The Sims 3: Breathlessly Anticipated, Masterfully Executed

PCWorld published a 10 page report from the game, rating it an overall 90%. Here’s a brief excerpt:

Although The Sims 3 remains a “massively single-player” game, it’s still possible to interact with other players by sharing and exchanging creations online. That’s not a new feature — The Sims 2’s “Exchange” allowed players to share sims, lots, and stories — but now you can swap custom patterns or view others’ pictures and videos as well. All that’s missing? A world-shaping tool. You can modify what’s already been positioned in each map, but you’re stuck with its topography and placement bookmarks.

Feeling directorial? There’s a movie-making tool built around a Web interface that you can feed stock videos and images of your own, captured with a simplistic recording interface from within the game. It’s fairly primitive compared to something like Lionhead’s The Movies — more of a mash-up tool than a serious editor — but it’s a start, and above all else, a snap to pick up. My only request? It’d be nice to see this integrated with the game, so you’re not dropping to the desktop repeatedly while working out your “perfect” shots.

Their report can be read here