The Sims 3 [PC]

The Sims 3 may have leaked onto the Internet two weeks before its release, but there's more to the game than just that code. EA's big sequel ships with only one town, Sunset Valley, but a second town, Riverview, will be available for free download once you register the game. Beyond that, there's the online interaction through the game's Web site and online store. What the store looks like remains hidden to you until the game's official release on June 2, but we were recently granted access behind EA's firewall to check out the store, as well as Riverview.

When you get the game you can set up an account on The Sims 3 Web site. Now, this is important because the Web site is a portal to many different things. There's a section called My Page which has various subsections. My Page lets you set up a Facebook- or MySpace-style social networking page. My Blog lets you blog about your Sims 3 experience. There are also sections that let you manage your friends list, send and receive messages, and keep track of things that you've tagged in the game that you like.

Then there's The Exchange part of the site; it lets you share your creations with the rest of the world. This includes objects, sims, lots, households, clothing, hair color, accessories, and patterns. After that, there's Movies & More, which lets you create movies and stories. We covered this movie mash up tool set last month, but it basically gives you movie editing tools in the Web site. You can then share your movies with your friends or the community as a whole, or upload them to video sites such as YouTube.

A major component of The Sims 3 Web site is The Store. Now if you've been keeping up with gaming the past few years, then you know that one of the emerging trends are microtransactions. It's the idea that you can buy optional items for, say, an online role-playing game for a small fee. These usually include stuff like a cool costume or a unique item, so it seems like a natural for The Sims. The Sims 3 will introduce an online store and SimPoints, the currency that the store uses. To get you started, EA will give you 1,000 SimPoints in your account. You can purchase more SimPoints in 500-, 1,000-, and 2,000-point packages; 1,000 SimPoints costs $10, so basically think of it as 100 points as costing $1.

The Store will feature exclusive items made by the development team that can be used to further customize your game. There are five sections currently, and we're told that you can shop in different ways. You can buy whole sets of furniture, or just room sets (say a bedroom set), or just individual items. The Sets section of the store groups all the various themed items together. Do you like Tiki furniture? Or maybe a Storybook set ("lovely items that look like they've been pulled directly from a storybook")? Or there's a Hewnsman set for those who like woodwork and detailing, and a Bayside set that looks like something out of an Ikea catalog; it mixes wood construction with modern appliances. If you don't want to buy whole sets, the Home Décor section of the store lets you shop for individual items. Maybe there's a nice vase you want, or a couch that caught your eye? The Home Improvement section of the store features items for use directly on your house; we're talking doors, windows, columns, fences, and the like. The Bob Vilas of the world will spend their time here.

Then there are two sections in The Store geared toward customizing your sims. The Clothing section breaks out the newest fashions, broken down by age group (child, teen, adult, etc.) and familiar categories (everyday, formal, sleepwear, and athletic). Finally, there's the Hair section that gives you access to new hairstyles as well as headwear, like cowboy hats and caps.