1. What did you first think of the art style?
I did not like the style, but the quality was a step up from TS3 for sure (which was to be expected). It was still a good stage to get immersed into, more so than TS3. Loved the sims ; I found them to be well modeled and entertaining to watch. The lighting caught my attention too, another big improvement over TS3 there. But I hated the decor and build/buy items. EA was really cheap in that regard. Everything looked blocky and lacked refinement. Decoration was extremely limited. Even to this day they can't give us matching curtains.
2. Thoughts on the closed world?
Felt a little claustrophobic, but it wasn't such a big deal. The loading screens were fast enough. I was never the type of player that kept up with all the townies. I'm fine with playing one sim in one spot.
3. What surprised you the most?
How good the sims looked and how well they were animated. Their voices were also well acted and very expressive. I hope one of the actors stays at EA to work on TS5. So good. I wished there were more to chose from though. And I was surprised by the lack of gameplay, sadly. Was the game released too early? Probably. But EA has a reputation to nickel and dime their customers, so idk.
4. Which missing features did you covet the most?
Create a Style. Another example of how limited decoration was. They didn't even try to make up for it by using trendy colors and designs. Everything looked extra basic. It was like playing with legos.
5. What were your impressions of the emotion system?
It had me intrigued but not that much. EA had put some emphasis on their emotion system in their promotions, but in the game there wasn't much to look at. Today I enjoy emotions more for some reason. Maybe because they interact better with a more fleshed out game.
6 .Were you able to continuously play without getting bored?
Not the first week. I had to make an effort to play. But the more I played the more I was invested.
