Platform: Xbox 360
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Category: Simulation
Our Score: 3 out 5 stars
Who doesn’t love pets…and games about pets? Ever since Nintendo releases their “Nintendogs + Cats” series, it changed the way people look at these types of games. Combine that with the insane popularity of “The Sims” and should have a winning combination. This game definitely has it fun and cute moments but lacks the want to come back continuously. This latest edition of “The Sims” is also not a major improvement from past editions. It still though has good graphics but also a some lag in a few spots but nothing major. Hardcore fans of “The Sims” should appreciate the expansion of the world and your ability to control new situations, but casual fans like myself might want to spend their time playing games with a little more draw.
This game is the first time in franchise history that you will be able to take full control of your pet’s in the game. Since this is called “Pets”, it should also be no shock that you will have the ability to create the perfect pet and control all aspect including personality and look etc. While playing you are able to scroll through the “Live Mode”, “Town Map”, “Buy & Build”, “Landsculpting”, “Mystery Journal”, “Karma Points” and “Challenge”, which typical for your average Sims game. You can to get to chase, dig, tackle and more. You also have the ability to be friendly or mean to your Sims and the other animals. I was pretty impressed, I have to admit, with the features that were included and the aspects that were controllable. This game is quite a bit more than just petting or playing fetch with your pets. You can learn skills like hunting, 
locating collectibles and also are given career opportunities. I think that the ability to run around the town and are able to go on adventures throughout.
If you have the Kinect for Xbox 360, you will even get more of an added bonus (I wish I did), you can command your Sims and their pets using voice commands. Could be a cool feature. Also exclusive for Xbox 360, is the Limited Edition of the game which comes with exclusive content, including 10 rare and exclusive breeds. These are really cool addition to the game. You can also activate your online pass and connect to the “The Sims 3: Pets Exchange” where you can download other players content and share your own. Overall I wouldn’t call this the best game of the year but it is hardly the worst. Lastly I am a little confused about the rating of the game though, which is “T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence”. I know that “The Sims” is known for its free ability to pretty much whatever but I would think of this game aiming more towards a younger audience. I honestly do not see a 40 year old man playing this all night. If your are thinking about this for a kid, the game play will definitely keep them interested and involved.
