Re: Differences between The Sims 3 for PC and PS3?

@RealSimmor0 @puzzlezaddict I have both The Sims 3 and The Sims 3 Pets for XBox 360 but I haven't played them in years. They are completely separate games, the Sims 3 Pets is a stand-alone game and not an expansion pack. There are no expansion packs, Sims store items, or real DLC for either one. Game saves and Sims will not transfer between the two of them.

Both are very different than the PC version. The worlds in these games are broken up into smaller neighborhoods, much like Sims 4 is today, and not the open worlds of Sims 3 on PC. If you travel between two neighborhoods there is a loading screen like Sims 4. Loading times were pretty decent. You can do some Build/Buy modifications to the lots but the game puts a limit on how much you can change. There is a good amount of CAS items in both games but not much as far as color customization goes. Obviously no mods or CC either. I expect hardware limitations of the XBox 360 console was a factor in all this.

They are still fun to play, especially Sims 3 Pets, but the graphics are extremely dated. Some of the game-play features, especially the Karma Powers system, can be very entertaining. The Cry Havoc and Feral Possession Karma powers were some of the funniest things I have ever seen on any Sims game! Both games have Quest missions that do not appear in the PC version. The quest where my Sim's cat decided he was going to take over the whole world was my favorite. In the end he decided world domination was too much work so he settled for finding the most comfortable couch in town to nap on (typical cat). Whoever developed these games at EA definitely put an emphasis on humor (the Sims 4 could certainly use more of that). If there was some way to play these games on XBox One or PS4 with better/updated graphics I would LOVE to play them again, but as it is it's hard to go back from Sims 3 or Sims 4 on PC.

I hope this helps :D

@RealSimmor0  I know the current generation consoles run the full version of Sims 4, including all packs (though they're usually a month or two behind).  But you're right, that's a recent thing, and the PS3 version didn't offer DLC the way PS4 and XBoxOne do.

As for the details of the PS3 version, RandomBuzziness is clearly the better source here.

@RealSimmor0 You are correct, there are no expansion packs for the Sims 3 games on console. The Sims 3 and The Sims 3 Pets are separate, stand-alone games. You do not need the Sims 3 in order to play The Sims 3 Pets (my favorite of the two by far). There is no fixed or linear story progression in these games. Just like in Sims 3 PC and Sims 4, you can play them in any way you like. The Sims 3 Pets game has Mystery quests that I enjoyed very much, but they are strictly optional.

When you start a new game you have the option to create a new household in CAS or play an existing household. In this they are similar to Sims 3 PC and Sims 4. I think the maximum number of Sims per household is six but I never tried anything bigger than four. The CAS is close enough to the PC version of Sims 3 that I won't go over any of that here. The Sims have six life-stages, they will age (unless aging is disabled) and they can have children. Playable Sims can form relationships with NPC townie Sims and make them playable as well through marriage or asking them to join your household. The Sims 3 Pets game has dogs and cats (no horses) that are playable Sims. I don't think you can rotate between playing different families like you can on PC or on Sims 4 (at least not that I can remember). I think that once you pick a family in a new save you are limited to playing that family. 

Adult Sims have careers similar to the base game PC version. Children will go to school and teens will go to high school. You can create playable SimBots in Sims 3 Pets and there are Ghosts in both games, but there are no other occult types. There are full-time and part-time jobs and you can buy certain businesses. None of this is very different from the PC version, except for that the pets can have part-time jobs.

There are vacant houses that you can move into, both for starter homes and for upgrade homes as you gain Simoleons. I do not recall any completely empty lots in either game. The game allows for a small amount of Build/Buy modifications to the lots but there are limits. This is very limited compared to the PC version. Each lot has a type of empty vs. full "fill" meter and once that meter is showing completely full you cannot add anything further to that lot without first removing something else. The larger, more expensive lots in both games allow for more modifications than the smaller starter lots. Some of the public venues are rabbit holes (restaurants, schools, work places) but others are fully visit-able with complete interiors like the gym, the library, etc.

Both games have a game-play feature called Karma Powers that work similar to Whims and Reward Traits in Sims 4. As your Sim completes certain wishes they earn Karma points which may be exchanged for permanent buffs or one-time actions. Good karma powers include things like filling all needs or fixing/cleaning everything in the house. Bad Karma powers do things like curse another Sim (all their needs go to zero) or some really extreme things like turning another Sim into a ghost or dropping an asteroid on their head! Most of the Karma powers are either very useful or just for funny animations.

That's pretty much all I can think of. Of the two games, I preferred Sims 3 Pets for the better town, the cats and dogs (of course), and the Mystery Quests. The graphics, user interface, game controls, etc, are pretty much identical for both. You can still find a pretty good video review at IGN here if you like to see examples of all that:

https://www.ign.com/games/the-sims-3-pets

Good luck :D

@RealSimmor0 I only had the XBox 360 version so the only info I have on the Wii version is from watching the release trailer and reading descriptions and user reviews on a few game sites. I can say the Wii version is a completely different game than the XBox 360/PS3 version. Different town, different user interface, different controls, everything.

As far as I can tell the Wii version appears to be more limited overall. This makes sense as the Wii is not as powerful as the XBox 360 or PS3. There are fewer life stages (no infants, toddlers, or young adults) and there is no Sims 3 Pets version for Wii so no cats or dogs either. The build/buy and CAS options appear to be more limited as well.

The biggest complaints seem to be limited game-play, difficult user controls, slow load times, bad AI for Sims autonomy, and too many game-play lags and glitches. I'm always open to trying any Sims game but this Wii version sounds like something I would probably avoid.