I know this review is years after the original post but maybe it will help someone decide if they want to try the Sims 3. I enjoyed the game play and the way you could recolor any item, but there were two main issues with Sims 3 which sent me to play Sims 2 instead. You have to sign in to Origin on-line before Sims 3 will even start. That means if your internet connection is disconnected you have no way to be able to play Sims 3. I looked for many ways, but if the game gets updated past an early version you have to sign in on Origin. Origin also has continuous updates so if it has an update you have to update Origin before you can even start Sims 3. The other issue I had is that it takes almost as long to save and exit as it takes to load the game in the first place. I understand about long loading times, but I don't understand why it takes as long to exit the game. Even exiting without saving first takes a long time.