Title: The Sims 3 University Life
Developed By: Maxis
Published by: Electronic Arts
Based On: The ninth major expansion pack in The Sims 3 franchise
Sequel to: The Sims 3: Seasons, The Sims 3: Supernatural et al.
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Console: PC / Mac
Genre: Simulation
Audio/Subtitles: Simlish
Review Conditions: Physical PC Copy
Special Thanks: Electronic Arts Australia for providing me with a copy of this game to review
Whereas around this point earlier instalments in The Sims franchise would simply diverge off into the next major numbered title, the team at The Sims Studio have decided not to simply start afresh and tack on the number 4 to the title but instead continue on their expansion pack releases – with three more set for release this year. The first of the three as you can no doubt tell from the title brings back and greatly enhances upon the University expansion pack for The Sims 2. The ability to drag your Sims out of the dorm environment and into the campus life really helped bring this expansion pack to life and while your goals may be the same…. the experience from its predecessor is so much more fun… provided you can put up with the highly stereotypical viewpoint of University life.
Before when your Sims completed High School they only had a few options available to them – get a job, get a paying hobby, enter in a relationship or spam the Motherlode cheat to ensure a plentiful stream of simoleons to pay for bills. Now just a phone call away you can keep your Sims in the education system just a few weeks longer by whisking them off to University and spend the time studying, socializing and learning a sizeable set of new skills. For the first time since World Adventures your Sims have access to a whole new campus world – filled with dorms and other residences to stay in all spotted around the main campus. Dealing with room-mates, keeping on-top of your studies and forming a social reputation with one of three groups (Nerds, Jocks and Rebels) are all options for you to spend your time doing upon arrival.
Unfortunately the driest area of the game is the actual academics. In The Sims 2 it mean’t that every day for a few hours your Sims would leave the dorm or community lot to take part in creatively named lectures. It is very much the same in The Sims 3 however despite promoting open lectures and class activities, for three of the five class days your Sims will spend their time in rabbithole buildings. I didn’t have any opportunities pop up for me, so this means that for a sizable chunk of the week your Sims spend their time running between lecture theaters with nothing more for you to do than speed up time. Perhaps more time spent on creating opportunities for your Sims during class or even de-rabbit holing all University buildings would have made the daytime University experiences more fun.
As with The Sims 3: Seasons however, this pack fares much better in the socialization / community aspects of the game. The three social groups while perhaps a little bit cliché are all different with different hang-outs, all unlock bonus interactions / perks and most importantly do require the balance of study and socialization to build up your relationships / ranking within the community. While you are not able to create your own University world, the one provided is expansive and leaves you with lots of places to hang-out (Comic Shop, Coffee House, Bowling Alley etc), lots to move your own custom (albeit uncontrollable) Sims into and quite often your Sims will find themselves invited to a handful of parties each week.
Each of the six degrees you can strive towards obtaining and corresponding careers which will not only net you an increased starting position and salary, but also achieve new items that are only unlockable by becoming a student – from a Mobile Communications Station to a Group Science Project (In my opinion, one of the more awesome items included in this pack with some interesting affects). While you may find your Sims stuck in classes all day, they have enough at their disposal to ensure the evenings and nights are not just book reading.
The Sims 3 University Life clearly highlights that The Sims 3 was supposed to be played with one family only, even if many people like myself choose to jump between families often. While your Sims are off at University, you are unable to control any of the other Sims on campus OR back in your original neighbourhood. So if you have signed up for your Sim to attend University for the long haul, don’t expect to be seeing anything of your other Sims while there.
While much of what the expansion has to offer is in the University experience, it doesn’t mean that your Sims back at home are left with nothing from this pack. The “tacky” last generation phones all Sims carry around have been scrapped, with each Sim receiving a brand spanking new smartphone. These are accompanied by an all-new social networking skill, your Sims can produce their own blogs, text each other, stream videos and more – all of which can get your Sim invited to more events and work their way up social groups faster. Other skills included in this pack that I will let you check out for yourselves include Street Art and Science, tying into the University theme.
The game of course comes with other goodies such as comic books, bowling lanes, energy drinks, bonfires, street art and more to give you plenty of new content to explore during your Sims lifetime. In addition, Plantsims make a return however cannot be automatically created even if The Sims 3: Supernatural is installed. Create a Sim also comes with new hairstyles and clothing options, but as with Seasons I felt lacked the variety they could have had.
While the developers have put quite a bit of content into this pack that will take you several degrees or Sims to do it all in, it also comes with its share of bugs and other problems. The most notable when the game was first launched being the high fatality rate of University students (See THIS official forum post) to general slowdown issues and Sims getting trapped on campus after graduating or quitting. As with most Sims games this is pretty sporadic but can get very annoying at times.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed my time play testing The Sims 3: University Life, and while it may not have as big an impact as earlier expansions to future releases – it was still a worthwhile addition to the Sims 3 universe. Next up around mid-year we shall see our Sims once again leave the confines of their neighbourhood, to venture across the ocean into brand new locales!
Final Score
Gameplay: B
Replayability: B
Personal Opinion: B
Overall Score: B
