What does sims 2 have that is lacking in sims 4

I never actually played the sims 2 properly first time around, I was so excited at the idea of being able to build my little town. I've been influenced by social media to go back and have another go, and I'm finding it very rewarding.

I missed out on sims 3 altogether, and I love it now, sometimes I just watch the sims and traffic go by, other times I'll play.
When sims 4 came out I played with it in every way I could think of, and then I ran out of ideas.
I set up an experiment to play 2,3 and 4 in rotation so I could see how I feel about them all.

On my last sims 4 game my sim was short of fun, she had visited the region from eco living and I wasn't that familiar with it, so I clicked autosolve to see where she went. She looked around, seemingly short of ideas herself, then grabbed her phone, and stood staring at it zombie style while her fun bar slowly raised. This was not fun for me.

In my last sims 3 save, my sim has started adding roommates to his house to help fund his (modder made) accountancy and finance course. It feels like he is in a 'real' situation, it's easy to work what he is thinking, even though all the thoughts aren't on the screen. I can relate to him. I love that he lives in an open and alive city, and that I can other sims living their lives.

Sims 2 takes longer to get into, I would have missed out altogether if it were not for information and videos from keen players. Especially now, there isn't the graphic bling to draw people in. I'm very glad I did make the effort to get it working again and explore this properly.

If we are talking food analogies, sims 4 is sugary gateau with many swirls and chocolate flakes which you really fancy, but regret eating afterwards. Sims 3 is fruit cake, full of different flavours, but you couldn't eat too much. Sims 2 is yorkshire parkin, the alchemists cake which looks a bit dull from the outside, but transforms with time into something very rich and special.

Sims 4 is very restricted. In Sims 2, you have more freedom. More creativity and it feels real.
Modding in Sims 2 has less restrictions but in Sims 4, it's almost impossible to mod it past a point.

Cause really, no matter how many mods you add in Sims 4, it still has that dull feeling like nothing matters and everything is plastic.

I just finished a fairly long play session of Sims 2 and I keep getting reminded of why this game is such a gem after 17 years. When I played Sims 4, I could only play for an hour before I got bored and that was with the packs I have installed.

Everything this game contains is just hands down the best in the series. I love everything that it comes with.

I add the following neighborhoods to my game whenever I load it on a new laptop:

Bitville, Four Corners, Sedona, Garden Heights, Arbor Falls, Mesa Flats, Riverside. These need to be added to the game if EA ever releases an updated version of the UC for players. The Sims from these towns give me a larger pool to find future Sim spouses (especially since I play from the University pack with Young Adult Sims).

I love the relationship system in this game. Sims actually BUILD a relationship with their future spouse. Sometimes the Evil Cow mascot gets in the way and things hit rock bottom. I love trying to repair relationships when this happens because the Sims are meant to be together. You actually get to see Jealousy, Fury, Chemistry, Attraction occur.

I love the detail given to Community Lots. You can actually get a lot done on a lot and not keep your Sims stuck at home skilling.

Memories, Wants, Fears and Aspirations actually have meaning in this game. If I need to remember when a particular event happened, I can just look at their memories. The Wants and Fears help me keep their Aspiration levels high.

Lifetime Wants are another thing that help me play the game. They tell me what a Sim wants to do in their life. I choose them in college so I can start building skill points and making friends to get into the career my Sim wants to pursue.

I do use one tiny piece of CC in my game and that is the College Adjuster. This allows me to roll for new Lifetime Wants if the Want does not match my Sim's major in University. Also, I can change the time of their semester finals so they don't occur in the middle of the night (from 10 PM to 6 AM).

Customization may be lacking in terms of Sim appearance, objects, clothing, etc but I find it just right for my game play style.

Sims 4 has NONE of what I just described above and this is why I keep coming back to a 17 year old game.

Where can i even get sims 2 from? i miss it so much

@Lexstra check out the Sims 2 Reddit. All kinds of helpful info there.

So much depth to everything. It's been over a year since I played, since I got my current laptop. The kids kept saying that I could put it on their gaming desktop but I kept saying no... I've got 4 on my laptop. I finally said yes a few days ago when my son said he'd set it up simply because he was bored and he knew I was busy.

Oh how I missed it! Sims 4 is better in a lot of ways, but somehow Sims 2 still blows it away with it's depth.

My biggest thing comparing TS4 and TS2 is that in Sims 2, things are just generally... more difficult? It's not easy to raise a bunch of toddlers. You don't get nearly as much free will/toggle options, you can't adjust age spans, etc. etc. It's a very simple game, which I love! I love The Sims 4 as well, but when I'm wanting a very challenging game? The Sims 2 is where it's at.

I noticed even leveling up in Careers and stuff is more difficult in the sims 2. You have friend requirements in addition to skill requirements. It's a LOT harder for me to earn money in The Sims 2 (though it can be done, fortunes can definitely be made)... And Open For Business is still my all time favorite Sims Expansion out of all 4 games.

But then TS2 is missing a lot TS4 offers, too! Especially in build/buy mode and customization options. I just... miss how simplistic yet challenging The Sims 2 was overall and really wish some challenge was incorporated in The Sims 4 without having to use mods, cheats or other "work arounds" to make the game a difficulty above "Extra Extra Easy"

Love this thread.

Aspiration Meters
Meaningful wants and fears
Deep personalities
Individual animations for social interactions
Clever genetics
Real babies
Attraction system
Challenging and engaging gameplay
A simple yet very usable memory system

This list is by no means exhaustive.

Romance interactions so realistic and steamy that vanilla gameplay is plenty exciting!

Not only ways to dance together, but ways to do it romantically and platonically, and the "classic dance" is really beautiful and includes a smokin dip plus kiss so it looks like real passion, not some dance contest.

So many great animations and interactions for kids and parents, and the animations are so good. Kids can play clap games like Miss Mary Mack, play cops and robbers, tag, catch, toss a football, even ride around on parents' feet or be swung around like in real life.

Things are challenging but not frustrating to the point of hopeless. Challenging enough to be engaging, and rewarding.

Things matter and have consequences, so it doesn't feel like one Sim may as well be another with a different skin.

Um, a wants system