If you’re more interested in new gameplay than creating a realistic replica of your beloved family pet, don’t get your hopes up. The cats and dogs aren’t as complex as regular sims, and don’t offer the same kind of engaging options. Even though they have their own traits and wishes to fulfill, pets only have one skill to advance (digging for dogs, hunting for cats), and the ways they interact with each other and with people is pared down.

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Even though the pet-related content didn’t blow me away, the saving grace of The Sims 3: Pets is that the game underneath it is still solid. All of the fun of The Sims 3 is still here – it just has an extra lackluster layer of stuff. You don’t have to create a pet if you don’t want to; you can just make regular loser and guide them through everyday life. The humor and freedom that defines the series remains intact. The interface isn’t perfect, but the functionality is impressive considering how much information you need to sift through using just a controller.

review here (it’s not that bad, they did give it a 7.5 rating)