It's also possible to watch other Sims perform around town that aren't under your control, although with only three career paths to follow, it won't take that long to see all of them. Audiences will respond kindly or unkindly to the performance, even going as far as throwing food and other items onto the stage! While there is a bit of interactivity available in the shows, I never really felt like my input was having an effect on the outcome, and the whole process of finding jobs, then performing the onstage actions over and over eventually becomes dull. Reaching higher ranks in each profession unlocks new actions, and new outfits to wear on stage. Your Sim can set up the stage with a variety of props, then takes the stage and performs whatever actions you feel like queueing up. The actual gigs are where the real fun takes place. Working your way up from performing silly singing telegrams to performing in front of a large (though actually fake) audience can be rewarding, but it can also be a bit of a grind. Earning a gig means going through a brief audition for the venue's proprietor, then showing up on stage at the scheduled time. The new jobs available are singer, acrobat and magician, but they play out essentially the same way: you'll wander around town, performing in public for tips, or visiting a variety of venues around Starlight Shores for higher-paying gigs. Unlike the mediocre band career in Late Night, Showtime makes working in the performing arts into a well-organized, practical career with a much better pay off. These new jobs are the heart of Showtime, and they're a solid addition to the game. Showtime does add a large number of great-looking animations to the game, mostly associated with its three new professions. It's fun, competent stuff, but it's also familiar stuff if you're a long term fan of the series, and nothing that really revitalizes the game. There's also a new mechanical bull, capable of whipping your Sims around at breakneck speeds with hilarious results. Among these are the karaoke machine, pool tables, DJ booth and dance sphere.

While the number the number of new objects in Showtime is certainly huge, many of these remain decorative objects, and the best objects in Showtime were already featured in The Sims 2. It doesn't feel like a huge, bustling place (in fact, if there are no performances in progress, it can be quite the ghost town), but the venues are generally nice to look at and well-designed. Clearly Holywood-inspired (right down to the Simlish 'Hollywood' sign on the hills outside town), it's a nice-looking location with most of the standard amenities, including some of the facade style buildings (but no skyscrapers) first introduced in previous expansion, Late Night. As with most of the other expansions, Showtime adds a new town to play in, Starlight Shores. While the sixth expansion pack, Showtime, adds a few new moments of fun to the series, it largely fails to capitalize on whatever potential TS3 may have had. While the sixth expansion After several years and five expansion packs, it's clear that The Sims 3 may be reaching the end of its lifespan. After several years and five expansion packs, it's clear that The Sims 3 may be reaching the end of its lifespan.

Sims 3 showtime