Likes...
I like the small neighborhoods. The game runs and loads much faster than it ever did, which I appreciate. It's also very easy to find where Sims are congregating and to take my Sim out to meet new people.
The new UI is sleek, and I appreciate the way needs are managed - less in-your-face, but you can still see when a Sim has some urgent need.
The fact that events affect your Sim's interactions and even her demeanor is very cool!
The game looks amazing. Lighting is much better than TS3, too. I hear some people complain about cartoony graphics, but it doesn't bother me - I like the stylized look.
Love the new CAS. Mostly.
The overhaul to build mode is, for the most part, amazing. Makes building SO much easier.
Dislikes...
By far the thing that's bothering me most is how little my Sims react to major events like births, deaths, infidelity, etc. When my Sim family's first child was born, the father panicked for a few seconds, then went about his business and ignored the birth. Yes, he had a New Baby moodlet, but so what? It didn't seem to affect him in any way.
Maybe it's silly, but ever since TS3 I've missed the cut scenes from TS2. They always made me feel like I was being rewarded with a little show to honor a major event like a first kiss, marriage, birth, etc.
I REALLY miss the ability to edit color selections with hex codes and/or color palette. It's impossible to coordinate clothing and decor without it sometimes. Please, in the name of all that is simly, bring it back.
Although I like the small neighborhoods, having only two towns makes the world feel very small right now. I understand that Maxis needed to scale back in order to accomplish an ambitious revamp of the base game, but I do feel a little cheated at having paid $70 for a game where there's so little for my Sims to do. Consider adding a new town as a free update ASAP.
More stuff! The game feels a little "light" right now. I miss little things like dart boards and activities that Sims can participate in as a group. (You know, it would be cool if my Sim could put a pack of playing cards in his inventory and then start up a card game with his friends!)
Overall, I love the revamp of the game systems, but I worry that the current game is a little light on content and Simmers will get bored quickly unless we get some major updates. I only just started playing at launch, and already I'm very eager for the first expansion.
EA Staff (Retired)
