The Sims 3: Pets on Consoles Keeps the Complexity

For "true" fans, the definitive Sims experience has always been PC or bust. But as consoles gain power and the series spread across multiple platforms, the market for virtual lives expands. My only other experience with a console version of the series was with The Sims: Bustin' Out on PS2, a fun but limited take on the IP. So as a longtime follower of The Sims on PC, I'm impressed with the depth in the Xbox 360 version of The Sims 3: Pets.

The Create-A-Sim suite is as complex as the PC (without the DLC marketplace), and construction and patterns can be spread throughout any combination of wall, appliance, and furniture. Any constructed element can be shared online with other Xbox 360 or PS3 users (each get their own marketplace), including sharing pets and entire housing lots.

While the console version limits pet selection to dogs and cats (PC users get horses, hamsters, and other small critters), the number of species, customization options, and quirks are difficult to count. Console players gain the additional bonus of Karma Powers and Mysteries. Karma Powers range from dropping meteors to "transmogrify-ing" pets into people and vice versa (every crazy cat lady's fantasy). Mysteries are small storylines that involve investigating graveyards and unlock via a "Mysteryologist Registry" at town hall.

Similar in content to the PlayStation 3 version, the Xbox 360 version adds an additional level of control through Kinect voice commands. Queue up six different voice commands to get your Sims to quickly interact with the world such as "be friendly," "go to sleep," or "eat something." Unhappy with your choices? Tell the system to "stop everything." As long as you annunciate (as your grade school teachers probably insisted), The Sims 3: Pets voice controls handle smoothly and save time from swinging your cursor around the screen.


But beyond the ability to tell your Sims to "go to the bathroom," the customization and depth of the game is impressive. Since the experience isn't an expansion to another product that expands on existing towns, The Sims 3: Pets on consoles takes place in a fictional New England town where brown leaves live on all the trees and the world map is a cartoony top-down version of the world.

The puppies and kittens are cute, so if you're the kind of player that secretly owns (and loves) Kinectimals, feel free to jump into the world for that reason alone. But the depth of sharing, customization and sheer life options are quite staggering when it comes down to the standalone version of the game on consoles. If you're interested in a strategy game with depth and customization (and adorable puppies), you may want to take The Sims 3: Pets for a stroll.


From my overview demo of the game, The Sims 3: Pets on Xbox 360 and PS3 appears to be one case where a simulation game hasn't been dumbed down for consoles. For more details on the differences between the versions, check out our The Sims 3: Pets – PC vs. Console article.

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