The Sims 3 Deluxe

by Electronic Arts

• Create any Sim you can imagine and give them unique personality traits.
• Control your Sims' destinies and decide whether to make their wishes come true.
• Customize everything! Build the ultimate dream house for your Sims, then explore infinite customization possibilities
• Control your Sim's actions and interactions while they're on the job
• Choose from new career opportunities, will your Sim work for good or evil, pursue creative endeavors

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0040Y0KSE
• Item Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Media: DVD-ROM
• Release Date: September 27, 2010
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,179 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #8 in Video Games > Mac Games > Games > Simulation > Life
  • #30 in Video Games > PC Games > Games > Simulation > Life
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PC/Mac | Edition: Deluxe

Let the freedom of The Sims 3 and the opportunities of The Sims 3 Ambitions inspire you! The Sims 3 Deluxe includes both The Sims 3 and the popular expansion pack The Sims 3 Ambitions in one! Start off creating Sims with unique personalities, customizing everything from their appearances to their personalities to their homes, and then share them online. Make their dreams come true—or don’t! Then widen their horizons with killer new career tracks. Will your Sim save the day as a brave firefighter, become a billionaire high-tech inventor, change the town as a leading architect, or wreak havoc as a neighborhood nuisance? Whatever direction they take, their future is in your hands!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 79 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice! November 2, 2010

By ninjas_eat_fudge

Platform for Display:PC/Mac| Edition:Deluxe|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 4.0 out of 5 stars   

I wouldn't say the Sims 3 Deluxe is SOOO amazingly better than the Sims 3. But it is an improvement, if you like more variety in your career choices and if you like controlling Sims at work (only available in professions, not jobs). Other than that, not a big difference between the two games. But just a review of the overall game, well, it's great. Infinitely better than the Sims 2! However, it's so good, it doesn't play *very* well on my laptop. It's choppy sometimes, and the graphics aren't great in ordinary gameplay. In Create-A-Sim, it's fantastic. But in gameplay, try not to get too close to their faces. It's a little weird. But if you have a good graphics card I'm sure it'll play fine. Anyway, things I love about the game are the new sliders that came with the recent update (WOW! THANK YOU!), the fact that you pretty much never hit a loading screen except when changing from gameplay to menu or create-a-sim or whatever, and the fact that you can switch families in the same neighborhood and your old sims just go on with their lives. I also like the water ripple effects, but that doesn't mean a lot now does it? Hope you enjoy your Sims!!

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Game, hope to buy more soon! November 27, 2010

A Kid's Review

Platform for Display:PC/Mac|Edition:Deluxe

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

The Sims 3 is an amazing game. You can do basically anything with them. If you have ever wanted to have freedom and unlimited fun, then buy the SIms 3. You can become an astronaut, a pilot, a firefighter, and even a mad scientist! As well as being able to have children, maybe even triplets or twins, you can get medical advice or relax at the spa for the day. You can even get an expensive car or the limo of your dreams. If you want to live big, go ahead and buy the mansion, but if you just want to have a cozy place to stay, feel free to buy a small house near the ocean. Your sim will have all new traits and responsibilities like washing the dishes and being a natural cook or slob. An all new feature is having a wedding and being able to choose clothes. There is a wide variety of clothing to choose from. Your sim can also exercise and even change its name. You can overrun other businesses and even accomplish goals or lifetime wishes.
If you liked the previous Sims games, prepare to be surprised when you buy the SIms 3. It's a must have for any Sims lover. I hope to get the expansion packs later on!

41 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the game, hate the DVD January 11, 2011

By Michele Monroe

Platform for Display:PC/Mac| Edition:Deluxe|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

My daughter loves this game and plays it non-stop. However, that's only because she got a MacBook Air for Christmas. Prior to that she was using a 13" MacBook that has an Intel integrated GMA 950 video card. This card is not supported, but nowhere is this shared - not in Amazon's description and not on the back of the software case. I finally found this little nugget of information after combing through the manual and researching it online. The game installed & loaded perfectly and appeared to run fine - no graphics issues with any of the scenery and backgrounds. However, once you tried to build a Sim, all that could be seen was their hair, eyes and shoes. Everything else was a black shadow.

I eventually returned the DVD and downloaded the software from Direct2Drive directly onto her MacBook Air and it works flawlessly. Since this review is supposed to be for the game, it gets 5 stars, but I wanted everyone to be aware that their video card may or may not work. It's best to research that before purchasing.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent in a very Different Way April 7, 2011

By Nomad of Khain

Platform for Display:PC/Mac| Edition:Deluxe|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 4.0 out of 5 stars   

First off, I have to say that this is the first sims game I have ever played, so I can't compare it to previous sims titles. I also won't be going in depth into the features of this game because I figure there are plenty of other places to look for those. I can, however give an idea of what it's like playing the sims after having played more mainstream games.

My biggest worry about this game was that I would grow bored without a set progression. While it is definitely a play-style radically different from anything I've ever played before, it is none-the-less very entertaining. The goal is simply to make you sims (in game characters) successful in some way. This can mean making an army of friends or becoming an astronaut. Each sim gets one of these goals (called lifetime wishes in game) and has their lifespan to complete it. There are a lot of lifetime wishes to choose from and each offers different gameplay. This means there is great variety in how each sim gets played, and as a result, that the game itself is very re-playable.

That said, the open-ended, non-linear play-style won't appeal to everyone. It means the player has to take the initiative in everything. You could, if you wanted to, do nothing at all.

The other thing I was unsure about when getting this game was that sims have to complete a lot of very mundane task throughout the day. They must go to the bathroom, shower, cook, have fun, and receive some sort of social stimulation. As the player, you have to order them to do all of these things, and the monotony does get old after a while. You can set them to be somewhat autonomous (which means they will do something by themselves if left idle), but they are pretty stupid so you have to pay attention anyway.... I will say though, that while this is somewhat mundane and repetitive, it does add somewhat to the gameplay that you have to juggle every aspect of your sim's lives to be successful.

Another thing I'll mention it what surprised me most. This game is not simply a simulation of real life, but more like a parody of real life. Sims make a lot of really comical mistakes, and they really are funny to watch. Also, the game features ghosts, teleportation devices, time machines (though you can't see where your sims go), and if you spring for the late night expansion, vampires. There are other things I won't go into, but suffice it to say that the sims world is very different from the real one.

Now, I did play only the base game without installing ambitions right away, just so I could see what it added. The base game itself is fun on it's own, but in my opinion, ambitions added a lot of stuff which should have shipped with the base game itself. Basically, it adds a whole bunch of career options for your sims. The nice thing is that most of these are a lot more involved than most other careers. A scientist for example will simply disappear inside the science facility all day, while the private eye (added with ambitions) has to go all over town collecting clues and solving mysteries.

The graphics in this game are pretty good, and will run on a wide range of computers. My computer isn't exactly a gaming machine, but it runs the sims 3 just fine (albeit on lower settings). The soundtrack is fun and upbeat, and you can play your own music with an in-game stereo if you want (using the custom music option). Another thing which is pretty neat is that there are no load times once you get into the game itself. Even though there is a pretty big town with lots of buildings to go into, you never have to sit and wait for a loading bar. On the other hand, you will be waiting for other things, like for your sims to wake up.

So, while I gave the overall rating five-stars, be warned that this is a very subjective opinion. The fun rating lost one star because of all the little mundane activities which I found kinda annoying. Overall though, I thought this an excellent game and would recommend that anyone interested try it. If you're really not sure, see if a friend has copy you can check out before buying your own. Also, my recommendation is that if you're going to buy the sims 3, you might as well buy the deluxe version right away because ambitions really adds a lot of good stuff.

Hope this helped. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome game!! February 27, 2011

By Gbina

Platform for Display:PC/Mac|Edition:Deluxe

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I've been an avid Sims player ever since the original Sims and I've got to say this game is fantastic. The Sims 3 has come a LONG way since the first Sims and it's even made huge improvements since Sims 2. The characters are much more realistic, there are a ton more clothes to choose from, building houses is a dream, and there's so many new features in furnishing your home that it's almost overwhelming. If you've always wanted more control and options to choose from for limitless levels of customization, this is your game.

So far I have not run into any bugs and I'm on a Macbook Pro purchased Thanksgiving 2010. The only issues I had were when I was first installing it and it froze up so that I had to shut down my computer but after that, everything has been running flawlessly. Load time for the actual game is pleasantly quick but it does take a bit longer when loading your actual game. Still, it's nothing compared to how long it used to take. The graphics are great and all the controls are pretty simple to figure out. This game incorporates a lot of the original Sims features which is really nice but includes a lot of newer stuff, such as being able to turn furniture and counters diagonally.

As for the actual Sims, I've read a ton of reviews that think these Sims are a lot uglier than the ones in Sims 2. They're really not as bad as some people are making them out to be. They resemble Sims 2 a lot but are much, much more realistic. Their faces are a bit thick, making them seem a little chubby in the cheeks, but I don't think it's as big of a deal as some are making it. They still look like Sims but with a ton more detail and a lot more human-like. You can customize their body size and shape, and even add your desired amount of muscle tone. Create-A-Sim is amazing.... There are a TON of options to choose from when customizing, I spent a lot of time just scrolling through everything and trying on all different outfits. The best part is that you can choose your own color scheme for nearly anything, and you have many MANY traits to create their personalities with.

Building and furnishing homes, like I said before, is a dream. The menus are well-organized and easy to navigate. Building is just like how it's always been except with a few more menus and tools to allow easier creation. I do think that flooring and wallpaper options are a fairly limited, especially compared to the rest of the game; it's typical Sims choices with either really plain or really funky looking stuff and not a ton of options. The thing that I didn't like to build was the driveway/garage. I always build my houses before putting in that stuff and go figure, the parking spot for the driveway doesn't fit onto my land with the garage. There's also only two driveways to choose from and they're really two different sized parking spaces. If you had Sims 2 when building that was super easy, you might be wondering why those features weren't included. Landscaping is great though, lots of plants and trees to choose from with many new choices. I think the flower selection is kind of limited too but there are definitely more options than ever before. And furnishing is so cool. There are so many pieces to choose from, quite a few menus to select from, and they even added toilet paper rolls for the bathroom. After painting and flooring your house with not so many choices, furnishing it with a million and one things to pick from is REALLY nice.

Actual game play - just like how Sims has always been. It's almost a relief because there's so much new stuff that you're almost expecting Sims interaction to be different too. There are more things you can do, like ask another Sim how their day is and ask to go steady. I haven't been around town yet or gotten them jobs but they do have so many really awesome career paths to choose from, like passive private eye or an astronaut. One thing I don't like about the game play is that their free will is more than free. For example, I was trying to have my Sim begin painting but she wanted to go watch TV and my command was just erased. Granted I'm going to change the settings but I wish I didn't have to. But I haven't had any problems with my Sims setting themselves on fire or being overly negative about anything and hating life or not wanting to move. Their wishes are fun and interactive, they give you a goal and they're more manageable than some of the ones the Sims 2 would give you. I haven't run into any bugs with this yet either.

Overall this is a great game. There are some features that I wish were included in this game but all in all, I cannot complain. It's very addicting and you feel like you have a ton of stuff to do. I recommend this to anyone, and if you're on the fence between Sims 2 Deluxe and this game, I'd definitely say go with this one. Read more ›