The Sims 4 Reviews
The Sims 4 is still the same ol' fun you've had in the fun, but with a little more weird and much less content.
The Sims 4 isn't the greatest, but it's not terrible either. As a long-time fan of the franchise, I'm disappointed by how much they stripped down the game. However, the new additions ranging from emotion states to relationship complexities sets up an interesting foundation for future expansion packs. The Sims 4 might just be warming up for another long ride.
Once I settled into The Sims 4, I discovered that I didn't want to go back to The Sims 3. This is definitely an upgrade, but with the small towns, loading screens, and all the missing content, it doesn't feel quite finished—it's like moving into a fixer-upper. After a bit of construction you might actually have your perfect house, but it's going to take some time and will likely be quite expensive.
If you can stick around after being thrown in at the deep end with the ‘robust’ DLC releases and, quite frankly, awful controls then The Sims 4 is definitely worth it.
While the game took a few steps forwards, it also took a few steps backwards by abandoning features that were very helpful and appreciated in the previous versions.
The Sims 4 brings enticing new gameplay elements to the long running franchise, but removal of a few fan favorites and a general lack of content means it's not as easily recommended as its predecessors.
It's these sorts of missing gameplay pieces, often inexplicably so, that leave The Sims 4 feeling incomplete. While what does exist makes for a fun game, as a long-time fan of the series I found myself constantly looking for tools and items that don't exist. The Sims 4 feels barebones, and unusually so even for a base game. One can only hope Maxis and EA make up for it with the inevitable line of expansion and stuff packs.
Overall, I have bought and loved the game enough to continue to play. As a Sims fan from the beginning I may be disappointed with what we have as a result in the game but I still think it's something not to be missed in buying!
Sims 4 would've been a really good game if it'd had another six months of production time, and I thinkit has the potential to be great after a few expansions fill in the holes. If you're on the fence about buying the game, I'd recommend waiting to see where EA Maxis plans to go from here. Keep playing Sims 3 for now, and come back in a few months. I'll keep you updated until then.
There is still something decidedly relaxing if not therapeutic about creating Sims characters and letting them live out their fanciful little lives in this virtual environment. And so there is still fun to be had here, but I suspect newcomers will be more accepting of what The Sims 4 has to offer than fans of the earlier iterations. Currently The Sims 4 feels more like groundwork that has been put down for future DLC packages. There is nothing wrong with that. Fans of the series have come to expect and even look forward to those releases because of the enormous amount of options and personality that they inject into the core game. However, The Sims 4 leaves me feeling like the potential for greatness is there, but at this point we will have to wait and see if it ever gets realised.
The Sims 4 is a fun experience that certainly takes great steps in improving the core mechanics of the series. The Create-A-Sim and Build Mode systems are much more accessible yet offer a lot of depth for those that desire it. Sims are smart, can multitask, and interact in lots of nifty ways. However, there are still plenty of missing core items while the existing set of options are limited, to say the least, no doubt to ensure that the upcoming expansions bring lots of highly desirable things.
I would’ve wanted the Memories feature though where certain special events will leave a history trail on Sims storyline. But with clunky controls, frequent loading screens, and limited presence, this game feels more like a downgrade to The Sims 3 rather than an upgrade.
The Sims 4 is a very complex game. This shouldn't be surprising, the series is known for it and the various possibilities in character creation alone more than indicate this. In the course of more than seventeen years a lot has changed, the AI is quite good and the possibilities, as said before, enormously diverse. Like in real life there are many connections to consider. If the player creates a lazy Sim, he shouldn't be surprised if he loses his job after three days. If the Sim is phobic about commitment, it will be difficult to start a family. After a certain settling-in period, not least because of the controls, the Sims are quite entertaining. The player can determine the characters and their actions himself and realize his fantasies in the game. Something to fight the Sims games always have with the extreme extent of the predecessors by numerous published extensions. For example, if you have played The Sims 3 with some expansions, you will miss some things in The Sims 4, although the basic game The Sims 4 itself offers things that were not available in The Sims 3. Nevertheless The Sims 3 was in some respects a bit more extensive and well thought out. But for newcomers Die Sims 4 offers a successful entry into the series, especially on consoles. The one or the other consolero might be overwhelmed by the numerous menus (in the beginning). But don't be put off, that's the motto here.
Review in German | Read full review
Three years after the original release The Sims 4 arrived on gaming consoles, but unfortunately, the re-release has nothing new to justify this delay. Still, the game itself is quite fun.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
That was where I found that The Sims 4 sparkled – in the moments when I did nothing at all. And it almost felt insulting that the game didn’t exactly trust me to do anything. In passive view it is pristine, but the minute that I tried to do something it baffled, confuddled, and told me that I just did not have the skills to do things right.
It's The Sims 4, on console! This is a faithful port and brings the full Sims 4 experience to PS4 and Xbox One... including a mountain of DLC (some available right now, with more coming in future). If you are willing to get used to the clunky controls (and are okay with no gallery, mods or custom content), it's a great game.
Anti-DLC gamers should also beware. Although it is not new for the Sims to feature numerous expansion backs, the additional paid content for this game is frequent and abundant. Some packages are visibly more fruitful than others, so it is easy to pick and choose, and gamers certainly do not need to buy the content to continue to play and enjoy the base game.
The new generation of Sims begins with what feels like a bare-bones starter kit. It packs top-of-the-line Sims creation and house building tools, but styling options and activities are distinctly lacking. Add the contents of its first expansion, and Sims 4 will probably feel like the game it should be right now.