First, it was TV commercials. Then, it was teen TV dramas. Now, apparently, bands are targeting The Sims as the next big outlet for promoting their songs. As such, Electronic Arts has announced the bands who’s “Simlish” songs will be featured in The Sims 3 Ambitions Expansion pack for the PC and Mac this summer. One of these bands I kind of used to like, and may again when they quit worrying about being all clever with their videos.

No longer content to have relationship and bladder problems at home, The Sims are now set to take their issues around the world. EA’s The Sims Studio has announced that The Sims 3 World Adventures, has gone gold for the PC and Mac and will be available on November 17, 2009. The Sims 3 World Adventures is the first expansion pack to the #1 best-selling PC game of calendar 2009, according to NPD data.

It’s a rare moment these days when I get to talk to about Mac games. As major Mac game publishers continue to fade into the ether or shift their focus to the iPhone, Mac gaming has found itself in a rut nearly as deep the one from which we barely escaped in the late 90s. But a few companies have recently thrown us a rope in the form of new product releases or major announcements. Do the names Warhammer, Sid Meier, and Star Wars mean anything to you?

The Sims 3 has been in development since 2006, and a Mac version has been confirmed. In the typical spirit of computer games, the Mac version will come out a few months after our PC friends already have it running. While we Mac users wait a few months (the PC version isn’t due out until Q1 2009), I’ve found a few sites for some goodies to add to Sims 2. Expansion packs for the game add many new objects, clothing and other items to the game. Several fansites have put out goodies on the net for free, which allow you to add new objects, skins, hair, whatever, at no cost.

Some sites make you pay to add objects to the game. In the EA Tools End User License, it states that any third party material created for the game is owned by EA, and must be “… on your personal noncommercial website for the noncommercial benefit.” So, any sites that charge for bonus content or that have a subscription model are violating the license. What I’m trying to get to is that you shouldn’t feel guilty downloading free stuff; the pay sites are the ones who are breaking the rules.

Get the free stuff after the break.