The Sims 4 review: a return to its roots

The Sims 4 is everything a Sims fan dreamed of back when The Sims was first released in 2000. Though it has no pools, or the toddler life stage we’ve come to adore, it does do everything else remarkably well.

Debuting last week amidst international scorn at its lack of features, The Sims 4 really isn’t quite the disappointment many fans are making it out to be. Rather than push the limits and create a Simcity within The Sims, The Sims 4 has gone back to its roots. Similar to what the Civilization series did when Civilization V looked to Civilization II for inspiration after the fourth game alienated fans with its complexity, so too has EA brought back what made the first game in the series work.

In essence, The Sims 4 is a straight upgrade of the first Sims game, albeit also with a lifestyle update. Want to know what exactly has changed? Then read on.

(See: All you need to know about The Sims 4 and Asia: an interview with producer Graham Nardone)

Internet killed the video star

The biggest upgrade in The Sims 4 honestly isn’t its visuals. It isn’t the way the game has become even more of a time-sink thanks to an option that brings your entire neighborhood to life with NPCs and lets them age around you. It’s how the Sims in this game are living in the same era as their players. It’s how the Sims in this game have well and truly come to life.

Selfies, a lack of landline phones, startup entrepreneur career paths, and programming practice—these are just some of the modern-day options that are now commonplace in your Sims. And far from being novel additions, they actually make the game even more lifelike.

Since Sims can now multitask, it’s not uncommon to find your Sim taking a selfie while he or she cooks up a storm. Talking while eating is possible, talking while in the kitchen is possible, and you can finally yell for your visitor to come in, instead of having to drop what you’re doing to open the door.

Also upgraded is your Sim’s fitness. Just like its human player, your Sim quickly gets fat if they spend all their time working and relaxing instead of keeping fit. As you can imagine (perhaps by looking down at your own gut!), we got a lot of chubby Sims in the end. Other improvements include things like being able to create unrelated Sims within the same family, Sims being able to feel emotions and desires based on external triggers, and things that should cost money actually costing money.

The Sims 3 vs. the Sims 4

[fve]http://youtu.be/MAqQ-Ej1w9I[/fve]

In The Sims 3 the focus seemed to be more on the open-world aspect and global interactivity than anything else. You weren’t the one calling the shots there as the world demanded so much from every action you made your Sim take. If I wanted that kind of accountability, I’d have simply booted up Simcity. So it’s heartening to see how The Sims 4 has ditched that approach.

(See: Stop hating The Sims 4 and admit it: the game nails what counts)