Which Sims game is the best?

I don't know if my vote should count since I missed out on The Sims 2. I played the first game until my computer fell apart and wasn't able to get back into simming until way late into 3. (2014) I would still cast my vote for 3 though, because it has just about everything. :D As far as 4 goes, at the time of this comment, I have only played the free trial. It did not catch my eye at all. I don't want to bash the game, but it just didn't grab my simmer's heart. :D

I wish they would give us back the Sims From the first two generations, somehow the old personality system actually made my Sims more unique and they were so crazy.

I'm going to have to go with Sims 3. The open world really makes the game stand out. The graphics are really good in the game. I also like the new interactions between sims such as visiting other households. I feel like 3 has nailed it on the community aspect. Also they nailed it on the moodlet system. 2 really could have used it.
However sims 2 did have a lot more interactions and objects for the home. I also like how you can interact with certain businesses such as restaurants and spas. Therefore 2 is closely behind 3.
Sims 4 changed way too much. 2 and 3 had similar interfaces and it was a winning formula. The general game interface is way too minimalist. I think 4 screwed up the build buy mode in terms of interface and general house building. For example they took away foundation-basements and terrain tools. Next time please stick with the 2 and 3 style interface. It is a proven winning formula.

I have tried the sims 3 and 4 and I like to sims 3 best because you can edit there outfits, the towns, and go to a 100 places instead of choosing from 2 colors, going to standard lots, and choose one of lots or so. I hope I didn't offend because even though I think the sims 3 is better I like how realistic you can make the sims 4 characters using the defaults and how you an edit them much more easy but I still think the sims 3 is the best overall. :)

I have a hard time picking between TS2 and 3. I like the control you had in 2, where nothing really happened with the sims if you weren't controlling them. The interactions between the sims were also richer, I think. Only thing I really don't like about TS2, is the obsession with hobbies from Freetime. They really take over everything in my sims life.

For me, 3 has two things really going for it: open world and the amazing options for customizing everything. Create-a-style is genious, and I wish TS4 had that too, it just seems very limiting. Also the small "worlds" is a turn-off for me in TS4. Story progression is awesome in 3, but again for me, not without mods. Absolutely nothing happened before I got mods installed.

TS1 I won't touch. It started it all, and have huge nostalgic value to me. Its great to actually play it again :)

Its a difficult choice, but overall I'd say TS2.

The biggest mistakes in the franchise happened with TS3 imo: the replacement of the personality point system with the trait system, the replacement of the saved-game-per-household with the saved-game-per-world system, the reduce on failure states, and e change of focus on the Sims to focus on the world and it's activities.

I believe that the lack of scaled personality points is the cause that Sims tend to behave identical and less distinct from eachother, which is a fairly common complaint in the recent generations. Traits could work very well as an addition to personality points, but on their own everything not touched by the traits will cause Sims to behave standardly in that aspect.

The save-per-world system (a saved game contains of a whole world) is making rotational play very hard to pull off, which causes players to be less involved into the lives of neighbors their Sims aren't involved with. The save-per-household (a saved game is just one house) way was very important for making the TS2 basegame storylines work. In a save-per-world system a player starting with the Dreamers for a day would miss out on the Pleasants family issues, the Goth weddings or Brandi Broke's wedding setups.

The reduce of failure states is simple: needs are much easier to keep up, fears have been removed, accidental deaths have to be set up by the player on purpose... It's making the game too easy, too happy-go-lucky. While life, of which The Sims is a simulator, also has it's share of adversity. The game's in my opinion become too easy in recent generations, so I'd say a bit more of a challenge wouldn't hurt.

The focus on the world builds upon the save-per-world vs save-per-household part. Especially in The Sims 3 the focus has been on the worlds of the Sims, often at the cost of the personalities of it's inhabitants, who in later worlds even may classify as filler, all males and females sharing the same biographies. What's making this worse is how some beloved Sims 2 families return in 3, but completely out of their original context. (The Monty's are supposed to be feuding with the Capps, it's in their namesake even! Why would someone make them just another happy family in Monte Vista? Except for marketing that is?) TS4 might have a bit of a return on this one (not sure though, only have the demo ;)) but there's still work to do overall.


So, in my opinion TS1 and 2 have the formula which made The Sims a success. The Sims 2 is the most advanced of the two on most parts, so I'd declare THE SIMS 2 as the best.

"M13Vulpecula;c-15808465" wrote:
The biggest mistakes in the franchise happened with TS3 imo: the replacement of the personality point system with the trait system, the replacement of the saved-game-per-household with the saved-game-per-world system, the reduce on failure states, and e change of focus on the Sims to focus on the world and it's activities.

I believe that the lack of scaled personality points is the cause that Sims tend to behave identical and less distinct from eachother, which is a fairly common complaint in the recent generations. Traits could work very well as an addition to personality points, but on their own everything not touched by the traits will cause Sims to behave standardly in that aspect.

Maybe. But the whole problem is that EA wants to give us more and more options but at the same time let them matter less and less. I find different personalities or different traits very uninteresting if the sims behave almost identically no matter what personality or traits we give them.

The save-per-world system (a saved game contains of a whole world) is making rotational play very hard to pull off, which causes players to be less involved into the lives of neighbors their Sims aren't involved with. The save-per-household (a saved game is just one house) way was very important for making the TS2 basegame storylines work. In a save-per-world system a player starting with the Dreamers for a day would miss out on the Pleasants family issues, the Goth weddings or Brandi Broke's wedding setups.

The reduce of failure states is simple: needs are much easier to keep up, fears have been removed, accidental deaths have to be set up by the player on purpose... It's making the game too easy, too happy-go-lucky. While life, of which The Sims is a simulator, also has it's share of adversity. The game's in my opinion become too easy in recent generations, so I'd say a bit more of a challenge wouldn't hurt.

The focus on the world builds upon the save-per-world vs save-per-household part. Especially in The Sims 3 the focus has been on the worlds of the Sims, often at the cost of the personalities of it's inhabitants, who in later worlds even may classify as filler, all males and females sharing the same biographies. What's making this worse is how some beloved Sims 2 families return in 3, but completely out of their original context. (The Monty's are supposed to be feuding with the Capps, it's in their namesake even! Why would someone make them just another happy family in Monte Vista? Except for marketing that is?) TS4 might have a bit of a return on this one (not sure though, only have the demo ;)) but there's still work to do overall.

This is about control. Alas gamers are allowed to control less and less in new games and more and more things happen automatically without our interference. We are just meant to be spectators to those things. But personally I want to be in control which also is the main reason that I don't like most new PC games. I just can't admire characters in a game for acting on their own and I can't stand the autonomous multitasking in TS4 either. I also agree with you that the story progression in TS3 which was meant to let the sims move around at random and even sometimes leave the world was awful.

So, in my opinion TS1 and 2 have the formula which made The Sims a success. The Sims 2 is the most advanced of the two on most parts, so I'd declare THE SIMS 2 as the best.

It was the best for me too. But EA is much more interested in opinions from young teens and maybe they like the easiness and to just watch sims do more things on their own?

Hmm... It's tough. Taking out my own bias and technical issues with Sims 3, I feel that Sims 3 did a lot to advance the Sims series and was an ambitious game, at least.

Both Sims 2 and Sims 3 have their strengths and weaknesses/flaws, and each has something different to offer, so it depends on what features I am in the mood for.

I personally prefer the more challenging gameplay, some features and details (like working home businesses and working bakeries and restaurants), and the more close-knit family gameplay feel of Sims 2.

Sims 3 added open world, beautiful huge worlds, improved CAS, customization options like CASt and CAW, and a lot of great expansion content and lots of (albeit expensive) store content.

Even though I am not as engaged with Sims 3, I would still acknowledge its strengths and ambitious progression for the series.

So, I have to be objective and say that the for the good of the series, and for encouragement of some sort of progression:

I think Sims 3 did good overall for the series in leading the way for advancement and progression of the sims games.

(I still love Sims 2 more in some areas because it did better in giving more complexity/difficulty, more small details, and giving more life to Sims and family play. Sims 2 sims had more heart and charm for me, personally.)

Sims 1, 2 and 3 are the best :#

I would love the open worlds and the customization from Sims 3 and the Sims from Sims 2. Then some realistic graphics like any non-Sim game and not this childish look they put in Sims 4 et voìla, an almost perect game!

But for now, yesh simply Sims 1, 2 & 3 are the best :)

Sims 2 is my favorite followed closely by 4. Could never get over the look of the sims 3 sims and though it has a lot of good features I really just don't enjoy the graphics all that much.