A Sterling Reputation. What are Your Thoughts. Sims Franchise.
I was thinking about The Sims and of course wanted to play TS1 as I thought about the overall gameplay, music, quirkiness and consequences.
I think most of us who have played since 2001 hold it dear to our hearts.
However, looking over the entire franchise and what has been gained and lost over these past twenty years, what are your thoughts of how Maxis can regain it's well known and sterling reputation of building the best loved game of all time?
I have liked all the versions. TS1 holds a special place because of the things I stated. And also because of the difficulty and consequences if I didn't take care of my little people living inside my pc.
TS2 was probably my favorite as I was so impressed with 3D, deeper personalities, improvements and newfangled ways to build and of course freedom to placed lots and remove lots without the hinderance of TS1's system of building hoods.
I was actually very impressed with open world in TS3, I won't ever forget the trailer and ad about stepping outside the Sim door...that was a great trailer. And I really enjoyed CASt and CAW.
TS4, I was impressed with many of the mechanics of how things work in that game, some multitasking, and not so impressed with other multitasking (it's main features).
However, as time has gone on, I think about what raves and reviews TS1 received and yes, Maxis had a sterling reputation with TS1 and it was called the most loved game of all time. (And best selling at the time).
I have enjoyed all these games, but some more than others. TS3 and TS4 not being the ones I played most, but enough to understand (years) things changed along the way and sometimes for everything that is gained there is always something lost. Such as consequences for a player's choice, or creativity freedom to place lots wherever you like in a world, and or the risk the Sim faces if the player doesn't pay all that much attention to them, that wasn't a good idea in the beginning of this franchise. And frankly why I was so invested in keeping my favorites alive.
I'm at a point I feel the franchise has suffered it's reputation because it's status quo now, to expect major bugs with everything released, with a shrug of the shoulders. It's status quo for us to no longer be all that dazzled by content (cough, kits), it's just expected these days there won't be a fast, emergency patch if there is a bug discovered. (Yes, that has been going on the past ten or more years)
It's common place now to place more value on CAS assets (kits, clutter patches, and stuff packs) than on any new, sparkling, dazzling, EP. Full of a new world, new, deep gameplay, new things to do, so many you are still playing that EP a year later to get to everything in it, and or even more than one world in it, and new socials, new animations of those socials, and new ways for Sims to have to overcome any consequences. It's all fluff these days in my humble opinion if I look back to TS1 and some of the other EPs in the others.
What should or could Maxis do to bring back the magic of The Sims to many of us who feel a bit jaded, and unfortunately because there hasn't been that much of a leap in technology, graphics, gameplay, depth, new innovations, etc. what could they do to bring back the sparkle in Simmers eyes like the first time you loaded up Magic Town, and or the first time you saw how to build a deck, and or the first time you saw a Sim could drive all the way across a map and you could ride along (camera control) and or the first time you realized your Sim died because you didn't know playing with a tiny rocket would land on their head. (lol)
I hope Maxis thinks about their sterling reputation of gameplay, the magic and dazzle and depth of its franchise and remembers only they can make it possible.
I think most of us who have played since 2001 hold it dear to our hearts.
However, looking over the entire franchise and what has been gained and lost over these past twenty years, what are your thoughts of how Maxis can regain it's well known and sterling reputation of building the best loved game of all time?
I have liked all the versions. TS1 holds a special place because of the things I stated. And also because of the difficulty and consequences if I didn't take care of my little people living inside my pc.
TS2 was probably my favorite as I was so impressed with 3D, deeper personalities, improvements and newfangled ways to build and of course freedom to placed lots and remove lots without the hinderance of TS1's system of building hoods.
I was actually very impressed with open world in TS3, I won't ever forget the trailer and ad about stepping outside the Sim door...that was a great trailer. And I really enjoyed CASt and CAW.
TS4, I was impressed with many of the mechanics of how things work in that game, some multitasking, and not so impressed with other multitasking (it's main features).
However, as time has gone on, I think about what raves and reviews TS1 received and yes, Maxis had a sterling reputation with TS1 and it was called the most loved game of all time. (And best selling at the time).
I have enjoyed all these games, but some more than others. TS3 and TS4 not being the ones I played most, but enough to understand (years) things changed along the way and sometimes for everything that is gained there is always something lost. Such as consequences for a player's choice, or creativity freedom to place lots wherever you like in a world, and or the risk the Sim faces if the player doesn't pay all that much attention to them, that wasn't a good idea in the beginning of this franchise. And frankly why I was so invested in keeping my favorites alive.
I'm at a point I feel the franchise has suffered it's reputation because it's status quo now, to expect major bugs with everything released, with a shrug of the shoulders. It's status quo for us to no longer be all that dazzled by content (cough, kits), it's just expected these days there won't be a fast, emergency patch if there is a bug discovered. (Yes, that has been going on the past ten or more years)
It's common place now to place more value on CAS assets (kits, clutter patches, and stuff packs) than on any new, sparkling, dazzling, EP. Full of a new world, new, deep gameplay, new things to do, so many you are still playing that EP a year later to get to everything in it, and or even more than one world in it, and new socials, new animations of those socials, and new ways for Sims to have to overcome any consequences. It's all fluff these days in my humble opinion if I look back to TS1 and some of the other EPs in the others.
What should or could Maxis do to bring back the magic of The Sims to many of us who feel a bit jaded, and unfortunately because there hasn't been that much of a leap in technology, graphics, gameplay, depth, new innovations, etc. what could they do to bring back the sparkle in Simmers eyes like the first time you loaded up Magic Town, and or the first time you saw how to build a deck, and or the first time you saw a Sim could drive all the way across a map and you could ride along (camera control) and or the first time you realized your Sim died because you didn't know playing with a tiny rocket would land on their head. (lol)
I hope Maxis thinks about their sterling reputation of gameplay, the magic and dazzle and depth of its franchise and remembers only they can make it possible.
