Your sims packs years review

Expansion Packs

• Half of Growing Together should have been a basegame update, since milestones, the infant steps and chemistry system are dying to be expanded upon with future content. San Sequoia is a small and boring world. And some features are annoying. But I really liked the small content (puzzles, friendship bracelets, rec centers, sleepovers), the should-have-been-basegame content is a lot of fun, and it adds to my everyday gameplay in fun little ways. 7/10
  
• Horse Ranch should have been in Cats & Dogs or Cottage Living. It didn't have enough content to justify an expansion pack. It's still unbelievable that two Sims 4 EPs and a SP still pale in comparison to what one Sims 3 EP offered. The horses themselves are standard fare. The world is nice and I love the BB/CAS, it's fun. I won't play with horses much, and I don't have much space to add them to my farm lots. But the pack and some of its side content (wine-making, goats and sheep, and... nothing else, really) are something I'll have fun playing with from time to time. 6/10
  
• For Rent, I can't say much because I stopped playing with it. I got the potential file-corrupting lot glitch so I'm leaving my game alone until I know it's safe. Other glitches have been bumming me out too, like it's hard to enjoy the features when they don't work properly half the time. Outside of those issues, I guess it's neat? We got some nice smaller features that looks like they'll be fun to play. The world is tiny and bland. I love the idea of apartments and want to play with them when I can. 6/10. It's better than Horse Ranch, but at least I can play Horse Ranch.
  

Game Packs
This is where I'd put my Fairy GP...



... If I had one.


Stuff Packs
Home Chef Hustle: I just don't see the appeal of the pack. Like appliances are neat, I get why people like that aspect. And if you like new food, you have that. But I'm not impressed with a sales table reskin, where the only advantages are some banner customization, a counter attached to it, and seeing sims eat in front of you. The BB and CAS are not my taste. I have no interest in new foods because, outside of affecting certain traits or making you gain weight, almost all the food in the game is exactly the same. It's nice to have, and I'll give my sims their own unique tastes. But it's all just aesthetics, except the food in The Sims 4 looks so ugly.

I feel like EA tricked us into thinking Stuff Packs would be good after Nifty Knitting and Paranormal Stuff hit the scene. But no, those were just exceptions to the rule and they're still lame. 4/10

The hair is really cute though, I gotta say. Love the hair.

Kits

• Simtimates Collection: I don't care about CAS kits tbh. CC is easier to find and it's usually better. But I appreciate that we finally got briefs in the game.
  
• Bathroom Clutter: It'd be better if some of the items didn't look so low-poly and gross. But I appreciate that we got an update to sinks, tubs and toilets, so we could actually put that clutter somewhere. I've been wanting that for years.
  
• Greenhouse Haven: This one was cute, I like it. Possibly my second favorite kit, after Decor to the Max. I bought it day 1 and never looked back.
  
• Basement Treasures: Eh.
  
• Grunge Revival: They picked a fun fashion style and came up with the most middling, safe looks. I'd say it's a disappointment, but I already expect nothing from kits.
  
• Book Nook: Honestly, I forgot this one existed. Modular bookshelves are neat, I guess.
  
• Poolside Splash: I literally don't care.
  
• Modern Luxe: It's got some cute items, I like the style. I feel like it needed some more stuff to make it pop and stand out more, like some more luxury clutter would have gone a long way. But the stuff we did get is neat.
  

Overall year: 5.5/10. So much of what we got was forgettable for me. Growing Together was a highlight. But it was better than 2022.