When I was 11, I discovered a game called SimAnt. It was a simple game by a company called Maxis, that allowed gamers to control the daily life and movements of an ant colony. It wasn’t a story-based affair by any means, but was strangely addictive. It was my first experience with the “player as god” genre, and while not my most influential game, it certainly deserves honors in the hall of fame. Later I discovered SimCity and had an equally strong love affair.

Maxis took the simulator genre to new heights in 2000 with The Sims. Here was a game that allowed you to control the minutia of people, from their bathroom habits to their love lives. Again, no story to speak of really, but there was the same addictive properties of SimAnt. Each new addition into The Sims family has expanded upon the features of the last, with shinier graphics and tighter control. The Sims 3 is the latest installment, and each expansion added allows you to manipulate (for good or evil) your digital people in entirely new ways.

The freedom to create mass hysteria.

Who wants a puppy?

The Sims 3: Pets is the newest expansion, though the concept is merely building upon The Sims: Unleashed, and The Sims 2: Pets. Once again, you are able to either create or obtain a pet for your Sim, though there are a few minor changes. For one, you are no longer limited to dogs and cats. Horses have entered the fray, as well as snakes, lizards, birds, and other “low maintenance” pets. The low maintenance pets are good for feeding and looking cool in your house. These are for the lazy Sim or Sim-keeper, who want the satisfaction of another living creature in your home, but not the upkeep.

Dogs, cats and horses are high maintenance animals that not only require feeding and cleaning, but also training, and other unique challenges. Cat and dogs may be taught to hunt, with cats bringing home snakes and lizards, while dogs bring home ore and gems (apparently dogs are part dwarf, who knew?), thus contributing to the family. Horses, on the other hand, may be taught to race, and bring in considerable sums of money. This has the potential to be game-breaking, and I will say that I was able to retire from my day job to race horses.

Racing horses is nigh game breaking, but fun.

Obtaining a pet is much easier in this expansion. In previous versions you had to purchase a pet (if you didn’t create one from the get-go), which could get costly. Now, you are able to adopt one for free, much as you may with babies. For dogs and cats this makes sense, but it extends to horses as well. I suppose the developers wanted players to be able to get a pet early in the game, rather than waiting for the luxury of affording one at the store.

The low maintenance pets are little more than conversation items and something for your Sim to stare at when bored. Depending on your Sims management style, they may prove to be just the right amount of fun, or utterly boring and easily forgettable. It’s important to note that many are not available on the console version.

Also of an interesting note: if you play to kill and torture your Sims, you may find yourself feeling guilty over setting fire to Fido. (But not Fido’s owner because you’re a sick, sick person!)

The Sims 3: Pets on console:

And now a word about the console version. First, let me make it clear that I am a 360 gamer above and beyond all else. I’m not one of those “Oh, it’s so much better on the PC” type of people, and I will passionately argue the enjoyment of RPGs on a console. Having said that, there are some genres that are built for the PC/Mac, and The Sims is definitely one of those games. The console controls leave a lot to be desired. On one hand, it’s nice that The Sims 3: Pets is a standalone game for console, but the controls and lack of low maintenance pets proved irksome. To the point that I went out of my way to get a copy for my Mac, so I could experience the game as it was meant to be experienced.

I have a dog. Now what?

It’s not to say the Mac version is flawless. Upon first loading the game, you will probably receive an “Unknown Error” message that won’t allow you to play it. It’s easily remedied by going into your Mac hard drive >> Users >> Library >> Preferences, and removing your com.transgaming files, as well as The Sims 3 Preferences folder, but it took a little searching for me to find this.

Also, the overwhelming issue with a lot of The Sims 3 expansions is: okay, now what? As mentioned, Sims may train their horses to run races, thus turning your friend Flicka into a veritable gold mine, but this never shakes the hamster wheel feel that is inherent to Sims games. Other than the continued drive to accomplish goals and make your Sims happy with the aid of animal companionship, there’s not a lot new here. For die-hard Sims fans, this will not be bad. For the more casual players, this may prove mundane and repetitive. To me, The Sims has always been a light, enjoyable time-passer, and the opportunity to watch my alter ego as a crazy cat woman was damn fun indeed.

The Bottom Line

Whether or not you’ll like this expansion depends upon your love of The Sims 3. If you’ve been dying to let your Sims play with a puppy or learn to ride a horse, or stare at a snake for an hour, then this is the expansion pack for you. If you’re a casual player, there may not be enough here to warrant the purchase, nor will it particularly suck you in.

Review Statement: An Xbox 360 version of this game was provided to VGW by the publisher.

Written by Jen Bosier  (460 Posts)

Jen lives with her husband, daughter and super-villain kitty. An avid gamer since the Atari, she honed her skills on Doom 2, Daggerfall and System Shock. A bonafide 360-convert, she plays more than is humanly healthy and is determined to find a decent horror game this generation if it kills her.