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What does sims 2 have that is lacking in sims 4

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  • BettyNewbie1BettyNewbie1 Posts: 336 Member
    It's the little things. My sim can be resting in bed, while her husband lays next to her and reads a magazine. (The Sims 2 console.)
  • LogicallyironicLogicallyironic Posts: 137 Member
    Oh boy.

    So my friend started playing with Sims 4 and the difference between my perception of the series (started playing when I was 7, have played all titles extensively) is wildly different.

    The Sims 4 is only fun with mods. Not just CC to make your sims look pretty, but actual gameplay introducing mods. Even then, the sims themselves can only carry the additional gameplay so far. My friend and I play Sims 4 with WW, basemental, etc. etc. etc. Does it make the game fun? Sure. But it feels more like GTA and less like the Sims.

    I have been having so much fun with Sims 2 recently that even returning to Sims 3 is hard, much less Sims 4. (Granted it doesn't help that my PC is low-end, but I digress). The ONLY real mod I play with is ACR, because it makes romance sims more fun and more challenging. Of course I have CC to make my sims ~beautiful~, but I'd still play the game without any.

    The sims themselves feel so much more alive than in Sims 4. They're the most expressive in the most realistic way. Even though emotions were treated as revolutionary for TS4, they have gone alllll the way back to TS3 (moodlets) and TS2 (implied emotions). In the Sims 2, even though I don't have text telling me "so-and-so is feeling tense" because she's a sloppy sim I forced to clean, she complains, slowly trudges to the task, sighs when she's done. It's not super theatrical, but I can still tell what is going on with my sim without it being spoon-fed to me. And that's the first key difference: Sims feel like real mini-people in Sims 2. Like others have said, sims in Sims 4 are like animated barbies with a lot of text attached to them.

    The other key difference is that Sims actually want to do something with their lives. In Sims 4, the sims just kind of idle around the house and swipe on their phone. Their "aspirations" are just a checklist of easy to obtain and superficial goals. My simself's aspiration, AKA her dream for her entire life, was to have a lot of columns. I go "okay" and give her some more columns. Life goal achieved.

    Even if I can change her aspiration later, it makes them have no depth or purpose. My friend, who started on TS4, doesn't quite understand my disappointment at having sims that just float around until you force them to do something (they'll probably like) because for her the Sims is about forcing mini people to do what you want so you can watch it happen.

    On the contrary, my Sims 2 sim is a romance sim. So she's juggling five boyfriends, has a daughter (thanks to ACR) from one of those boyfriends, and thanks to her wants and fears I know that she has no plan to stop and WHO and HOW she wants to keep going. On top of that, she has a random Lifetime Want that's completely unrelated: to be a celebrity chef. I didn't choose it, I had no clue creating her that my gothic playgirl would want to pursue the culinary career, but I based her career and skill-building off of her want. And that's what I love about the Sims 2. Even though you have some degree of control in CAS and as the player, your sims still seem to have a personality and mind of their own. With a romance sim, chemistry is another amazing addition to this feeling. Sometimes, when I don't see any sims that are to MY liking, I let my sims scope the room and pick for herself. Even though I'm usually veryyyy disappointed in her choice of strange-looking townie, I respect her decision.

    These are just the two BIG reasons. The lore, small details, aesthetic, memories, and so much more all contribute to The Sims 2 being my absolute favorite.

    TLDR - The style of gameplay that I've grown to love is a trademark of The Sims 2, but not possible with Sims 4. :)))))
  • nanashi-simsnanashi-sims Posts: 4,140 Member
    edited April 2021
    The ability to keep my interest... :D

    TS2 is a timeless game. TS4 would be awesome if it were more focused on the sims and their interactions and not so focused on pie-menus, viz., pie menus shouldn't substitute actual gameplay, and if sims could surprise like they do in TS2, and if it weren't so goal/collect-them-all oriented.
  • waterywatermelonwaterywatermelon Posts: 473 Member
    HAHAHA... this thread pretty much sums up the Plants vs Zombies community. The Plants vs Zombies game (2009) took place around the same time as The Sims 3, and The Sims 3 Supernatural really advertised Plants vs Zombies. I didn't get to play the game until recently, it went on sale for just a dollar, then purchased it with leftover funds on my EA Wallet. I have already completed the Adventure mode and got my silver trophy. It's quite entertaining.

    Anyway, EA has bought out PopCap games and made Plants vs Zombies into a franchise, but old-time gamers complain that the newer versions don't have the same quality as the first one, because EA is a big-time moneygrabber.

    RIP to The Sims franchise.
    RIP to Plants vs. Zombies.
  • Destin2016Destin2016 Posts: 568 Member
    🤣🤣🤣. Uummmm.... everything!!
    You like me because I'm a scoundrel. There aren't enough scoundrels in your life.
  • ElisdreamElisdream Posts: 295 Member
    Sims 4 doesn't make sense. It has no cohesion. It has no animations. Has beautiful landscape that you can not interact with. Sims have no personality. They're all the same, no matter how much you customizer their appearance, they act the same. Their interactions with each other are practically non-existent, and full of recycled animations.

    Sims 2 feels like sims are actually real persons. The amount of animations and interactions are beautiful. Even if sims are not doing anything, they have body lenguage, they'd wave their kids hi/gbye, they'd praise/scold the dog, they can feel happy or depressed and show it. Depressed sims with low aspiration bar would start crying. Kids would slice down the stairs when they're happy/energetic. And I want to say it's weird that you find your sim just standing /doing nothing,in comparison to the sims 4, that all they do is standing and look at their phone.
    You'll always find your sim doing something, I think the big amount of interactions gives the sims this effect of feeling like they're alive. They'd be petting a cat, they'd be in the garden smelling the flowers, kids be jumping the rope, or playing tag with their siblings, you'd sent your sims to make their beds, and if they're playful they'll end up having a pillow fight.
    And a big etcetera!
  • ElisdreamElisdream Posts: 295 Member
    edited May 2021
    Sims 4 feels like when baking a cake that goes bad and you want to fix it by decorating the top so it doesn't look as bad, but it doesn't taste like anything or it still taste funny if you try it. While sims 2 is the weird looking cake everybody's mom used to bake for birthdays that just taste delicious and make you want to take another piece. 😋 🍰
  • OugonmusouOugonmusou Posts: 33 Member
    Playing the Sims 2 actually makes you feel like playing a game and it's fun. Expansions and mods in the Sims 2 actually enhances the already good gameplay and build on what is already in the base game. I can't say the same with Sims 4 because it's unplayable WITHOUT mods and all those DLCs they force you to buy to actually make the game fun. Without modders, is the Sims 4 even worth playing? My verdict? Nope. (Plus I do not like how you're expected to spend over $700 on everything and this is basegame included in order to make the game playable. You convert that to any other country's currency and it's bloody expensive)
    I am just a simple Sims 2 lore addict
  • KkffooKkffoo Posts: 51 Member
    I never actually played the sims 2 properly first time around, I was so excited at the idea of being able to build my little town. I've been influenced by social media to go back and have another go, and I'm finding it very rewarding.

    I missed out on sims 3 altogether, and I love it now, sometimes I just watch the sims and traffic go by, other times I'll play.
    When sims 4 came out I played with it in every way I could think of, and then I ran out of ideas.
    I set up an experiment to play 2,3 and 4 in rotation so I could see how I feel about them all.

    On my last sims 4 game my sim was short of fun, she had visited the region from eco living and I wasn't that familiar with it, so I clicked autosolve to see where she went. She looked around, seemingly short of ideas herself, then grabbed her phone, and stood staring at it zombie style while her fun bar slowly raised. This was not fun for me.

    In my last sims 3 save, my sim has started adding roommates to his house to help fund his (modder made) accountancy and finance course. It feels like he is in a 'real' situation, it's easy to work what he is thinking, even though all the thoughts aren't on the screen. I can relate to him. I love that he lives in an open and alive city, and that I can other sims living their lives.

    Sims 2 takes longer to get into, I would have missed out altogether if it were not for information and videos from keen players. Especially now, there isn't the graphic bling to draw people in. I'm very glad I did make the effort to get it working again and explore this properly.

    If we are talking food analogies, sims 4 is sugary gateau with many swirls and chocolate flakes which you really fancy, but regret eating afterwards. Sims 3 is fruit cake, full of different flavours, but you couldn't eat too much. Sims 2 is yorkshire parkin, the alchemists cake which looks a bit dull from the outside, but transforms with time into something very rich and special.
  • o0Sazie0oo0Sazie0o Posts: 29 Member
    Sims 4 is very restricted. In Sims 2, you have more freedom. More creativity and it feels real.
    Modding in Sims 2 has less restrictions but in Sims 4, it's almost impossible to mod it past a point.

    Cause really, no matter how many mods you add in Sims 4, it still has that dull feeling like nothing matters and everything is plastic.
  • EricasFreePlayEricasFreePlay Posts: 849 Member
    edited October 2021
    I just finished a fairly long play session of Sims 2 and I keep getting reminded of why this game is such a gem after 17 years. When I played Sims 4, I could only play for an hour before I got bored and that was with the packs I have installed.

    Everything this game contains is just hands down the best in the series. I love everything that it comes with.

    I add the following neighborhoods to my game whenever I load it on a new laptop:

    Bitville, Four Corners, Sedona, Garden Heights, Arbor Falls, Mesa Flats, Riverside. These need to be added to the game if EA ever releases an updated version of the UC for players. The Sims from these towns give me a larger pool to find future Sim spouses (especially since I play from the University pack with Young Adult Sims).

    I love the relationship system in this game. Sims actually BUILD a relationship with their future spouse. Sometimes the Evil Cow mascot gets in the way and things hit rock bottom. I love trying to repair relationships when this happens because the Sims are meant to be together. You actually get to see Jealousy, Fury, Chemistry, Attraction occur.

    I love the detail given to Community Lots. You can actually get a lot done on a lot and not keep your Sims stuck at home skilling.

    Memories, Wants, Fears and Aspirations actually have meaning in this game. If I need to remember when a particular event happened, I can just look at their memories. The Wants and Fears help me keep their Aspiration levels high.

    Lifetime Wants are another thing that help me play the game. They tell me what a Sim wants to do in their life. I choose them in college so I can start building skill points and making friends to get into the career my Sim wants to pursue.

    I do use one tiny piece of CC in my game and that is the College Adjuster. This allows me to roll for new Lifetime Wants if the Want does not match my Sim's major in University. Also, I can change the time of their semester finals so they don't occur in the middle of the night (from 10 PM to 6 AM).

    Customization may be lacking in terms of Sim appearance, objects, clothing, etc but I find it just right for my game play style.

    Sims 4 has NONE of what I just described above and this is why I keep coming back to a 17 year old game.
  • ModernDayM0zartModernDayM0zart Posts: 20 Member
    In Sims 4 from my experience, my sim can just cheat on his spouse and she would still be gucci. Not even a slight agitation lmao. While in Sims 2, your other Partner Sim can just sense that you are cheating on them without even looking as long as they are in the lot. Also like others said, emotions etc... like the Personality section of Sims
  • LexstraLexstra Posts: 18 Member
    Where can i even get sims 2 from? i miss it so much
  • Destin2016Destin2016 Posts: 568 Member
    @Lexstra check out the Sims 2 Reddit. All kinds of helpful info there.
    You like me because I'm a scoundrel. There aren't enough scoundrels in your life.
  • lisamwittlisamwitt Posts: 5,079 Member
    So much depth to everything. It's been over a year since I played, since I got my current laptop. The kids kept saying that I could put it on their gaming desktop but I kept saying no... I've got 4 on my laptop. I finally said yes a few days ago when my son said he'd set it up simply because he was bored and he knew I was busy.

    Oh how I missed it! Sims 4 is better in a lot of ways, but somehow Sims 2 still blows it away with it's depth.
    Gallery ID: LadyGray01
  • Mizzila1297Mizzila1297 Posts: 620 Member
    My biggest thing comparing TS4 and TS2 is that in Sims 2, things are just generally... more difficult? It's not easy to raise a bunch of toddlers. You don't get nearly as much free will/toggle options, you can't adjust age spans, etc. etc. It's a very simple game, which I love! I love The Sims 4 as well, but when I'm wanting a very challenging game? The Sims 2 is where it's at.

    I noticed even leveling up in Careers and stuff is more difficult in the sims 2. You have friend requirements in addition to skill requirements. It's a LOT harder for me to earn money in The Sims 2 (though it can be done, fortunes can definitely be made)... And Open For Business is still my all time favorite Sims Expansion out of all 4 games.

    But then TS2 is missing a lot TS4 offers, too! Especially in build/buy mode and customization options. I just... miss how simplistic yet challenging The Sims 2 was overall and really wish some challenge was incorporated in The Sims 4 without having to use mods, cheats or other "work arounds" to make the game a difficulty above "Extra Extra Easy"
  • 83bienchen83bienchen Posts: 2,553 Member
    Love this thread.

    Aspiration Meters
    Meaningful wants and fears
    Deep personalities
    Individual animations for social interactions
    Clever genetics
    Real babies
    Attraction system
    Challenging and engaging gameplay
    A simple yet very usable memory system

    This list is by no means exhaustive.
    Now now EA, don't be stinking up our lovely lavender bath with your shopping fart. - My TS4 mods - Gallery ID: 83bienchen
  • bevillebeville Posts: 1,151 Member
    Oranges trees ,cars, juice maker, hot chocolate maker, pool tables and poolslide.
  • ignominiusrexignominiusrex Posts: 2,680 Member
    Romance interactions so realistic and steamy that vanilla gameplay is plenty exciting!

    Not only ways to dance together, but ways to do it romantically and platonically, and the "classic dance" is really beautiful and includes a smokin dip plus kiss so it looks like real passion, not some dance contest.

    So many great animations and interactions for kids and parents, and the animations are so good. Kids can play clap games like Miss Mary Mack, play cops and robbers, tag, catch, toss a football, even ride around on parents' feet or be swung around like in real life.

    Things are challenging but not frustrating to the point of hopeless. Challenging enough to be engaging, and rewarding.

    Things matter and have consequences, so it doesn't feel like one Sim may as well be another with a different skin.
    You can call me Iggy or Rex (he/him) 10 ways to Fight Hate
    ```
    wonderfullymade.jpg
  • SimCrazySimCrazy Posts: 9,908 Member
    Um, a wants system
  • EricasFreePlayEricasFreePlay Posts: 849 Member
    edited March 2022
    I forgot one detail in my long winded reply above. I left out the fact that when I save a neighborhood in Sims 2, it is exactly the same when I go back in the next time I want to play. There is no Story Progression or Neighborhood Progression in Sims 2. Sims in the Base Neighborhoods do not carry on their daily lives while I play a Young Adult in University, and vice versa (Young Adults in University do not carry on their college lives while I play the Base Neighborhood).
    Post edited by EricasFreePlay on
  • Sunflowergal227Sunflowergal227 Posts: 305 Member
    I forgot one detail in my long winded reply above. I left out the fact that when I save a neighborhood in Sims 2, it is exactly the same when I go back in the next time I want to play. There is no Story Progression or Neighborhood Progression in Sims 2. Sims in the Base Neighborhoods do not carry on their daily lives while I play a Young Adult in University, and vice versa (Young Adults in University do not carry on their college lives while I play the Base Neighborhood).

    This is also a feature that i like. i don't have to worry about Polination TEch dying while his daughter is in college!
    Favorite EP/SP
    Sims 2 (All EPs/SPs)
    Sims 3 Showtime
    Sims 3 Generations
    My Sims 3 profile page: https://mypage.thesims3.com/mypage/Sunflowergal227
  • ignominiusrexignominiusrex Posts: 2,680 Member
    I keep getting pleasant surprises seeing great animations and new little details. In Sims4, you can run through everything that is possible in one sitting, and then they all start to seem a bit like those toys that do a set number of things when you push different buttons: the play value is very limited. Sims4 sims are less like people and more like simple electronic toys.
    You can call me Iggy or Rex (he/him) 10 ways to Fight Hate
    ```
    wonderfullymade.jpg
  • Redd99Redd99 Posts: 3 New Member
    Thank you first of all for reading my comment I know I’m years off but it has been about 8 years since Sims 4 was released.I grew up playing Sims all the way from the first sims. I would love to see the Spin Offs to make a comeback actually. Especially Castaway stories I was in love with that one, it can be revamped and I loved the Idea of the survival mode. It was giving virtual villagers vibes and it just had me stuck for hours on end.
  • FoxInSocksFoxInSocks Posts: 18 Member
    Chaos! The random things that happen. The social bunny (I can't remember if that was sims 2 or 3) repo man, uhmm..I haven't played in so long so I'm trying to remember. I know that in university there's a cow mascot that comes in and sets the sprinklers off. It was the random npcs for me I guess. And just a personal thing is that the sims 3 genetics with pets was chefs kiss in my option. You got beautiful mixtures of each parent and in sims 4 you usually get either a mini mom or dad.
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