The Sims 3 Showtime Expansion: A Mixed Bag of Fun and Frustration

As I sat waiting for my friend to accept my SimPort request, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. After all, this was what The Sims 3 Showtime expansion was all about - watching your Sim become a star performer and rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. But as it turned out, the wait was not worth it. All I saw was a lit up empty stage, a stark reminder that my friend had declined to join me in this online multiplayer experience. By definition, this shut out a pretty big chunk of the potential player base and prevented them from progressing in their single-player game, effectively forcing them to be social or forget the content.

Fortunately, there were other things to do while I waited on my friend to accept the request. For instance, I discovered a new profession that was not really a profession at all - it's just a thing to do. The DJ profession allowed my Sim to start playing anywhere a DJ booth item existed, much like the bar and mixologist in the Ambitions expansion. And yes, I could play bro-tacular dubstep, but unfortunately, there was no bass drop option. My Sim did get tips for playing, which increased their DJ skill the more they played, but it was not a real job, and as such, was very limited in its appeal.

Another new music object that caught my eye was the jukebox, which finally arrived after years of waiting. I had been wanting a proper jukebox since the Fast Lane Stuff Pack, and this one did not disappoint. Along with the new venues came several other entertainment items, such as the mechanical bull, a dominoes table, two-player cocktail arcade machines, freakin' skee-ball, a golf driving range, some sort of electrified sphere dance torture device, and a pool table for hustling hapless Sims. And to top it all off, there was also the photo booth, which doubled as a new woohoo location.

One other bit of awesome was the return of the Genie, now in the form of a lifetime reward that granted three wishes. I had mine, and while they seemed more interested in playing golf and hitting on random women, I couldn't say I blamed them, though. The genie was surprisingly fair and balanced, with very little of that sadistic side that genies often have in ethical fiction.

Finally, there were the new Create a Sim options, which gave me new clothing and hair and accessories for adult men *and* women. It was mostly what I would expect from an expansion related to stardom, with all that glitz and glam garbage, as well as a selection of technophile and hipster attire. Mmm, I could almost smell the apathy.

New Traits and Lifelong Wishes

There were also new traits and lifelong wishes that pertained to the new professions, which gave my Sim unfair advantages they could not ignore. With these perks came increased satisfaction levels, but it was a double-edged sword - on one hand, they made playing feel more rewarding; on the other, they created an artificial sense of ease that negated some of the fun and challenge of the game.

Touring with Friends

One thing I couldn't help but notice was how touring worked. SimPort became integral to higher-tiered progression, and if you didn't want to participate in online multiplayer, you were kinda screwed. Groups could not be sent or received through SimPort - only one Sim at a time, which made it impossible for bands from Late Night to go on tour.

Collector's Edition

The Katy Perry edition added some new Create a Sim items, but that was about it. The expansion felt like more of the same old thing, just with some extra bells and whistles. Unless what The Sims 3 Showtime does truly appeals to you, I'd probably wait until the price drops.

Conclusion

The Sims 3 Showtime expansion did its job - it added some fun new gameplay mechanics and entertainment items. However, for an average Simmer who would rather live a normal life or build houses, there was not much impressive on offer. What Showtime does is decently done, but unless that's what you're into, I'd say wait until the price drops.

Is The Sims 3 Showtime Expansion Worth Buying?

Whether or not it's actually worth the suggested price of $40 for the normal expansion and $50 for the Collector's Edition is kind of a toss-up to me. While I do find the new professions enjoyable, especially watching them become stars, it's also a major grind fest along the way. And SimPort becomes an integral part of higher-tiered progression, so if you don't want to participate in online multiplayer, you're kinda stuck.

In conclusion, the expansion is definitely worth some attention from fans who are interested in watching their Sims perform, but for everyone else, it may not be worth the investment.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enAs we approach the third yearof The Sims 3's existence,a total of five full expansion packshave been released for the game so far.And out of those, my favoritehas probably been Late Night.This was due in large part to the fact thatit gave your Sims an urban area to live in,provided the opportunity to performmusical acts at various venues,added all sorts of new leisure activities,and allowed them to become famous along the way.So imagine my surprise when the sixthexpansion pack, Showtime, was announcedto be an expansion that givesyour Sims an urban area to live in,provides the opportunity to performmusical acts at various venues,adds all sorts of new leisure activitiesand allows them to become famous along the way.Umm.... yeah, I don't care!Oh, wait, you say it's passivelyendorsed by Katy Perryif you spend more money on her edition,only to have both her and hermusic not appear in the game?Sweet. I can't freakin' wait for this.Yes, Showtime is the latest in a long line of gamesfeaturing half-hearted plugsfrom famous musicians,following in the footsteps ofgames like Journey: EscapeAerosmith's Revolution X,and, umm...Samantha Fox Strip Poker.I'm saving this one for later...The Collector's Edition of Showtimeshows Katy Perry on the front of the box,in both Sim and presumably human form –the latter of which shows herin quite the awkward pose.Seriously, what is she doing with her right hand?It looks like she's preparing to let loosesome Katy Perry-branded glittery farts.Maybe that's where all thisglitter on the box comes from!Anyway, inside the box you find theusual litany of cheap documentation,along with a cheap little poster ofKaty Perry's cheap cash-in cover art.You also get a code to download someadditional Katy Perry-ish content for your Sims,which is pretty much the entire drawof this collector's version, such as it is.Of course, there are a few other versions of the game,including the regular expansion with pretty mucheverything you should care about anyways,a Limited Edition which costs the same buthas an extra venue and a stadium download,and a combo pack which includesboth the required Sims 3 base gameas well as the vanilla Showtime expansion.Once you install whatever version you have,the loading screen you're provided withstarts its wonderfully boring suckage.I suppose that you couldargue that minimalist approachis aesthetically appealingto a higher intellectual state.But you can also argue that it's just lame.Once you reach the menu, you'll see thatyou've been connected to the Internet...if you're connected to the Internet,that is... um, yeah.One of the biggest thingsintroduced with Showtimeis a whole slew of pointless social optionswhich can be configured in thepointless social options menu.You can connect to Facebook, Twitter,and a new Sims-orientedsocial network controlled by EA.Sound fun?Good for you, brainwash victim!To me, this seems like an invasion of my game.Nay, a straight-up blitzkrieg ofsilliness that I never asked forand never wanted in mySims single-player experience.You can turn this off, but the thing is,leaving it on and utilizing it to its fullestresults in you unlocking allsorts of content for your game.So, yeah, unless you really wantto be unnecessarily locked out,then you may as well use it.This also launched as an updatefor everyone that plays The Sims 3,so just sign in to yourMy Page on TheSims3.comset your crap up,add some people who play the game,and spam the dick out of themuntil you get what you want.Seriously, this whole thing is a freakin' joke right now,because there is essentially no way to properlycurate what shows up in your news feed,and things quickly get lost in the sea ofnever-ending, mundane activity updates.Not only that, but the in-game friends list is uselessbecause once you get more than about 100 friends,you can't see any more of them– at least, not right now.Sure, you can search forthem by exact username,but I don't *know* the namesof my hundreds of fake friends,so it's just an exercise in futility.But whether or not youchoose to play the social game,you can start your previous save game as normalor start a new game in the new town,Starlight Shores.This is kind of a tiny Sim Hollywood.And it really feels like it shouldbe a small suburb of Bridgeportfrom the Late Night expansionrather than its own town,but it gets the job done.So let's get some of the biggestnew additions out of the way,starting with the addition of anin-game achievement system.They're very much like theachievements from the consoleand Medieval variants of the game,and give you some goals towork towards *if* you want to.Being that I see noachievements in turning Katy Perryinto an insect-collecting homeless pool shark,or drowning every Sim in thetown in a pool of their own urine,I'm not that interested, to be honest.Another feature that's been thrown into the mixis the option to communicatewith your friends on your My Pagethrough the use of wall writing, a la Facebook.The notifications for thisin-game I turned off very quicklybecause it only distracted frommy felonious Simming activities.But of course, the most prominentnew feature of Showtimeis the selection of new professions,in pretty much the same styleas those included with Ambitions.The three featured here are Acrobat,Magicianand Singer.Each of these are careers thatyou are much more involved withthan those from the base game,in that you'll advance the ranks throughdirect manipulation of your Sim's actions,instead of just sending them intoa rabbit hole for the afternoon.Initially, this means doing things likeperforming for tips on random street cornersand practicing your art every chance you get.This means lots and lotsof embarrassing situationsuntil you become awesome enough tonot kill someone with your profession.It happens. They'll get over it.With the Acrobat, you're akind of all-around circus freak.You'll mime, juggle, bend andjump around in a variety of waysthat make the lazy ones in thecrowd tired just thinking about it.Magicians start out doing street magic,then move onto small propsand eventually larger shows with dangerous stunts.They also get to play some SimCity 3000music during their magic shows,which is a very nice touchto old Maxis fans like me.And lastly, the Singer goes around... singing.What did you expect?While the Singer gets the expected street corners,coffee shops and stage venues like everyone else,they also get to perform singing telegrams.These appear as random opportunitieswhere you'll have to catchup to a Sim around town,approach them and sing some kind of dittythat's supposed to evoke acertain emotional response.All of these actions will helpyour Sim level up their career,and the better they do,the more they'll get noticed.Ah, if only skill were a guaranteeof success in real life, right?Yeah...Depressing facts aside,eventually your Sim will be playingat random venues around town,like karaoke bars,dance clubs,coffee shops and parks.When you get to one of thesevenues, you'll have the optionto customize your stage with props.This is a really cool feature,and while I wish it were a bit more elaborate,it's still awesome to be able to litter your stagewith fake, oversized food.In fact, you can also customizeyour career outfits now,which is a feature I've wantedin the game for a long time.Again, I wish it were a bit more involved.I would love to have a Magicianthat wore nothing but a Speedo,but hey, it's better than nothing.Something else that's kinda lameis the fact that not many Simsactually come to the shows you put on.You might end up with eight or nine actual Sims,and while in certain special venues it looks like more,it's actually just an object that looks like silhouettedSims making up a large crowd in the background.Just don't look too closely,and, uh... the illusion kind of works.Oh, well.Another awesome additionis the option for your Simsto visit venues for randomshows around town.Like Simfest,an annual haphazard variety show.Although, these do get boring after a while,since you'll see the samethree acts over and over again,but at least it's fun to throw rotten vegetablesand heckle the performer if you want to.Finally, another huge addition tothese professions is SimPort.This is directly tied in tothe online social featuresand is probably the biggest reasonto have fake friends in the first place.SimPort allows you to both send and receiveperforming Sims online.So if you want to send yourSim on tour to a friend's town,you can send a booking request to them,and if they accept, then yourSim will disappear for a whileand they will appear in your friend's game.Likewise for your friends'Sims appearing in your game.The more you do this,the more you'll level up your career,and the more random crap you'll unlock.While this is kinda cool in theory,there are some inherent problems with this.First, it doesn't always work –at least, not at this point.Hopefully it'll be patched out,but I've had a few times wherea Sim is supposed to show upand all I see was a lit up empty stage.Second, it requires that youhave friends that play Showtime,that they're online when you areand that they have Sims that meet your needs.By definition, this shuts out a prettybig chunk of the potential player baseand prevents them from progressingin their single-player game,effectively forcing them to besocial or forget the content.Thankfully, there are several other thingsto do while you're waiting on your friendsto accept a SimPort request.There is a fourth new profession that's...not really a profession at all, so never mind.It's just a thing to do, and that is the DJ.Your Sim can start to DJanywhere a DJ booth item exists,much like the bar and mixologistin the Ambitions expansion.And, yes, you can play bro-tacular dubstep.And, no, I didn't see a bass drop option.You do get tips for playing andincrease your DJ skill the more you play.But it's not a real job,and as such is very limited in its appeal.Another new music object is the jukebox,and it's about freakin' time!Because I've been wanting a properjukebox since the Fast Lane Stuff Pack.And to go along with the new venues,you have a few new entertainment items,like the mechanical bull,a dominoes table,two-player cocktail arcade machines,freakin' skee-ball,a golf driving range,some sort of electrified sphere dance torture device,and a pool table for hustling hapless Sims.And there's also the photo booth,which doubles as a new woohoo location.You can also woohoo in the magic box of mystery,but it's not as exciting as havingpictures taken while you're in the act.One other bit of awesomeis the return of the Genie.This is in the form of alifetime reward that you can getwhich of course produces a geniethat grants you three wishes.Although mine seemed to be more interestedin playing golf and hitting on random women.Can't say I blame him, though.And it seems to be a ratherfair and balanced genie overall,with very little of that sadisticside that genies often havein ethical fiction.In other words, he's not acompletely deceitful douchebagFinally, you have the expectednew Create a Sim options,which gives you new clothingand hair and accessoriesfor adult men *and* women.It's mostly what you would expectfrom an expansion related to stardom,with all that glitz and glam garbage,as well as a selection oftechnophile and hipster attire.Mmm, I can almost smell the apathy.And, yeah, there are new traits and lifetimewishes that pertain to the new professions,so your Sim can have all the unfairadvantages you could possibly want.So, is The Sims 3 Showtime expansion worth buying?Well as usual,the suggested price for thenormal expansion is $40and the Collector's Edition is $50.Whether or not it's actually worth thatkind of money is kind of a toss-up to me.While I do find the new professions enjoyable,in that it is kinda fun to watch the showsand see your Sims progress to superstar status,it's a major grindfest along the wayand it becomes especially irksome whenyou have more than one Sim to take care of.Also annoying is that SimPort is such anintegral part of higher-tiered progression.So if you don't want to participate intouring online, you're kinda of screwed.You can do it, it's just not nearly as fun.And while I'm talking about touring,why can't your bands from Late Night go on tour?You can only send or receive oneSim at a time through SimPort,so groups are out of the question entirely.They can't even get up on stage with your singer.And as far as the Katy Perry edition goes,well that's probably not worth the extra 10 bucks,unless you're just a mad fan of hers.Because all it adds is a few newCreate a Sim and stage itemsand you still have to go and make yourown Katy Perry Sim to go along with it.So, really, recommendingShowtime can go either way for me.It's a bit of fun while it lastsbut it's also quite a hassleto deal with all the crapthat you have to do to getvery far with the professions.And outside of those professions,there's not a lot on offer that'simpressive to an average Simmerwho would honestly rather live a normal lifeor build houses or something.What Showtime does, it does decently.But unless what it does truly appeals to you,I'd probably wait until the price drops,like some phat wobble bass.\n"