The Sims 3 Pets is the latest expansion for Electronic Arts' popular The Sims 3 core PC game. While previous expansions have added new items, jobs, and ambitions for the player's sims, Pets adds a new breed of content. Actually, it's more of a large assortment of breeds spread across three different genus (canines, felines, and equines).
Much like in real life, dogs and cats can play an important role in the lives of their sims masters. They aren't able to get full-time jobs like before, but players can train them to fulfill certain tasks and can (for the first time ever) be fully controlled by the player. This is a good addition to the game, especially when sims are at work or school as it gives players something to do during that time other than hit fast-forward and wait for sims to return home.
The addition of horses to Pets (the species was unavailable in previous Sims Pets releases) is great. While there are no official horse-based careers associated with the animal (which is too bad), players can train them and enter them and their sim handlers into show competitions and races with the hope of winning a fair sum of in-game cash. Horses can be adopted free-of-charge, though wild ones can be found and trained as well. Wild horses are more difficult to train than pre-domesticated ones, but they also come pre-set with their own traits and skills.
As with the sims themselves, customization is key with the animals supplied within The Pets Sims 3. The various animals come pre-set with real-life-inspired breeds and looks, but the more creative and wacky types can feel free to create their own custom breed. After all, who wouldn't want a dog with neon-yellow tiger stripes?
To go along with the three animal types and the new pieces of furnature and in-game items that go along with them is a new town for sims to live in. Rural town Appaloosa Plains serves as a new setting with plenty of open space in which for horses to run and dog owners to play fetch, but also provides enough of a downtown-type setting to satisfy those with a more urban flair.
While there have been Pets releases for previous core editions of The Sims, The Sims 3 Pets illustrates how the game's developers have yet to run out of ideas for the franchise. The game could have benifitted from having the option of being a stand-alone for a few extra dollars, but it works well as an expansion to the core game The Sims 3.
Final Game Guys grade: A-
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