original poster is spot correct. if those TS3 photos are retouched in anyway, then he is more correct. besides... two things:
-i don't like the new game play
-securom is illegal spyware that breaks pc's. i make a living fixing pc's botched by EA.
they are not going to change the proposed gameplay.
and they are not getting rid of rootkits that hijack your pc.
one of those reasons alone is enough to avoid it as well as spore or any other monstrosity they shrink wrap and set on a shelf.
Actually I find this comparsion to a waste of space. The reason being is until the game is released any and all comparsion's between it and any current game is a joke as we don't know for sure how the game will look and what the developers actaully have in mind.
Also I have more faith in a video clip showing the game then a still photo, as almost every still shot is enhanced to get you think thats the actual quality of the game.
I'm not blaming Tomkat for making this topic as the questions actually raised could be valid just as easy as they might not be, but a comparsion between two unreleased games at the time of Tomkat opening post and one that is released don't do anything to impress me either way.
Now I'm still not sure if I'll get it or not but still have somewhere between 6 months to a year to make a informed choice though I'll most likely get it.
Again read reports, watch videos and know what your system is able to do and what would be needed to get the most fun of whatever version of The Sims you plan on playing but figure over time the custom content for the older versions will become less and less