What EA have done is create a platform for a new generation of expansion packs and downloadable content. Depending on where they take it, this might be like ‘needing’ to buy all your old films again on Blu-ray, or it might allow for new, exciting additions as towns expand in scope and scale. If you already have expansion packs for Sims 2 that add seasons, pets and witches, the basic Sims 3 feels like a step back.
Yet 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.