2011's Top 10 List For Sims 3
This year brought two new expansion packs: Generations and Pets. Here's my vote for the 10 best things to happen to Sims 3 this year, in no particular order:
1. Generations: Invisible Friend
Major creep factor here! This is definitely the most the Sims franchise has ever frightened me, and I have literally been playing for over a decade.
2. Generations: Boarding School
Don't feel like dealing with micro-managing a kid through the Child or Teen stages? Me either! For about $1500 you can send your kid off to boarding school, and let them deal with it instead.
3. Generations: Chemistry Set
Aside from the prank possibilities, the Chemistry Set lets you (eventually) discover and make the Young Again potion. This potion returns any Sim to the beginning of the Young Adult life stage, making it the most powerful anti-aging measure available in the game.
This potion is also available as a Lifetime Happiness Reward. But at 70,000 points, it's a lot easier to just level up on the Chemistry Set and make your own. You can make as many as you like, too!
4. Generations: Motive Mobile
The Motive Mobile grants another sort of immortality, because it keeps your Sim from needing to sleep. You can either commute back and forth from two locations, or have your Sim drive a few blocks whenever their needs get low. Either way, it's like living a "Fight Club" style double life, without the acid burns!
5. More Woo Hoo Locations: Shower (Generations), Tree House (Generations), Hay Stack (Pets)
It seems really sordid to have Woo Hoo in a kid's playhouse. Also: splinters.
6. Towel artwork in the museum
This has probably been there for a while, but I only just noticed it. (Pictured above.) I LOL'd!
7. Pets: Unicorns
Need I say more? Unicorns have level 10 running and jumping ability, they can bless, curse, and set fire to things, they glow with moonlight, emit rainbows when they eat or drink, and leave a sparkle trail behind them when they gallop. Also: they are unicorns!
8. Pets: Vomit
For only 1,500 Lifetime Happiness Points, your pet can be granted the ability to vomit on command. It's funny, and also dogs can eat it and thus fill their Hunger motive.
9. Pets: Cat Park
I love that cats get their own park, complete with lots of litter boxes, beds, and butterflies.
10. Pets: Ant Farm
I can't get enough of watching my Sims watch their ant farm. It's so meta!
Dishonorable Mention: 2011 also brought us Origin as a replacement for the EA Downloader. Speaking of which, I had a lot of trouble with my game locking up, but it hasn't locked up since I updated Origin. Worth trying, if you have this problem!