Being such a successful franchise I think it's natural that people have higher and higher expectations with each new game and will be comparing Sims 4 with its predecessors. I've read a review saying that the biggest problem with The Sims 4 is that The Sims 3 exists.
Although I agree with that I feel like most people do not realize that the removal of the open world and CAS were NECESSARY for a smoother gameplay. Truth is, Sims 3 was a poorly designed game with many flaws, the "idea" behind it was great but it did not function properly even with the best computers.
That said, here's why I think The Sims 4 is a fantastic game and why I consider it to be a step forward in the sims series:
1- The sims themselves are more alive than ever, they have personality, look much nicer, animations are all great, we can actually see their facial expressions, we get attached to them, they are a lot more "likeable" (specially compared to Sims 3);
2- The sense of progressing in the game, being able to change the aspirations, having goals, unlocking items (this is what I love the most and what keeps me interested in playing);
3- Items and the whole visual aspect of the game look great, very three dimensional;
4- Being able to zoom in closely so we can see all small details in items and sims (in Sims 3 that was only possible through camera mode);
5- The Gallery is a great feature added to the game, makes it very quick and easy to get new lots/sims into the game.
Now, my suggestions for possible future improvements:
1- My main suggestion is changing the look of the loading screen. It breaks the gameplay experience when you are concentrated on your sims then you suddenly have that white loading screen. It would be nice to see pictures of the game instead;
2- I miss having the sim's face when choosing interactions in live mode, I think that was quite an iconic element in the sims series. It was probably removed because of the new "emotions" so the facial expressions and emotions would have to match but I wouldn't mind if it just showed the "neutral" face of the sim I'm controlling;
3- Sims inventories could be improved by adding separate "drawers", at least two or three would make it a lot better specially for collector sims;
4- Adding a "sell all" button on the family inventory (like there was in Sims 3);
5- When unlocking an item I feel like it would make more sense to have it unlocked in all families I play since I won't get only one sim to go through all carreers. It should be unlocked for me as player not that one particular family;
6- Sims get fat and gain muscle too fast.
In conclusion, I'm loving The Sims 4, it has its own magic, I'm having a lot more fun playing it than I ever did with The Sims 3 and I do believe it has much room for improvement with future patches and expansion packs.
EA Staff (Retired)
