June 11, 2009 - The Sims 3 does exactly what a great sequel is supposed to, and serves to expand the already outstanding pedigree of the Sims series.

June 5, 2009 - With hundreds of new in-game interactions, personality traits that add a quirky change of pace and new tools to create and expanding the ways that players will communicate with fellow Simmers, The Sims may be more of an evolutionary step in the franchise's development but it's a massive step in the right direction, a new way that we recommend for anyone.

June 1, 2009 - Although [The Sims 3] could have offered even more right out of the box, there's still an awful lot of content here, and it's bound to put a smile on almost anyone's face.

June 1, 2009 - The Sims 3 team's given us a plenty of reasons to keep coming back, the inevitable cavalcade of expansion packs notwithstanding.

June 3, 2009 - The core of The Sims 3 is more powerful than ever. Their world, all jaunty music and exaggerated animation, isn't just a platform for expansion packs, but for exploring your own feelings.

June 2, 2009 - After suffering from an oversaturation of Sims for the last 10 or so years, it's hard to believe The Sims 3 is as good as it is. It's unapologetically a Sims game, but it also manages to feel truly fresh.

June 2, 2009 - All in all, the problems with The Sims 3 are easily outweighed by the wide variety of funky new gadgets, sharp additions to gameplay, and a pervasive sense that the developers had the fanbase squarely in mind throughout the design process.

June 17, 2009 - The intriguing possibilities means Sims 3 is one of the most playable games you'll likely own on your computer -- if creating neighborhoods and watching virtual soap operas are the sort of things that interest you.

July 10, 2009 - A lot has changed in The Sims 3, but for all the technical refinements, gameplay additions, and online integration, it still scratches the same basic itch that its predecessors did, though it arguably does it with an improved effectiveness.

June 1, 2009 - While there's still plenty of room for more innovation, we'll settle for The Sims 3 for now. It delivers a solid foundation for what should be many more years of Sims sales dominance.

June 19, 2009 - The core of the game is still strong, but by not showing the same level of ambition as the previous two titles at the design stage, The Sims 3 feels slightly stunted by comparison.

October 7, 2009 - The Sims 3 is may be largely unchanged from the previous iterations of the game, but that doesn't mean it's bad at all. The expanded scope of the game and the streamlined experience make this the best Sims game to date.