Released on 23/03/2011

• New Hidden Springs content released for The Sims 3

  Fans of The Sims 3 can expand their experience from this week with the launch of the new Hidden Springs downloadable content pack.

  The newest add-on for EA's phenomenally popular lifestyle simulation adds a luxurious new resort town area to the PC game, offering a place for Sims to relax while surrounded by scenic mountains and an expansive lake.

  Sim characters can unwind at the Fairyfolk Park, investigate ancient mysteries at the Museum of Magic and the Supernatural or track down exclusive new items such as the Fountain of Youth.

  Gamers can also improve their Sims' social standing by visiting locales like the Crystal Solarium Pool and the Redwood Heights Luxury Lodge, where they can get to know the elite Vanderburg family.

  Since debuting in 2009, The Sims 3 has proven to be one of the most popular PC titles of recent years, selling more than five million copies.

  A major new expansion, the animal-centric The Sims 3: Pets, will be released on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 later this year.

  Published: 26/08/2011

• Nintendo 3DS sales reach 6.68 million

  Nintendo has expressed hope that sales of its 3DS console are back on track after reaching 6.68 million units at the end of September.

  Although the figure is below the company's expectations, it is ahead of the data for the device's predecessor the DS during the same period, reports MCV.

  Sales of the 3DS, which allows users to experience an innovative way of playing new and exciting games, increased during August as a result of a substantial price cut.

  Nintendo has also forecast strong sales during the festive period, with the reduced cost and an improved software line-up expected to attract customers.

  This comes after the Japanese technology firm announced the launch of a new coral pink 3DS console, created to mark the upcoming release of Nintendogs + Cats.

  Set to hit stores on November 18th, the new title will see the portable pooch accompanied by an adorable female friend to play with.

  Published: 04/11/2011

• The Sims 3: Master Suite Stuff add-on pack coming in January 2012

  A new add-on pack is being launched for The Sims 3 that will give players greater choice when it comes to creating their dream property.

  The Sims 3: Master Suite Stuff will add a host of new items for players to customise their homes and characters, with new bathroom and master bedroom furnishing plus an array of romantic intimate wear for Sims.

  Players will have the chance to pick up a new four-post canopied bed, a contemporary vanity and set and a new lavish hot tub.

  Set to hit the shelves in January 2012, the add-on will add further depth to the already bulging title.

  The Sims franchise celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2010, with more than 15 million units of the game's many titles sold over the decade.

  One of the most popular games of the last two years, The Sims 3 alone has sold more than five million copies since its launch in 2009.

  Published: 11/11/2011

• GAME : 3DS update Round-up

  
  

  GAME : 3DS update Round-up

  If there's one thing the latest generation of consoles has taught us, it's that newly purchased gaming systems aren't the finished article when you first take them out of their shiny wrapping. Not to say they 're lacking anything fundamental, far from it in fact, but system updates now mean it's possible for platform holders like Nintendo to dramatically improve a console's functionality and boost the user experience post-launch.

  

  December's free 3DS system update is a prime example, introducing fresh game content, social features and hardware functionality to the console. Here, GAME runs you through all the major new additions.

  
  

  3D Filming!

  One of our favourite new features is the ability to make ten minute long 3D videos with just a few simple button presses. Icons on the 3DS touch screen allow you to select or fine-tune different recording features such as the 3D effect, altering the sharpness and brightness of your video, and choosing whether to film in regular colour, black and white or sepia. The quality of the recordings we've made so far is surprisingly good, although you obviously have to see them in person to get the full 3D effect.

  While the basic ability to record in 3D is a cool feature in itself, special praise is reserved for the three Trick Shot modes. Interval Shot takes still snaps at your choice of intervals, between every half a second and 60 seconds, before playing them in a rapid slideshow.

  Frame Pick, which essentially enables you to create stop-motion animations, is similar to Interval Shot except it lets you capture images of a physically manipulated object whenever you choose, creating the illusion of movement when the series of pictures is played as a continuous sequence.

  Meanwhile, Clip Link enables you to record various video segments which are then mashed together in the same video file. There's no doubt that budding animators and movie makers will spend a lot of time playing around with these simple to use but rewarding new video recording features.

  
  

  New Plaza updates

  The system update also introduces a range of new features for Mii Plaza, the place where 3DS owners can view the Mii characters they've met via StreetPass (which automatically swaps the Miis and gameplay profiles of players who pass each other on their travels). These include a follow-up to the free, in-built 3DS RPG-style game StreetPass Quest, and new 3D puzzles of famous Nintendo characters to complete by collecting pieces from other players.

  

  
  

  You now receive congratulatory messages in the Mii Plaza for achieving goals such as meeting a certain numbers of Miis or ones from different countries (which are displayed on a new StreetPass Map showing the locations of all the Miis you've encountered), or by working your way through StreetPass Quest 2. There are 78 accomplishments to get in total and a congratulatory message for each. They also unlock up to 35 different tunes to listen to in a new Mii Plaza Music Player.

  The new Puzzle Panel pieces we've collected so far are for Donkey Kong Country Returns and Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D. The puzzles themselves are larger than the originals, with 24 pieces to collect instead of 15, including four pink pieces which can only be collected via StreetPass (others can be purchased with Play Coins, a virtual currency accumulated by carrying your 3DS around with you like a pedometer).

  
  

  New Street Pass Quest

  StreetPass Quest 2, in which you control a team of fighters made up of your friends' Miis, challenges players to save three fictional family members kidnapped by slimy monsters and placed in separate cages. It contains branching paths as well as brand new enemies, and even lets players make parties of Miis to carry out team attacks using weapons or magic. The game also offers players the chance to collect a total of 57 hats for their Miis, compared to the original game's 16, but the title's only accessible if you've completed the first one twice.

  
  

  Download Demos

  Additionally, the 3DS system update paves the way for players to download demos of 3DS games, although none have been made available yet, as well as making it easier to browse and pay for games and content in the Nintendo eShop. Players can now transfer games purchased from the eShop, as well as account funds and save data including photographs and audio files, from one 3DS system to another too.

  
  

  Summary

  All in all, the 3DS system update is an impressive release, adding great new hardware functionality, amusing new game content and cool new social features. It has been almost nine months since release and our 3DS feels like a fresher piece of kit than ever before, all of which leaves us eagerly awaiting the next major system update.

  

  Published: 14/12/2011

• Construction underway on Sim City 5

  Sim City, Will Wright's classic city building game will be getting a long overdue new edition in 2013 according to German games mag, GameStar.

  The magazine quotes Maxis developer Lucy Bradshaw as saying that the fifth game in the series is already in development, but that work on other Maxis titles such as Spore and The Sims has kept it under the radar.

  The game will reportedly use a new graphics engine known as GlassBox. This would explain why EA and Maxis are holding a special seminar at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco next week, entitled Inside the Glassbox, to debut a system �uilt from the ground up to power the next entry in one of [EA's] most beloved franchises.�/p>

  Sim City 5 will apparently feature multiplayer modes, buildings that can be updated and non-linear roads.

  It's been almost ten years since Sim City 4 came out in 2003, but the series has been kept alive through a handheld DS version, spin-off title Sim City Societies and, of course, The Sims 3.

• The Sims 4 confirmed

  A fourth entry in EA's top-selling Sims saga will release in 2014, it has been confirmed. The game will release in 2014 for PC and Mac. No console versions have been announced, but The Sims 3 soon found its way to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

  The game follows hot on the heels of the rebooted and always-online multiplayer Sim City, but while hinting at social sharing features, EA notably refers to The Sims 4 as a "single-player offline experience". The Sims 3 introduced connected suburbs and a shared online world where you and your friends could overlap your Sim towns. What else could be added for a fourth game? For now, EA isn't telling.

  "The Sims 4 celebrates the heart and soul of the Sims themselves, giving players a deeper connection with the most expressive, surprising and charming Sims ever," reads EA's announcement. "The Sims 4 encourages players to personalise their world with new and intuitive tools while offering them the ability to effortlessly share their creativity with friends and fans."

  Present for the announcement were specially selected Sims fans, drawn from the game's community. Not only did these Sims ambassadors get to hear the news first, but they'll be given "special access" to the development team over the next year.
  

  Published: 08/05/2013

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