The Sims 4 was first released in September 2015. Five years later, it is still being updated with new content, mostly paid via the 32 (!) DLC packs, though there are free options too.
Explore new ways to lead your Sims on daily adventures with The Sims 4 starter bundle for Xbox One. The Sims 4 vampire content lets characters transform into ghoulish creatures with supernatural skills, while The Sims 4 Vintage Glamour Stuff content features retro wardrobe selections and high-end furnishings. I get it, The Sims 3 runs like a bogged-down car by the end of its support, it was too ambitious for its own good. What makes The Sims 4 egregious was it culled way too many features at launch. Pools, a staple for the game since the 2000 original arguably more famous for its ability to kill Sims than its actual, designated function, are not here.
But is it any good though? PS Plus subscribers got the base game for free this month. And there's plenty of discounts on the PC version. So I decided to revisit the game of life (or 'a dollhouse simulator' as some referred it to way back then).
I used to play way too much The Sims. But when The Sims 4 was released I decided that's the time to move on and away from the franchise, for various reasons that shall be touched.
But now in 2020, is it any good though? And is it worth playing on consoles?
Dag Dag
Here's a bit of context about The Sims 4. This is the follow-up that seems to regress a bit. One-step-forward, two-steps-backwards. You see, in The Sims 3, the developers essentially made the game open world, with the whole neighbourhood accessible to your household, including neighbouring houses, a small town hosting various workplaces your Sims actually have to travel to and various other community lots, all without a loading screen.
The Sims 4 runs on a new engine, but has dramatically cull that feature. You still get access to a lot of the area outside of your lot, but it's not the seamless open world of before. I get it, The Sims 3 runs like a bogged-down car by the end of its support, it was too ambitious for its own good. What makes The Sims 4 egregious was it culled way too many features at launch.
Pools, a staple for the game since the 2000 original arguably more famous for its ability to kill Sims than its actual, designated function, are not here. More frustratingly, a whole life-cycle of Sims is gone- babies just grew up skips straight to being children rather than toddlers.
The very barebones base game is the reason I call it quits. I was expecting most of the DLCs you need to buy will continue the tradition of selling content we've seen before (it did). And I don't have a good PC back then. It's the best time to move on.
Sul Sul
Fast-forward to today, I gave The Sims 4 a shot. First I tried the PS4 version. The Sims on consoles has always been a thing- there was a period during the PS2/OG Xbox/Gamecube era where we got console-only spin-offs that were ahead of the mainline PC version. It moved to 3D models first, new unique objects and features were created for the console Sims first. And there was a spin-off game featuring The Black Eyed Peas crew as Sims. Such times.
Essentially, The Sims on consoles were totally different from the PC, even the ones that shared the same title. But with The Sims 4, that changed. It has feature parity with PC, selling all the same DLCs too. If you are playing on console, you're not missing out.
The Sims 4 On Console Impressions
And on a base PS4, it runs pretty well too. A small lot with one active Sim hits 60fps at ease, though a busy nightclub can drop the frame rates in the low 20fps range, but still playable. Visually it looks on par with the PC version as well.
The main gripe of the console editions, however, is the control scheme. The UI see little changes, and The Sims 4's UI is very mouse-focus. In the console version, you get to switch to two different control modes- a menu-driven one where you move from one UI element to another with the d-pad or left analog stick, the other activates the mouse cursor.
Now here's the problem. That mouse cursor is horrendous. The default setting is abysmally bad. It's too slow at first but then flies off to the end of the screen. I had to spend some time fiddling with its sensitivity and acceleration settings to make it workable for me. Cardhop 1 3 3 – manage your contacts.
*Angry Sim Mumbling Sounds*And since the UI is essentially the mouse-focus design from the PC, some of the buttons and features are just harder and less intuitive to reach. You can switch to another Sim in the household directly by clicking their portraits. And sometimes there are contextual settings available by clicking the small icons on those portraits, like a button to make them go home or change their work rate when they're off at work.
These buttons are so, so tiny and it's cumbersome to reach with the cursor. Expanding the extra moodlets is just a waste of time of misclicks.
The d-pad and left analog stick navigation works okay. But, for the most part, the UI is laid out all over the place you really have to guess if you can move that precise button you want to reach. UI navigation shouldn't have guesswork. If it does it failed to do its job.
Imagine having to juggle the needs of a full house of 8 Sims, with 1 bathroom because you're piss-poor at the start. Thanks to the controls and UI, it involves a lot of wet stains and embarrassed Sims for two in-game weeks.
The good thing is that there's an auto-resolve option where you can click on a need meter and have that Sim sort it out on their own. But micro-managing each task, something I enjoy doing in The Sims for whatever reason, is daunting thanks to how much it's needed to fight the controls.
*More Angry Sim Mumbling Sounds*What's more infuriating is that there are solutions and better workarounds. The original The Sims on console has a beam of light that's in the game world used to highlight objects (with an extra contextual prompt should the cursor lands on multiple objects), with all your stats toggleable with other buttons. Granted, The Sims 4 is now more complex and probably outgrown that system.
But then you look at many other games successfully created a mouse-like cursor for use with a controller. Guys, look at Destiny. Many other games are copying Destiny's cursor. It works. Go copy that. It's miles better than this default atrocity.
The cumbersome UI turned me off from spending more time on the PS4 version I got for free via PS Plus. So I bought The Sims 4 on PC.
The Sims 4 Base Game Impressions (2020)
Now this is more like it. As much flak as The Sims 4 gets for its barren base game, the fundamental changes are great. Sims now multitask much better. They can take their drink and food to the TV, eating, while talking with another beside them. Socialising is also more seamless thanks to this. Sims can socialise in a group, making getting friends much easier. They also don't just stand around, if there's seating they'll go find it. More reason to add more sofas in the living room.
It's not perfect. The AI tends to be weird about choosing which seating when eating and which sink to wash the dishes. But over time they will start making sensible choices.
You can also have Sims form groups. Imagine the times where you want everyone to hang in the hot tub together, or go to the dance floor and dance away. You either have to manually select that for each Sim, or have one Sim doing that activity invite the rest. Now, as a group, you can just do the same things together, or go chat at the lounge area with comfortable seating. It's these little quality-of-life changes that makes the experience so much better today.
It's Good Now
I love the improved Build Mode tools too. https://bestlup395.weebly.com/quake-champions-next-beta.html. The fact that we can now drag a room to be wider rather than having to remove each wall, put up the new walls and add the matching floor and wallpaper inside and outside is awesome. Building a house is much simpler. You can even select a sample room, fully furnished, and plop it down.
It's powerful and versatile enough to make a Malay kampung house now all with built-in tools. So it's that good.
As for the base game's content, it still is barebones. But it's in a much better state than five years ago. There are more career options now, added via free updates. Though some classic career choices like Scientist, Doctor, Politician, and Military are available via DLC.
Pools and toddlers are now available, so the angry mobs surrounding the game have now settled. The base game also got new Create-A-Sim options (clothing and hairstyles) with the July 2019 patch, which gave the game a fresh new interface and logo change. And there are other updates that add clothing stuff like this as well, like the one that added hijabs. And even more recently, they've added a hot tub for all players- another iconic The Sims item previously only available in DLC.
While most players these days play The Sims for its ability to create your own stories and fantasy life, I play The Sims in a very video game-y manner: embracing materialism so I can have the biggest mansion with all the coolest furniture in town. If you play like this, the base game's selection of furniture is just okay. But you can have Sims indulge in other hobbies like fishing, gardening, building rocket ships and play video games for money.
As you would expect, a lot of cooler furniture items require purchasing some of the packs. But the variety of interactions and things to do in The Sims 4's base game has enough substance that you don't feel forced to pay extra to get a baseline good experience.
Also, a cool feature is the Gallery. Lots and households can be shared with the rest of The Sims community. And as you'd expect from a 5-year-old community, there has been plenty of awesome work done in this regard. Navigating the households can be a bit daunting, some of them use mods. But if you just want to get a celebrity, or your favourite Disney princess, or a hot-headed celebrity chef, or your favourite K-Pop boy band, it's as easy as hitting the download button.
It has cross-platform support too. I created a Sim on PS4 and can transfer it to PC. The process is not as straight-forward, but possible.
Closing Thoughts
The Sims 4 the base game has significantly improved over the past years. I am both blown away and disappointed with the console version, but for those without a capable PC it's still worth playing on there.
But if you do have a PC capable of running it (the system requirements recently got bumped- requiring a 64-bit system for support of all DLCs), The Sims 4 is worth getting should it be on sale again, or via Origin Access. The life simulator is now in a much better state. And any lapsed Simmer may want to check it out again to see if it's worth your time again.
Though if you're looking for more content, it'll cost extra. As always.
For more on The Sims 4, check out our full The Sims 4 review. Or, for more of the best Playstation 4 games for an 8 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
What is The Sims 4?
The Sims 4 for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One takes all the fun of the PC version of the game, and transplants it wholesale onto consoles, with all the same features, settings, and items you've come to know and love. Bringing the full virtual dolls house-cum-life sim experience to consoles, in The Sims 4, players create virtual characters known as Sims, then set about dictating every aspect of their lives, from their careers, friendships and families to the houses they live in. Open-ended and surprisingly addictive, The Sims 4 brings a new dimension to the game with new and improved personalities, aspirations and goals, which let you craft ever more realistic Sims, be it an anti-social criminal mastermind or a bubbly, friendly party girl - and everything in between.
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How do you play The Sims 4?
A fairly free form game, The Sims 4 is essentially lets you 'play God' in the lives of the Sims you've created, from helping them find love and promotions, to starting a family and growing old together. With a comprehensive Create-A-Sim suite, you can adjust almost everything about your Sims, from their appearance, to the clothes they wear, and their personalities, choosing up to three distinct traits (from an extensive list) that help shape their behaviour, whether they're outgoing, clumsy or a natural cook, to name but a few. You're also able to choose an aspiration - a goal that the Sim in question wants to accomplish with their life - perhaps finding a soulmate, having a large family or living in the biggest mansion possible, although it's up to you whether they'll actually get to realise their dream in the end.
Once you've created your Sim(s), you'll need to move them into a house and set about getting their life in order, buying some furniture and decorating their pad as you see fit, before inevitably having to find your Sims a job, as you start with a minimum of cash. https://priorityauthentic985.weebly.com/mac-app-store-games-on-sale.html. Finding your Sim employment will get you a steady income to help you afford better living conditions and appliances, while spending time making sure your Sim reaches all their goals - learning new skills, and improving their old ones - will see you getting promoted, with better and better salaries as you go. But all work and no play makes Sims dull guys (and gals), and making friends, falling in love and starting a family is every bit as important in keeping your Sim happy, and one that's almost as rewarding as a huge mansion with all the best furniture money can buy. Of course, you're not alone in the world either, with the town coming pre-populated with a whole host of Sims that have different personalities, social interactions and quirks too, making getting to know the neighbours a fun pastime - as can paring two radically different personalities under one roof and watching the sparks fly.
How easy is The Sims 4 to pick up and play?
On the whole, The Sims 4 is a fairly easy going game, with nothing in the way of time limits, complex missions or any real objectives to contend with - instead, you're pretty much free to dictate your Sims' lives however you see fit. With your Sims handling the basics for themselves (at least in theory), like eating, toileting, and showering, all you need to do is help (or hinder) them in reaching their goals in life. However, with bars dictating energy, hunger, and happiness amongst others, there's only so much you can do in a day, and you'll sometimes have to step in to cheer a Sim up who's lost the will to carry on. It's also possible for Sims to die should an accident happen, but even then, death isn't always the end - there are means and ways of bringing your Sims back to life..
However, unless you turn it off via the in the menu (Options -> Game Options -> Gameplay -> untick the relevant Auto Age options), your Sims do age as the in-game days pass, and will eventually move though life stages and die. Ageing does affect what your Sim can do too - for example, elderly female Sims cannot get pregnant, and death will eventually come knocking for everyone.
In the transition from PC controls to the Playstation 4/Xbox One controller, how you control your Sims' lives is a little more awkward than it was, as you'll need to switch between interacting with either your Sims, or the game's menus, via an unusual 'layer' system, which can take a bit of getting used to.
Izotope neutron advanced 2 full crack macos version. In terms of accessibility options, it's worth noting that a strong reading ability is required to play the Sims 4, as the Sims have their own unique language of gibberish. Everything, from simple conversation options and actions, like telling a joke or making some pancakes, to more in depth prompts for your Sims' current needs, is done through text alone, so for those who really want their Sims to get on in life, reading is a necessity.
Sample Sentences:
- 'Main Goal: Socialize with Your Date'
- 'Ian has just noticed a section of software that is riddled with bugs. He can buckle down and report them all by himself, or convince his zealous Co-worker to do it.'
- 'Whisper Sweet Nothings'
Generally speaking, The Sims 4 is fairly family friendly when it comes to mature content - there's no bad language whatsoever, and violence is limited to very slapstick scuffles between Sims, where the fighting characters disappear in a ball of dust with the odd limb poking out; much more Tom & Jerry than blood and gore. Your Sims can also get electrocuted by household appliances, get eaten by a carnivorous plant or die in a fire - although again, these are all very slapstick and light-hearted.
However, where things do get a bit more risqué is when it comes to the romantic relationships your Sims can have, where hugging and kissing can eventually progress to sex, or 'WooHoo' as The Sims likes to call it. Essentially, when two romantically entangled Sims go to bed, you have the option to 'WooHoo' or 'Try for Baby', at which point your Sims will dive under the covers and proceed to do the deed, accompanied by a squirming lump in the bed, the occasional limb poking out from under the covers, with hearts and fireworks floating up from the couple. You'll also get the odd moan and silly sound effects, like giggles and wolf-whistles too. No nudity is shown during WooHoo-ings (everything is covered by bed covers, and afterwards your Sims are in their underwear), and in their general day to day life, such as when they're going to the toilet or taking a shower, any nudity is pixelated out completely.
Age Ratings
Sims 4 Xbox One Update
Format Reviewed: Playstation 4