up to your boss, get cosy with your co-workers, or work on your skills while on the job. It feels even more intuitive than before and it's definitely a welcome revision for those who make slave their Sims to work. Opportunities are random events that can give you a raise, boost your relationship etc. I remember my policewoman had to wake up at 4am to bust a the local mob's dealing that night. It really ticked her off, but she was well rewarded by sunrise.
The Sims games have always had a huge and loving modding community. EA have taken note and included a portal to connect the community via the game launcher. Essentially, when you click the Sims 3 icon on your desktop, you are able to see the latest user-generated content as well as official EA made content to buy (the user-generated content is free). It just helps streamline the longevity of the game and it's always nice to see what hot threads you can put on your own Sims.
All in all, the Sims 3 should not be missed by any Sims fan. It has all the makings of an excellent sequel, and the ambitious expansions should already be whetting the appetite of the most wrung-out Sims 3 aficionados. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a Goth.