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A Positive Thread of Comparison and Nostalgia

Hey all!

So I have been out of the loop for some time, and I would like to reconnect a bit more with the community, so I thought this might be some fun nostalgia and discussion. Whilst I don't always play the sims 4, often returning to previous games for other features. I thought it would be interesting to list some of the previous sims games (pc, console or mobile), and the features you (personally) really loved and what you think the sims 4 has improved upon. I'll start..

Sims 1:
  • Everything about makin magic, duels and roller coasters and pet dragons.
  • Burglars
  • Phone calls saying "you have won a prize" and pranks!
  • The wholesome look of the neighbourhood (with sooo many lots)

Sims 2
  • roommates and apartments.
  • private schools
  • memories

Sims 3
  • story progression,
  • create a world!! (so much creative freedom)
  • Open world
  • Cemeteries! The creepier the better.

Sims 1 (ps2)
  • I kinda liked the "get a life mode", a short storyline with tasks.

Sims Urbz
  • Them fabulous clothes and subcultures

Finally Sims 4
  • Everything about Build mode, Build mode in Sims 4 is truly a wonderful experience.
  • Character interaction, Sims emotions. (I feel this is a major step up)
  • The stylised look of the worlds maps.
  • edit a sim, it is very smooth and flexible.


I'd like to see what others think, I want to keep this positive, as I think all of the games have merits in their own way.

Comments

  • SimmingalSimmingal Posts: 8,888 Member
    edited July 2019
    TS:

    Whole Makin' Magic expansion really I still get excited over it
    but especially dragons and magic things and whole magic town vibe
    Fairy Queen Mara etc. NPCs they were so cute, duelling, show magic, puzzles...
    if I start talking about makin' magic it never ends

    TS2:

    actually not sure its been so long since i played it I'd probably have more if i played again
    but I think i really liked the aspiration rewards and trying to make my sims dreams come true in that one
    and fears being a big part too its was really great era I should try and play it again :smile:

    I also vaguely remember getting a hula dance if my accomplished sim perished and it was really fabulous but im not sure if it was ts2

    + some reason I remember apartment life very fondly but I am not sure why that expansion especially :confused:
    my memory really needs to be refreshed

    TS3:

    hmm I think I would say the underwater lots,
    world adventures and horses come up in my mind first for the positives
    and some big amount of hobby items that were really cool

    also in these 3 games I really loved the premade family mysteries that sort of got disconnected now

    TS1 and 2 (ps2)
    edit: played these for a bit so from fresh memory now


    + Story mode especially in ts1 I think I like that one better out of them

    + 2 player games to see who can get more money or whatever :joy:

    + In TS2 u could choose 4 ingredients yourself to make a meal
    and it was so much fun coming up with combos without looking at recipes
    I wish we could have that in ts4 because man did I have fun cooking for once
    also liked how you couldn't use ingredients you didn't have
    it just gave gardening more importance really
    (not sure if it was in pc version can't really play that atm)

    Urbz

    vip parties!
    seeing your sims face show up on those ads when they got more popular
    and doing different things from different ''cultures'' to become popular in the neighborhood
    I probably missed lots of things tho because I always wanted to go to same places and hardly ever actually finished
    I think I went to Gasoline Row most B) those motorcycle races ah the good days
    ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
    TS4:

    - CAS I personally think sims look prettiest in this version and I have lots of fun making them
    - Build Mode I just feel its much easier than games before to make decent looking houses
    - Being able to visit all worlds whenever I like even if my sims do not live in them
    - Multitasking aaaaaaa finally
    - Game Packs are really fun though I find them hard to get because they seem to only sell bundles IRL :disappointed:
    - Gallery! no more searching all around web for cooler houses and sims and all its all there in your game
    - emotional deaths ( because um yeah)

    also i just realized itd be nice to hear things from sims medieval too though I personally missed that one
    Post edited by Simmingal on
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  • LaBlue0314LaBlue0314 Posts: 17,436 Member
    Sims 1:
    • It might have been my age at the time, but I really got a kick out of watching my sim turn other sim's heads into donkey heads.
    • Most everything about Makin Magic, except for the energy drain.
    • Dragon Eggs and the Dragons, and how they were able to interact with everyone, including pets, sometimes good, and sometimes bad.

    Sims 2:
    • How EA done such a good job giving all the families, in all the towns a back story, and really connected each of the families.
    • How well sims were able to interact with babies, they could actually bathe them in the sink, hand them off to other sims.

    Sims 3:
    • Bridgeport, I really loved that world, including all the sims who resided there. Usually, after a while, I couldn't play the city because of lag, so I would end up moving my most favorite sims to other worlds. For example, all the vampires ended up in Moonlight Falls, and several others would end in other locations as well.
    • All the occult creatures, but I wasn't too fond of werewolves only because I didn't care for the way their faces were smashed in as if they ran into a brick wall.
    • Open World, and being able to watch your sim travel to a friend's home or a community lot.
    • The color wheel and total freedom we had with CAS, Buy, and Build Mode.
    • Being able to place lots where ever we want, but because of this things could get a little tricky on hillsides. I also like this aspect with TS2 as well.
    • How you are able to take babies and toddlers with older sims to other locations such as the park or beach.

    Sims 4:
    • How easy it is to find something in buy/build mode, and the gallery, with the search options.
    • Multitasking, this is actually my most favorite about TS4.

    All these console games I still have. Sims 1 & 2, Sims 2 Pets, Castaway, Bustin Out, Urbz

    I love the overall storyline in all of the above, pets being my least favorite, but I love having them. The ironic part was before I even played The Urbz, I never even heard of The Black Eyed Peas.
  • SimAlexandriaSimAlexandria Posts: 4,845 Member
    Sims 1, i haven't played in 15 years. I remember I liked it but not a whole lot about it.

    Sims 2, the animations. There's not a lot I like about this game but the animations are done so well. They look more human somehow, especially how the act with each other. And the family seemed to know each other. I created a family and the first thing that happened was that little boy started dancing on his mom's feet. It was adorable

    Sims 3 I haven't played this game and for the most part I'm not overly interested in it, but I absolutely love the idea of the World Adventures pack and I like the last place I've seen of it. I really hope something like that is that it for Sims 4

    I haven't played any of the spin-offs and stuff like that, so right onto Sims 4. It's my favorite of the bunch, I really like the art style, the way toddlers are done, and The Sims personalities. I spend most of my time in live mode and I like that I can just download houses from the gallery so I don't have to build a bunch. I feel like the Sims 4 is the most open for using your own imagination and creating your own stories anyway you want and that's what I love about it
  • DaepheneDaephene Posts: 1,760 Member
    Sims 1 I remember having the vacation expansion and enjoyed building resorts. I haven't enjoyed building since Sims 1 because it was simpler and I had lower standards. But the live play was limited and I would never play it for more than a few weeks at a time before going on to something else.

    Sims 2 kept me addicted for months at a time because of aging and generations. It felt like an ongoing story that I wanted to keep playing. The things I miss most are the craft options from Open for Business and Free Time, and all of the non-object sim to sim games. Well, maybe I don't miss red hands except for how easy it was too raise the fun bar that way when my sims were too poor for a tv. But tag, cops and robbers, swinging kids around, dancing on a parent's feet, mary mack... and the small objects like hacky sack and catch. I miss memories and the fact that relationships were more messy and complicated. And I definitely miss making robots and toys, and sewing.
    I think my favorite expansions for 2 were Free Time and Seasons.
    Oh, and I also miss pet careers and that aspect of training.
    I loved a lot of the Sims 2 premades. I don't necessarily think they did a better job with premades in 2 than in 4, but I was attached to some individuals and I miss them. I think it's cool that a lot of them are available on the gallery.
    I also kind of miss the way there were gardening tasks that needed to be done if you put certain things in your yard. Weeding and trimming bushes are things I don't really enjoy in real life but for some reason I miss my sims doing them.
    But mostly I loved Sims 2 for rotational play over generations.

    I never played Sims 3 because I wasn't ready to invest the money so soon after buying the last expansion for Sims 2, and then later I heard it wasn't good for rotational play. I never played just one household in 2 so I didn't think I'd like that.

    Going from 2 to 4... I really appreciate that some hobbies, such as fishing, gardening and woodworking, were included in the base game.
    CAS is easier for me, and I think the clothing options have improved. I like the graphic style in general.
    I would have liked it if Get to Work gave as in-depth retail experience as Open for Business, but I enjoy the active careers that we got instead. Work from home careers have also been a nice addition that let me decide how active I want to be in their advancement.
    Dates and parties are less obnoxious than in Sims 2. Honestly I don't remember the system from Sims2, but I remember how relieved I felt the first time I tried them in Sims 4 and they weren't like that. I actually use both on occasion. The clubs are even better.
    I also like being able to live in all the different neighborhoods and travel between them. And I know people who came from Sims 3 miss the open world, but the neighborhoods are so much closer to open world than anything we had in Sims 2 that it's a big improvement for me.
    I find the toddlers more fun, and even though they are more effort than in Sims 2, it's a more fun kind of effort.
    I love the natural looking pools also. My sims seem to enjoy swimming more than they did in 2.
    I like the addition of game packs, and the fact that Vampires and Jungle Adventure could be given more complexity due to being their own game pack rather than part of a bigger expansion.
    I adore the gallery. I much prefer downloading lots that are almost what I want and doing slight edits over building from scratch. And there are a lot of talented builders out there.
    But when I do build, I love the option to just enlarge or move a whole room, and the floors and walls and such move with it. That has made remodeling sooooo much easier and fun for me.
    And once again, I'm hooked on my rotational save...
  • SharoniaSharonia Posts: 4,853 Member
    I only really have nostalgia for the Sims 2. My memory is so bad though that I don't really remember anything about it beyond the fact that at the time I absolutely loved it.

    I took a long break from the Sims franchise during the dark days that were the Sims 3. :D
  • TechbiltTechbilt Posts: 258 Member
    I never had the opportunity to play sims 1 unfortunately.

    Sims 2
    • the animations and light touches that went with the gameplay. Children running out to meet their parents after they come home from works, kids meeting their parents after they get off the bus.
    • the early 2000's aesthetic. Hot Topic and all B)
    • How mad a partner would get if they flirted with another sim
    • apartments - I could build them anywhere! They weren't just high rises I could make a Victorian house divide it up, I could built smaller complexes and just let my buildings go wild! Especially when it came to live mode, could have larger families crammed into the apartments I made.
    • mundane tasks like taking care of the lawn,
    • I would always adopt the same dog the first few days of the game no matter what save, Buffy. She's a good doggy and I love her. She usually dies of old age not too long after I adopt her but I still have my sim play with her ghost. :,)
    • Chance cards! holy cow the struggles of having my sim keep a job, so much struggle, I don't think in all the time I've played sims 2 I've reached the top of a career thanks to chance cards lol I love it tho, I love the challenge.
    • wants and fears! whenever I got stuck on finding something to do or felt overwhelmed by the options available to me. Wants were there to help me continue with the game.
    • also Cars... I'm a car person.
    • creating our own cities/towns placing our own lots
    • the death's!
    • the career/aspiration rewards!

    Sims 3
    • the traits, my technophobe sim got mad at me for buying her husband a TV and science research station, ever change I'm not watching her she attempts to sabotage it. my evil sim can shake people down for money, my bookworm sim can learn skills faster.
    • lifetime wishes, They are true to their name, they are a sims lifetime goal, its a struggle to get some of them completed by the time the sims life is coming to an end.
    • Pretty much everything in the sims 3 pets pack, how they did horses, and unicorns, deer, racoons, cats, dogs. Being able to make stables, farmland, etc.
    • exploring the tombs, but also being able to use them as vacation destinations. Where you can just site see with no requirement to actually gain visa points.
    • wishes! again if I ever became overwhelmed or was just playing to get inspired rather than test out a plot line, then wishes were my go-to spot. The sim would let me know she wanted to use the zombification potion on the town and start an apocalypse.
    • Cars.
    • tumblr_psh1dmVaSg1xi5hclo2_1280.jpg
    • Create a world, placing our own lots/ creating a city entirely from scratch and being able to download player worlds and adding them to our own games.
    • cuddling in bed as partners sleep :)
    • the sheer amount of customization one could do within, if I wanted a neon pink house I could have it. If I wanted my sim to have neon green hair or eyes or skin, yes sir. Absolutely.
    • Going around the world and finding seeds at the park, or even fishing from any pond.
    • making a pond in your own yard with terrain tools!
    • owning more than one lot! I can't tell you how many lots my one absurdly rich family owned in one game save they had horses, but their original lot wasn't large enough for all of them, so they got two other lots, one for the training gear (running/jumping and the dressage set) then another for the pastures/barn, all the lots close together, wasn't perfect but it honestly felt like my sims had a wild mustang ranch! lol (in fact that sounds fun I'll brb adding that to my list of things to do - train mustangs and sell them at the equestrian center.
    • horse racing, trading, breeding.
    • Snowdays with seasons! If there was a lot of snowfall school would get canceled, I had a family one time where the kids I don't think ever went to school until they were teens. because of the heavy snowfall that winter.
    • Taking toddlers on ambitions careers was a favorite past time of mine!
    • Ambitions careers like firefighter, ghost Hunter - ambitions is probably my favorite pack ever with pets tbqh
    • ... I'll just move on to 4 now... there's more so much more.

    Sims 4
    • moving whole rooms,
    • the search bar in build buy(I really love the search bar it's hard to play the older games without it)
    • Build and Buy mode being the same mode.
    • Toddlers
    • Vampires
    • The Gallery
    • It's very pretty and pleasing to look at.
    • planning outfits means I can mess with hair and outfits at a mirror and dresser as well, plus change the outfits for the whole family! (another thing I find hard to leave behind when I play the earlier games, unfortunately, the rest is I could live without it but I do like it.)
  • Akl500PAkl500P Posts: 2,986 Member
    Sims 1:
    Wow I need a memory refresh haha. But I think the crazy randomness that always happened in sims 1 was the best part of it. You never really knew what was going to happen next.

    Sims 2:
    -the retail system for sure was absolutely amazing
    -the wants and fears
    -the apartments
    -the overall challenge of the game
    -the depth of the sims themselves was pretty amazing

    Sims 3:
    -university which I hated in sims 2 was a favorite of mine in 3. I thought it was really well done.
    -the family aspects added with generations like prom, home movies, and after school clubs. I loved generations
    -the witches, the only occult I like but I thought they were very well done with the alchemy system
    -creative freedom using the color wheel.

    Sims 4:
    -the art style. Gosh the sims look good this time around
    -the ability to travel so easily between worlds
    -the CAS and build mode are the best we’ve ever had
    -the search option in buy mode
    -multitasking
    -the cats and dogs
    -the club and calendar systems are so useful
    -the fame and reputation system

    I could keep going on sims 4 especially since it’s the freshest on my mind and one of my favorites. Honestly I need to go back and play some sims 2 that was a great game and I felt like I couldn’t think of all the incredible features.
  • invisiblgirlinvisiblgirl Posts: 1,709 Member
    edited July 2019
    I barely remember The Sims and Sims 2 - too long ago. Back in those days, hard drive space was at a premium, so I didn't keep them installed when the next version came out.

    Sims 3: floor babies! I can't believe no one else has mentioned them!
    I just want things to match. :'(
  • SimmingalSimmingal Posts: 8,888 Member
    edited July 2019
    Akl500P wrote: »

    Sims 3:
    -university which I hated in sims 2 was a favorite of mine in 3. I thought it was really well done.

    This is funny because for me it was opposite :joy:
    I really loved going to university in ts2 but in ts3 I just got so stressed because it was too real :joy:
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  • ItsJanierItsJanier Posts: 884 Member
    I have played so many The Sims games but as a kid my family didn't have a computer so my order may seem weird to you guys. But I played TS1 first and TS2 is the latest The Sims game that I bought/have tried playing haha :smiley:

    TS1
    TS1 was the first Sims game for me. I played it at my friend's birthday party back in 2003 I think. I remember using that heart-shaped bed a lot :lol: and ordering pizza for my Sims


    TS2 PS2
    - I played it with my little bro
    - I loved all the missions that I had to do
    - ghosts
    - aliens
    - heart-shaped hot tub
    - - I kinda broke my game... I just saved really messed up save to my memory card and got a weird glitch where I wasn't able to delete that save anymore. I couldn't even load it. I was only able to create a new save. And everytime when I saved a new save it didn't save it so the game became unplayable. I even tried saving it to another memory card but same thing happened with that too.

    TS2 PETS PS2
    - first time when I played with pets
    - I played it in Finnish so the names were cringe worthy..
    - all of my Sims looked the same. They all wore the same clothes because those were my favorite ones. I was so stupid :lol:
    - only pets were able to have kids

    TS2 CASTAWAY PS2
    - MONKEYS
    - Growing hair
    - cool clothes
    - my first time when one of my Sims died
    - I thought that the story of the game was really fun and well made

    URBZ
    - The Black Eyed Peas
    - all those cool clothes
    - cultures
    - Fergie
    - music
    - piercings

    TS3 PS3
    - finally my Sims were able to have kids and age
    - I played it a lot with my cousin
    - it was easy to create drama now
    - I remember Sims disappearing from the game when the population limit was reached


    THE PETS PS2
    - Ghost hunting with cats
    - that huge mansion
    - My sims rarely had pets

    TS4
    - my first The Sims game for PC
    - I love B&B mode
    - clothes are good
    - vampires, get together and parenthood

    TS3
    - feels like home to me
    - story progression
    - body hair
    - generations EP
    - great game to create drama
    - Sims and world actually feel alive
    - the game feels a live
    - great clothes and hairstyles
    - so much things to do
    - TS3 for PC is my favourite
    - I really like cars in this game(tho I think that they wouldn't be that great in games like TS4)
    - SUPERNATURAL EP
    - store
    - body hair
    - create a style
    - and body hair again

    TS2
    - Amazing background strories
    - great animations
    - funny woohoo animation :lol:
    - where is Bella?
  • SikoahGraceSikoahGrace Posts: 1,399 Member
    The Sims 1: (It's been FORever since I played this but here goes)
    Hot Date
    Retail System
    Paying for the taxi
    Job seeking
    Relationship Building
    Vacation/Resorts
    It was my first Sims game and I plugged hours and hours into this game. Wasted my life away building, making Sims, and making them date.



    The Sims 2: (haven't play in years)
    Toddlers
    The first University system
    Bodyshop
    The Pleasants, Brokes, Goths (It is the only time I ever played them)
    Building my own stores.
    Dates
    Being able to make all the weird hybrid supernaturals
    Apartments
    Free time.
    The Sewing machine.
    The game where I started making stories for my Sims. Many hours were spent making sure I could tell their stories. Many,many hours...
    I loved it so much because as a new mom I could pause the game at any time and take care of my daughter. Also, we were poor. This provided all my entertainment back then.

    The Sims 3:
    Houseboats!!
    Swimming anywhere and everywhere I wanted.
    Fishing anywhere and everywhere I wanted.
    Ponds in my backyard.
    The Future! Hover boards, floating cars, the hologram trees and pictures.
    My lore save where I carefully concocted a story with all the supernaturals.
    Create a World. So many ideas, so little time.
    Create a pattern.
    Not feeling the need for custom content.
    A master controller/story progression mod that I liked and used.
    Random, weird events that seemed to happen all the time.
    Age slider.
    The ability to turn off certain seasons at any time.
    I loved farms!
    The turtles, snakes, and birds as minor pets.
    The tree houses.
    Kids that would play race car on the couch or pirate in the bathtub. SO cute!
    Slow dancing.
    Arcades
    Comic Book Stores
    Frog ponds. (yay for debug)
    Oh and those pretty snail spawners.
    Farms. My Sims had farms.
    Pets. Controlling pets.
    Being able to move my infant around. Wash them, bathe them, put them in a baby swing, rock them.
    Choices. SO many choices for careers, hobbies, and leisure for my sims. So many combinations of traits for them.

    The Sims 4:
    I love that there is no story progression. HELLO rotational saves!!
    Building.
    The ability to do multiple aspirations.
    The night clubs.
    Making my own holidays.
    Making my own clubs.
    The water slides.
    Seamlessly traveling through towns.
    My world feels alive. There are Sims everywhere I go and they are always doing something.
    Yoga.
    Customizing each town with a theme to my liking.
    Deleting Sims I dislike without any problems.
    Writing Career.
    Conservation Career (finally)
    The gardening system.

  • bombtoribombtori Posts: 30 Member
    Sims 1

    -Superstar...it really felt like you were a celebrity with the bus tours and star ranking. I worked really hard to maintain my number 1 spot! I also liked that the auditions were kind of hard and you had to figure out the pattern.
    -The build mode music! I don't know if it is just nostalgia but it just makes me happy to hear

    Sims 2
    -Attraction system. I would love making two sims I thought would have three lightening bolts but then one was more attracted to someone else. It was kind of cool that it worked with traits but some things couldn't be explained.
    -Seasons. The world that came with seasons was just so cozy. I also liked the aspect that it emphasized the different seasons as times to do different things (I think fall helped with career, spring with romance, etc.)
    -Memories were always fun. It felt like you were recording your sims life. I rely on a lot of imagination for my storylines in 3/4
    -The premade sims just seemed to have more drama associated. The game made it so these storylines would be triggered when you started to play the households so it felt like they were already established in their story
    -Private school headmaster visit
    -The bon voyage expansion pack really made it feel like you were on a tropical vacation with your sims. It was so romantic and I loved their tans.
    -Cars
    -Teenager interaction

    Sims 3
    -Being able to invest in local business. It really made you feel like your rich sims could take over the town
    -The different worlds had really different vibes and I liked that you could pick which neighborhoods to buy and download. Even the sims who lived there were different from other places. The Italian one was amazing. Roaring heights was really awesome too. I feel like they hit peak creativity with making immersive worlds.
    -The inclusion of werewolves and fairies on top of the standard vamps and witches was really fun.
    -Season's associated festivals. I loved taking my sims on family trips to the festival squares
    -Open world was pretty cool
    -I liked rabbit holes
    -Slow dancing (ditto sims 2)


    Sims 4
    -I would feel extremely limited if I didn't have the total face and body customization
    -The clothing is really nice. It took awhile, but it is the most modern and pretty clothing.
    -The worlds are so pretty. While it's not completely open world, you can still walk around your neighborhood which is a nice compromise
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