LGR - The Sims 3 Seasons Review

Ever since the Sims three launched back in 2009 , there has been one huge addition to the game that I've wanted to see .

Weather .

See the Sims is a simulation of everyday human life more or less .

And when you think about it , a huge part of navigating reality is governed by the climate .

What season it is , the temperature , precipitation and the rest of that malleable meteorological malarkey effect every day of life in some way or another .

So think Jupiter and Tar Hoon , the Sims Three Seasons expansion pack has finally arrived to answer your seasonal prayers , snowboarding ball , kicking , creeping up on women in bikinis and more .

It's all here fun for every season .

Oh , yeah .

Well , what about when you pick up every stitch ?

I see no mention of the season of the witch .

So I'm calling bull crap random .

Donovan references .

A side season starts off with a colorful segmented loading screen showing artful representations of the four seasons you'll soon be enduring .

The only thing that bothers me about this is that as usual , the background is stretched for wide screen resolutions when it's clearly made for a 4 to 3 aspect ratio , all those stretched out circular shapes really tickles my brain the wrong way and makes me want to go and admire a nicely tiled floor or obsessively straighten the objects on my desk .

At the main menu , you are given the option to choose an old save game , start a new game in one of the existing towns or nothing else because oddly , there is no new town to choose from this time .

It kind of sucks actually , since the focus of such an expansion is seasonal atmosphere and what better way to show that off than with a new town Taylor made for festivals and outdoor events .

But no , I guess you got to get over it and pick whatever you want because with every town , you'll have four seasons to enjoy spring , summer , fall and winter , pretty much the yearly subdivisions you would expect , I suppose at least if you're someone who happens to be in a warm temperate region , you won't find any wet or dry seasons here .

But you can make up for this a bit by altering the frequency and length of each individual season .

So if you want to , you can have an environment with shorter summers and longer winters or disable certain seasons entirely though a new game will always begin in summertime .

Let's start off by looking at spring because it reminds me of shock absorbers throughout each season .

You'll have a set of festivals , holidays and weather types , taking over the entire town .

And with spring , you have typical spring timey stuff pretty much all related to producing life and renewing the environment .

Trees start growing their leaves again .

Birds and other animals start appearing in greater numbers and you even have random flowers and mushrooms popping out of the ground to pick and ingest or simply admire .

Yes , it's a veritable Disney animated feature coming to Sim Life during spring .

I half expect friggin snow white to pop out of the trash can and start droning on about a smile in a song or something .

You also get occasional rain showers , thunderstorms and fog rolling in throughout the season .

Rain is just awesome in any game .

But as immersive as the Sims can be , it really is fantastic here the way the water drips off the rooftops , the way it puddles on the ground and in the roads , the way the wind affects it and the way it varies in intensity as the day goes along , it waters your plants , it soaks your Sims .

It adds an extra layer of realism to the game that I can't imagine playing without .

At this point though , it really doesn't do much but provide a minor inconvenience because as far as I know , there are unfortunately no disasters relating to weather other than the occasional bolt of lightning frying a tree or a SIM , you don't get any flooding , you don't get any tornadoes , no hurricanes , not even any power outages .

So it's no real threat and is just kind of there .

But Sims don't like to get soaking wet .

So , having an umbrella is definitely a good idea .

It's not like they'll melt or anything , but they will complain .

Also , a good idea is to deck your sim out in the new outdoor clothing sets .

This outerwear is a mixture of new clothing and old clothing , but mostly old clothing , all of which is suitable for keeping your SIM of any age relatively safe from the elements .

Really aren't too many new outfits , but you do get some gear appropriate for snow , rain and looking like a doofus balls .

Yeah , you now have more costumes for both Children and adults like this utterly superb hotdog suit .

It is my motto in life that everything is more enjoyable when you're a hot dog .

And this allows me to fulfill that though .

These outdoor outfits aren't just for show since if you don't wear the proper clothing , Sims can get sick especially if they're exposed to the elements for too long .

Sickness mostly just provides a bad mood lit for a few days though sometimes it is contagious .

So those basement torture dungeons can come in handy as a makeshift quarantine slash concentration camp if need be .

Yes .

Keeping Sims healthy at any cost is quite important .

Not only because it's a pain if they aren't , but also so they can enjoy the new seasonal festivals every season .

You have a different festival which often takes place in the town center or a nearby large park for spring .

The focus of the festival is on love and procreation .

You can celebrate getting it on by roller skating in the skating rink because nothing is sexier than goofy looking shoes with wheels bolted to the bottom .

This is actually a new hidden skill .

So the more your Sims fall over themselves and look like idiots , the better they'll get at falling over themselves and looking like idiots though .

That's really about all you can here .

I would have liked some roller ball style action , but it seems Jonathan E and the Energy Corporation are nowhere to be found .

You can also play horseshoes , which is about as enjoyable as watching someone throw bent pieces of metal at a stick , you can get slow dancing , makes a comeback with the dance floor or if you're not quite as hands on , then just put your hands on the love tester machine , which does a great job of parting a gullible fool with his money or those with commitment issues can simply purchase a kiss from kissing booth .

And yes , both genders are accounted for .

As long as you pay the fee , you even get to hunt not Easter eggs during not Easter , which will net your sim some festival tickets that can be redeemed for all sorts of prizes , large and small .

Most of them can be purchased in buy mode with money , but there are a few things you can't .

So that's cool .

And near the end of the season , the seasonal holiday comes around and with spring you get Love Day , an approximation of Valentine's Day .

This is the day set aside to bribe your significant other into providing you sexual favors by spending lots of money on overpriced goods and services .

Or if you're less cynical , it's the day where you bask in the loving glow of your life partner , confident that your souls will forever be entwined in joy and passion and , oh , wow .

I really can't pull that off .

Yay .

Love .

The new relationship and romance system certainly comes into effect on this day with Sims .

Now having levels of attraction to each other similar to how it was in the Sims too , though , in my experience , every SIM I met seemed to be attracted to mine .

But I guess that's what you get when you make Duke Newcomb next up .

We have summer , which is a lot like spring except with less shagging and egg hunting and more explosives and higher temperatures .

Weather remains largely the same as spring but with harsher storms that not only bring more rain and lightning but also hail and heavy winds .

Again , it's nothing devastating but Hale will pelt your Sims in a rather unpleasant fashion .

Temperature in the sun itself are the big things to watch out for though , since your Sims can easily overheat and cook if they don't keep cool .

Somehow first comes the sunburn .

So finding some shade or some sunscreen could definitely be on your agenda even worse .

If they get too hot , they'll spontaneously combust into flame and burn to a pile of ashes .

Yep .

And the words of the immortal butt head of the sun sucks .

Especially during a heat wave .

Thankfully , there are several ways to stay cool .

Many of them involving water .

For one thing , Sims can finally swim in the ocean and certain waterways just click on where you want to go and swim away .

Well , as long as you are human and clothed as pets cannot swim in the ocean and skinny dipping is not allowed , you can swim pretty far out .

But oddly , there is no threat of drowning , kind of lame actually , since you can get a drowning mood lit , but no matter what , your Sims will never actually drown and instead will always swim back to the shore , even if their energy is completely drained , you also get floats to use , which can be used in the ocean or in pools .

There is no surfing or body boarding though , which I guess makes sense due to the ocean being boring and not having any real waves and it , you don't get any water slides for your pool either .

But thank friggin .

Holy crap .

You do have diving boards .

Now , in fact , you don't even have to get this expansion to get diving boards and ocean swimming since they were added in a patch that released shortly before seasons .

So enjoy those diving boards .

My fellow simmers for through our patients suffering and endless forum whining .

We have earned them .

The summer festival itself is not bad either with things like face painting now available .

Just wander on into this shady looking tent to have what I imagine to be a weird smelly old guy paint , generic objects on your skull flesh .

You can also partake in other temperate climate activities like attacking Sims with soccer balls , attacking Sims with water balloons , smothering , shaved ice and nasty syrup to make snow cones and entering a hotdog eating contest that has a high probability of killing you .

Yes , whether it's pie hot dogs or whatever else , your sim can choke and die doing this .

So make sure you've saved first one .

Far less dangerous activity but certainly no less questionable is the tanning booth here .

Your Sims can get a spray on orange glow that makes sure you're the standout situation of the festival .

Sims can also make use of a wider variety of fireworks from sparklers to snakes to Roman candles .

And at the end of every summer comes the leisure day holiday where the town is free from work and school and everyone competes to see who can blow each other up with cheap fireworks .

First , the next season is fall or autumn with the leaves of trees changing colors and falling to the ground forming yet another chore to waste time doing raking leaves is a thing .

Now , which makes me wonder why mowing lawns isn't a thing during the summer .

I mean , seriously , they've added leaves and flowers and rainfall .

Yet grass is still as lifeless as ever .

Oh , well , rake the leaves into a pile and you have a new Woohoo location which works the same way as the hay pile from the pet's expansion .

Or you can do other things to it .

Tossed the leaves around like only a six ft tall hot dog could or even set it on fire to be rid of it once .

And for all the fall festival is pretty awesome though , since it reminds me a wee bit of magic town from the Sims making magic .

For example , you have a haunted house to explore and by explore , I mean , send your Sims inside and trust that they're having fun .

Wouldn't these be awesome if they were like the tombs in the World Adventures Pack where you could control the Sims wandering around inside , whatever your Sims still find them entertaining and there's a chance they'll piss themselves or get cursed by a witch .

So it's not totally useless .

Sims can also go bobbing for apples which wins them festival tickets and a deserved reputation for having a big mouth and all that that implies Sims can also pick pumpkins at the pumpkin patch , then take them home to carve them into Jack o Lanterns though .

This often has mixed results which may annoy perfectionist Sims though , probably the part I was most excited about with this season was trick or treating , which takes place on and around the autumn , not Halloween holiday called Spooky Day I say was excited about because while it's awesome when it works , it mostly didn't .

For me , I sent my Sims to eight different houses throughout one night and only one of them had anyone home and since kids can't stay out past curfew , you really don't have much time to do this .

So it's quite possible to end a spooky day with nothing to show for it .

And this reminds me of my own disappointing Halloweens as a kid and it really sucks because I wanted my tricks and treats dang it .

But all I got was a rock .

Yeah , I suppose it's somewhat realistic for not every SIM to be home , but it sure isn't very fun and no Sims ever came trick or treating to my house .

So my ugly Jack O Lanterns weren't even enjoy by anyone other than hot dog , Duke Newcombe and his band of Mary Weiner Winches .

But then it's on to winter , which is easily my favorite of the seasons .

And you know what , this is the first time reviewing a Sims expansion where I honestly wish I were playing the game instead of reviewing it right now because the winter season is just that enjoyable for me .

The leaves are all gone .

The rain turns to snow , the lakes turn to ice and everything around town starts to slow down and get quieter .

It's serene and downright beautiful at times and it's amazing how much it changes the entire atmosphere of the Sims .

Three .

I love how the snow builds up over time , eventually resulting in quite a deep layer of the stuff .

I love how the Sims leave tracks in the snow when they're walking around in it .

I love how I signals hang off the edge of buildings and the windows fog up inside .

Can you tell I really freaking like this season Sims can do all sorts of stuff with snow too , like making snow angels having snowball fights and building snowmen .

And there's really nothing like watching hot dog , Duke Newcombe lay the Smackdown on some poor kid snowman laughing all the way .

And then there's ice skating which works the same as roller skating , but you aren't restricted to the rink .

In this case , if you have a freshwater lake or pond , it will freeze over and you can skate on that .

Instead , I do note that pools , fountains , rivers and oceans don't freeze over .

So forget any plans of skating off into the sunset across the sea .

I also wish they'd added more things to do in the snow , like using snowmobiles or skiing or even sledding , but you do get snowboarding even though it's rest to half pipe usage .

Only another hidden skill here , you get to watch your SIM , get some air and break some limbs just like back in the vacation expansion years ago .

Another returning item is the igloo , which can be built anywhere .

There is enough snow and which acts as a nice warm place to sleep as well as get some icy action .

If you still need even more warmth .

Of course , if your Sims don't stay warm enough , they will freeze and fall over .

So having someone nearby to thaw them out with a hair dryer is a must .

And of course , with winter , you have the not Christmas holiday known as Snowflake Day , throwing a gift giving party during this holiday puts everyone in a good mood and I mean , they're getting free junk and hot drinks .

So I guess I can't blame them .

This activity is not really that involved though .

I mean , you can't choose what gifts everyone gets , but it's still cool to watch though .

A really curious mi are holiday decorations .

There just aren't any , I mean , you do have mistletoe which enables your Sims to kiss pretty much anyone at any time and you do of string and hanging lights for the outside of your house , which is a nice touch even though you can't customize the position of them .

But where are the reefs , the trees , the garland , the creepy Santa Gnomes and tacky little porcelain towns .

There used to be some of this stuff on the Sims three online store .

But as of right now , they're no longer available for download , which is just bizarre .

This stuff is ideal for seasons .

Hopefully , holiday decorations are added soon , either on the store or in a stuff pack like they did with the Sims Two .

Beyond all of this though , you get several other notable editions of which one of the biggest is the return of aliens .

And I'm not entirely sure why they chose seasons to include extra terrestrials but whatever here they are , whether you want them or not , basically , they'll show up whenever they feel like it .

But it seems like I was able to draw them in quicker by using the telescope to search the galaxy .

Once they show up , they'll probably abduct you and do wondrous things to your bodily orifices sometimes resulting in pregnancy .

And yes , even male sims can get pregnant this way .

You can't make alien and create a Sim , but you can befriend them and eventually welcome them into your household .

They're mostly like ordinary Sims except you know , they're aliens .

You can have relationships with them , converse with them , go to the movies , go fishing , watch the stars at night , which kind of takes on a whole new meaning with an alien .

They also have special powers like mind reading , probing and the ability to boost or drain sims energy .

They also have a freaking awesome UFO which works a lot like a car , a car that can abduct and attack random sims around town as well as travel to other planets .

But traveling through space really just works like the time machine .

So you won't be seeing anything other than text telling you that it's awesome and sometimes bringing back a trinket or two .

Another thing you get , at least if you have the supernatural expansion installed is the weather stone .

This is placed randomly somewhere in town and allows supernatural Sims to use it to cause unique weather types .

Witches can cause bewitching rain that makes Sims dance like crazy .

Vampires can cause fog that makes it easier to bite .

Sims .

Werewolves can cause a storm that increases collectibles and fairies can cause a reviving sparkle that revives plants and kills weeds .

So if you've ever wanted to smother a town in floating flowers and glitter like some sort of mad scientist , Martha Stewart .

Now's your chance .

And if you get the limited edition of the expansion , you get a new lot called the Ice Lounge .

A club that reminds me a bit of Graves Ice Palace and die another day .

Nothing special here .

It just comes with some icy themed objects and is simply there to look cool .

Ha ha .

Get it .

Uh You don't like my puns .

Well , you can chill out a few other minor things have been added like a weather channel and weather section of the newspaper that gives you the forecast new food and recipe types to coincide with the various seasons and festivals , an online computer dating service , taking greeting card photos and lots of new versions of existing items , like grills , hot tubs , lamps , and a variety of chairs .

Man .

I'm sure glad we have more chairs .

And lastly , you also get some ridiculous lifetime awards that act like cheat codes like the climat control unit , which is a machine that allows you to change the weather to anything you want any time you want .

So is the Sims three seasons worth buying or not ?

Of course , the suggested retail price is $40 ?

No surprise there .

And for that , you get four seasons , four holidays , four festivals , six weather types , aliens and a bunch of new objects and interactions appropriate to the subject matter .

While there are some things left out that would seem rather obvious to include like lawn mowing , surfing , boating , natural disasters and small things like separate scarfs for your Sims to wear .

I'd still completely recommend getting seasons .

This is an expansion that augments every aspect of the game and gives you plenty of new things for your Sims to experience all while keeping that traditional Sims formula of playing with life intact .

For me .

This eighth expansion is probably my favorite next to late night .

And even though I wish it had even more , it's not big enough of an issue for me to dwell on it .

So if you like the core Sims three experience and just want to really flesh out your world , you can't go wrong with getting this one .