FIRST IMPRESSIONS: THE SIMS 4

Like many of you out there, I am guilty of being an ex-Sims addict. From the days of the original Goth family from the original Sims, my career as a control freak has been a long one. I played the original Sims a lot and The Sims 2 far too much. I deliberately avoided purchasing Sims 3, as it was released at a time when I was trying to find work, and I knew that resuming my addiction for the series would have been unhelpful. Additionally, I was fiercely loyal to my Sims 2 creations, and hence adapted a neck-beard-like attitude of disdain and premature dislike towards the Sims 3. However, I am older and wiser now, and consider myself ready to embrace Sims 4 for whatever it may be. This openness, along with a load of healthy encouragement from friends, has inspired me to give the new game a crack.

I was initially extremely impressed. The new character creation is beautiful. Loading and instillation times were fairly quick and the level of detail available in character creation is a refreshing increase compared to previous games.  Outfit, accessory, body and face shapes can all be thoroughly customised. However, I still find myself thinking of customisation features that the game could include, but does not. One example is the bagginess and length of clothes. Although there are more interesting modest outfit options in Sims 4, I am still a little frustrated at how skin-tight most of the female clothing options are. The length of skirts and shorts is predominantly very short, and while I understand that it is probably this way in order to reflect current, popular fashion trends, I do not see the harm in including length options for skirts and pants. Yes, there are some longer options available, but most of the exciting clothes are quite revealing. I feel this is something that could be easily adjusted and is important, as the way your Sim dress is a direct reflection of the personality they have, and personality is something they have spent a lot of time expanding in Sims 4.

The new levels of personality customisation, the ability to freely change aspirations, and the ‘moodlets’ are awesome new additions to the game. Instead of just choosing one of a handful of different aspirations, as in previous games, which resulted in most Sims with the same aspiration having very similar personalities, the ability to choose sub-aspirations from categories and assign your Sim traits, allows for the creation of a deeper, more interesting personality. This new depth makes it far more possible to tell interesting stories through Sims gameplay. The moodlets too, are an enhancement, as they provide the player with a little more direction in controlling their Sims. Instead of just making Sims do whatever you want, whenever you want, the moodlets add an element of strategy to the game. Inspired, Energised, Tense, Uncomfortable and Flirty are just a few examples of possible moods. Despite these new features, the gameplay of the Sims 4 remains essentially unchanged from previous games. Although there are cool new features and more customisation options it certainly feels like a newer model of an old game, rather than a new game.

While many new features and options have been added, the team at EA have kept the game accessible by adding features which bypass the need for extreme customisation if building and creation just isn’t your thing. Pre-assembled outfits are available for your Sims, and houses can be bought either furnished or unfurnished. In build mode you can now buy rooms which are entirely furnished and functional. These features are great, as they allow the game to accommodate a wider range of players. For example, if you just want to design houses from the outside, you can use the pre-furnished rooms to avoid the hassle of interior design.

Quirky new career paths and social interaction options, along with object actions tailored to moodlets, are other new gimmicks which make Sims 4 feel fresh and exciting, at least for the first few hours of gameplay. The user interface of the game has been totally overhauled and replace by a streamlined, minimalist look. While it is more visually appealing than previous menus, some veteran Sims players may find the rearrangement of familiar buttons frustrating. I would go so far as to say that the UI has been too streamlined, as some features are so well concealed that finding them is frustrating and unintuitive. For example, the ‘Create a New Sim’ button cannot be found from the over world menu. You must return to the opening menu in order to create a new family. Playing the game for the first time I also found my Sims ‘needs’ difficult to locate. Traditionally placed front and centre of the UI, ‘needs’ have been pushed aside and assigned to a tiny button in the bottom right-hand corner. This feels like a reflection of the new gameplay, which places much more emphasis on moodlets and aspirations, than it does on needs.

The Sims 4 has a few other flaws – none of them game destroying, but certainly disappointing. The lack of social integration is surprising. There is a social-media-esque community through which you can share lots and Sims that you have created, but that is about as close as you will get to playing with your friends. Many Sims fans (myself included) were hoping for some kind of online multiplayer mode in which your Sims could interact with those of your friends in an online space. There are no features like this. The social media integration is also disappointing. Sharing new Sims you’ve created on Facebook resolves as a link to an advertisement for The Sims 4. Even if you own the game you are still met with an ad upon clicking the link, rather than being able to view the Sims your friends have created without launching the game.

More frustrating is the fact that, as far as I can tell, there is no option to build your own ‘community’ (or ‘neighbourhoods’ as they used to be called) from the ground up. The Sims attracts two kinds of players; those who wish to tell stories through the lives of simulated people and those who like to create things. Obviously many players fit both categories, but the point is that half of the gameplay of The Sims is about creating things. Although you can, of course, build new lots in The Sims 4 you are allocated perhaps only 4 blank residential lots to build in and no community lots in the premade communities, and there is no option to build your own community. You cannot even outright delete a block without loading it up in build mode first. This is very limiting and may repel long-term Sims fans. Certainly, I am very frustrated by these limits, especially as I believe this feature will be introduced in a later, paid expansion. Excluding game features present in previous titles of your franchise, only to introduce them later, but only for a price, seems unfair.

The main problems of The Sims 4 are a reflection of the approach EA obviously took in designing the game, and that is to attract new players, rather than satisfy old ones. The tone of the tutorials, the simplification and streamlining of features, the changes to build mode – everything has been designed to make the game easy to pick up and play. I know that EA are a business, and at the end of the day business is about money, but The Sims already has such a large fan base that I cannot see the logic behind prioritizing new players in the design of The Sims 4, over old ones. Despite these flaws, the game remains fun overall, and many of the new features are great additions. I suppose I will have to wait for future expansions to make my mind up about The Sims 4.