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The Sims 4: 2015- In Review
LukeThePlumbob
Posts: 203 Member
Sul Sul Everyone!
I just wanted to share my 2015 review of The Sims 4. I put in order, in my opinion, of how good all the content was, which was added in 2015.
Did you guys agree with my order? Which did you put in a different place? I really want to hear for you!
I just wanted to share my 2015 review of The Sims 4. I put in order, in my opinion, of how good all the content was, which was added in 2015.
Did you guys agree with my order? Which did you put in a different place? I really want to hear for you!
https://youtu.be/bxoxy00yYfs
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Comments
I have no memory of this place. Time to start anew I guess
To me at No.8 comes Get To Work. I really expected a lot from this EP and it turned out to be one of the worst. I think all other sims 4 packs have more value than GTW.
Its game play elements are the least I use in my game.
I'd swap Outdoor Retreat and put Get Together as #2. Get Together content wise to me feels very void, it's just the gameplay aspect it added made very shallow parts of TS4 much, much better. Hell half of the things in Get Together should've been added in a game pack, an entire EP for just what Get Together added was overkill. It reminds me of Sims 3 Generations, that EP to me felt like things that should've either been in the base game, a patch or part of another EP. So just for the fact that it made TS4 much more well rounded I'd put it as #2 even though as an EP it strikes me as a joke. (I love the name though, "Get Together"...as in..you know...devs get your crap together. Overused, I know
I agree as well. Although the Retail System isn't as good as OFB, I still run a business and have a lot of fun.
It's just not as well thoughtout.
The active careers entertained me over 6 months, and unlike Ambitions, the gameplay for each Career level changed and you do different things as you Level up. So that was awesome as well.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
For me I really felt (for the price involved) that Outdoor Retreat was number 8. In the end Granite Falls was little more than an overgrow park with a strange person running around in a bear costume and I only visited it three times and one of those was just for the express purpose of finding the secret lot, which was also lack luster and vaguely disappointing. I mean it was a house and an old person- yeah, not so exciting. It's just really a stuff pack to me.
After that I'd say, again based on cost-
7. GTW- Sure, like Outdoor Retreat it makes a good Stuff Pack and the retail might elevate the whole to Game Pack status but it's miserable execution of the active careers that dooms each of them to a progressively shorter game life after playing only one walk through also dooms it as a proper EP.
6. Cool Kitchen- It's a stuff pack, mis-marketed (they'll write that on EA/Maxis' tombstone as the cause of death someday) but actually pretty solid for what it was and not as bad as first thought after longer term play. I still don't use the Ice Cream Maker though.
5. Luxury Party- Solid Stuff Pack- not much more needs to be said then that- not everyone's cup of tea but still solid.
4. Perfect Patio- See Above, except it did at least have Hot Tubs and new Woo Hoo!
The Big Three:
3. Spooky Stuff- Despite being somewhat limited in it's application to the Sims game due to it's holiday nature (something that is determined by each player) it is as solid as they come in the realm of Stuff Pack. Incredibly well thought out and executed, especially for the price.
2. Spa Day- This was the pack that first gave me hope for the future of the Sims 4. It was cohesive and well thought out like Spooky Stuff above it. It was the high moment of the Sims at that point.
1. GT- It's a wonderfully realized pack with a fleshed out world, items and core game mechanic that changes the overall play of the entire game to an extent perhaps never done before with an EP. It's effect definitely competes with an Expansion like Seasons in it's nature.
7. Cool Kitchen
6. Perfect Patio
5. Spooky Stuff
4. Spa Day
3. Outdoor Retreat
2. Get to Work
1. Get Together
That's how I'd rank everything. Too lazy to get into details as to why though.
I just play with aging off until they finish them, like I did with Ambitions.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
6: Luxury Party - Don't really use it, and some of the textures of the items weren't as good as the rest of the packs.
5: Cool Kitchen - Love the CAS, but don't use the new items (yet) as much as I thought I would.
4: Perfect Patio - Love this stuff pack, amazing furniture, use it all the time.
3: Outdoor Retreat & Spa Day - Can't choose. I love the CAS and furniture in both, and it's awesome to take my Sims to the Spa or on Vacation. I love that we have Yoga classes (gets me excited for future classes) and I love exploring GF and learning Herbilism.
2: Get To Work: Although it has it's oversights, as a whole it's a lot of fun and I enjoy playing with it. They fixed my issues with the Retail Workers, and they work fine. I just love this pack, and my only issue is while Sixam looks stunning, I wish they did more with it. Also I wish Mag Prom didn't look so Willow Creekish, if it was going to be separate from WC.
1: GT - Love the world, love the Club system, the build buy, and CAS are all amazing.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
I was very excited about this pack. Open careers seemed very cool to me, but the more I played them the more repetitive and boring they became. I haven't touched active careers in months, and I doubt I ever will again. The retail system was also a huge let down for me. I hate that customers don't line up at the register and there are no shopping bags. You can't sell services, and trying to sell food and drinks becomes awkward since no one eats anything. Customers dance around and talk instead of browsing the store shopping. Just such a let down and it's last on the list for me.
7 Luxury Party
This stuff pack was okay. There was nothing amazing about it, but it got the job done. I don't use any of the items except the one table and occasionally the floor stars.
6 Perfect Patio
I liked the concept of perfect patio, and the theme was good but I don't really use the content much. Items looked better quality than Lux Stuff.
5 Cool Kitchen
I use the ice cream maker a lot. I love seeing my sims get brain freeze and the little effects each flavor gives is fun. It's true that a lot of it's content is CAS, but it's stuff I use all the time. Solid pack imo, though the theme is a bit muddied.
4 Spooky Stuff
This was probably the best stuff pack. It has a cohesive theme throughout and though you may not use these items year round, it was really charming. I think I got the most out of my 10 dollars with this one.
3 Spa Day
The yoga animations are wonderfully done and fun to watch. The cas items are nice as well, and there is a lot of game play in this pack. It only losses out to OR because I would have liked to see more recipes or a nod to vegans & vegetarians since living well is a huge part of that lifestyle.
2 Outdoor Retreat
Great theme, lots of stuff to do and a beautiful world. Lots of content, and good looking cas and buy items. Though camping and bug catching is not really my forte, I can't deny this pack is great for the money.
1 Get Together
I cannot speak highly enough of GT. Not only did we get new skills, a huge amount of items, and a beautiful new world, but this pack finally gave us some of the tools we've been asking for in terms of open ended play and customization. It's a huge step in the right direction and it gives me hope for the future of the game. This is the best piece of content so far.
8. Spooky Stuff. I hear it's great, but I generally don't do anything with holidays in the game for more than an hour or two each holiday, so I've skipped it for now. I will get it eventually just for the Centurion costume! But I'll wait for a sale for that, or gift money or something.
7. Cool Kitchen. I like and use the hair, a sweater, and occasionally a counter or the ice cream maker. I might get more use out of this pack in later gameplay, but not so much at the moment. Again, a personal gameplay taste thing, nothing that reflects on the quality of the pack itself.
6. Perfect Patio. I like the furniture and some of the hair, but I'm only using the hot tub very, very occasionally. Again, not really my thing. I bought this one because it fit well with Spa Day, but I haven't used it as much as I thought I would. I do think it's a very well designed pack, though, especially the hot tub. Just not targeted at me.
5. Luxury Party. I love all the sparkly clothes. Seriously. I especially love them for my entertainers and Aliens. This pack was, effectively, an Alien play add-on for me. I don't think it's as well designed a pack as Perfect Patio, or as I hear Spooky Stuff is for people who are into Halloween play, but I have a hard time reminding myself that some Sims ought to wear other things! The build/buy makes for great lounges and nightclubs too. My Adult Sims appreciate this pack.
4. Outdoor Retreat. I do love this pack, when I use it. The build/buy and CAS I get the most use out of: my hippie Sims and nature-oriented Sims and the like use it a lot. I also love the Granite Falls environment and soundscape; it soothes me. That said, there are restrictions in the experience that pull back a bit; every time I go on vacation there with multiple Sims, I dearly wish they'd hike together, and show each other things. I haven't explored herbalism much because I end up missing witches when I start. I've never tried to find the hermit.
3. Spa Day. This pack is beautifully conceived and executed. The build/buy is wonderfully contemporary. The meditation and yoga have a bit of humor and a lot of genuine beauty. The blend of whimsy and elegance is spot on in this pack. The other day, I saw a Sim have her first levitation: it was a lovely, sweetly funny moment! The only reason this pack isn't higher on my list is that there are limits to the gameplay, for me personally, that means it will be, in the end, a corner of my game. But a really great corner.
2. Get to Work. I know this pack has all sorts of flaws - it didn't solve multiple-use lots; it's retail-only, not service business as well; retail is hard in it; the careers can be drudgy and overly specific in their tasks; there's no in-game control for Alien presence; my played Scientist Sims will never meet each other at work. But I still love it, and have been having lots of fun, and still have lots of it to play. The Scientist career felt like I was living in a Pixar movie, in a really, really good way. I hope that whoever designed the Invention Constructor got an extra big bonus this year. I love the whole Alien disguise thing. I'd played Aliens before, but never craved playing them the way I do now. There are just so many stories to be told about Aliens living among Sims! I'm enjoying having retail of my own design for my Sims to shop in. I've yet to do the other careers but I'm eyeing a Detective career for a young adult Sim who I think will get bored of just clubbing all the time.
1. Get Together. So much about this pack is wonderful. I love the pubs and their activities, and the cafés, and the natural pools. The dancing skill surprised me with how fun it is, even if it's too short in gameplay, the town is beautiful with lots of attention to small details - I love hearing the clock tower chime, and finding pigeons around. The whole package of world and activities feels like my ideal life, and I'm grateful for that. But the life I can create in the world, as a micromanager of clubs? That's not a countable thing, so perhaps easy to discount, and perhaps not a big deal for players who don't take over their whole world. But I do play the whole world: all the other Sims are the setting for my Sims' stories, and they are a setting I determine. And now, I can determine so much more about their flow and behavior, and I love it! I've only scratched the surface of what it can do - I see so many Simmers trying things I'd never have thought of using this tool - but it's already the add-on I can't imagine doing without. Super-extra bonuses were had, I hope.
7. Spooky Stuff
6. Cool Kitchen
5. Perfect Patio
4. Luxury Party
3. Outdoor Retreat
2. Spa Day
1. Get Together
I'd definitely rank GTW far behind any release, perhaps just a bit behind TS3: Showtime, and that's only because Showtime has the open world to take advantage of. Careers don't work well in a closed world, as you MUST sacrifice playing with the Sims at home in favor of the one at the workplace which isn't ideal at all. Aside from that, I found them to be way too limited and restrictive of creativity, and the retail portion was nowhere near as fun, fleshed out, and expansive as TS2: OFB. Even having bought this on sale, I feel it wasn't worth it and could have gone without the EP entirely.
Get Together was much better, and the group/club system allows for much player freedom and creativity. Sims in groups act much more natural and realistic, which is very nice as well. Windenburg is a very nicely designed world, but now it sort of feels like the base game worlds are an absolute mess and very unimpressive compared to what could have been. Anyway, I think GT should have had more group activities and new gameplay for 2+ Sims.
8 Luxury Party
7 Cool Kitchens
6 Spooky Stuff
5 Spa Day
4 Perfect Patio
3 Outdoor Retreat
2 Get Together
1 Get to Work
I put it in that order because I saw no need for LP or CK in my game and still don't.
While spooky stuff is great with loads of content, I just don't see the need for a lot of it year round and that's why id gets pushed back for me. Spa Day is great, but like you, I only bother to use the home method of yoga mats or meditation stools and rarely send my sims to a spa. But I will add that I really do love the build/buy with that pack and use that quite often.
My sims have always had a hot tub and that's why I put PP over Spa Day. And I love the patio furniture in it. It was my favorite SP up until today with the release of Home TV.
I put both GT and GTW above OR only because of how they each change the game. I cannot see my game without my stores, or some of my sims in the careers. And I cannot see it now without groups and how that changes the base of the game or how the game is played.
I love OR, but I am doing without other vacation destinations so far and I am sure even though I love my time in GF, I could live without it. But no. Give me more vacation destinations EA! I love OR!