What I like:
>CAS - I could never go back to sliders. And there are more than 2 hairstyles I don't hate.
>The animation and look of the Sims. The stylized appearance was the right direction to take after 3's uncanny dolls.
>Traveling between worlds - will be especially nice when the EPs bring new towns with new lots.
>Environments. I love the view off my Sims' balcony in Oasis Springs, and Sylvan Glade is beautiful.
>Populated community lots
>Seems easier to form a relationship with the Grim Reaper
What I don't like:
>Almost no job NPCs. I mean leave paparazzi out of course, but the world feels emptier without firefighters, cops, mailmen, etc.
>Mostly ~weird!~ careers. Which are fine and can even be fun, but I miss the normal stuff for my normal sims.
>Tiny worlds with an inflexible map view. Even in Sims 2 you could have a look around from above.
>Confusing management. Adding Sims to your town, editing lots, and even entering the stupid game require you to take extra steps. It's like CAS is in my face when I want to jump into the game, but difficult to enter when I feel like making a Sim.
>Initially, I didn't care about toddlers or adult-height teens, but aging baby objects into kids into big teens just isn't as satisfying.
>Townies still wear stupid hats.
>I can't put my finger on it, but it's missing something Sims 2 had and Sims 3 got sort of close to. It's boring. I don't feel attached to these Sims. It doesn't feel like I'm telling a story.
>No ghosts or aliens/occult of any kind. The Supernatural EP was too much for me, but I like a hint of sci-fi and mysticism.
>Seems harder to kill your Sims which, along with the lack of job NPCs, is throwing off my Olive Specter household.
>This was also an issue in Sims 3, but I miss the automatic, simple memory system of Sims 2. I don't need a picture or to share it on social media (though the options are nice I guess?). I liked reading "learned to walk from Dad" and "Son born" and "Mom died."
>No family trees??? I hate know-nothings commenting on game development, but how many man-hours could this have taken to implement? It does away with the sense of accomplishment of marrying my third-generation original Sims into the fleshed-out Goth family tree, complete with dead ancestors in the family plot. This and the lack of backstories for the worlds and their premade families suck even more of the personality from the game. I'm a family player, and my Sims don't feel like part of a lineage in this installment.
>Clearly not finished. The games before felt like standalone games - The Sims 4 feels like a skeleton for EPs.
Overall:
Hopefully some EPs will flesh it out and bring back some of the very basic missing features (and dishwashers). I really tried to hold out against all the negative hype, rolling my eyes at the mention of "pools and toddlers" in every article about the game, but Everyone's Favorite Corporation EA really made a mess this time - they farted out a glorified Facebook game in a bid for quick profits from the casual dollar and dealt a serious blow to one of my favorite game franchises in the process. I've been playing since the original game, and it greatly saddens me to see the series slide even farther downhill from the peak of The Sims 2.
EA Staff (Retired)
