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Sims 3 has got to be the best Sims game and is definitely worth buying. The graphics are 100x better than Sims and Sims 2. The freedom of having an actual open world means that there is so much to explore and do. Unlike the previous Sims games you can go wherever you want whenever you want. The expansion packs also make the game even better as it gives you the opportunity access new careers, traits and skills.
However the game does take a while to load which in my opinion is the only downside to the game. Despite the slow loading this is the best Sims game out there. Even though I have not played Sims 4 yet, Sims 3 is still the best of the set as Sims 4 has been known for its glitches and lack of story progression. With Sims 3 you can do anything you want whenever you want. You can build up a family, work as a super villain or as a firefighter. The possibilities are endless. Sims reactions to each other are hilarious. When they get to angry they get into cat fights; slapping each other silly.
I've had this game for awhile now and I can say that I have literally spent hours in front of a computer screen playing this game.
The graphics are fantastic, the quality is more crisp and sleek than its predecessor. However there are minor glitches in the game, and some of them are facebook worthy, like watching your sims woohooing under the sheets!
Loading time:
I have to say that it takes ages to load and this is a flaw which I truly hate about the game, it can even slow down your computer.
Creating Sims:
This is what I love about the Sims 3, I can create different looking people opposed to Sims 2, and you can change anything from the nasal bridge to the jaw structure, you can pick any hair colour and even add bodily hair to them.
Creating Houses:
Another thing I love about the Sims 3, you can create modern sleek houses to gothic mansions with this and your imagination can run wild, however there is a limit to how many stories you can have.
also, the Sims 3 includes blueprints for rooms, or readily made rooms for those who are too lazy to furnish the house which is such an added bonus!
Overall, you can spend hours on this game and never get bored, additionally you can download other users Sims or houses to your own game which is great, if you have the money to spend you can purchase hairstyles, furniture and ect from the Sims store directly in the game.
I played the Sims and The Sims 2, they were very good. So, I thought that I would buy The Sims 3 for my PC, as I love these games. The Sims3 is a wonderful game. It has so many features.
In previous Sims games, we only had to roam about in our house...but in Sims 3 you can go to public places such as parks, fishing spots or gyms. You can also drop by your neighbors house to say "Hello".
Its all possible.
The Create-A-Sim feature is so amazing! It lets you change color or shirts, jackets and suits.
You can also make your Sim fat-Thin, Strong-Weak just from the beginning. You also get new cars, from the old cheap rusty to the expensive sports car. In this you can also make ponds, make landscapes for free. It adds a new ability to fish, yes....the good ol' days. Grab some fishes from the grocery store, throw them in your pond and start fishing right away.
I won't tell all the things, just. "Buy it,Play it, Love it!"
The Sims series are games that I have played for many years, when the Sims 1 came out me and my sister used to argue about who's go it was petty much all day during the school holidays. So when Sims 2 and eventually Sims 3 came out I was quick to get them.
Most people would be aware that the Sims 3 is a life simulation game where you can build a house for your Sims, create your own characters and live through their lives. As the franchised has progressed from the Sims one onward they have constantly made them more life like and added more features to offer a more in-depth game play and the Sims 3 took a huge leap in this way. It is the most life like yet and some part might even be a bit to realistic for example pregnant woman now have morning sickness and need to go to toilet and eat more often.
Create a Sim
Using the Create a Sim tool you can chose loads of characteristics for your Sim from the basics like Sex, Hair Colour (although you can now ad highlights and a different root colour if you like) and Eye Colour to things like facial features like ears nose and mouth shape and size, freckles and glasses. You can even decide weather you want your Sim to be muscular or skinny or fat.
You can then chose their clothes which can be different for different occasions including everyday, formal, nighttime, workout, swimwear and underwear, In this section you also get to chose different accessories and shoes to go with each outfit.
Finally you can shape their personalities in a few ways, you can chose their star sign, you can give them personality traits such as genius, green thumb, Artistic etc which will effect their personalities and the ways they interact with other Sims and in different situations.
Overall the create a Sim platform is a great improvement on The Sims 2 and you really can make a huge array of unique Sims, the only thing I would improve on is the selection of clothing styles but you do get tones more when you get the expansion packs so you should never get bored of it , the main limitation is your imagination.
Build Mode
The build mode has much more options the Sims 2 and I personally have not utalised this feature to it full potential (the game comes with loads of great ready made houses and you can download more from the Sims store).
You now have the option to build basements and up to 5 stories with balconies, roof top gardens, you name it you can probably build it.
The gardens can now contain not only pools with all the accessories but also ponds with varying degrees of nature to surround them, giving you the ability to make wild looking gardens or pristine party havens with little effort.
I was actually a little disappointing with the decoration tools in the Sims 3. In the Sims 2 you could make really funky over the top styles which looked really good in game, but it seems that the Sims 3 have tried really hard to make the walls and floor designs really realistic for example you can chose great wooden paneled walls that in reality would look fantastic but in game just looks dull and boring, for me this was the biggest let down of the game.
The furniture selection is also a bit sparse to begin with as they obviously want you to buy all the stuff packs they release which I guess is OK but I think they could have had more selection to start off with and people still would buy the stuff packs.
Game Play
If I went in to all the different elements of the game play I wold end up writing 1000s of words so I will just put a few points of interest down.
More Generation
Your Sims now go through quite a few life stages, baby, toddler, child, teen, young adult, adult, and elder so 9 in total and you can make them all in create a sim. Each life stage is different and you can do different things for example when you are a teen you can get a part time job, to do after school and you can retire when you become an elder.
Your characters also have ambitions including day to day wants, for example they may want to talk to a certain person or paint picture, reed a book and they also have a lifetime ambitions such as have 50 girlfriends or reach the top of a certain career path. For all your daily wants you achieve you get lifetime points which you can spend on cool rewards such as a steel bladder making your Sim not need to go to toilet so often and other random rewards.
There are 10 different Careers with the base game to chose from:
Law Enforcement
There are 5 part time jobs (for teens and elders):
Bookshop Clerk
Grocery Clerk
Mausoleum Clerk
Spa Specialist
All of the full time careers have 10 levels and you can get a promotion to each level. To gain a promotion you have to meet certain requirements such as have a certain skill level in something or a set amount of friends. For certain jobs you wont get a promotion until your relationship with your boss is high enough which I think is very realistic.
The Jobs all have fun titles and they give you a little description of your new role in a pop up box when you get promoted as well as details of your new salary and the bonus you get. I think the careers are a really fun aspect of the game and it is great exploring different ones as the career path you chose will ultimately effect the overall game play. You also get new careers with most of the expansion packs.
Another cool aspect of the careers is that the higher up you go the better the car that picks you up for work will be, in the end you could be going to work in a Limo or even a helicopter.
There are loads of other fun things I could go on and on about but I would be here for days, so I wil just say to finish that if you liked the first 2 Sims you will love the Sims 3, it's miles ahead of Sims 2 and has some of the more silly aspects of Sims 1 back in it, and with the expansion packs it just keeps getting better and better with never ending hours of game-play.
You can currently pick up the base game and a few of the older expansion packs for around £20 each and for that price they are a bargain.
This review is also on my Ciao account under Shellyjaneo
The Sims 3
Before starting this review, I have to say that the negatives I'm listing are my own personal experience (though internet searches show they are not exclusive to me) and it appears that sometimes the game runs smoother than what I describe. My computer is above the minimum requirements for the game - in some respects not by much, in others by a large degree - but the game may play better on a proper gaming computer.
What is it?
The Sims have long been a franchise of EA Games as a simulation game where you can create and play with families of 'Sims' (people). It started with Sims 1 and progressed to Sims 2 and now Sims 3 (with a fourth series coming out in 2014). Each step has increased the standard of both graphics and game play but all follow the same basic concept. You control a family of Sim people as they go through their lives, controlling their relationships, careers, wishes - every aspect of their lives.
How is this game superior?
Firstly, the graphics have been much improved. The Sims 1 was a very blocky game with very little detail. Whilst the Sims 2 had much nicer graphics, the movements were often blocky which has been enhanced in the Sims 3. However, this is not the most important development.
The most important aspect to me is the 'Story Progression Mode' to fully explain this I'll go a little into how the previous 2 games worked
In The Sims 1 you could only control 1 family, in this family you would design the adults and this would be the way they stayed until you tired of them (or killed them off). They would never age. There was the possibility to add to your family with 2 adult Sims having a child, but this child would remain a baby for X amount of days and then become a child, it would never progress beyond that stage. To move about the world you had to enter a loading screen each time you wanted to go to a new location.
In the Sims 2, you could control a family from birth to childhood to adulthood to death. You could interact more than fleetingly with the other Sims in your town, but they would not age with your family, and you could have played a family through sixteen generations and everyone the first generation had lived around would still be there.
In the Sims 3, however, this is no longer the case. You can follow your family around the town, they can explore all locations much like a sandbox type game, and as your family is progressing so are all the families around them, creating new interesting characters within the world and developing their own story whilst you are playing. This, in my opinion, makes the game much more immersive, as people your Sims know grow older and progress their lives. In theory, this is an excellent aspect to the game that if you like the previous two versions will increase the play styles immensely.
Installing the Game
Installing the game is a very intuitive process and normally doesn't seem to take too much time. It auto runs as soon as you put the game into the drive, and starts a launcher for you to begin setup. It has never taken me longer than half an hour to install this game, and much of it you do not need to be present for.
The Launcher
Once installed, the game will come up with a Game Launcher every time you want to play. This Game launcher allows you to run the game but also comes with other features, such as allowing you to search online automatically for updates or patches and showing any downloaded/uploaded content from the Sims 3 site as well as a direct link to the site so that you can download new content.
Creating Your Family
Once in the game, you will be given the option to pick the town you wish to play in, and given the option to create your own family. This is a very basic process and allows you to control every aspect of your Sims appearance, from their weight and muscle definition to the shape and size of their facial features, plus their hairstyle and colour. You also assign to your Sim a number of traits which controls their personality. You pick these traits from a list and it defines what your character will be like, with examples such as 'absent minded' 'ambitious' 'hopeless romantic' 'evil' etc it gives the opportunity to create some pretty unique characters! At this point, it also generates you a list of 'Lifetime Wishes' to choose from for your Sim. This is the thing that they most want to achieve in their lives.
Winning the Game?
There is no way to win the game; it is a game that can go on forever if you let it! (Having played the Sims family of games since I was about 12 I can attest to that) however, throughout the game your Sims will generate 'Aspirations' - i.e. things they want to do. Choosing to fulfil these will earn you lifetime happiness points which can be spent on things that will make your Sim's life easier (completing the lifetime wish also does this) meanwhile, you need to keep your Sims alive by making sure their needs are met. The challenges in the game (i.e. their lifetime wish) are varied and difficult enough that it can keep you playing for hours though to try and achieve them all!
Customisation Options
The customisation options in this game are varied and very fun. In the base game you can build your own houses using a variety of building tools which let you effect everything from the carpet colour to the location of the walls, as well as the landscaping. You can customise your town in the Edit Town option, and if you want to create an entirely new town there is a free tool that can be downloaded from the Sims 3 Site which allows you to do just that (though it does take some getting used to!)
You can also download custom content from the Sims 3 Site that other players have created and uploaded. This means that you would get a lot more clothes, hair, and item options for your Sims. However, be wary, some of these have been known to cause glitches, so much so that I play my game completely free of them. You can also buy new items for your Sims from the Sims 3 Shop. However, this is not something I have dabbled in as they are quite expensive for aesthetic additions to the game
This is where the review becomes a bit 'But...'
Story Progression: After the third generation, the game seems to lose it's story progression capability. Many start to find that their towns 'die out' i.e. no one seems to be moving into the houses in the town and no new children seem to be being born. This can be problematic during Gameplay as many wish to continue playing their family's throughout many generations and therefore need to manually repopulate their towns, which is not very intuitive of the game. A lot of people (myself included) therefore have resorted to using Story progression 'Mods' on the game from third party sites to keep it regenerating. However, this can also slow your game down.
Glitches: Whilst a lot of glitches are fixed with patches in time, not all of them have been. These can be as basic as Sims getting stuck places you can't get them out of, to just disappearing and never returning. These can often be resolved with cheats, but this interrupts Gameplay and sometimes means you lose progress.
Slow Gameplay - I never found this as being a problem with the base game, but if you have the base game and start getting addicted, chances are you are going to want to add expansion packs! As the game is so big, it eventually starts running slower and slower as your town expands more and more. Unfortunately, this means that sometimes the game runs so slow it becomes unplayable if you are playing in the same town for a long period of time (around 5 generations +). It also connects to the site often, and downloads files for the game which can slow down the computer, therefore I tend to play it without the internet on, as otherwise it can get too slow to be bearable. Whilst I have modifications installed to my game, this happens even without them, though they do slow the game down a little quicker than it would usually.
As previously said, these are problems that may be related to my computer, but it is above minimum spec and a search of the forums on Sims 3 shows that the problems are not exclusive to me. If you have a much better than minimum spec computer, you may well not suffer from any of these. You can also mitigate the issues a lot if you're willing to jump from family to family (and town to town). However, I enjoy playing with one family throughout many generations (normally 10+) and this seems to make my game worse.
The base game can be picked up quite cheaply nowadays (especially with the Sims 4 coming out soon!) and currently retails for £15 on Amazon. However, there are a number of expansion packs to enhance your game that tend to retail for £15+, meaning that this can be quite an expensive game to get addicted to!
Final notes
This is a very fun game that you can literally waste hours on. However, the bugs sometimes make it very frustrating to play. I tend to switch between being willing to play it despite the bugs and having a very enjoyable game and putting it aside for months at a time because to fix the bugs takes too much of the enjoyment away. If your computer is much better than the minimum requirements, I would heavily recommend it, otherwise I'd try the first one and see how you go with it before buying any expansion packs (though it took my game many hours of playing before these faults became evident) Or just wait for the Sims 4, Maxis have promised they'll take these issues into account with the new game and have it play smoother on a lower spec machine!
The 3 star review is therefore not due to the enjoyment of the game, but rather the glitchiness it sometimes has - and after looking at the forums it seems I got off lightly in comparison to some!
I've known about The Sims for many, many years. I first was introduced to the Sims universe via the likes of SimCity, which I played obsessively and loved to pieces. Then when the first Sims game came out I bought it and loved it. I literally played it all the time. I was fascinated by the little people and their little lives, plus I loved decorating the houses and the like.
Sims 2 I didn't love so much. It was buggy and slow to do anything. The ideas were great, but the game was just too clunky. I hardly ever played it.
But when Sims 3 came out a few years later, I hoped that the bugs and the speed had been improved... and I was right!
Sim Design -
It is really, really easy and fun to design your own Sims. They have improved this feature a lot and you can now make your Sims really unique and different from each other. One of my favourite features is to be able to give the Sims completely un-natural coloured hair, which you can then see down the genetic line as children and grand children arrive...
(A little side note about genetics... As individual as you make your original Sims... By the time grandkids come along, they'll have generic identical faces. The hair and hair styles will be different, but the faces are very, very similar. I'd really like to see more distinct faces come in Sims 4 (which is on the way I believe!))
There are lots of choices of things like hair styles, but I've found that the really nice, natural styles are only available via expensive add-ons. I'd like to see more options in the future.
The clothes available are okay, but again, I'd like to have more customisation ability.
House building -
This is fantastic now. Really custom content is possible and you can do some really imaginative stuff. The only feature that doesn't work very well is roof design. But I can imagine this is because the designers (rightly) figured that not many people would care about this, and they were right.
The furniture and interior decorations are great in Sims 3. Lots of potential and customisation options. It is also nice to have more ability to place furniture at different angles. There are now 6 angles available, rather than the original 4. So you can have stuff on the diagonal now, which is more natural looking.
Play-ability -
The game is great fun to play. I've been playing Sims 3 on and off for a year now, and am still noticing funny little things the Sims do. They really are a riot sometimes.
Nit-picky things I like -
The ability to mess around with the age-up process. You can force moving up to the next life stage any time you want. For instance, you want to move a teenager out, to make room for another baby? Age them up to Young Adult and kick them out.
The little side activities you can do. I enjoy growing the garden and finding and collecting seeds for instance.
Nit-picky things I don't like -
Some Sims literally seem to live forever. It's not unreasonable for a fit and healthy Sim to live to 110+, which can be frustrating if your playing a generational style game. Just hurry up and die!
Ghosts. Cute at first, but they seem to hang around all day and disturb the living Sims. Doesn't seem to be a way to keep remains on site, but not be plagued by ghosts.
There are still some bugs. Sims randomly freeze and have to be deleted by use of a cheat. Occasionally they'll wander back into the game later on, but usually they are gone for good. Annoying to lose a Sim you've invested time in.
But those are just nit-picks. I really love this game!
The Sims 3
I have been playing the Sims right from the beginning after my ex's step mum told me about it. The sims2 was great and couldn't stop playing it, and bought all the expansion packs for it. I was excited when I heard the Sims was bringing out the 3 version as I know it could only be better than 2 and I wasn't disappointed. It is easy to play and fun for all the family, and most of all its good way of teaching your children what life is all about and the responsibilities that lie ahead of them.
The installation can be lengthy especially if there is updates to the game that need to be installed as well. The game should auto run once being placed into the drive, follow the onscreen instructions, for it to be installed to your computer. Once you have installed everything that needs to be installed your now ready to start playing the game. You will need the cd in order to play the game so don't remove it from your drive. You will also be installing the Game Launcher; here you can access the game, download free content, purchase from the sims3 store, and share with other members of the sims3, you can upload any of your items out the game to.
Character Making
The first thing you have to do is make your character, don't worry this is an easy step and you can take as long as you want on your character. Choose the sex of your character, build, even breast size, hair, clothes, star sign, traits, and then give it a name. Now the option is you can either play one sim, or make a family it's entirely up to you, but if you are new to the game then controlling one sim will be enough until you get used to it.
Moving In
You start the game with simoleons which is the Sims money currency, this will enable you to buy an house on the map, either furnished or unfurnished, browse over all the houses that are available to you, and the price will appear of how much it is for unfurnished and furnished, bear in mind it will cost you more for an house that is furnished, but you won't need to buy anything for your home. Once you have chosen your ideal home, click to move in, and there you will see your sim standing outside your new home.
Getting a Job
The first thing you must do is get a job; you won't get far in the game without money as we know in real life. You can either find a job by visiting places on the map, reading the newspaper or by using the computer. If you're going to view places on the map then just click on the place that interests you by hovering over a place it will tell you what it is, clicking it will bring up a menu of what you what to do, either visit, buy things or get a job. Reading the newspaper for a job is easy just pick up the newspaper, find job and then accept if it is right for you. Using the computer providing you have one is basically the same as reading the newspaper. No matter if you're reading the newspaper or using the computer it will give a few options of jobs available, although you can change jobs in the game whenever you want to.
Always make sure you attend your working day which will be given to you on the careers tab, this will tell you the job you're doing and what days and times you're expected to work, the more times you go to work there is a chance of getting promotions, which lead to pay rises and boosts your mood in the game. You will always be picked up from your home and drove to work, or you can buy your own car or bicycle in the game, or if you're a fitness freak then you might want to jog, run or walk to work.
You have many options to your when you're at work, chat to colleges, take it easy, help out your boss, work harder, but be careful what you option you take as it does have an effect on you. You will also get opportunities whilst working to, where you can earn extra bonuses, like you have to attend a class, or watch a movie or something like that, it will tell you and what you will receive as a reward, but the choose is yours in whether or not you accept.
Mood & Needs
You must keep an eye on your mood and needs in the game as they are important, always try and fulfil your needs as much as possible as this keeps your mood metre high, the risk of it getting low will lead your sim not wanting to do anything, and we don't want that. Always make sure you get enough sleep especially when you're working the next day as this will have an effect on your and could lead you to falling asleep at work. Stay clean and full, they are the most important and always make sure your bladder is empty when you go to work otherwise you could have an unpleasant accident.
Your mood metre will go up and down depending how well you keep your needs maintained. Once one of your needs start reaching half way then maintain that need as this will keep you happy, letting a need run very low is hard to get it back up again, and not good when you need to work. Don't forget to have some fun in the game as this is important to, as if this need is not maintained again it will give your sim the attitude of not wanting to do anything.
The relationship tabs lets you view everyone you have a relationship with in the game, whether it be the love of your life, a college, a friend, your boss, or even your child if you have one. You will always start out as acquaintances but up to you who you want to stay in touch with, the more friends you have the better as being unsociable in the game does not go well with the sim, and can put the sim down.
You will also be invited to parties by people that you met in the game, which is a good way of meeting new Sims, (not real people) this could lead to romance or friendship, but don't forget about your mood or needs whilst you're having fun. You can talk to Sims in the game by using the telephone, using the computer, inviting them over, or you going to visit them, so don't ever think you're alone.
Career & Skills
Careers and skills tab this will enable you to keep track of skills you have learnt in the game, whether it is painting, logic, exercise or even reading books. You can also keep track of your working days and times, and what you do as a living and also will give how much you earn a day. Build up your skills in the game that will help progress your job, and this will get you're the promotions you deserve in the game.
Your inventory never seems to get full, some items will be placed here especially if you go shopping for anything, although is easy enough to empty out when you get home, if you pick anything up in the game it will be placed here, like if you like gardening everything you harvest will go straight into your inventory, which then can be emptied into the fridge. Also sometimes books will appear in here especially if you have gone out to the park and read a book it will be placed into the inventory as when buying books, but again easy enough to store them on your book shelf.
If you receive any medals, certificates they will be placed here too, any paintings you may have painted can be here, until you sell them or hang them on your wall. The inventory is shown as a backpack on the tab menu; you can access your mobile phone here too.
Opportunities are given to you, although whether you accept them or not is entirely up to you, these will be placed in the tab if accepted and can help be found on the map, keep an eye on the opportunity as it will give you specific details on where, what to do, your rewards on completion and what time.
Each opportunity is different and all will give you different rewards but are worth doing, as they do help with your work too.
Lifetime Happiness
Here you will find rewards that you can spend on boosting up your life a little and making things easier (something we need in real life sometimes) these are earned by completing tasks that are given to you, either by buying something worth a x amount, visiting places, making friends with someone, it can be anything. You will know what to do as they show up in the menu box near the mood metre, completing thee tasks will depend on how many lifetime happiness rewards you get, but keep checking the tab to see what you can buy with them.
They are worth it as you can choose either to never get tired, never need the loo, boost your speed when cleaning, anything that is listed you can do, so keep an eye on your points and get whatever you want to help you in the game, some are quite fun to use.
Shopping & Building
Now then here we have the fun bit, shopping and building. There can be a lot of shopping in the game, especially buying new furniture, you don't go out to buy the furniture it's all tucked up into a tab, when you click it, it opens up like a catalogue, browse either by room or contents, some are nice some look old and horrible, but it's the comfort and stats that are important, I mean you might get something looking really nice but only gives you something like 1 comfort, where s something that looks awful might give you 3 comfort, choose wisely. In saying this though you can change the appearance of any item in the game, so all is not lost.
Buying any item out of catalogue is easy click on the item you want to buy, another menu will pop up giving you the stats, price and colour range of that item, place it in your home, anyway you to, as now you can have items in the diagonal position which helps with some items, you can buy anything you like, from appliances, to hobbies, beds to sofas and chairs, it's all there for you.
Below that tab you have a build tab, this allows you to place windows, put up walls, take walls down, place stairs, floors, wallpapers, tiles, build a pond, decoration items like fences and gates, flowers and trees, everything you need to get your home looking nice and cosy. It's not hard to replace items hovering over an item in your home that you want to replace, you will have a hand as a cursor, click on what you don't want anyone and drag it down to where it will say delete item, then it will be gone, to place an item choose the item you want, click it, and place it in or on your home. To decorate with flooring or wallpaper, choose your desired wall or floor covering, shift and click on the desired space in your home. Easy as that.
Moving Around
Moving around in the game is easy and simple to do, always best if put on edge scrolling which will be an option given to you as you start the game, if not you will find this setting in the options tab. This will allow you to move to the edge of the screen to move around the map, or your home. Moving your sim around is easy just click on where you want him/her to go and she will go there, if you don't make a move for a while or run out of instructions they will move and do whatever they want.
Going places you just click your map and either walk, jog, run or catch a taxi, unless you have your own car or bike to get to places on the map. The taxi will automatically come to you when clicking somewhere on the map that you want to visit.
Graphics & Sounds
I have to say the graphics on the Sims as always been great, they are very realistic, clear and very sharp, there is no way that they can be better surely. The sounds however are good, especially when you have a TV on, radio, or playing games on the computer or console, when the sim talks it's a different matter as thy don't English or a language e understand which is a shame I suppose really. I suppose in that sense there is room for improvement. I give the graphics and sounds 10/10
Availability & Price
You can buy the Sims 3 for £33.99 at Argos, £16.85 at Amazon. You might be able to get it cheaper from other places just shop around to get the best deal.
Final Opinion
There is lots to do in this game, and as well as it is fun to play, it is very time consuming when you get into it, but worth it. I could have said a lot more about the game but it is long enough already, the most important parts of the game is to keep an eye on your money, mood and needs, and stay healthy. I have enjoyed this game since I started to play the sims2 and so when this one came out I was excited to see the changes and what it would be like. I do have to say the graphics are much better in 3 than they were in 2 in opinion. I would like to say also that you can choose your job in the starting up character selection, and when you get in game you can build yourself up in that job until you reach the top, also watch tv a lot especially channels that will help with cooking, gardening and exercise, it all helps. I hope this has been a good review and maybe got someone to actually play it.
I've always been a big fan of the Sims games ever since i discovered the first Sims game around 10+ years ago. The first Sims game was released in February 2000, it quickly became one of the best selling computer games.
It was followed by the Sims 2 which was released in September 2004 and then the Sims 3 released in June 2009.
The great thing about the Sims is theres no one way of playing it, you can do all different things. My boyfriend likes to use the money cheat and build these amazing houses. He spends ages making them look like real houses (mine are more box like!). My current way of playing the game is to see how well I can do with no cheats- climbing the career ladder, starting a family etc.
You can make your own fun storys- making a serial cheater, a poor family, a filthy rich but evil family, a picture perfect family with a rebel teenager etc. Some of my friends like to make sims of themselves, friends and family.
One of my favourite things about the Sims 3 is how different you can make them look- not only can you now choose hairstyles and clothes but you can even alter their facial dimensions, giving them tiny or huge eyes, mouths etc. You can make them skinny or fat, muscly or not and a range of different skin tones.
There are lots of skills you can have your sims gain from painting to gardening to athletics.
One thing I like about the Sims 3 is you can now go to other peoples houses and all around town. This can be quite fun. Sometimes when I'm doing no cheats but havent managed to give my Sims some of the necessities I send them round other Sims houses to do things like sleep in a good bed or have a shower although my Sim sometimes get kicked out for bad behaviour- apparantly its bad ettiquete to use other Sims showers!
The Sims always release lots of expansion packs- The Sims 3 current expansion packs are:
World Adventures
Late Night
They also have stuff packs which give you new items and clothing. These packs are:
High-End Loft Stuff
Fast Lane Duff
Outdoor Living Stuff
Town Life Stuff
Katy Perry Sweet Treats
Diesel Stuff
Barnacle Bay
The only bad thing about the Sims for me is it is a time consuming game. Not in a bad way but that you'll play it then realise 2 hours have passed by in the blink of an eye! This is why I dont play it as often as I'd like to, more in evenings when Ive done all my chores and want to relax.
You can currently buy the Sims 3 on Amazon for £19.01 (no idea why the random 1p!) this seems to be the cheapest place other than ebay!
Although I do know some "naughty" people who have downloaded perfectly working versions online. I think £20 is a decent price for a game which will provide endless hours of fun though.
The Sims is probably not for EVERYONE. Some people like an "ending" in a game and one solid goal to be working with. I go through phases with the Sims- I get really into it for a while then I just can't be bothered for a while.
There is speculation that a Sims 4 will be released but perhaps not for another couple of years. It will be great to see what kind of features they have in the next game.
I have been a big fan of the Sims franchise since I discovered the first Sims series as a teenager - and then on to the improved Sims 2 and around 3 years ago the latest game - Sims 3 was released... Today I will be reviewing the latter.
To the few who have no idea what The Sims is about - in a knutshell its a virtual doll town - and in the previous versions virtual doll houses because you were a bit more restricted to one house and having to change to other households... in the current version you can explore into other households and into the town... You start by creating the family - everything from clothes to eye colour... create children by playing with genetics of the parents and you can move them into a pre-built house or build them a house from scratch... decorate as you like with a huge choice of wallpapers and floors (extras can be downloaded from The Sims website) and different furnitures. The people in the game are called "Sims" hense the name of the game... and they have their own language which sounds a bit french to me... but its interesting to see how they react and you normally get an idea of what they are talking about / thinking about due to the cute little speech bubbles above their head!
The aim of the game is you can pretty much do whatever you like in your little doll town - make your sims happy, sad... fall in love, become serial cheaters... have large families... become career focused or party animals. The sims can be created with a lot of different traits and lifetime wishes which are constantly being updated by EA (the creators) and you normally see a downloadable update for these changes on average every two months. To get through their life you can get them jobs to earn money so they can spend their money on what they like. The Sims age, grow up from children and eventually throughout the game they do end up passing away leaving the younger generations behind to start it all over again! However when Sims die depending on where you place their grave stones or urns they can often come back from the dead as ghosts which is always quite funny to see the Sims reactions!
There is so much stuff you can do in the game its unreal. Like the previous Sims games, you learn different skills, but unlike the previous Sims games there is more choice in Sims 3 as to what skills you can actually do. Skills include fishing, handy (fixing things), cooking, writing and many more. You use these skills to better their Sims in their jobs to earn promotions or you can be asked to do different tasks which earns you better skills in the field or money (in Sims world money is known as simoleons). In the game you can also go looking for objects such as bugs and rocks - some of which are rare and if you sell them you can earn extra coin for your little people! Other things you can do include visiting neighbours and venturing into the town which comes complete with a sport stadium, cinema, resturants and shops - your town your rules. One thing I love is that you are not restricted and can modify everything just the way you like it!
There has been a few things removed from the latest game which has been in the earlier games which is a bit dissapointing... These include getting abducted by aliens (and inpregnated by them?!) which produced a lot of half sim/half alien babies in Sims 2... Very random but I thought this was a brilliant thing in the old games... also in Sims 2, when an elder Sim dies the money from their house and bank would automatically be given to the most liked family members outside of the household - this would be known as inheritance in the game but sadly doesn't exist in Sims 3 - hopefully these two losses will be added to the game in a future update though!
My thoughts?
Obviously Sims 3 is the best out of all the Sims series - even with the loss of some of the features above the game overall is a lot better and once you get used to it, is very easy to work. The graphics are a lot better and I like how original you can make the Sims with their features which is something you couldn't do in the previous games - facial features are completely custom-isable such as nose shape, eye shape, face shape... you can make everyone different and in previous versions you had to make do with different hair colour, style and shape and that was it!
Like the previous versions you can get add on games for this which require the regular Sims 3 game to work - these add on's create new jobs within the game along with new clothes, hair and furniture.
Another thing I like is how socialable the game is - when you register online you can download content made by other players such as Sims, new hairstyles, homes and clothes - and in turn you can also share your creations online!
Overall I highly recommend this game and have to say until they bring another Sims game out this is my top favourite of all time.
System requirements
*Windows XP (Service Pack 2 *2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
*At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
*128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
*Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
*2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
*At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
*128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least: Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA X3000 or above. 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent 0.5 GB additional RAM.
*Mac OS X 10.5.7 Leopard or higher
*Intel Core Duo Processor
*6.1 GB free hard drive space, with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
*ATI X1600 or Nvidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM, or Intel Integrated GMA X3100
Supported Video Cards:
NVIDIA GeForce series FX 5900, FX 5950, 6200, 6500, 6600, 6800, 7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950, 8400, 8500, 8600, 8800, 9300, 9400, 9500, 9600, 9800, G100, GT 120, GT 130, GTS 150, GTS 250, GTX 260, GTX 280, GTX 285, GTX 295.
ATI Radeon series 9500, 9600, 9800, X300, X600, X700, X800, X850, X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950, 2400, 2600, 2900, 3450, 3650, 3850, 3870, 4850, 4870.
Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) GMA 3-Series, GMA 4-Series.
This game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems, or the GMA 950 class of integrated video cards.
* As taken from Amazon. I run mine on a HP laptop with total 4gb ram and Windows 7 and never encountered any issues with the game.
At present you can buy Sims 3 from Amazon for £27.95 including P+P which hasn't changed much in price in the last 3 years and is quite expensive - but worth it.
The sims3 is the best sims game yet, you can get married have kids including twins! grow old and die watch out for the grim reaper!! Become a police officer? a chef? a world leader? a thief? or even a rockstar! Create you're own sim to play with, what they look like and their traits! will you be brave or a scaredy cat?? You can also buy a sports car and go shopping or to socalise with other sims. Fancy building you're own house? filling it with furniture? go for it! everything from flat screen tvs, art work, chess boards, swimming pools, dishwashers, flooring, wallpaper, laptops and furniture. I find this series of game very enjoyable and have passed many a hour creating families and then keeping them happy, sending them off to school or work! Be warned this game is very addictive and before you know it hours have flown past!
So, the latest Sims has been released and as you would expect its bigger and better than ever. Spread across a range of formats, the creators are trying to make Sims spread even further. The game however originates from a PC format, and Sims 3 is much better on this. The Sims is great for dragging yourself away from your chaotic life to have fun in your virtual life.
Sims 3 boasts loads of new household items to buy, and your money does seem to dwindle away even more than it ever did, with all the things to buy, see and do. There is many journeys to explore, it is in my opinion easily among the best expansions the series has seen so far. It has to be said though that some of the new features could do with being explored in a little more detail.
This latest Sims has a whole new town to start up home, which includes a variety of venues, from shopping to librarys. You can even go for a jog! The range of carreers are greater in this latest release but it is also good how the town offers training venues to persue other carreers.
I find the game has numerous options, for however you want to live your virtual life. Much recommended.
After always liking the Sims games I decided to get number 3 as number 1 and 2 were both great games and they really improve after every update. The Sims 3 however blown me away, the graphics were amazing and the amount of new items, locations and things you could do was just incredible.
When creating your user you have so many things to choose from to dress them inn anything from shoes to bracelets. When making them the best part is the face as you can change their eye colour, hair colour, nose length how fat they are just about anything is possible to make a perfect replica of yourself.
Making a house is the same as its always been 'simple' which is a good thing as being simple to use makes it easy and fun to do. Adding furniture into your finished house is so rewarding and satisfying.
The difference from this game to the old one is just amazing and if you are still playing Sims 2 then you must upgrade as soon as possible.
Overall 09/10 best game to date and biggest improvement made so far.
How can I justify spending a lot of time living a virtual life, when I could be living my 'real' one? The truth is I can't. I'll never get back all those weekends lost to Simming. It's about time I admitted that I've got a problem!
The Sims came out in 2009, and brought with it some huge changes in comparison with the Sims 2. The biggest change was open, seamless neighbourhoods. Anyone who played the Sims 2 will know how aggravating those long loading screens were, whether visiting a neighbour or going to the shops. Well now you can watch your sims stroll to the park, or get a taxi to the spa! This is my favourite feature, and makes game play much more enjoyable for me. No longer do I have time to make a cup of tea during the period that it takes my time to visit a friend. Hurrah!
Sims now have a trait system too. A grown adult sim has 5 traits, and they influence a sims personality. Just keep an eye on your children around evil sims - they might find it hilarious to steal candy from your little one. If at an absent-minded sim's house for dinner, look in on the kitchen because sometimes they forget they are cooking and go away to read a book or clean their toilet instead! I've had lots of fires start this way. A good sim can donate to charity, brave sims can deal with pesky burglars and frugal sims can save money by clipping coupons from the newspaper! With this system sims seem much more dynamic. I find it is always best to have at least two 'negative' traits. Perfect sims are boring to play. It can become easy to fall into making sims with the same traits, as you will develop favourites (insane, clumsy and kleptomaniac for me) but it's more exciting to step out of your comfort zone once in a while and randomise the traits, or make a sim that is the complete opposite of one you'd normally make.
The graphics are also better in the Sims 3, as is to be expected. Sims are more realistic (especially when using custom content - content made for Sims 3 fans, by Sims 3 fans that can be added in game. These can include new hairs, skin textures, clothing, decorative items, children's toys - anything really) and the scenery is beautiful. Hidden Springs is my favourite Sims 3 neighbourhood because it's just so scenic (though it's not included in the base game and has to be bought separately)
I also love that there are a lot of familiar faces in the Sims 3, which has been set as a prequel to the Sims 2. The Goths are here, Agnes Crumplebottom, the Langerak and the Landgraabs to name a few. My favourite familiar face is definitely Mortimer Goth, who starts off as a child in the Sims 3. If you're not too fussed about ruining his love with Bella you can have your sim marry him (when he's older, of course!) because he makes a great husband and father. His children are beautiful (especially the males)
Currently the Sims 3 has six expansion packs and five stuff packs. Expansion packs add new game play, towns, interactions and features to the game. Stuff packs add new items to the game, but nothing new in terms of game play. While some would say adding expansion packs is EA's way of exploiting it's loyal customers and their open wallets, I think a new expansion pack twice a year is a good way to keep the game interesting. Just as I'm starting to get bored with one expansion pack, a new one comes out and keeps me playing. I think they are well worth the money (usually about £40 initially) for the hours of gaming I get out of them.
If you have never played the Sims 3 and think you might enjoy it I would definitely recommend that you pick up a copy. It's a brilliant way to de-stress after a long day and is relatively cheap to buy now at just over £20. Just prepare to wave goodbye to your social life so that you can tend to the needs of your sims.
Having played Sims 2 extensively for years and having been an avid fan of it, the Sims 3 had a lot to live up. From following the Sims 2 community board and reading about, I knew some small components of the Sims 3, ones for which it is famous for, like the ability to control your sims right across town from your first step out of the doorway, but other than that I was not prepared for the huge expanse of change and redevelopment to come.
Open neighbourhood:
The seamless, open neighbourhood means that it is possible to explore everywhere across town (bar rabbit holes like career buildings). This means that it is not only possible to go straight from your house to next door, but also to visit family members, friend/foe and local amenities like the outdoor pool or fishing holes freely without any loading screens.
Customisation and Create-a-Sim mode:
The design tool makes it possible for you to customise your sims clothes/furniture/wallpaper etc. and just about anything in the house. There are set patterns you can choose from, that you can mix and match, alter the colour/texture and create just about anything in anyway you want to. This freedom makes your sims much more unique. and even Non-Playable Characters appear to have their own personalities and style as a result.
It is also possible to create unique personalities for your sims via the trait list. The list consists of a variety of characteristics that, when combined, create much more dynamic, interestings sims. For example, if you wanted to create a truly evil sim, you could choose from the 5 options: evil, dislikes children, grumpy, kleptomaniac, and neurotic.
Other available traits include:
- Can't stand art
- Family orientated
- Slob
- Perfectionist
- No sense of humour
- Amibitious
- Loser
Just to name a few. The traits dictate sims interactions with other and can also influence their popularity, so for example if a sim had no sense of humour, people would be less likely to tell them a joke, or enjoy any they said, which could alter relationships.
Neighbourhood continuity:
As with previous games, there are always familiar faces about the town. This time, seeing as Sunset Valley acts as a predecessor to Pleasantview, a young Miss (Agnes) Crumblebottom, the Goth family with Mortimer as a child, and the Bachelor's with Bella also a child, live within the neighbourhood. It makes for an interesting twist playing characters we all know (well those old-time simmers) and love.
Overall I think it is an excellent game. Perhaps it wasn't as radical as I and many others were expecting, but it definitely has its improvements on Sims 2 and other previous games. The seamless neighbourhood is my favourite aspect as not only is it a bran new, creative addition, but it also makes game play much more fun and much less limitted. The design tool makes it possible for each house to be unique to your sim and for each sim to be unique in themselves. There are also many other useful additions, such as the sledgehammer drag tool to delete everything in a room, and the grabbing tool which makes it possible to increase/decrease the size of rooms by dragging them, bringing the items with them.
I'd like to start this off by admitting I have been a Sims addict on more than one occasion and chances are will full back into it a number of times before I finally leave my Sims days behind me.
I'm pretty much your average novice gamer; I enjoy video games and will maybe spend a couple of hours a week playing, however I'm normally far from obsessive and literally can't sit for hours of endless playing (much prefer having a healthy mix between being outside and sitting indoors). Sims has been my one exception to this and over the years I have clocked up more than my fair share of play hours. Between myself and my siblings we had the full collection of 'The Sims' (original and expansion packs) and most of the 'The Sims 2' expansion and stuff packs so it seemed obvious that we would get 'The Sims 3'.
The Sims 3 follows the game idea of it's predecessors: you control a person, a family, a bunch of family or even a whole town. The game is what you make of it which for me personally is something that makes this game so great and opens it to such a large audience. You have the option to create a Sim or use one of the pre-existing characters that come with the game and from there you choose what they want to do with their life: a romancer, career obsessed, family man/woman: their life is in your hands. Like the previous games the main aim of the game is to keep your sim(s) alive and try to keep their needs maxed.
The massive difference between the Sims 3 to those previous is the graphics of the game and the way that you now play with the whole village from one house rather than having control of just one house/ building at a time. This was quite an interesting change for me and came with both it's improvements and some bad points. Though obviously far from real life this new feature has made the game a little more life like, opening up the whole world rather than keeping them predominately in one house and creating sims that are slowly (scarily) getting more and more human like with each new generation. It also makes going to the shops, work, school, etc a lot easier and more interactive. However one thing I had always enjoyed doing was playing my way through generations of one family which (without loosing all relationships) isn't possible in the Sims 3 as you can only control one household in each town.
Another improvement from the previous games is the bigger variety of stuff/ options you get. A normal occurrence with new Sims games is a new selection of cloths, hairs, etc and although it did come will some new styles it was a little disappointing at first to see quite a small selection. This is instead substituted with the Sims shop on the EA Games site where you can purchase a variety of different clothes/ Sims: some free, some available for purchase. Alternatively the new variety of shops/ outdoor activities was quite impressive now including a library, a gym, a place to fish, among others. The biggest change in making the Sims is the new traits options where you can now choose specific traits that make your Sim an individual and give them characteristics that will affect their life's and wishes/ desires.
As with 'The Sims' and 'The Sims 2' after the release of the original, main game expansions packs have been realised to bring a bigger, more specific selection of products and activities. Although these are going to cost you they can be a very nice addition to the game and bring some very nice features. Current expansion packs for 'The Sims 3' are: 'World Adventures', 'Ambitions', 'Late Night', 'Generations', 'Pets' and soon to be released 'Showtime'. There are also a fair few stuff packs available.
My faviroute new feature is by far the mood/ wish system, the points avaliable for completing these wishes/ desires and the rewards (life time awards) you can buy using these points. In the previous game doing the things they wanted would improve their mood an eventually lead to some rewards which I didn't really find to be so useful but in the new game completing fairly mediocre tasks like reading a book, or making food (sometimes depends on your sims traits) can give you points and buy you rewards such as increased fertility (now possible to have triplets without using a cheat).
My main problem with this new game is the amount of glitching and general getting it started. Compared to the previous games it is incredibly slow as the computer try to work with it's much larger content, this obviously gets really boring when you are left staring at a screen. After waiting for this game to come out for a good couple of days I was mortified when it wouldn't work on my laptop for some reason, asked in store and they didn't have an answer, though it did work on my much older computer I was able to play it though very limited play. We eventually got a new laptop (not because of sims though lol) and it did work a lot better on here however still brought a lot of problems to the point where I don't play it anymore as I don't want to sit playing when it constantly seems to be glitching up or just generally being slow. I also had a lot of issues buying and downloading stuff off the online shop, something I personally wasn't too happy with any way as most items cost real money not considering I had already paid out £30 on the game.
All in all 'The Sims 3' is a very good game with a lots of improvements from it's predosessors in terms of graphics and choice of things to do. However these improvements come at the cost of quite a lot of glitching and much slower game play. Generally it is a good game that I happily recommend ready to bring a new sims addict into the world.
The Sims 3 lets you immerse truly unique Sims in an open, living neighborhood just outside their door! The freedom of The Sims 3 will inspire you with endless possibilities and amuse you with unexpected moments of surprise and mischief. Your Sims can roam throughout their neighborhood, visit neighborsÆ homes, and explore the surroundings. They can stroll downtown to hang out with friends, meet someone new at the park, or run into colleagues on the street. If your Sims are in the right place at the right time, who knows what might happen?! New easy-to-use design tools allow for unlimited customization to make truly individual Sims. Determine your SimsÆ shape and size, from thin to full-figured to muscularùand everything in between! Choose your SimsÆ facial features, their exact skin tone, hair eye shape and color and select their clothing and accessories. Create realistic Sims with distinctive personalities. Select from dozens of personality traits and combine them in fun ways. The combination of traits you chooseùbrave, artistic, loner, perfectionist, klepto, romantic, clumsy, paranoid, and much, much moreùhelp shape the behavior of your Sims and how they interact with other Sims. Your Sims can now rise above their basic set of every day needs. They are complex individuals with unique personalities. Build your dream house or design the ultimate home. Customize everything from floors to flowers, shirts to sofas, wallpaper to window shades. ItÆs fun and easy to change colors and patterns giving you endless personalization options. Or you can populate your SimsÆ neighborhood with pre-designed buildings and furnishings. Which of your Sims will live in high-end mansions, cool bachelor pads, ultimate dream homes or low-cost cottages?


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Robert Yanity, spokesman for SCE&G, said the helicopter seen hovering over trees near CVS Pharmacy at the corner of Rutland Drive and York Street on Tuesday was cutting trees in a hard to reach area. If crews are not able to get to the trees, sometimes a helicopter will reach the trees for them, Yanity said. The long wire hanging down from the helicopter was a saw used for cutting.
Hovering helicopter was cutting down trees
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Rep. Solomon Ortiz along with his daughter, Yvette, 11, and son, Solomon Jr., 5, listen to a mariachi band on the steps of the Capitol after Ortiz's swearing-in as a member of the House of Representatives in January 1983.
Solomon Ortiz, accompanied by his 5-year-old son Solomon Ortiz Jr. leaves the Nueces County Sheriff's Office after submitting his resignation to County Judge Bob Barnes in July 1982.
President Bill Clinton takes the stage with U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz and State Rep. Abel Herrero during the a rally at Lion's Park in 2008.
Solomon Ortiz Sr. in July 1979
Congressman Solomon Ortiz and Dr. Hector P. Garcia in March 1983.
U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, keynote speaker during the closure of the Naval Station Ingleside, is saluted by Navy personnel.
Caller-Times file U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz (right) puts his hand around the shoulders of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada during a news conference at the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center. Reid, who was then the Senate minority whip, toured the Port of Corpus Christi.
Ortiz gives a thumbs-up to spectators along Main Street in Robstown as he rides a Texas National Guard M113 Armored Personnel Carrier during the Columbus Day Parade in October 1988. In the past three fiscal years alone, Ortiz has secured more than $160 million in earmarked funding for projects both inside the 27th District and elsewhere in Texas, including almost $12 million to Robstown in military and transportation and urban development projects.
U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz introduces President Bill Clinton at a rally for Hillary Rodham Clinton during the 2008 presidential primaries.
U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz announces the Navy's selection of Corpus Christi as the Homeport for the battleship USS Wisconsin in 1985.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses the crowd in February 2008 after U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz (right) introduced the Democratic presidential contender at a rally at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown.
Maria Silvas dances with U.S. Rep Solomon Ortiz in the parking lot of Janie's Restaurant at a "bienvenidos" barbecue in November 1983.
Solomon Ortiz Jr. and Solomon P. Ortiz talk with campaign volunteer Luz Benavides, 95, outside Crockett Elementary School.
Robstown Mayor Rodrigo Ramon Jr. (from left); U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz; Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz; Zulema Zapata of State Rep. Abel Herrero's office; Armando Gonzalez; president of the Robstown Improvement Development Corp.; and Richard Justice, president of Anthony & Gordon Construction, break ground on a $9.1 million Army Reserve Controlled Humidity Preservation Warehouse in Robstown.
U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, with his grandchild Oscar Ortiz-Sanchez at the Nueces County Courthouse.
Caller-Times file Solomon Ortiz Jr. and Solomon Ortiz clasp hands in victory in November 2006 at the Nueces County Courthouse.
Rep. Solomon Ortiz at the Chamber of Commerce received the news on July 2, 1985, that the Corpus Christi area would gain a new Navy base at Ingleside.
Congressman Solomon Ortiz speaks to the members of Temple Beth-El during the dedication of their new building in February 1985
U.S. Reps. Albert Bustamante (left) and Solomon Ortiz tie down inside a chopper before embarking on an air tour of the Homeport facilities in November 1986.
Students at Los Encinos Special Emphasis School scamper to straighten the "red carpet" for U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz in September 1987. The red carpet was actually a roll of red paper.
Solomon Ortiz reacts after hearing the first election returns from Brownsville in June 1982.
U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz (left) swears in his son, state Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz Jr. (right), to the Texas Legislature while Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (center), D-McAllen, holds the Bible.
Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz wipes a tear from his eye during his speech at a party in January 1982. Ortiz is the only person ever to hold the District 27 congressional seat.


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The new self-contained detent system gives you long lasting reliability, and piece of mind from double feeding. The new flex spring geometry holds paintballs securely in the breech without any unnecessary force that could threaten to affect your accuracy or break paint. Compatible with the Proto Reflex Rail, The Dye DM8, DM9, DM10, DM11 Paintball markers.
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KitchenAid Appliances
Unfortunately, we no longer sell KitchenAid appliances, but don't let that deter you from looking at other excellent brands that are comparable to KitchenAid. Brands such as GE Appliances, Whirlpool, Maytag, and Frigidaire all offer similar products to KitchenAid and are available at Goedeker's right now!
For bigger savings, check out our rebate page!
Since 1919, KitchenAid has been known for their stand-mixers. You may find a small KitchenAid home appliance in your house at this very moment. However, most people don't realize that KitchenAid also designs and builds large kitchen appliances. From high-quality professional ranges to dishwashers, KitchenAid can outfit your entire kitchen with beautiful appliances.


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HOME MLB Philadelphia Phillies Gear Philadelphia Phillies Accessories (758 items) Product ID: 1043266
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A wallet is a crucial accessory that you use almost every day. Make it rock with Phillies pride with this Pinch Hit tri-fold wallet. With features such as contrast trim, an embroidered Phillies logo, and a small MLB logo attached on the inside this wallet is a step above your typical tri-fold. It's also durable, so you can carry your cash, multiple cards and credentials with Philadelphia pride for a long time to come!
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Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
The world turned its back on the Jews of Europe during the Nazi Holocaust. Many of those who miraculously survived became a part of a reborn Jewish state. But the ghosts of their horrific past linger, and far too many are living out their last days in poverty and loneliness.
Israel Today is proud to be among those providing physical aid, as well as emotional and spiritual comfort, to Israel's Holocaust survivors.
But, we need your help!
How special it is to inform these precious souls that it is thanks to the kind donations of Christians that we are able to provide aid and comfort, when so many of them have been left scarred by their treatment at the hands of supposedly "Christian" nations.
We'll supply a Holocaust survivor with several gift coupons that can be cashed in a number of Israeli supermarkets.
After the Kotel (the Western Wall), Yad Vashem receives more visitors than any other tourist site in Israel. Established by Israeli law in 1953, Yad Vashem is the official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, also known as the Holocaust Museum. The name is taken from Isaiah 56:5: "Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name ..." (yad vashem) The Hebrew word yad also means 'memorial'.
Recently, Yad Vashem was listed fourth of the 25 best museums in the world by Trip Advisor. The complex is pleasantly situated on Mount Herzl, on the Mount of Remembrance, and is accessible by light rail and city bus, also on the Red Bus (Jerusalem City Tour Bus 99). Admission is free. Visitors can see the Holocaust History Museum with archives, the Children's Memorial, the Hall of Remembrance, the Museum of Holocaust Art, sculptures, and outdoor commemorative sites such as the Valley of the Communities. There is a synagogue on the premises, also a research institute; an educational center - The International School for Holocaust Studies; a library and a publishing house.
Yad Vashem also honors 'Righteous Gentiles', people who were instrumental in saving Jews during the Holocaust, at great personal risk.
Not an easy place to visit ... but the work of remembrance will go on. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that a Holocaust will never be allowed to happen again. It is a sad fact that the youngest Holocaust survivors are already approaching 70 years of age. While they are still with us, let us compensate as much as we can for the unspeakable suffering Holocaust survivors have endured. For your donation of just $55, Israel Today will supply a Holocaust survivor with several gift coupons to use in Israeli supermarkets. Click here *AND all this summer, Israel Today will match your donation, providing a 'double blessing' for those who need it most.


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Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Rotary Club of Summerville is partnering with the Daniel Island Rotary Club and other participating Rotary Clubs in the Charleston area to hold the seventh annual Charity Duck Race on Saturday, June 8, 2013, on Daniel Island. Established by the Rotary Club of Daniel Island in 2007, this fundraising event has grown each year since and now includes four other Rotary Clubs in the greater Charleston area: Johns Island Rotary Club; North Charleston Breakfast Rotary Club; St. Andrews (West Ashley) Rotary Club; and Summerville Rotary Club.
Festivities will begin at 10:00 am. As in the past, the race will be held near Children's Park at the end of River Landing Drive. Approximately 25,000 individually numbered rubber ducks will be dropped into the Wando River from I-526 at about 11:30 am. The ducks race down the Wando to the finish line at the dock near Children's Park. There is fun for the entire family with face painting, a jump castle, and games and activities for children. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from local food trucks. The first 35 ducks to cross the finish line win valuable prizes, including a $10,000 first prize. The first 10 ducks to cross the finish line also have a chance to win $1,000,000. However, the big winners are charities.
The profits from this event are used to fund Rotary community service programs locally and around the world. Each of the participating Rotary clubs is designating one or more Lowcountry charities as named beneficiaries of the proceeds from the duck race. These charities represent a wide selection of local nonprofit organizations focused on hunger and nutrition, housing and shelter, literacy and education, children and families, and health and wellness. Over the past six years, this event has raised nearly $600,000 for local beneficiaries and Rotary projects worldwide.
Participating Rotary Clubs are welcoming sponsorships beginning at $1,000. Sponsors receive publicity and other sponsor benefits depending on the level of their sponsorship. The participating Rotary Clubs are also seeking individuals and businesses to adopt ducks for a suggested donation of $10 per duck. To adopt ducks online, visit www.charlestonduckrace.com. Donors may also obtain duck adoption forms from members of the participating Rotary Clubs.
Come enjoy a great race and help your local Rotary Clubs help those in need. Adopt a duck today for just $10.
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These are the bookings recorded for the Doris C. Gravat Detention Center for Aug. 27. Some of the people listed may not have actually spent time in jail if they posted bond and were released. Although those listed have been arrested and charged, that does not mean they have been found guilty. All bookings may be viewed online by visiting www.aikenstandard.com and clicking on the Crime tab.
Elizabeth Holland Schram, 33 simple possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct
Eugene David Foster, 51 hindering officers from serving warrant or arrest
Brian Colby Foster, 50 disorderly conduct
Taylor Rae Pierpont, 22 robbery while armed with a deadly weapon
Jonathan Michael Jones, 25 hold for McCormick Sheriff
John William Osteen IV, 33 entering premises after warning or refusing to leave on request bench warrant
Theresa Ashley Ryan, 27 robbery while armed with a deadly weapon, hold for Edgefield County Probation
Omar Bilal Watson, 28 driving under suspension sentence
Brandon Nathaniel Marshall, 27 criminal domestic violence
Sherry Lynn Boyd, 38 public disorderly conduct sentence
Stevie Hicks, 46 resisting arrest, trespassing
Michael Dean Myers Jr., 31 entry on anothers land for various purposes without permission, littering exceeding 500 pounds or 100 cubic feet in volume
Eric Scott Ebert, 36 family court civil contempt order
Brittany Latoya Jenkins, 26 family court civil contempt order
Raymond Edward Gue, 38 manufacture, distribution or possession narcotic schedule II drugs first offense, no drivers license bench warrant
Keshia Lorraine Duggans, 26 trespassing after notice, shoplifting $2,000 or less
Chester Billy Plecha Jr., 29 failure to pay child support
Debra Ann Wooden, 54 disorderly conduct/gross intoxication
Veronica Benitez Lopez, 19 no drivers license
Katie Marie Robertson, 29 driving under suspension
William Byron Lass, 54 financial transaction card fraud
Terahshea Benoith Jones, 36 driving under suspension
Teddy Joe Foor, 49 driving under suspension, no drivers license
Marquez Stallone Gilstrap, 29 possession of a stolen license plate commitment, giving false information commitment, open container commitment, driving under suspension first offense commitment
Joseph Carr Jr., 47 driving under suspension third offense
Ernest Eugene Doolittle, 53 criminal domestic violence third offense
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Oh Terry B, if we must serve in any capacity as heads of "state" (and I hope I'm saying what both Ms. Mod and Pat would) we would prefer it to be a fictitious one. Still, shouldn't Uncle Stevie be the President of this "country"?
Look, if you have a public forum, a "bully pulpit" or your own TV or radio show, you have a responsibility to keep a rein on your baser instincts. If you are in the public eye, your words might be used to justify anything. The past two years have seen some truly vile speech from leaders of one specific political party, both in the government and on the air. Do these people blithely think that phrases like "don't retreat, reload" or "I want (you) armed and dangerous" or "we will seek second amendment remedies" or "if we don't get our way with ballots we will turn to bullets" are just throw-aways? Do they really think that they are harmless? Because there are always nutjobs who do not understand metaphor, who are not capable of separating political rhetoric from reality. These are the people who act on those dog whistles. And make no mistake, they are indeed dog whistles for the base. And while most of the base just gets all frothy at the mouth, some of them will take it all very seriously. These people in the public eye, who are so careless with their words, now want to wave away any intimation that perhaps some of their rhetoric infected someone on the fringe. And no, there is no equivalency of "right" vs. "left". Anyone with half a brain can recall from which quarter the worst of this invective arose. And instead of dialing it back, toning it down... some are ramping it up. Really?? God/dess help us, they just don't get it.
Here's an interesting theory for you to mull over: Stochastic terrorism is the use of mass communications to stir up random lone wolves to carry out violent or terrorist acts that are statistically predictable but individually unpredictable. The stochastic terrorist is the person who uses mass media to broadcast memes that incite unstable people to commit violent acts. The stochastic terrorist then has plausible deniability: "Oh, it was just a lone nut, nobody could have predicted he would do that, and I'm not responsible for what people in my audience do." Further, the stochastic terrorist may be acting either negligently or deliberately, or may be in complete denial of their impact, just like a drunk driver who runs over a pedestrian without even realizing it. Finally, there is no conspiracy here: merely the twisted acts of individuals who are promoting extremism, who get access to national media in which to do it, and the rest follows naturally...
WORDS are powerful. And, if used as a weapon, they have CONSEQUENCES. These people - Palin, Beck, Bachman, Limbaugh and their ilk - love having the audience, the fame and fortune (especially fortune) but, when called to be responsible for what they say they demur and say "How could I know?" Cowards.
This guy, the shooter in Tucson, appears to be all over the map as far as ideology. But he hated the government - that is very clear. He had chosen Rep. Giffords as his target. Who knows why? At this point, we know that his elevator doesn't go to the top floor. We also know that, in Arizona, apparently insane people can easily buy guns and ammunition. That's something that needs to be talked about, too, but we all know where any suggestion that people don't need an assault weapon and 30-shot magazines will go. So let's just leave it at this:
Take responsibility for what you say.
The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect/The way you live, the gifts that you give/In the fullness of time/It's the only return that you expect
Once again, a cartoon pegs it:
The treasure of a life is a measure of love and respect/The way you live, the gifts that you give/In the fullness of time/It's the only return that you expect
Now I know the term for what I'd been thinking might be going on about this guy -- stochastic terrorism. It still doesn't answer for me who might be loading the metaphorical gun, but that's a conspiracy theory for another thread. He did make the perfect ploy for that type of outcome and why IMO it is important to exercise freedom of speech responsibly. The outcry against broadcasting that encourages the us against them thinking isn't just about political correctness or "feeling good" as some like to decry and it isn't about suppressing first amendment rights. It's about realizing that manipulating public opinion by tapping into their fears does have consequences, and usually not to the better for the good of society as a whole. IMO
I usually try to avoid political discussions like the plague-because I'm a firm believer in not getting into a battle of wits as an unarmed man(in this case)...however, gun control or lack thereof is never going to stop randoms acts of insanity and death...guns are always going to be available to the those with evil hearts and rotted minds-the ones who suffer are the truly law abiding...and yes, I'm a gun owner and a concealed carry holder-but I'm not frothing at the mouth or waving the barrel about indiscriminately...I took schooling and have great respect and caution for what comes out of the barrel of any weapon, and I will vigorously defend my right to protect myself and my family-no matter what...
Corbin, we could argue 'til I'm blue about the face
Whether Sarah Palin is or isn't a disgrace.
I suspect we won't agree because we haven't yet
And the more I disagree, the angrier you get.
Free speech, by the Government, should never be curtailed.
But when we resort to threats, then somewhere something's failed.
All the hateful rhetoric's destructive to the State
Coming from the left or right. I don't discriminate.
No, we can't stop crazy but it's sometimes hard to tell
The crazies from the mainstream politicians when they yell.
And, although I've never claimed the left is always right
They do not appear to be the ones who want a fight.
I was hurt to be accused of "dancing" in some blood.
But I'm sorry if my rhyming strikes you as a dud.
I think maybe Ms. Mod's hit the nail upon the head;
How about we both employ civility instead?
Could it be Republican's majority's down two
Congressmen who weren't sworn in with all the other new
Representatives because they were not on the Floor
Taking Oaths of Office which the other Members swore?
These guys skipped the swearing in 'cause they were raising cash,
Schmoozing with their donors and they wouldn't leave the bash -
Even for their swearing in. They watched it on T.V.
Raised their hands and said that they would discharge faithfully
All their tasks and that they'd serve. But, now I'm not so sure
Who they plan on serving. Are their motivations pure?
You may disagree with me (I'm sure that Corbin will)
But I don't think either guy belongs up on the Hill.
Sometimes, because it fits their narrative, people want a story to be true so badly they run with it. Dan Rather got burned the same way. Let's get the facts and investigate the issue before we pass judgement.


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What comes to mind when you hear the name Babylon? Babylon is often used as a symbol of man's rebellion against God. Thanks to their rebellion, the Jews were eventually carried off into Babylon, where they tried to maintain their faith in the midst of a pagan culture. These messages from the book of Jeremiah walk through what happened before the coming of the Babylonians and the destruction of Jerusalem. We will see parallels to our own nation; more importantly, we will look into our own hearts and see that we, like generations before us, must prepare for dark and difficult days. These messages are intended to motivate us to be faithful in a pagan culture that is under the judgment of God.
Click below to receive this series of 10 sermons on 5 CDs for a gift of any amount, or call Moody Church Media at 1.800.215.5001.
Please contact Moody Church Media at 1.800.215.5001 to purchase our previous single sermon, The Quest for Greatness.


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The Bissell 39N71 Steam Shot handheld hard surface steam cleaner is especially meant for use on counter tops. It can also be used to clean sinks and other hard surfaces. The 39N71 Steam Shot handheld hard surface steam cleaner includes a 16 foot long power cord and a carry handle for easy transport and storage.
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(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
Only worked once!
By Rach925
from Chickamauga, GA
Comments about Bissell Steam Shot Hand Held Cleaner:
I was sooo excited to get this for Christmas! I had one years ago and it was great! I used it once to clean before my baby was born. When I went to use it after he was born it won't work. I've done all the tips to clean it! It makes steam and even trickles out the end but when I push the trigger nothing! It's like the trigger is broke! I'm so frustrated!
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Steam Shot
By Nola
from San Diego, CA, USA
This baby steamer really does a good job . I do have another steamer and much bigger one and it is only 900 watts for a small steamer and 1000 watts . I do recommend this product . The steam that comes out from this baby is awesome. It does the job it heats very fast and it has too many attachments . Price range is not cheap nor expensive. I did rate it 4 stars just because when I used the squeegee attachment it dripped water maybe I use it wrong. Bissell please post a clear video how to use each attachment .
It's a lot of work and grout brush didn't last thru one cleaning
By CEG1
from San Antonio, TX, USA
Its not my favorite. Quite a bit of water left behind. I used it to clean grout in kitchen and it worked when the brush was at its best but that did not last long. The attachments are flimsy and cheaply constructed. It did the job but I have a sore arm and thumb because you have to keep the pressure down for steam to release. It took several refills of water and that process is cumbersome. Not sure if Bissel is coming up with a better design but I would wait to purchase unit until kinks are worked out.
(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
This product is wonderful.
By Ang2
from Streator, IL 61364, USA
I would recommend this product to anyone. I love my hand steamer. I don't know how I cleaned without it before. I use it to clean everything. I love it!
Works well
By jrh
from Rineyville, KY 42701, USA
The steam cleaner easily cleans grout in tile floors. Works as advertised.
Hand held steam cleaner 39N77 is disappointing
By GG113
from Dallas, TX, USA
We just purchased several of the steam cleaners one for us and others for Christmas presents. Trying ours, I am hesitant to give the cleaners as gifts. We run out of steam when the tank is over half full or water. We have tried with both tap water and distilled water. It does clean the soap residue off tile but no luck with the ceramic top range or other areas that you would think would work. Please forward any suggestions to make this product work like it was advertised.
Bissell StemShot
By Clean Freak
from St. Louis, MO
I think I like it. I'm still getting used to it and the various attachments. I would really appreciate more information about how to use it most effectively. Sometimes I feel like I am getting too much water on surfaces and the tank needs to be refilled frequently. Conceptually, it is a great product. There definitely are a million uses for it. Just wonder if I am using it properly since I am always stopping to let it cool and then refill. Really appreciate the sense of true cleanliness after use.
(5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)
This is a great little cleaner
By pattyb
from Pennsylvania, USA
Having used this for about 6 months now, almost every time I clean I find a new use for it. I have always used it for the "ordinary" surfaces, kitchen and bath counters, outside of appliances, tub/shower, outside of toilet. Just went through master bedroom with it. Here's what I cleaned with the steamer and a microfiber cloth: Inside/outside of windows, window sills/frames, fabric lampshade and ceramic lamp, wood bedside table, TV, wood bench, door handles, light switch, ceiling fixture, mirror, hall tree. I did not use any of the attachments and usually don't, not because there's anything wrong with them; I just haven't needed them. I buy microfiber cloths at discount store and use those for everything, including windows and mirrors. I clean my dogs' dishes with it #stainless steel#. It sanitizes without the need to rinse soap out of them. I hesitated to use it on wood furniture but a few months ago I started replacing my dusting with the above method and my wood furniture has a beautiful luster and sheen. I noticed the first time on wood that I had cleaned before with polish, there was streaking, but I simply repeated once or twice and apparently it removed all the polish. I love that all I need to buy is distilled water, saving tons of money and space for cleaning products, as well as being environmentally safe. I mist my plants with it as suggested in the instruction book, clean chrome faucets, inside of my dishwasher and refrigerator, even the oven. Also love that there is no residue from overspray or missing wiping a spot. Everything in my house #at least for a short time until it's dirty again# has a soft sheen, no streaks, just looks and smells CLEAN :# Also my dog vomited on area rug, came right out with this wonderful steamer. I could only pick 1 surface I use it on below, but I use it on virtually everything. Also give tooth brush heads a quick shot of steam when I'm cleaning bathroom. Works great on faucets, removing water stains. #I use the brush attachment for this.#
Great Product
By Ginger
from Reisterstown,MD
A very good product for what it's supposed to do. Also great price. Recommended for household use.
Great product
By Steve
from FL
Performed better than expected. Would gladly recommend to anyone.
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This article has some helpful thoughts both for those with a recent loss and for those who are a few years out:
My advice would be to do only what you feel up to; nothing more. For anyone who has lost a baby recently, please know that it will get better. The first year of holidays was the hardest for me and each year, while still difficult, has been easier.