The Sims 3: Ambitions Review

Barely a year has elapsed since the release of Sims 3 and is now the
second add-on pointing the tip of his nose. If Superstar for The Sims 1
and The Business Case for The Sims 2 gave players a new way of
understanding the work of Sims Ambitions goes further and beyond the
careers of our fellows virtual. In times of crisis, it was a bold.
Calling all players dozing in front of their screen while their Sims
killed themselves to the task ended vacation, you will now participate
actively in their work. In short, Ambitions will make you a careerist
first choice. The Sims 3: Ambitions dare take our virtual avatars where
no man had ever ventured. In this area hard, wild and often unjust life.
What are they really in all those hours? They meet their colleagues? Or
rather they hang out the side of the coffee machine? For you, today, a
survey reveals that while total immersion.

No crisis and unemployment for the Sims. Instead of queuing at the
Pole-employment, our virtual citizens simply read the newspaper or turn
on the PC for the job of digging up their dream, ghost hunter,
firefighter, detective, designer, interior decorator, journalist … All
in all, a few dozen trades are provided unpublished. The novelty? Gone,
the long minutes of waiting and acceleration of time during these days
of work, you will have to keep an eye on your avatar. The Sims 3:
Ambitions takes effect in certain mechanisms of games, mainly from
"opportunities" to inject into this new area of the series. And both say
it feels good.

Let us recall first the facts. So far, we let up our Sim in a carpool
vehicle, and he disappeared from the game for long minutes. This
expectation was made even more unbearable pain by the promise of
exciting activities, barely suggested. Indeed, a small drop-down menu
for choice of course of our avatar for the day. Frustration, impatience,
this enormous gap in this exciting series yet is now repaired. For the
first time, players can choose from a dozen small businesses (ghost
hunter, inventor, architect, interior firefighter …) an occupation
that they will be asked to respond in real time. Missions decoration,
interventions in private, or questioning the proposed activities appear
at first sight attractive.

Employment center:

Since the very first episode of the Sims , players demanded the
opportunity to play with the Sims during their working hours. After ten
years of patience, here Ambitions, an add-on for The Sims 3 , where we
discover the famous business assets, called "professional" in the game,
as opposed to "career" where we must be content with send the Sim at his
place of work. This new extension, which follows a Destination
Adventure full of good intentions (and bugs , still do) but ultimately a
tad below expectations, the daily fabric of the Sims. Of course, we
must avoid multiplying these quarries active when you play with a large
family, to avoid being overworked.

The professions, five in number, open up very different backgrounds:
fireman, architect, ghost hunter, stylist or a private detective. To
climb the ranks of these new industries, it must accomplish different
tasks at the four corners of the city. No question, therefore, remain
locked in an office (even if the designer work requires hours of
attendance at the beauty salon): open neighborhood, a concept introduced
in The Sims 3 , makes sense in hosting these events which make City
still much alive. Even more than The Sims 3 , it looks to mix a real
small virtual community.

The practice of a profession in The Sims 3: Ambitions inspire system
opportunities for Sims 3 . Occasionally, we see ourselves with tasks
that we grant some one else, but also points of experience, he must
gather to get a promotion. Of course, the missions vary by occupation.
An architect Sim must go to the customer and meet their expectations
through the purchase method and the Construction mode while having to
follow the specifications. A Sim stylist began working at the beauty
salon where he revamps mode lets people create a Sim, then he can open
his own salon at home if desired. With these two professions, the player
directly influence in shaping the city’s architecture and changing the
appearance of its inhabitants.

It is obviously not in a Sim City , but it’s still fun to see the
neighborhood evolve gradually through our interventions. Sims who want
to defend the widow, the orphan and the little kitten who choose to
become a firefighter or ghost hunter to go home to end in disaster and
save the inhabitants. A private detective is Sim hideouts, searches the
garbage looking for clues and writing reports to solve mysterious cases.
As for the medical career, present in the basic game, it has been
slightly redesigned: Dr. Sim now has the opportunity to care for their
patients outside working hours and may even be faced with emergencies.
What works best about this extension, it is this variety of situations,
which relies on the original use of the main aspects of gameplay
(construction, equipment, clothing).

Sim-busters!

One example, among the most fun: the art of ghost hunting. Your "day"
job starts at dusk. A message warns you of a fantastic location in one
of your neighbors. We almost expect to see the famous red logo and white
film painted on the car that takes us there. Once there, the game of
hide and seek began. Nothing insurmountable, since you have to search
every room, looking for the slightest suspicious greenish cloud.

A click on it and now your Sim draw his gear and sent the apprentice
food-all ad patres. It is also particularly appreciates the funny little
animations of these struggles unlikely. One can only rejoice, in
general, humor injected into this new extension. Each situation often
leads to humorous staging, which still grow a little further with the
crowd of the series.

Actions already available in the game as extinguishing a fire, ask a Sim
(detective career but already present for the journalist) are
accompanied by new visual gags such as searching the garbage, sculpture
or machine invention. Ororo Munroe, 28 years is a novice ghost hunter,
she lives in with his comrades roommate John and Betsy. His career asked
to be available in the evening. It may be called at any time by
potential customers. It must abandon its partners to slumber parties to
go to the victims. There, the ectoplasm wander, plunging housing in an
atmosphere of mystery and thrills. The process to get rid of pests is
actually inherited techniques of a famous agency Ghostbusters ("Who you
gonna call? … Ghostbusters!"). In practice, simply click on the
vengeful spirit and let the Sim do it through a little animation.

Be pretty!

True to the spirit of the series, this extension gives a lot of freedom
to the player, including how to behave during missions. A firefighter
can always give in to destructive impulses and destroy the victims’
house, and a detective may corrupt or intimidate Sims. Unfortunately,
there is another side to this freedom: the game is too permissive when
it comes to redecorating a home as an interior designer or do a makeover
as a stylist. Obviously, a Sim that really hurts his work will be hard
to get a promotion, but the limits are sometimes too vague.
Paradoxically, it is precisely this lack of demand raised interest of
these two creative career, which should suit all those (and there are
many) who prefer to spend their time building a dream villa or looks to
star. But those who expected the challenge as in the Business Case may
be disappointed.

In reality, Ambitions put more on fun than on the difficulty, even if
not really dare to offer challenging assignments and to prefer ease. The
main advantage is of course the variety of trades and gameplay related,
whether in action or creation. More immersible, less compartmentalized,
the new gameplay was mainly intended to break the routine. It is also
so nice to work (sic) that one wonders why not reworked more career: how
many fans of the series would have wanted to play the thieves, chefs,
scientists, athletes, police or the journalists on the ground? Good news
however for Sims who want to work from home: they can now register for
mayor as independent workers. This is the perfect fit for writers and
painters but also sculptors and inventors. These two new activities,
which have their own gauge of ability, are among other new features of
this extension.

First, we see the game by launching a new neighborhood has appeared
alongside Sunset Valley and Riverview. Twinbrook is built around a small
lake and has some peculiarities, like his strange shacks built on
stilts in the middle of a swamp: sure, the atmosphere is very different
from Sunset Valley, but sounds almost too Riverview. We note also
Twinbrook new buildings, like a consignment shop which, as its name
suggests, can sell its products, or break where you can find materials
for the established inventor. By launching an old neighborhood, the game
asked the player to install the new commons. As for new furniture,
apart from the bike, trampoline, and washing machines and dryers, we can
not say whether original or even very well supplied. It is even worse
in terms of haircuts, but mostly clothes: Ambitions proves damn stingy
in that direction, which is rather ironic when you consider that it now
has professional stylist.

The Cycle of Life:

This is not so much by the variety of activities that The Sims 3:
Ambition differs from previous extensions of the series. What upsets the
playing amateurs, is the continuity of a day Sim now fully respected.
While ten years, it took several minutes, or rely on another household
member to continue playing while Sim was at work, it is now possible to
play non-stop. Better interaction with other homes during these phases
of play change significantly as the environment. The changes are visual,
of course (looks, decoration, architecture) but also historical.
Lantern Guy, 42, works as a firefighter. During the day, he enjoys
tinkering on emergency vehicles and sirens of the barracks. It can also
maintain its fitness through weight machines, or socialize with
colleagues. But when the alarm sounded, he rushed to individuals stunned
and off their fires.

The activity is not without risk: if the small fires are easily
controlled, large prove dangerous to both Guy and its clients. Worse,
some owners refuse to leave their home and may end up caught in the
flames. For real. Sims can die. And sometimes the dead come back to
haunt the living. It will then turn to the ghost hunter, hair freshly
cut by the hairdresser.

The virtual work is
health:

Regarding other business, the goals remain quite varied: restyle a Sim
from a list of specific criteria, searching the garbage looking for
clues to discover who peddles rumors, forcing an owner to leave his
house flame (otherwise he comes back to haunt you later if he dies), or
buy furniture and redecorate a decrepit room. Once completed certain
tasks, your relationship with the Sims of the area can then change
completely. Inconspicuously, Ambitions brings a consistency that was
lacking in the universe, since you live the entire life of the Sims
appreciate the repercussions of his actions on the environment, more or
less long term.

Nevertheless, this new add-on suffers from fading interest relatively
quickly. We would have liked more careers available and the objectives
to be less repetitive, more so as the tasks requested does virtually no
challenge. While Destination Adventure was a showcase for the scenery
and puzzles, Ambitions simply too little. The main novelties certainly
enrich the universe, but everything is somewhat lacking.

Changing Life:

Indeed, Ambitions gives Sims 3 fantasy and humor that he lacked a bit
compared to the old episodes. The professions and their gameplay
original away significantly from what they were used until now and offer
their share of surprises. The recipe does not change at all but the
daily life of a Sim is more fun: building a machine to go back in time
(without being able to really travel) or a robot inspired by Iron Man,
fighting ghosts or goblins , revamp its neighbors or punk sculpture in
ice, etc.. Fun, but you end up regretting the difficulty and the
necessity of Sims 2: Open for Business . Ambitions glue so the will of
the Sims 3 by focusing primarily on the freedom and accessibility, even
if a little lacking depth.

Note nonetheless that unlike World Adventures when it was released (and
still somewhat today), seems bug free Ambitions affecting playability.
It’s a small thing, given the many problems encountered by the players
during the installation of the first extension. The interface has also
been slightly redesigned to be more ergonomic new filters for the
general view, new messaging system alerts and new opportunities for
clearer. The face-lift was not essential, but it is clear that the
result is still more enjoyable.

The Sims 3: Ambitions clearly eying the side of the adventure game, in
an obvious desire to boost the gaming experience. A new direction that
we had already spotted thanks to shipments of Adventure Destination ,
the first expansion of the title. Like the latter, it is by opening a
new aspect of interest under that extension. For if the immediacy of
these new experiences strikes at first sight, it is through their impact
on the personal stories of the avatars they feel their power. For the
first time, Sims are living our real lives are unique and their
interactions modify those of their neighbors. It’s very exciting!

Conclusion:

With ambitions, the work is mostly about fun. Emerging professions,
where the player is active, make a real bonus to the daily lives of
Sims. And with careers as varied as firefighter, architect or private
detective, it is truly something fun while discovering new gameplay .
But as World Adventures , the fun comes mainly from the discovery and
occupations, as they may be involved (special mentions for the architect
and the fireman), lack a bit of a challenge. No point not to expect a
change in policy regarding the raw: for furniture, clothes or haircuts,
it must be content with relatively little or spend their money on real
Sim store. The gameplay is somewhat changed, a few other alterations and
additions enrich the basic game, but the experience is not transcended.
This extension will appeal to all players who have been waiting to play
with their Sims while they work, but it is not gone far enough to
amaze.

Pros:

• Control
  your Sim to work
• Interesting New Career
• The open area makes sense
• An interface a bit clearer
• A little more humor and fantasy
• A welcome dose of humor
• The influence of its shares on the city

Cons:

• Not
  much of a challenge
• Few new furniture
• Virtually no new clothes
• Goals that quickly turn round
• Content actually quite thin
• Challenge virtually nonexistent