Sims 3, The - Supernatural Review for PC

Reviewed on: PC
Developer: The Sims Studio
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Rated: "T" for Teen

CHEATfactor Game Review
by Joe Sinicki

Presentation	6/10
No surprise, but Supernatural looks like you'd expect -- it looks The Sims. To be fair, the series has always looked impressive, and the spells are kind of neat at first, but the engine is clearly starting to show its age.
Gameplay	6/10
Supernatural takes the established Sims formula and throws in some out of this world races like mummies, fairies and zombies. It's a novel idea that's sure to make devoted Sims fans smile.
Lasting Appeal	5/10
Fans of The Sims are going to keep playing The Sims 3 just as much as they used to, but I find it hard to believe that many are going to use the features in Supernatural in their everyday routine.
Overall	6/10
We've come to expect an endless stream of expansion packs for Sims games, and most of them add a significant amount of content to the experience -- Supernatural does not.
CHEATfactor	6/10

As people, we all love the unexpected. It's new, it's different, it gives us something to talk about. When that novelty wears off though, the unexpected becomes just the opposite -- it becomes ordinary. That's the case with The Sims 3 and its latest expansion pack; Supernatural -- it takes one of the most novel parts of the formula -- the unexplained appearance of ghosts and other unworldly creatures and makes it part of the everyday experience. At first, it's a neat and novel idea, but after a while, it becomes clear just what Supernatural is, a limited expansion pack that doesn't expand much at all.

"...two new playable races -- Werewolves and fairies."

The main draw of The Sims 3: Supernatural is the addition of two new playable races -- Werewolves and fairies. The new races are streamlined into the game quite nicely, but when the main draw is the inclusion of out of this world elements, is two really enough? Sure, the Late Night Expansion gave us the options to play as a vampire and World Adventures introduced unplayable mummies, but why not give me more options? Why not let me play as a zombie or a mummy? What's the sense in going over the top, but only slightly?

The major fault with Supernatural is that it doesn't offer much new content at all. Of course, this is a Sims game, so there's the expected collection of new items to buy and clothes to wear, but there's little in the ways of actual game content. Looking for a cool new career? You better like being a fortune teller, as it's the only new job here that wasn't included in the original. , What's worse, there really wasn't much thought put into the career path as it seems like much more of an afterthought to include it at all. Much like the inclusion of vampires in Late Night, the inclusion of Ghost Hunter as a career would have been a great addition -- if it wasn't included in a previous expansion pack. It's evident that the development team used up all of their good ideas long before the release of Supernatural.

"...cure yourself or other sims of issues like hunger or fatigue."

Supernatural also re-introduces magic into the formula (it was the main draw for original Sims expansion Makin' Magic), but like much content here, it falls flat. The main purpose of magic is to make the simple tasks and objectives of the core Sims experience that much easier -- you can create love potions to make other sims fall in love with you quicker, or you can cure yourself or other sims of issues like hunger or fatigue. The problem with this? It's much quicker to just go out on a date, eat something or sleep. Magic is also not a skill in Supernatural, so even though you're going to have to give it time to recover (magic is controlled by an RPG like mana system), there's no real indication of how you're doing or what spells you know at any given time.

The biggest problem of The Sims 3: Supernatural is that it just doesn't feel like it's on par with the other Sims base games or expansions we've seen. I know quite a few people who pour a lot of time into The Sims series, stressing over every detail of their house, or their Sims wardrobe, and I don't think they're going to appreciate having all of that wrecked by a horde of plant munching zombies. Of course, not every game is for everyone, but it's just a shame that those who want the entire collection are going to have to choose.

We've come to expect an endless stream of expansion packs for Sims games, and most of them add a significant amount of content to the experience -- Supernatural does not. With one new career and only a few new ideas which the novelty wears off quite quickly, it's hard to recommend. Who ever heard of an expansion pack that doesn't expand?

CHEATfactor

The funny thing about a game like The Sims 3: Supernatural is that one of the key new features, the magic system is essentially one big cheat. Want to cure hunger? Fatigue? Really don't want to get up to use the bathroom? There's a spell for that. The key here though is that it's not instant enough to be considered a worthwhile cheat, and many players won't find the time it takes to learn the spells worth it.

I would love to have a cheat to have every spell available to me right away, and of course -- this is The Sims, so I'd also love to have infinite money and the ability to have all of the items readily at my disposal.