I've been playing The Sims since the first game. Basically I believe The Sims 4 base game is designed to force players to buy expansions. This game is so basic, after playing daily for about a week, I have completely lost interest.
With jobs being so limiting, needs being so demanding, and despite new emotional ranges, I find my Sims are flat and boring. I have no interest in watching my family (of 6 to try to make it interesting) eat and sleep.
Teens come home from school unhappy, and homework takes up most of their evening. More importantly, I can't find any teens to interact with! No one brings home friends from school or work, and you can't tell the adults from the teens. I honestly believed teens didn't have a romance option until it dawned on me that the Sim my teen was interacting with was an adult!!
I also feel like all my adults do is fix the constantly broken plumbing and electronics. This is ridiculous. I own a home, in my real life, in the four years I've lived here, my bathroom sink has leaked once. Not every other day.
I'm beyond disgusted that teens adults and elders share the same clothes. How lazy could the designers get? That's such B.S.
This game is really labor intensive with little reward. I could care less about an astronaut statue, and how many desks/office chair rewards is necessary?
The daily interactions between Sims get boring after a while as well. I can't put my finger on it, but watching two Sims flirt is as boring as watching two Sims chat. I've been skipping right to woohooing, and only because it increases the fun and social meter efficiently. Why is woohooing just a tool now? Romance used to be excited and fun! Now it's just an efficient way to make the meters positive.
More than anything I HATE the closed world. Two worlds to play in, small and boring neighborhoods. Why are there only four community plots and WHY are community plots so boring?! I don't get it at all!! That was the major selling point for TS3 and guess what!! It was the only reason I played TS3 for so many years!
So here's what I do like.
I love the Aspiration Rewards - I'm not talking about the potions (which I hate btw) I'm talking about the Angler Tranquility, the Webmaster reward. This kind of reward system is awesome!
The graphics are fabulous, but I'd rather spend 2 hours and $8 on a movie for graphics.
The design of the Sims themselves. I feel like going this route instead of more realistic styling is great. The way these characters look really own what SIMS are all about.
I know this isn't very popular, but I'm so glad the toddlers are gone. I hated that stage!
SUMMARY -
Game is too limited, too basic, and too labor intensive. Also, there's no real creative options.
I'm really bummed out, and I really need an expansion to make it interesting.
EA Staff (Retired)
