GamesCom 2010 – The Sims 3 hands-on with Karma from GameSpot

We didn’t have a lot of time to spend with the game, but we did get to create a brand new sim to see how the editor transferred over. Like the PC version, we were able to pick a sim from various age groups, so we decided to go with a toddler and mess around with some onesies and face paint. Every detail can be tweaked, from eyebrows to beanie patterns, and everything you make, including houses, other sims, and patterns can be saved and uploaded to MyStudio. MyStudio is accessible via the main menu and lets you share what you’ve created with the community.

We were told that all the PC features have been moved to the console, with the exception of the ability to be able to customize everything you come across in a neighborhood, and there are loading times when you move from one location to another. Because we couldn’t start the game with a toddler without a parent, we picked a random sim and jumped right into the game. As soon as you’re placed in a home, you’re given a seven-step tutorial that teaches you the basic controls. The L stick controls a green beam of light that acts as your cursor where you can highlight your sim and other objects of interest. The X button brings up all the options available for the highlighted item, and you can always reset your camera to your active sim with L3 or use R3 to center on your cursor. When you’re in a building with a second floor, the L2 button lets you see what’s happening upstairs. At first, it does feel a bit unwieldy when you’re so used to pointing and clicking, but everything of importance is easily accessible. The R2 button will display a message log if you need to refer back to something the game is trying to tell you, and the square button gives you all the details you want to know about your sim.

full article on GameSpot (thanks, Sims Galore!)