The most wonderful time of the year

Anyone who has had to live in a climate with four seasons understands that fall is a blissful respite between the harsh heat of summer and the -40F with wind chill that is sure to come in the winter. (Editor's note: Author grew up in the frozen tundra that is Canada. Individual experiences may vary.) Fall is not only perfect in terms of temperature, but the rowdy kids next door head back to school and the video games that youve been waiting for all year finally come out.

Weve already looked at some of the spring/summer activities, but at a recent visit to Electronic Arts in Redwood City, we saw exactly what the Sims will be enjoying when the leaves start to change color in The Sims 3: Seasons. Were sure that once youve had a look at some of the festivities, you may also find that theres a lot to love about this season.

Colorful landscapes

As the seasons change, so do your Sims and the world that they happily live in. In Sunset Valley (and any other world that comes with Sims 3 and its many expansions, including the recently released Supernatural), youll witness the surrounding foliage begin to turn into a lovely reddish and orange hue. As the temperature drops, your Sims will bundle up in their outer gear to avoid catching a cold.

Each season lasts about seven sims days, but that can be toggled anywhere from 3 to 28 days, depending on your preference. If you like fall as much as we do, you can keep it set permanently so that it will feel like October, year round. Weather effects can also be toggled, so if you want, it can snow at your command.

Autumn festivals

Halloween is just one of the main festivities that happen in the fall, and even though we didnt get a chance to see what kind of shenanigans take place during this holiday, we did get to take part in the fall festival downtown.

As the temperature and landscape changes, the activities will as well. You can help prepare your Sim for a pie-eating contest by consuming an unnatural amount of pie each day. But just being able to wander through town and browse the concession stands is a treat, because youll find items that wouldnt be available in your build/buy mode, like anapple bobbing tank!

Bobbing for apples

When is the last time you went bobbing for apples? Sure, you can do this stuff all year round, but its primarily been a fall thing to do because along with apples, there is an overabundance of pumpkins!

Pumpkin patch

Finding the perfect pumpkin is just one of the many family-friendly activities you can do in the fall. Theres nothing like running through rows upon rows of slightly distorted pumpkins to find that one with the flawless side to carve. In the Sims 3 Seasons, youll be able to bring a bright orange melon home and put a knife to it, creating a perfect (or not-so-perfect if you fail) jack-o-lantern for your front porch.

Just be aware that if you were to go around smashing lit pumpkins, theres a chance that your butt may catch on fire. We're not kidding.

Season of eating

As we approach the holidays there's this whole notion of the "season of giving," but what it really means is that its the season of eating. While we like to believe that pumpkin pie is more or less available year round, when you get closer to Thanksgiving, its just about the only pie that is available. Nothing smells more heavenly than a freshly baked pumpkin pie, and you can bake your own with the pumpkin that your Sim brings home. Bake a pie and host a feast party, a new potluck-style gala where guests will come by and bring their own dishes. If youre lucky and have Sim neighbors with some culinary skills, they may even bring a turkey to the table.

WooHoo!

And just before the snow begins the fall, there are some chores that need to be done. Raking dead foliage may not be the most pleasant of activities, but being able to jump and play in a pile of freshly raked leaves can be fun--much to the dismay of the person who just raked it. And to make things even more interesting, that fresh pile of leaves is now a new woohoo spot.

Just wait until the winter we hear igloos are another location where you can get cozy.

Winter is coming

We may love the cool temperature of the fall, but it looks like winter is packed with exciting activities as well. Did we mention that you can now swim in the ocean? Probably best reserved for the summer. The changes aren't just limited to weather effects and seasons. Another new addition that the Seasons expansion will introduce is blueprint mode, where pre-made furnished rooms will be available for you to piece together so that you can start playing right away. Building may be a huge part of playing the Sims, but if you just want to shell out the simoleons to slap something respectable together quickly, the option is there.

Stay tuned as well get more info about winter in the coming months. The Sims 3: Seasons is set to be released on November 13.

If you want more Sims related articles, heres 10 reasons why the Sims world is better than the real world and read our Sims WooHoo guide.