It’s the raft of minor additions like that which mean, despite a few pulled punches, that The Sims 3 is a broad and ridiculously charming game that manages to significantly expand upon its critical formula without ever becoming overwhelming. It’s that much closer to what a Sims player has always wanted from The Sims: to create themselves, and their friends, and then set them loose upon the world. It’s both more of a role-playing game than it’s ever been before, and more of a design game than it’s ever been before. It may suffer a few glaring compromises, but it’s an essential play for anyone with an interest in what videogames can achieve outside of a targeting reticule.

8/10 from Eurogamer!