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As the great Dark Helmet taught us in the 1987 classic Spaceballs: "Even in the future nothing works." If there's any doubt of this, observe all the problems the Sims have even when they've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty.

Huh, well would you look at that! It's a Humble Bundle, only it's made entirely out of EA games. Weird! Specifically, a dollar or more will net you Dead Space, Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box, Crysis 2 Maximum Edition, Mirror's Edge, Dead Space 3 and Medal of Honor. Paying above the average (currently hovering around $5) also unlocks Battlefield 3 and The Sims 3 "+ Starter Pack."

Steam keys are available for Dead Space, Burnout Paradise, Crysis 2, Medal of Honor and Mirrors Edge, while the rest of the games on offer can only be delivered as Origin codes. Unlike most Bundles, however, which are split three-ways between a charity, the publisher/developer and the Humble folks, the Humble Origin Bundle is only being split between charities and the Humble Bundle organizers - EA takes no cut.

The Humble Bundle folks have already tweeted that this bundle has surpassed $100,000 faster than any other in its history, so things seem like they're off to a good start for a good cause.

The Sims have already gone back to medieval times, but now they're going forward and into the future - if you believe time is linear. The upcoming Sims 3 "Into the Future" expansion pack will have the puppets going into the next century to use hoverboards, jetpacks and food synthesizers. Current-time Sims can also "meet their descendants," which opens up all types of potential paradox scenarios.

Also announced today is a Sims 3 Movie Stuff pack, which adds "Western, Comic Book Blockbuster and Creepy Features" props to the catalog.

Both expansions will be out sometime in the future.

EA recently provided us with a producer walkthrough video for The Sims 3 Island Paradise DLC, an upcoming expansion pack for the game. The DLC takes players to the Isle Paradiso where, as seen in the video, they can cruise on houseboats from port to port.

Players will also get to build their own resort on the island when the expansion launches June 28. Before that, however, The Sims 3 Dragon Valley world will open on May 30.

It is known that The Sims 3 Dragon Valley will hatch on May 30. The digitally distributed expansion will add a new location, architecture and dragons to the franchise. Not big dragons, but baby dragons. "Pet dragons," according to EA. A DRAGON IS NOT A SLAVE!

Say what you will about all these expansions, but it's pretty clear now that by the time The Sims 4 launches in the first quarter of next year, The Sims 3 will conclude with an amazing collection of colorful expansions - and hopefully be sold in an incredibly discounted bundle. Sim hipster werewolves playing in the snow with their pet dragon while on college break? Sure!

Here's a message we pulled out of a bottle: The Sims 3 Island Paradise expansion will be available June 28. The message also contained a USB stick with the above trailer and below screenshots. Convenient.

Island Paradise will let Sims show some skin as they enjoy leisurely activities and live on houseboats. Man, houseboats sound like the best idea in the world, except for the whole, you know, sinking thing. There are also speedboats and jet skis, along with scuba and snorkelling exploration. Pre-orders receive the "Island Survival Pack." No word yet if it includes the ability to cry over a lost relationship with an artistic volleyball.

Electronic Arts and Zynga have settled their legal kerfuffle, which began when the former sued the social games giant for what it called a "clear violation" of copyright laws over the similarities between two of its games. Details on the settlement are lacking, but InsideSocialGames has a statement from Zynga that is has resolved its respective claims with EA and has "reached a settlement" in the Northern District of California.

The legal drama kicked off last August when EA sued Zynga over the similarities between Zynga's recently released The Ville and EA's The Sims Social. The evidence against Zynga was stacked pretty high. This was the first time a giant like EA had stepped into the ring to take on the culture of cloning, which Zynga had been accused of in the past.

A month later, Zynga filed a counterclaim against EA over the similarities between CityVille and SimCity Social. We'll update with settlement terms when he receive them.

The Sims 3 "70s, 80s and 90s" DLC pack says it has "all-new outfits, crazy hairstyles, and facial hair," but considering each of these "new" looks comes from a decade long since past, that description is a bit of a stretch. The 70s, 80s and 90s pack is available now on Steam for $20.

The 70s portion includes bellbottoms, halter top catsuits and platform shoes, along with minimalist furniture and a disco ball. The 80s bring legwarmers, leotards, headbands and shoulder pads, and the decor portion includes arcade machines and an entertainment system. The 90s remind us why "grunge" generally isn't a complimentary term, with tattered jeans, layered tops, asymmetrical handkerchief hemline skirts, and furniture in distressed and industrial metal styles. Each decade comes with the related hairstyles and facial hair.

Remember, in 20 years we'll all look back on the 2010s with just as much revulsion, but with more photographic evidence of our absurd tastes.

The Sims go back to college (if you had The Sims 2: University) in The Sims 3: University Life, available March 5. The latest addition to the power-mad franchise has players taking the tots they've raised since birth and watching their every move at college. Whether this is a parent's dream or a child's nightmare - or some combination thereof - is for you to decide.

Sims will get their degrees, party, grow their social network (somehow avoiding STIs) and gain faster promotions and a higher entry-level job for university grads. The irony of recent college grads playing this game all day because they can't find a job in this economy is not lost on us.

The Sims go back to college (if you had The Sims 2: University) in The Sims 3: University Life, available March 5. The latest addition to the power-mad franchise has players taking the tots they've raised since birth and watching their every move at college. Whether this is a parent's dream or a child's nightmare - or some combination therein - is for you to decide.

Sims will get their degrees, party, grow their social network (somehow avoid STIs) and gain faster promotions and a higher entry-level job for university grads. The irony of recent college grads playing this game all day because they can't find a job in this economy is not lost on us.

Maxis announced today that The Sims 3 expansion "70s, 80s & 90s Stuff" will be available in January 2013. The pack includes clothing and stuff that exemplifies the decades of the Nixon through Clinton administrations (Wilson through Blair in the UK, Indira Gandhi to Vajpayee in India).

The division of Electronic Arts also teased a college or university expansion pack coming after the three decades of stuff pack. The Sims 3 is currently prepping for the Seasons expansion this November.

#thesims Due out for the PC and Mac in November, The Sims 3: Seasons brings seasonal weather and events to EA's popular people-growing game. More »

Winter is coming... to The Sims 3! EA announced today during its showcase that everyone's favorite people simulator will have a seasons expansion this November. Those who pre-order the game will receive the ice lounge set, a furniture set made out of ice.

#thesims After EA added vampires to the mix in 2010's Late Night expansion, The Sims 3's fans have been clamoring for a way to faithfully recreate scenes from the Twilight Saga without having to resort to user-created mods. The Sims 3 Supernatural heeds their moody metaphysical call. More »

#thesims When Stephen said an eye needed to be kept out on the "Sims Gone Wrong" tumblr - showing the wonderful ways one of the biggest games on the planet can break - he wasn't kidding. More »

The Sims 3 Showtime: Katy Perry was just not enough Katy Perry-themed expansion content for The Sims 3. An absolutely unacceptable dearth of Katy Perry remained.

Luckily, EA has rescued us from a life of insufficient simulated Katy Perry paraphernalia with the announcement of The Sims 3 Katy Perry's Sweet Treats, which lets you decorate your Sims' homes in the style of an imaginary "Candyfornia, complete with cupcake-themed guitars, candy playground equipment and delicious cotton candy trees."

You'll be able to cover your Sims and their homes in virtual candy this June on PC and Mac. It's a good thing The Sims 3 doesn't connect to SimAnt.

#thesims Sims modder Pixel Pixies brings a level of wholesome sex appeal to EA's Sims 3 with her Marilyn Monroe skin, turning a modern family drama into a flick from the 50's. More »

When reality television made its first foray into prime time, it was fairly clear why networks jumped on the trend with such enthusiasm. "Do we want to pay paltry sums of money to film untrained, attention-hungry people doing strange things in equally cheap locations? Yes. One thousand times yes." And then they did it, more than 1,000 times.

The UK's Channel 4 has taken that one trend deeper, getting rid of the real people completely with "SuperMe," a TV show filmed entirely in The Sims 3. SuperMe follows four Sims living together and is completely unscripted, except for the narrator, who provides insight into what the Sims are thinking, feeling and doing. As producer Somethin' Else describes it, "It's like real life, but improvised by robots."

The first episode is available to watch above -- personally, we find it more entertaining with this commentary.

Katy Perry has conquered the celebrity scene in reality and has moved to take over virtual realms, starting with The Sims. The collector's edition of The Sims 3 Showtime, which launches in March, will feature the Ultimate Stage bonus venue, Katy Perry themed items and a poster, as well as advertising campaigns featuring Perry herself, starting with the above music video.

Not to brag, but we've listened to "The One that got Away" a few dozen times before, and we never imagined it as a story about the tragic death of anyone's soulmate, probably because it's actually about failed teenage love and the dangers of dating a boy who plays guitar. Maybe death sells more games, though. Maybe.

#thesims Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again? Do you ever feel like you wish you could just, I don't know, deck out your Sims sim in Katy Perry gear, start a sim-music career, and go on tour? More »

The Sims 3 will receive its sixth expansion, Showtime, in March 2012. The clubbin' and stagecraft expansion will allow puppet masters across the globe to send their Sims into a friend's game to "perform at their venue in front of their Sims where you both will earn rewards."

Beyond the "SimPort" feature (and its misplaced intercapping), the expansion will allow players to create different types of music venues for their Sims to perform in. There are also in-game rewards for accomplishing goals, such as performing a legendary show in a high-level venue.

And by "legendary show," we're guessing EA doesn't mean unleashing the disaster of Woodstock 1999 into your friend's world.

Generations Updates
• Baby Sims will no longer become stuck on a Sims hand while driving a car.
• Imaginary Friends who have been made real will now keep their unique outfit when aging up.
• Bunk Bed drop shadows will no longer shift places when a Sim climbs into one.
• Sims will now react to another Sim Showing Off a skill they learned at an afterschool class or club.
• The Catch all Type of Fishes memory will no long appear before the action has been completed.
• The screenshot for the Enjoyed WooHoo in a Tree House memory will no longer clip with the Tree House.
• Incorrect placement slots on the Loft Bed that show as valid locations have been removed.
• The Temporarily Undead moodlet will now correctly state what caused it when the Ghost Potion has been thrown at a Sims feet.
• Sims will no longer be spammed with Field Trip opportunities.
• Elder Sims will no longer reset when loading a Save Game that has them in the Harass with Cane interaction.
• Sims can now learn their Imaginary Friends traits much easier when they are turned into a live Sim.
• An issue where Gems and Metals in a Sims inventory became unusable once Generations was installed has been resolved.
• The footprint of a Daycare child will no longer be permanently left on the lot when the Active Household is changed.
• Babies and Toddlers will no longer go into a frozen state when a Social Worker comes to take them while they are being pushed in strollers.
• The wish to Ride a Spring Rider will no longer always appear after the interaction to ride a spring rider has been canceled.
• Shopping menus will no longer appear while inside of Camera Man Mode.
• The Imaginary Friend doll can no longer be buried in Sandboxes to prevent the Sim from losing it forever.
• Sims can now complete a Poltergeist Haunting job (Ambitions) if there is a Bunk or Loft Bed on the lot.
• Queued interactions while performing the Daycare Career will no longer be automatically canceled after putting a toddler down.
• Spiral Staircases can no longer be placed in areas that Sims cannot route to.
• Sims that have been turned into a Ghost will no longer receive an extra diploma.
• Sims can no longer have a negative amount of Memories in their Scrapbook.
• After purchasing a Bar (Late Night), Sims will no longer receive the Bought a Bar memory when purchasing any other type of property.
• The Motive Mobile will no longer be unintentionally used when returning from a Community Lot with a toddler, causing it to remain parked in front of the Sims home.
• The Throw a Teen Party wish will no longer appear while a Teen Party is already planned.
• Users can now select a Lifetime Wish for Teenagers who have aged up to Young Adults while away at Boarding School.
• Daycare children will no longer be abandoned on your Sims lot.
• Children now have the chance to be Scolded when performing Dino Smash on a doll house.
• Sims can no longer become stuck in Fences while in Camera Man Mode.
• Elder Sims who are arrested in the Criminal Career while using the Elder Cane will no longer become stuck.
• Ghost Sims will now remain floating when returning from Boarding School.
• Strollers will no longer disappear from a Sims inventory after leaving for a Free Vacation while pushing the stroller.
• Objects placed in a Sims inventory after they have accepted a Free Vacation opportunity will be restored when the Sim returns from vacation.
• The wish to Attend Prom will no longer appear while a Sim is attending Prom.
• Issues with the cutout for Spiral Staircase when placed in a basement have been resolved.
• Sims can now select the Leave Me Alone interaction on Imaginary Friends while playing in Bridgeport (Late Night).
• The Give Gift interaction on a computer will no longer be banned for Sims who have had their computer privileges revoked.
• Sims who are under the influence of the Ghost Potion will now be able to use Subways (Late Night).
• Potions that a Sim has already learned how to create will now be available on Chemistry Tables when placed in Vacation Worlds.
• Sims using a stroller can no longer become stuck if a user alters the terrain in Build/Buy Mode while the Sim and stroller are routing.
• Sims can now interact with objects inside a Bar (Late Night) after the venue has closed during a Bachelor/ette Party.
• A Sims route path will no longer become broken when moving a Spiral Staircase while a Sim is in motion.
• Butlers (Late Night) will no longer become stuck in the sidewalk after canceling the Learn to Drive interaction with him.
• Players will no longer be spammed by the "Go for a stroll using the Stroller" wish.
• The Imaginary Friend can no longer lose their unique outfit when the game is saved and loaded while the Imaginary Friend is being turned real.
• Unplayable states where Adults die when children are away at Boarding School have been resolved.
• The Guest List will no longer become blocked after adding kids and children and then changing the party type to Bachelor/ette Party.
• The Plan Outfit interaction will no longer break the functionality of the Costume Chest.
• Sims who die while under the influence of the Ghost Potion will now properly appear as a Ghost after dying.
• The household size limit can no longer be exceeded by using Clone Vouchers.
• Hopscotch Courts will no longer lose functionality when a Sim who has motive stress plays hopscotch with another Sim.
• Videos created with the Video Camera on vacation worlds can now be replayed when returning to the home world.
• The Scold interaction will now only be performed once when having two adults in the same room where a Child Sim is setting a booby trap.
• Bar speakers will now be turned off when Party Dancers begin dancing at a Bar (Late Night) during a Bachelor/ette Party.
• The Graduate interaction on City Hall will now be available when loading a game that was saved on the day a Sim was supposed to graduate.
• The Make Radical Reparum Potion wish will no longer reappear right after fulfilling it.
• Sims who are on fire will no longer be forced to attend graduation before they can put themselves out.
• Sims enrolled in the Daycare profession will now autonomously take better care of children while at work.
• An issue that causes a Sims plumbob to be temporarily displayed at the exit of a Tree House has been remedied.
• A scroll bar will now appear when text in the Capture This Moment window exceeds the size of the window.
• The Imaginary Friend outfit for the Child aged Imaginary Friend will now work correctly with Create a Style.
• Sims who are in Boarding School when Generations is uninstalled will no longer be removed from the household when loading the saved game.
• Sims will now route properly to the location when selecting the Visit lot with Date interaction.
• An issue where Elevators (Late Night) become unusable when an Imaginary Friend turns to doll form inside of them has been resolved.
• Children will no longer play a broken animation when rejecting an opportunity over the phone.
• Children and Teens can no longer die from motive failure while on a Time Out.
• An issue where NPC Sims using a Tree House would prevent player controlled Sims from using it has been fixed.
• The Repoman can no longer repossess Spiral Staircases.
• Castle Bunk and Loft beds now match the preset thumbnail images in Buy Mode.
• Sims who are enrolled in Boarding School just before an Adult Sim accepts a Free Vacation opportunity will no longer be removed from the game.
• The Imaginary Friend will no longer be removed from the game after using the ResetSim cheat on it.
• The Erase Tool will now appear correctly when entering the Terrain Paints section of Build Mode and filtering it to an EP or SP with no terrain content.
• The Brush Shape in Build Mode will no longer freeze after having filtered to an EP or SP with no content in the current tab.
• The Launcher Help Files will now display properly when Firefox or Chrome is set as the default browser.
• Mac Only: Toilets will no longer overflow when switching between floors of a house after the toilet has been booby trapped.
• Mac Only: Fixes a crash issue that occurs when opening the Options Menu after playing the game for a while.
• Mac Only: Fixes a crash issue that occurs when opening the Scrapbook after playing the game for a while.
• Mac Only: Fixes a crash issue that occurs when clicking the Share Memories button after playing the game for a while.
• Fixes an issue where Sims would be unintentionally removed from Boarding School when the Prom of another Sim began.
• Fixes an issue where the game crashes after deleting a Fish Tank which has been placed on a foundation.
• Fixes a crash issue that occurs when a Sim practices making drinks with an Imaginary Friend.
• Fixes an issue where the Return to Owner interaction would not work properly when trying to return a stolen item through the mailbox.
• Fixes an issue where a Sim resets when attempting to play Hopscotch with an Imaginary Friend Doll.
• Fixes a crash issue that occurs when Platforms are placed on a lot after filtering Build Mode content to any EP or SP.
• Various fixes to Daycare and the Imaginary Friend involving the Edit Town mode.
• Various fixes to Children Sims not showing up correctly or staying too long at Daycare.
• Additional bug fixes and polish to existing features
Late Night Updates
• Vampires fangs have been restored.
• Objects with interactions will now work properly when placed on Sectional Seating tables.
• Corner Sectional Seats on lots in the Edit Town bin will now work properly when placed in a world.
• Children Sims will now correctly participate when Ask to Join: Go for a Joy Ride is selected on Sectional Seating.
• Fixes an issue where glass objects flicker when Advanced Rendering is turned on.
Ambitions Updates
• Laundromat Venues can now be purchased through the Real Estate menu.
World Adventures Updates
• Sand Piles and Tomb dor will no longer be visible in an unexplored tomb.
• An issue that broke functionality for Nectar Bottles and Nectar Racks has been resolved.
• Photos taken with cameras from World Adventures will now be properly saved to the inventory.
• Objects placed in a Sims Family Inventory will no longer disappear when returning from a Vacation world.
Base Game Updates
• Fences that were designed to be transparent will no longer be opaque when Advanced Rendering is turned off.
• The Downloads Dashboard will no longer ask you to log in after already being logged in.
• Children will no longer float when sitting on certain fountain sculptures.
• Bookshelves in Library venues will correctly stock books when the venue is placed from the Edit Town bin.
• Additional bug fixes and polish to existing features

One of the greatest things about The Sims is the ability to take all your anger and frustration out on virtual people in a multitude of ways. There's nothing more satisfying than creating a Sim who looks like someone you don't like and watching them die. The Sims 3 is no exception. Here are all the ways your Sims can die in The Sims 3...

This spring you are cordially invited to the wedding of the century.

#godsimthequeen The royal wedding between Prince William and his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton on April 29 will be a lavish spectacle of celebrity and ceremony, a once-in-a-lifetime celebration that will be remembered for decades to come. That doesn't mean it will be more entertaining than the Sims 3 version. More »

#expansionism EA Play adds life to The Sims 3 this spring with the Generations Expansion pack, letting players explore the stages of virtual life on a much deeper level than ever before. More »

Is The Sims 3 on Nintendo 3DS a fully-fledged sequel, or more of an introduction? Find out in our official review pod for the 3DS version!