The Sims 3 Ambitions review

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Ambitious expansion, but does it do enough?

A common problem with jobs in The Sims series is that they've always been kind of boring. Player interaction with a Sim's career is the very definition of bare bones. Other than making sure your sim is awake and ready to catch his carpool, the player is usually forced to merely wait until the Sim comes home. Typically, Sims can't even be viewed in their work environment, forcing you to imagine what, exactly, is going on inside those walls. Is the hospital where your Sim works full of all the gossip, sex and humor of an episode of Scrubs? You don't know.

Ambitions changes that, as long as your Sim is interested in the right job. Along with the expected addition of a handful of new items (who's excited about laundry machines? We know you're out there), this latest expansion adds professions to the list of possible activities for your Sim. Professions are just like careers, only they're interactive and require at least a little participation from the player.

There are only a handful of professions available here, but there's a pretty nice and varied selection of them. While some are more fun to pursue than others, they all add at least a little something to your gameplay experience.

Take the private investigator profession, for instance. While it's not exactly a fleshed out Nancy Drew title, your Sim's investigations can be both clever and humorous. You'll even get a bit of choice here and there as to how you want to proceed with a case. For example, one early case gives you the option of either bribing a suspect for information or beating him up in order to make him talk. It's a small thing, but it really helps you feel more immersed in your Sims' lives.


Above: The firehouse is one of the cooler new locations

If you, like many Sims players, are into building houses, the architectural designer profession requires you to actually build and renovate rooms. If, say, your Sim's client wants a new laundry room, it's your task to build it exactly to the client’s specifications, placing all the items required while making sure the room isn't bland, either. Somewhat surprisingly, this ends up being one of the most enjoyable professions in the expansion.

Britton Peele
Britton Peele
I'm a strong believer in video games, Middle-Earth, and the curse of The Numbers. I also write things a lot.