If you’re reading this, there’s a very good chance that you’ve heard about The Sims. It’s been difficult to escape the popular franchise’s web, what with two full games and a seemingly endless stream of expansions. The first thing you may be asking, then, is whether The Sims 3 is worth playing, or if it’s just more of the same. Well, it most certainly is worth it, and yes, in some ways it is more of the same. But in this case, that’s a very good thing. For anyone who’s played The Sims or its first sequel, this familiarity will let them ease into it, feeling like a welcomed guest rather than an outsider. But this doesn’t make The Sims 3 a simple rehash of what’s come before. Instead, returning elements have been energized and extended by a number of terrific improvements, such as expanded customization tools, additional tools for interaction with other sims (and other players), and more tangible goals and rewards. Most importantly, the free-to-explore town makes you feel like part of an entire virtual society–a feature approximated but never fully realized in the previous games. By blending together the old and the new, developer Maxis has created the best, most charming game yet in the series. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Review
Alienware Aurora mALX 19 inch Gaming Notebook
Today we are going to have a look at the Alienware Aurora mALX 19” gaming notebook. You really only have to hear 19” notebook to get an idea of the sheer size of this beast from Alienware, then when the box shows up at your door you realize it’s no mere mortal notebook. How well does the Alienware mALX 19” gaming notebook perform?
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
The long-running Megami Tensei franchise has seen many incarnations, from the stylish detective adventures of Raidou Kuzunoha to the school-sim-slash-dungeon-crawlers action of the recent Persona games. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, the latest game in the stygian series, is, like many of its predecessors, an odd concoction of mechanisms from a variety of genres. But despite the seemingly disparate styles of gameplay it contains, Devil Survivor is a superb role-playing experience with a surprisingly mutable storyline that hardened veterans and series neophytes alike can enjoy.
In the midst of a hot Tokyo summer, the city is plunged into chaos when a series of mysterious accidents force the government to lock everything down under quarantine. With the military preventing any entry or exit, the people trapped inside are left defenseless against the demonic forces that have begun to run rampant–all except for you. Armed with customized portable computers called COMPs received from your reclusive hacker cousin, you and your friends have gained the ability to summon demons of your own. But even with your newfound powers, escaping Tokyo and surviving what may be the end of the world are going to take time–time that you don’t have much of. Continue reading