Those waiting on a console version of the Sims that mimics the PC variety has had their prayers answered.

Unless you've lived under a rock or have just been introduced to the wonderful world of gaming, you have at least heard of The Sims. The series has been wildly popular for many years on the PC, allowing gamers to create virtual people and either living their lives to the fullest, or evilly torturing those brainless avatars to death...literally. The series has been around for over a decade, and while always imitated and never duplicated, I can even give kudos that the developers have yet to run this horse into the ground by over doing it or reissuing a new version every year. Sure there are expansion packs on the PC, but they are just providing more substance to the legions of fans to give them more of what they love, which is everything!

With all this being said, the console gamers have really never gotten a good sense of why this series is as beloved by the PC community simply because they have never really been treated to the depth and wealth of the PC versions. Gamers have either gotten the watered down versions, silly knock offs, genre hip versions, or worst yet, a controller friendly version that plays like just another adventure title. None of these, mind you, will give you the impression that not only is the series any good, but you will scratch you head wondering why this game spreads like wildfire every time a new integration is brought to the PCs. That is, of course, until now...introducing a real Sims game for consoles that does nearly everything the PC brother pulls off, without taking too much away from the experience. Gamers who either wanted to play The Sims from their couches or away from the computer chairs finally can, as this is as close as it gets, without all the expense of a high end PC to run it all smoothly.

It's all here console gamers! From the silly Sim-ish language, to the extensive custom creations, living the life of the Sims has finally been pulled off properly on the consoles. While I've never gotten why this life simulator is so popular, I can honestly say that even with a controller, Sims fans will be happy with the way love is finally spread to the console world. Create your family, make them look as normal or crazy as you wish, control their habits, skills, bathroom breaks, communication techniques, love encounters, happiness, sadness, loneliness, anger, fear, whatever you want from the life of a Sim you can get. Sure, to newcomers there does seem to be a lot to learn and do in the Sims to even get their life going, but once you have the controls, hot keys, and relevant maneuvers memorized, managing your Sims life is a breeze. If you feel overwhelmed, the game does provide a helpful tutorial to get you going, just prepare to see a lot of loading screens during this process. The good news is you won't see many once you have the knack, so learn the game's mechanics quickly and you will find yourself with a more enjoyable experience. Completing the Sims is simple, guide them through life, tend to their needs, and allow them to become anything you want, from a homemaker to a CEO of a large company, to a top criminal mind, it's up to you.

The Sims creator feature is pretty vast and even allows for creation tools and palates to create new gear, outfits, and designs for your clothing and home. Don't have the artistic talent but still want more than the premade gear? Don't fret, an online store called "The Exchange" will allow you to download other gamers created materials so you can save and use them in your game, or if you have the knowhow, share the love yourself. Alongside the game's simple premise there are certain challenges and needs each Sim you create looks for in their life. How you achieve them is up to you, but the console version received a little extension called a Karma system that helps to get to those goals quicker. Achieving the right Karma can be tricky and will result in either you earning a large chuck of goodies coming your way, or becoming a big time loser for a short amount of time. Earning these bonuses is easy as well as all it takes is completing as many as the Sims' needs as possible before the "Hour of Reckoning" or 12 O'clock each day. Depending on how much dedication and care you took with them that day will result on which way the Karma swings.

Other than the lack of easy mouse and keyboard navigation, my only other real Sims 3 gripe would be that the world seems overly small in comparison to past games. Especially since the characters you meet are not randomly generated. So if you do find yourself reliving a new life, expect to meet the same characters over and over again. This of course can be fixed if need be with a simple update or add on pack, but for now, gamers who want to create multiple save files using multiple personas, will have less options and what to do's when it comes to the CPU created Sims.

So there you have it console gamers, a fully fledged Sims title without the dreadful feeling of missing something or not getting what the PC gamers have gotten. Sure, there are few minor quibbles that PC gamers will brag they still have over this version, but the end result is darn near identical. This is something that hasn't ever been said. Too bad it took over a decade to do it.