Romancing Blood From The Stone: Sims 3 Expands

We can hardly believe it ourselves. Electronic Arts are going to be releasing expansion packs for the Sims 3. No, really. The first is a pack where the expansions include expansion content. LIKE! visiting destinations like France, Egypt and China (CHINA! - RPS In-Gag No-One Else Gets Ed). In other words, it's about traveling to famous real world locations. Which, at a stretch, makes this the Sims answer to Deus Ex. While a free 1000 points for the store sounds nice, the fact that there's exclusive online content available at launch does sound like this is an expansion pack for which you need to buy other online content. Which, if true, is - er - impressive, even for EA. You'll find the full press release beneath the cut, plus two more screenshots. Click through on 'em for the full-size versions. Sims 3: World Adventures will be available in November.

And... actually, while we're talking, what expansion content would you like to see for the Sims 3?

EA REVEALS THE SIMS 3 WORLD ADVENTURES
First Expansion Pack to Global Phenomenon - The Sims 3

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., August 3, 2009 – The Sims are off on an adventure to famous destinations around the world! The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that The Sims™ 3 World Adventures, the first expansion pack* to the #1 best-selling PC and MAC game in June 2009**, The Sims 3, is in development and will ship to retailers worldwide the week of November 16, 2009.

“We’re thrilled with the global success of The Sims 3 over these last few months and are looking forward to expanding on the gameplay experience with one of the most robust expansion packs to The Sims yet,” said Scott Evans, General Manager of The Sims at EA. “Players will be able to take their Sims on the adventure of a lifetime and explore lands outside of Sunset Valley and Riverview, pursue thrilling new life destinies in locations around the world inspired by famous destinations, and immerse themselves in the open-ended gameplay where they’ll discover new cities in China, France and Egypt and share new stories.”

Players can take their Sims on new journeys to famous real-world inspired destinations around the globe for the first time ever and seek out new adventures. While exploring the landmarks of an exotic city, there is no telling what the Sims will find. From mastering martial arts in Shang Simla, China, discovering rich culture and famous landmarks on a romantic getaway to Champs Les Sims, France or exploring the depths of ancient tombs in Al Simhara, Egypt, players can take their Sims on a journey that will change their Sims’ lives. Players can accept challenges to search for secret treasures, learn new skills and chase down new personal opportunities, meet new Sims with unique personalities, share their culture and bring them home, discover new styles on their travels, and share everything they encounter on their adventures with the world through personal photographs, movies, and stories. Additionally, players will receive 1,000 SimPoints to be used online in The Sims 3 Store*** for the PC/MAC versions of the game. Exclusive online content, available only for the expansion pack at launch, will be revealed soon.

The Sims 3 World Adventures will also be available for feature phones, the iPhone™ and iPod touch® in early 2010 from EA Mobile™. These versions will have customized mobile gameplay features which will be revealed in the coming months. For information on carrier availability and pricing for all EA Mobile games, please visit www.eamobile.com.

For more information about The Sims 3 World Adventures or The Sims 3, please visit www.TheSims3.com. Developed by The Sims Studio, The Sims 3 World Adventures has not yet been rated by PEGi. To download artwork, please visit www.electronicarts.co.uk/press

*Requires The Sims 3 for PC/MAC to play.
**According to NPD data.
**INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED, see product pack or digital distribution rules for details