Cats & Dogs and Parenthood - Reworking tired concepts!
I think considering we're at the point where we're getting a lot of content for the 4th time, and what I think the best thing about 2017 has been for The Sims 4, is how starting with the Toddler patch, the direction of The Sims 4 has been "let's do it differently" when from late 2010 - 2016, it's often felt like The Sims franchise was "the same stuff, with a shiny new addition" which made the franchise become stagnant for me.
The Sims 3 packs almost felt like Open World versions of The Sims 2 Packs. And then Get To Work, City Living, Outdoor Retreat, Dine Out all felt like recreations of previous features too.
Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of these packs, but they never rebuilt concepts from the ground up, it was basically the same ideas, executed differently because of the engine differences, rather than because they changed concept.
With 2017, we're getting features we've learned to expect, but this time, we're getting them completely different to how we'd expect.
Toddlers and Vampires to a lessor extent, rewrote what we would now expect with The Sims 5. They reset the bar.
BUT, Parenthood and Cats & Dogs deliver familiar gameplay, but as a whole new experience. We've had Family gameplay before. But we never really had Parenting to the focus of Parenthood.
And we've had Cats & Dogs 4 times now (if we include the Urbz, which I feel we should since they were recycled for Sims 2 & Sims 3). We've had Pets that work like Sims TWICE already. So I appreciate The Sims team deciding that rather than sell as "Pets" for the 3rd time, we get a pack that focuses on being a Pet owner.
It just plays so differently to previous games, that it feels like it's own entry, rather than a rehash.
Is it for everyone? No. But that's for your wallet to decide. I cannot stress enough, vote with your wallet.
BUT I am happy that The Sims 4 is heading in a direction where we are getting familiar ideas, as a whole new game.
Not once has Cats & Dogs felt like The Sims 2 or The Sims 3 Pets. It feels so fresh and unfamiliar, while previously, it's like I knew where I stood when buying Pets.
More. Of. This.
The Sims 3 packs almost felt like Open World versions of The Sims 2 Packs. And then Get To Work, City Living, Outdoor Retreat, Dine Out all felt like recreations of previous features too.
Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of these packs, but they never rebuilt concepts from the ground up, it was basically the same ideas, executed differently because of the engine differences, rather than because they changed concept.
With 2017, we're getting features we've learned to expect, but this time, we're getting them completely different to how we'd expect.
Toddlers and Vampires to a lessor extent, rewrote what we would now expect with The Sims 5. They reset the bar.
BUT, Parenthood and Cats & Dogs deliver familiar gameplay, but as a whole new experience. We've had Family gameplay before. But we never really had Parenting to the focus of Parenthood.
And we've had Cats & Dogs 4 times now (if we include the Urbz, which I feel we should since they were recycled for Sims 2 & Sims 3). We've had Pets that work like Sims TWICE already. So I appreciate The Sims team deciding that rather than sell as "Pets" for the 3rd time, we get a pack that focuses on being a Pet owner.
It just plays so differently to previous games, that it feels like it's own entry, rather than a rehash.
Is it for everyone? No. But that's for your wallet to decide. I cannot stress enough, vote with your wallet.
BUT I am happy that The Sims 4 is heading in a direction where we are getting familiar ideas, as a whole new game.
Not once has Cats & Dogs felt like The Sims 2 or The Sims 3 Pets. It feels so fresh and unfamiliar, while previously, it's like I knew where I stood when buying Pets.
More. Of. This.
