No Sim-pathy

News this week caused upset among Sims fans worldwide, but in my little corner of the planet, I actually rubbed my hands with glee so much that I nearly ignited a small fire.  Sims 3, which was supposed to be released in all it’s glory at the end of this month, has been delayed until June.  Can I get a hallelujah?  Why so pleased?  Well, I love Sims 2 and I haven’t played it nearly enough.  Utterly selfish I know, but I make no apologies for it.  In fact, I’d go as far as saying “Ha Ha”, but that would be childish.  So I will.

The fact that since falling in love with my Ex-Box (sadly in a comatose state in a German infirmary), my PC games have been shunted to the side like a leprous cousin.  There will be plenty of time to play Sims2, I told myself, after all, the new one won’t be out for years.  It has been years and now number three is on the doorstep and I don’t want it to be.  After vowing to get back into PC gaming, I booted up Sims2 for the first time in probably half a year and realised what a fool I had been, how much I truly enjoyed this game and how many hours I still wanted to pour into it, and the, still as yet unexplored, possibilities (like actually using the vacation expansion)… and until this week, how little time I had to do so.  I hate when new releases, be they consoles or new incarnations of games muscle up and squeeze out their predecessors before their time.  Rumours of the Xbox720 have begun to stir more these last few months and I find myself growing annoyed.  I’ve barely played this one enough. Why do companies have to treat consoles like a stripper’s knickers – whipping them off and casting them aside every two minutes, I foam to myself.  (Despite the fact they may or may not have been out for years – that is of little import when the rant button has been firmly depressed) It is something that has always irritated me and now it will be happening to Sims2  – out with the old etc.

The graphics of number three look better, more realistic, people cry.  But so what?  In this age of whoring after the Holy Grail of photorealism, I find myself getting more depressed.  I play a game to be a game (ironic, some may say for someone playing Sims, but bear with me…) and with a few exceptions, I like a game to look like one.  I don’t want absolute photorealism in every character.  Sims3 may not be quite there in these terms, but it’s a step closer and some may go gooey with delight, but not me – at least not yet.  How much more game play could be squeezed into titles if the race for the perfect face wasn’t so rabid, I wonder, but I digress.  One thing that makes me sad is that my favourite expansions won’t be present until the next slow drip feed begins, and worst of all, that the new PC  that I bought last year in order to finally run Sims2 in all it’s glory will now crawl like a contrite submissive.  Damn it.

I don’t have to upgrade to number 3, but I know I will.  After all, didn’t I sneer at the fact that people still bought and played Sims1 when the sequel was out?  Yes, yes I did.  I actually scoffed one day in Game when I saw the sad Sims titles lined up on the shelf.  And now I’m sorry  because that will happen to MY game now.  Why don’t they get the new game I would think, it looks better and you can do so much more….and that’s exactly what non-existent folk leaning over my shoulder will say to me when I fire up Sims2 after June.  The allure of a shiny new game may just be too much though,  curiosity is a powerful lure to resist and after all, I left playing Sims 2 too long when it first came out and was robbed of precious time – I don’t want that happening with the next title.  I may yet be swayed…

Reading the release date change was like getting a reprieve.  It may have Sims fans squirming in their chairs and vomiting disappointment over whatever forum will take it, but I’m happy.  Happy that I have a stolen few months to make up for my regret, to play my characters to death (literally), and happy that the breakneck rush into the next generation for this franchise at least has been momentarily checked.