Troubleshooting Octagonal shapes?

I just bought the Sims 3 earlier today, and when I started playing it, it all ran smoothly up until when you actually start controlling your sims life. I went around the city and there were all these weird octagonal shapes. Here is a picture http://z-up.net/uploads/Untitled_13.png

 

It was a stock house. I just bought the game, and haven't been downloading anything custom.
The one in the picture is actually the public park, but it also happens to a few houses as well.

 

If you haven't already go over to Acer's website and download the latest graphic's driver for your laptop (I assume) .
If that doesn't help check and see if the laptop is getting very hot.
It might be that it's getting too hot and the graphics usually start getting corrupted like this from overheating.
You might also check and see if the vents are plugged up with lint or anything.
Are you playing this on a desk or on your lap.
If on a desk try taking a small house fan and prop up the laptop so that the air from the fan can blow into the underside of the laptop into the vent holes.
If that helps you might want to invest in a laptop cooler.

 

I do not think that it has anything to do with the laptop overheating. Because I just started up the laptop, and then started the game and it was like that.

 

It's hard to say really but overheating in a laptop is usually one of the first reasons why it might do this.
Did you try some different drivers by chance?

 

I already have the most recent graphics driver available for my computer.

 

Have you tried any other games to see if they work okay?

 

@swmeek, yes I have tried other games and they work fine.

@ManagerJosh, thanks! I'll give it a try.

 

That didn't do the trick, after I installed it, it messed up my screen resolution, and the Sims 3 wouldn't even run at all.

I had to do a system recovery from a few days ago to fix it.

I'm going to try to reinstall the whole game and see if it fixes it.

 

Well if I had a nickle for everybody who's posted a thread like yours where the game wouldn't work when it should I'd be better off than I am now.