Into The Future is very niche, the theme itself as well as the outfits, hairstyles and objects.
Funny story (but true) I have had this expansion pack for about 3-4 years now but I never played a save with it... I *am* a fan of time-travel stories, but I never had the chance to try it in game, I tend to stick to my realistic saves in my little spare time...
And even Supernatural has more essential objects for a realistic game (compared to ITF).
Into the future - I will sometimes use the pair of shorts for females it comes with or the baby crib and high chair. But other than that, the only time I use the pack is if I am using it for a very specific purpose. I don't just casually integrate it into my gameplay like I would with another pack like I can with pets, generations, or late night. I have to have a specific reason and story line for why I am using the pack, It also doesn't help that kids can't travel into the future and there isn't a school default placed in Oasis Landing. Like yes you can place one with edit world, and I have found a mod that lets kids travel to the future. But that involved me going and having to search a mod out to find a solution to a 'problem'.
The only reason I still have Pets installed is for the items. When I first got it I played with pets all the time and practically lived in Appaloosa Plains. Now, I don't create or adopt pets at all or even select the town anymore. If I didn't use the build/buy items I probably would have disabled it to put less stress on my game.
I would say Supernatural & Into The Future are the two least essential. IMO, the paranormal and science fiction elements of The Sims work best in small doses, as a gimmick off the beaten path. This is why I really enjoy playing as a Simbot or alien, but rarely play as the life states from Supernatural. Supernatural and Into The Future oversaturate the game with the more farfetched elements of the series, and to me, that detracts from their appeal.
Neither of them are poorly executed; they work as fun gimmicks, but I rarely use them as part of my regular gameplay unless I've completely exhausted all other methods of having fun with the game. If do begin to lose interest, I begin travelling to the future, winning the lottery several times over, building Plumbots and bringing them back to the present just for some OP ridiculousness before I drop the game for a few months.
There are some items from ITF that I use on a regular basis - the wardrobe, dresser and coffee table, to be exact. I like the ultra-modern aesthetic, and ITF provides some of that, though I mostly rely on High-End Loft Stuff. I've never cared for the gothic aesthetic of Supernatural.
I regret voting for ITF now, because upon further thought, if I had to pick one of the two to jettison, it would have to be Supernatural, simply because I prefer science fiction over fantasy, and as aforementioned, I use the pack's features on occasion.
In terms of pure quality, Showtime is the worst EP, significantly. It seemingly existed exclusively to facilitate the Katy Perry brand deal. But, I still use a few of the items from the EP on a regular basis, thus I cannot call it unessential.
Comments
Funny story (but true) I have had this expansion pack for about 3-4 years now but I never played a save with it... I *am* a fan of time-travel stories, but I never had the chance to try it in game, I tend to stick to my realistic saves in my little spare time...
And even Supernatural has more essential objects for a realistic game (compared to ITF).
Neither of them are poorly executed; they work as fun gimmicks, but I rarely use them as part of my regular gameplay unless I've completely exhausted all other methods of having fun with the game. If do begin to lose interest, I begin travelling to the future, winning the lottery several times over, building Plumbots and bringing them back to the present just for some OP ridiculousness before I drop the game for a few months.
There are some items from ITF that I use on a regular basis - the wardrobe, dresser and coffee table, to be exact. I like the ultra-modern aesthetic, and ITF provides some of that, though I mostly rely on High-End Loft Stuff. I've never cared for the gothic aesthetic of Supernatural.
I regret voting for ITF now, because upon further thought, if I had to pick one of the two to jettison, it would have to be Supernatural, simply because I prefer science fiction over fantasy, and as aforementioned, I use the pack's features on occasion.
In terms of pure quality, Showtime is the worst EP, significantly. It seemingly existed exclusively to facilitate the Katy Perry brand deal. But, I still use a few of the items from the EP on a regular basis, thus I cannot call it unessential.