I've been an avid player since the beginning. I have loved to watch the franchise grow throughout the years, and honestly, TS4 is my favorite.
I LOVED TS1, but my biggest wishes at that time were for 360 camera views, and better character customization. OH and aging lol.
I LOVELOVELOVED TS2. This was my favorite for a long time even while playing TS3. I loved the style, the animation in the hair, the introduction of aging, genetics, all the traits and just everything was so amazing. It was everything I'd ever wanted in a game. All the expansions just made it better and better (and University introducing the YA life stage was a game ? changer ?
I loved TS3, and I'd pre-ordered it as well. I soon found out that my computer couldn't run it, so in the meantime of getting a new PC, I installed it on my brother's iMac and could only play when he was at work. I loved CAS but I always thought the Sims themselves looked very strange. Their eyes were lifeless and they all somehow had the same noses and lips... I didn't care for the alpha-ish hair either. I loved the customization but the graphics were honestly not my style. I still look back at TS3 and just with the graphics were smoother, especially for how intense it was to run. It took FOREVER even with an updated computer to load, save, and quit. Granted, there were no loading screens once you got past the initial one, but there were times that my game would freeze (sometimes while saving) and it would frustrate me so much that I wouldn't play again for days because I'd probably lost a ton of progress. And don't get me started on the DLC lol... I was in high school, I had no money except for the occasional $20 my mom would give me on a Friday for the weekend. I ended up ripping a lot of content from different torrent sites.
Cue TS4... My absolute favorite. I LOVE this game. I pre-ordered this one as well. It was very strange not having pools at first, and I *believe* we could only create a limited amount of floors? (could have been a different game tbh). I loved pretty much everything else though. I downloaded the CAS demo before the game came out and just went HAM lol. That's my favorite part of any game anyway, so CAS has not disappointed. I would enjoy having a bit more customization in terms of color options, but I don't have any actual gripes about it. And they have released so many things for free over the years that have just enhanced my game. It's not that I think everything is perfect and the devs can do no wrong, but I just genuinely love and appreciate all the free stuff, the packs, and intricacies of this game. There are, like any game, things that can be improved, but I honestly enjoy every bit of this game, since the beginning. Is it perfect? No. Are there things I would add or change? Yes! But I have so much fun with this game and I have no "demands" for specific content to be added. Everything that comes now is just a welcomed addition.