Common Sense Media Review
By Mark Raby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Expansion pack encourages outdoor activities all year long.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
The Sims 3: Seasons
What's It About?
The expansion pack THE SIMS 3: SEASONS adds to The Sims 3 realism by providing players with new areas to explore and new activities to engage in during different times of the year. Because time within the virtual Sims world flows by much more quickly than in real life, players can participate in all the different activities within the same day. In the spring, they can go to a park and see the bright flowers blooming, in summer it is all about the beach, in fall there are jack-o-lanters galore, and in winter the snowy terrain provides fodder for snowball fights. Each season also has a festival for players to visit, filled with limited-time activities and special visual effects (like fireworks on the 4th of July). Players also get new outfits and new items to decorate their homes, including Christmas lights, tanning booths, etc.
Is It Any Good?
The Sims 3: Seasons fulfills its duty as an expansion pack. It provides a new layer to the game, it gives players something that did not exist in the base game, and it offers enough new stuff to justify the purchase. All the new elements in the game are very well crafted, from the spring dance to the ability of Sim characters to learn the recipe for pumpkin pie. However, it does not fundamentally change the dynamic of the game in the way other expansion packs do. The greatest aspect of this title is that it helps to break up the monotony of a day-to-day virtual life. The fact that players can participate in different activities at different times helps to provide a more dynamic experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they can do during the different seasons. What activities in the game would you like to try in real life?
Discuss whether Sims 3 expansions do a good job of keeping the experience fresh. Was the expansion pack worth the extra money?
Game Details
- Platforms : Mac , Windows
- Subjects : Hobbies : gardening , sports
- Skills : Responsibility & Ethics : learning from consequences , making wise decisions , Self-Direction : personal growth , time management , work to achieve goals
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Electronic Arts
- Release date : November 13, 2012
- Genre : Simulation
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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