Players will enter Oasis Landing by starting a new game typically. Soon after loading up The Sims 3, a strange Time Portal will appear around the Sims home, and a time traveler exits and offers the character the ability to travel between times and worlds to Oasis Landing. The player is free to travel between the two worlds, but actions performed in the past can affect what happens in the future world of Oasis Landing. There are three distinct futures available in The Sims 3 Into the Future, but players will begin in the neutral future where everything looks nice and the people are even friendlier. Players can head back to the past and the normal Sims world by heading back to the teleporter than transferred them to Oasis Landing in the first place at anytime they want though.
Sims in the present timeline have plenty of new options of how to change the future for all Sims characters. The new descendents tab allows players to look at the lineage of their characters and help determine what future generations will look and act like. Personalities and traits can be passed through generations, so it's important to dress nice, practice good hygiene and pick up important traits such as work ethic or an ambitious attitude that always makes the character strive for a better career and future. Sims characters can also pass down bad traits such as commitment issues or a bad work ethic, and this can heavily influence the future for the Sims and the world. The Sims 3 Into the Future has also added special Legacies that can be earned for performing certain tasks that award the player with some nice perks including recognition for the legacy in the future.
Many players will be most excited about all of the new items included in The Sims 3 Into the Future, and the game is definitely packed with plenty of new content for players to try out. One of the first items players will want in the future is obviously a jetpack. The item allows Sims to fly and quickly move from one area to another in a flash. Other new transportation items include hovercars, a futuristic monorail system and hoverboards, though jetpack still seems to be the preferred way for Sims characters to get around Oasis Landing.
There are a variety of other items with futuristic designs that offer up some neat ideas that Sims fans will want to get their hands on. Furniture, televisions and other household items have all received futuristic improvements. Some of the most important items includes food synthesizers that immediately prepare foods for Sims to eat, nano showers that get characters clean without ever getting undressed, sleeping pods that allow Sims to train certain skills while sleeping and more. Computers have also received a dramatic makeover in The Sims 3 Into the Future to ones that resemble floating orbs that provide touch screen projections taken straight out of the best science fiction movies. Younger Sims can also take care of a mechanical pet that eat, sleeps and is always looking for adoration, just without all the poop.
Likely the most important new item however is the Plumbot. These android humanoids can be created and controlled by heading to a nearby workshop and building one from a variety of choices, or players can find and collect parts to build their own custom Plumbot. Once a Plumbot has been created they can be programmed to perform a variety of chores around the home to save Sims from having extra work to do, or they can be given free control of themselves. Human Sims can then create bonds with the robots and even get romantic with their Plumbot to make things really weird. Plumbots can also make friends with other Plumbots and even create smaller robots in their own image, which is also really strange. The whole idea is a bit off-putting once the Plumbots gain free control over their actions that seems a lot more like a robotic takeover than a future you'd really want to live in, but it's a cool feature for the game.
Of course, there are plenty of new clothes available in Oasis Landing. All of the new clothes have a nice, clean futuristic style that looks good in most settings, however it would've been nice to see some more ragged clothes to match the dystopian future. There are tons of new dresses, pants, shirts, boots and more included in the game. The different styles include futuristic leather designs, starship outfits and some that seem to have more of an Asian influence. The Sims 3 Into the Future also includes a variety of wacky hairstyles, because have you seen the ladies in science fiction movies? There are also some facial hairstyles for guys that take direct inspirations from The Hunger Games, so if you're a fan of the film or books, you're going to love the new content available in this expansion.
The Sims 3 Into the Future wouldn't be complete without plenty of futuristic sights and sounds, and the new expansion creates a really atmospheric experience for the player. Every bleep and bloop sound great for the items they represent, and the world of Oasis Landing is rather impressive while watching citizens zip around on their hovercraft or fooling around on the various gadgets available to Sims in the game. Meanwhile, it will take players hours on end to master all of the new skills, traits, legacies and other new missions and objectives available to players in the new expansion, and there are plenty of new collectibles and other items to find located out in the vast wastelands surrounding Oasis Landing, so The Sims 3 Into the Future has plenty of depth and replay value.
Though the expansion is a bit pricey, The Sims 3 Into the Future is a packed expansion that is definitely worth the money spent to pick up the new content. Players will enjoy hours of content in their current time before even spending much time in Oasis Landing, and the new location adds so many new items, careers and skills to customize Sims characters or Plumbots that players will be held over for months, if not until The Sims 4 arrives late next year. The Sims 3 Into the Future may be the last full expansion for the game, but it's also one of the best. Head to the future, strap on a jetpack and start practicing your robotics, because it's time to pick up and play The Sims 3 and take the action Into the Future today!
The Sims 3 Into the Future is now available from all major retailers and can be purchased for PC and Mac for $39.99. The Sims 3 Into the Future is rated T by the ESRB for Crude Humor, Sexual Themes & Violence. For more information on the game, check out the official The Sims 3 Into the Future website.
Game Features:
Single Player
Futuristic Setting of Oasis Landing
Master Advanced Technology Skills
Create Custom Plumbots
Pass Traits through Generations
Game Information:
Developer: The Sims Studio
Publisher: EA
Platforms: PC (reviewed) & Mac
Release Date: October 22, 2013
