We covered their ‘basics’ article yesterday, but Simillion made a note that I missed IGN’s other article which contains their thoughts of the next expansion:
My favorite new addition is the imaginary friend that kids can have. All babies will automatically come with a toy doll in their inventory, and if the child plays with the toy enough, it will turn into an imaginary friend that only that Sim will see. Kids can play games with their imaginary friends, and even get them to clean up and do their chores. If a Sim develops his chemistry ability (also new in Generations) to the highest level, they’ll have the power to bring their imaginary friend to life, where it will become an actual member of the family. A Sim could even opt then to marry their imaginary friend if they want.
It’s interesting to see how The Sims has evolved in perception since the original game came out, even if the fundamental concept of the game has remained consistent. The original players of the original game definitely were about playing God, but the current Sims community is more like a bunch of filmmakers who are setting up these elaborate sets so they can make their movies, something EA has encouraged with the editing tools that are built right into the official Sims 3 site.