Packs I recommend getting for 3 and four.
To me these packs are essential for deeper, richicher, and fun game play. The Sims 3 Seasons (Weather adds realism) Generations ( Kids, teens, and family play are deepen.Generations is my favorite ...
Forum Discussion
Essential packs is weird because it really depends on how you play. Before I write this, I'm not counting Stuff Packs. I have never bought a stuff pack in my life, and at the end of the day, with stuff packs, it's whether or not you like their aesthetic.
After browsing this forum and other various discussion of sims a bit, I've found there's 3 main play styles. There's more than this, but these are the 3 most common I see, so I'll base them around these; Family play, Young Adult/Adult play and Whacky/Occult play. I've tried to strip this down to what I feel are the very essentials. This means that even if you fit into one these 3 categories, you may like a pack not listed under the respective category.
Essential packs for Family Play:
The Sims 2
-Freetime
-Seasons
-Pets
-Bon Voyage
-University
The Sims 3
-Generations
-Pets
-University Life
-Seasons
The Sims 4
-Get Together (don't like it, but it also doesn't suit my playstyle)
-Cats & Dogs
-Seasons
-Parenthood
Essential packs for Young Adult & Adult play:
The Sims 2
-Freetime
-University
-Nightlife
-Apartment Life
The Sims 3
-Ambitions
-Late Night
-Seasons
-University Life
The Sims 4
-Get to Work
-Get Together
-City Living
-Seasons
-Discover University
-Dine Out
Essential packs for Whacky/Occult Play:
This is Sims 2's weak point. I can't really recommend The Sims 2 to occult players, all of them are badly implemented, except...
-Apartment Life
The Sims 3
-Supernatural
-Into the Future
The Sims 4
-Vampires
-Strangerville
-Realm of Magic
Lastly, you have what I'm calling "niche packs", that only fulfill a specific niche. They're good, but if you have no interest in that specific theme or playstyle, they're not going to be for you:
The Sims 2
-Open for Business
The Sims 3
-World Adventures
-Showtime
The Sims 4:
-Island Living
-Get Famous
-Jungle Adventure
Anything I didn't mention throughout this post, I think is a bad pack for any play type, and just not worth buying.
After browsing this forum and other various discussion of sims a bit, I've found there's 3 main play styles. There's more than this, but these are the 3 most common I see, so I'll base them around these; Family play, Young Adult/Adult play and Whacky/Occult play. I've tried to strip this down to what I feel are the very essentials. This means that even if you fit into one these 3 categories, you may like a pack not listed under the respective category.
Essential packs for Family Play:
The Sims 2
-Freetime
-Seasons
-Pets
-Bon Voyage
-University
The Sims 3
-Generations
-Pets
-University Life
-Seasons
The Sims 4
-Get Together (don't like it, but it also doesn't suit my playstyle)
-Cats & Dogs
-Seasons
-Parenthood
Essential packs for Young Adult & Adult play:
The Sims 2
-Freetime
-University
-Nightlife
-Apartment Life
The Sims 3
-Ambitions
-Late Night
-Seasons
-University Life
The Sims 4
-Get to Work
-Get Together
-City Living
-Seasons
-Discover University
-Dine Out
Essential packs for Whacky/Occult Play:
This is Sims 2's weak point. I can't really recommend The Sims 2 to occult players, all of them are badly implemented, except...
-Apartment Life
The Sims 3
-Supernatural
-Into the Future
The Sims 4
-Vampires
-Strangerville
-Realm of Magic
Lastly, you have what I'm calling "niche packs", that only fulfill a specific niche. They're good, but if you have no interest in that specific theme or playstyle, they're not going to be for you:
The Sims 2
-Open for Business
The Sims 3
-World Adventures
-Showtime
The Sims 4:
-Island Living
-Get Famous
-Jungle Adventure
Anything I didn't mention throughout this post, I think is a bad pack for any play type, and just not worth buying.
