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+ A great translation from PC to console; + Sky's the limit for creativity

- Frequent load times

There's something to be said for retro games and Woody Two-Legs Attack of the Zombie Pirates certainly fits the bill. You play the unlucky pirate who, having found a vast cache of treasure, is suddenly chased down by a certain Mr Jones.

The Sims is one of the few series that achieves its goal of escapism. After all, what's more detached from reality than reality itself? It has always had a layer of self-aware cynicism that pushes the limits of what its core concept can do.

The Sims and the consoles have not gotten along. Because of the inability to translate the full Sims experience to differing platforms, the essence of the franchise was lost most of the time. The PS2 iterations were too different from what people were familiar with. URBZ ? Don't get me started.

The Sims has traditionally been a stronghold on PC. For EA, it was a license to print money. Endless expansions and now on its 2nd sequel, it seems nothing can stop them now. But on console it has been a different story.

In The Sims 3 for consoles and handheld, players can create Sims with unique personalities, fulfill their desires ... or not, and control their lives within a living neighborhood.

The experience resembles what it might feel like to walk into a room with a huge chest, dig through it and yank out a bunch of my favorite toys, then toss them together and relish the crazy results.

It's a beautiful day over at the VideoGamer.com office. The sun is shining, the birds are singing. All of this can only mean one thing: I'm ill. Yes, nature is laughing at me, wiping its hideous diseases on my face and mocking me triumphantly. Here I am, in the height of HD weather, bedridden.

The basic tenets of The Sims continue to exist in this iPhone version of the game. You are given a chance to babysit your virtual Sim's needs including hunger, sanitation, sleep, entertainment, etc.

Admit it: you all love this series.