User Score
4.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 2630 Ratings

User score distribution:
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
  1. Oct 18, 2014
    4
    This game reeks of potential. As a base this game has a lot of room to grow. . . That being said. This is simply a base. There is nothing there. The neighborhoods are TINY, the careers are ridiculously stupid, and all of the outlying factors make the game-play incredibly lacking.

    Despite the many flaws of this game (to many to list) the selling point of The Sims 4 was supposed to be
    This game reeks of potential. As a base this game has a lot of room to grow. . . That being said. This is simply a base. There is nothing there. The neighborhoods are TINY, the careers are ridiculously stupid, and all of the outlying factors make the game-play incredibly lacking.

    Despite the many flaws of this game (to many to list) the selling point of The Sims 4 was supposed to be its simplicity. They wanted to make it easier. Easier than what? The last word I would use to describe The Sims franchise is hard. Everything has been dumbed-down to the point that it completely looses its functionality. Placing houses is incredibly easy, placing houses correctly is **** impossible. I continuously find myself placing houses with front doors facing away from the street and into a field, and this theme is constantly recurring all throughout the game, things are easy to do, just not properly.

    Being that this is the "base game" I imagine it ill be improved upon. With the previous Sims installments each DLC was accompanied by a free update that improved the overall functionality of the "base game". I would say it would be fair to assume that after 5-6 expansions have been released, the base game will have gotten enough updates to be playable.

    Unfortunately, The Sims always feels incomplete until a lot of DLC has been developed and released to expand the game-play. It always feels like something is missing. I find it likely that this will also be the same for The Sims 4 but on a much broader and lengthier scale. I would wait about a year and a half before purchasing this game.
    Expand
  2. Sep 23, 2014
    4
    The Sims has been my favorite franchise since its release in 2000 and this is the first time in the series' long run that I have truly felt disappointed. Disappointed, I should add, in much the same way I was disappointed with SimCity and what's happened to that franchise. At this point I truly abhor EA, as it feels like the decisions made regarding these classic games have been made byThe Sims has been my favorite franchise since its release in 2000 and this is the first time in the series' long run that I have truly felt disappointed. Disappointed, I should add, in much the same way I was disappointed with SimCity and what's happened to that franchise. At this point I truly abhor EA, as it feels like the decisions made regarding these classic games have been made by the same committee who decided to improve upon the wheel by making it square.

    There are good aspects to this game, it's not a 0 or 1 rating game, as so many people are trigger-fingering here. The user interface has undergone a much-needed facelift and after a short and awkward learning-curve, you find it's far more intuitive and well-placed, opening up the majority of the screen to watch the game rather than be cluttered with information. The way specific skills level up seems more natural, and the addition of new skills like 'comedy' when talking or traits like 'introspective' when not being social for a while is cool. The graphics, lighting, effects, music, all still good, but compared to the difference between Sims and Sims 2 or Sims 2 and Sims 3, this is easily the smallest leap and I've noticed some people are annoyed at the slightly more cartoonish approach. I am not bothered by it.

    I'd love to say there's a lot more to love about this game, but there's not. Sims 2 introduced a whole host of improvements, notably an 'open world' type system. Sims 3 introduced a ridiculously innovative style system of textures and colors, among many other improvements. Sims 4 strips all of these things away and claims its big introduction (something so good it had to replace those other things) - moods and multitasking. If added to the already awesome additions of the previous games, fine. Great, even. I like multitasking - watching tv while eating and talking is nifty. But for as unexciting as that is, the moods system is even less exciting. Yes, now moods affect things, particularly how you engage in conversation (always has, though, really), but now you get corresponding facial expressions, body language, and animations. Again, add these innovations on top of the previous innovations, and fine.

    But removing previous advances, especially the style-swapping features of Sims 3, has caused this game to feel like a big step backwards. I mean big. Feverishly looking for the eyedropper tool as I style a room, only to be reminded yet again that the function was totally removed, is the hugest bummer. Yeah they took out swimming pools and toddlers and ... whatever ... I want the ability to style everything the way I like it. With that one single feature gone, the game has lost an entire level of engagement for me. Add to that the missing open world design of previous games, and then, yes, a freaking universe of items - and this thing feels like just a totally incomplete shadow of former Sims games. A real letdown.

    I am playing it and supporting the series for one reason and one reason alone - out of the hands of EA, I think this game could be revived (I feel the same way about SimCity). I honestly have no idea if EA is even directly responsible for these ridiculous design decisions or not, but I know that everything EA has touched in the last five years or so has turned to complete you-know-what.

    The game isn't worth buying for sixty dollars right now. Period. It's a practically empty shell of a game where your only real aspirations are to become friends with people in your direct vicinity and maybe eat and do dishes, watch tv, go to sleep, rinse repeat. There's practically nothing here anymore, feels like very little to do. The interest in seeing how moods affect things wore off after about 15 minutes of playing and I longed for the ability to at least lose myself in styling things to my content. I'll go back to the Sims 3 where I've got Sims in college, on vacation, and everything looks badass because I made it that way. I can do without the moods. I'll be in a better one myself with all the stuff missing from Sims 4.
    Expand
  3. Sep 3, 2014
    4
    Small SMALL worlds make this sim seem like a hugh step backwards. More than anything else they did to this game the change from open world to this new model are game breaking for me. I don't mind so much that they use zones but the way they did it make it seems more like a table or xbox game than a pc game. No 64bit support wtf? If they had a open world area with the housing hoods aroundSmall SMALL worlds make this sim seem like a hugh step backwards. More than anything else they did to this game the change from open world to this new model are game breaking for me. I don't mind so much that they use zones but the way they did it make it seems more like a table or xbox game than a pc game. No 64bit support wtf? If they had a open world area with the housing hoods around it that probably would have been ok but the way the did it makes it seem like sims 2.5 not sims 4 Expand
  4. Sep 12, 2014
    4
    The Sims 4 is a game that takes EA's franchise one step forward and three steps back, with certain welcome features but a number of shocking omissions. Good music and graphics result in a polished game, but a single play-through exposes the limitations of this game compared to The Sims 3.

    The game starts off by giving you a good impression – loading times are noticeably shorter than
    The Sims 4 is a game that takes EA's franchise one step forward and three steps back, with certain welcome features but a number of shocking omissions. Good music and graphics result in a polished game, but a single play-through exposes the limitations of this game compared to The Sims 3.

    The game starts off by giving you a good impression – loading times are noticeably shorter than they are in The Sims 3, allowing you to jump straight into Create-A-Sim Mode. It is here that the development time spent on The Sims 4 shines through, with virtually any part of the Sim being adjustable with an easy click-and-drag. One criticism of this mode is that while the functionality is improved, the organisation of the entire mode is not. For example, accessories on the face and accessories on the body are in separate categories. Furthermore, players (as far as I know) have to click on the Sims’ bodies at some point to get to other settings, as opposed to The Sims 3 in which every setting was accessible from the buttons at the side. Filters for clothing, while handy, are somewhat tedious to use because they do not switch themselves off when you switch to a different set of clothes (e.g. from everyday to formal) and they aren't always onscreen, necessitating a few more clicks than one would like.

    Create-A-Style is absent, and perhaps the second-biggest turn off in The Sims 4. While EA has sensibly chosen to include more styles for each set of clothes, furniture, tiles and wall coverings, the lack of this feature means that if you wanted to make a copy of a house, The Sims 3 would give you much closer results. The exclusion of this feature brings us back by a decade to The Sims 2. In defense of The Sims 4 though, the addition of wall heights, movable rooms, easy-to-build foundations and roof trims make the rest of build mode more powerful than before. Oh wait, swimming pools and basements are missing too.

    So the second-biggest turn off is Create-A-Style. What’s the biggest? The Sims 3 came with an open world mode, allowing players to follow the Sims inside and outside their house. The Sims 4 doesn't. Loading screens separate any movement of Sims outside their homes, save for the two or three other houses in the same area. Granted, these loading times are short. However, they also take a lot of immersion out of the game, so I could either choose to have limited but immersive gameplay by making my Sims stay at home only, as opposed to going to community lots, or I could choose to tolerate the loading screens which do nothing except make me wish I was back playing The Sims 3.

    No review of The Sims 3 would be complete without talking about the new mood system. In my opinion, I do not care much for it. My Sims fluctuate between fine and happy very often, and every time this happens there will be some music to indicate this (and the music cannot be switched off). Little moodlets that Sims can have determine the final mood of the Sim. If my Sim happens to have +2 angry but +3 confident, then that Sim will be confident and not show any signs of anger at all. After a while, the confidence wore off and my Sim switched from confident to being angry. All the while my brain is screaming “That’s not how moods work!” and now both the Sim and I are angry.

    In Life mode, social motives take a lot more work to keep high, and chatting online is now virtually useless. Sims can talk for hours on end online and still not be particularly satisfied. Romance is improved to be more realistic, as it actually takes more work to build a romantic relationship, whereas in The Sims 3 you could spam romantic interactions and get your Sims married in a few in-game hours. Despite this, the game still feels backward because as stated above, there is no open world. Sadly, the absence of the open-world means that EA could put 50 new features in the game and still not make it as satisfying as The Sims 3 was. The sadder thing is that EA didn't put 50 new features in the game anyway. To depress you further, the maximum height of buildings is now three storeys instead of five.

    So let me now end off with the positives. The performance of the game is better on the same hardware than The Sims 3. The music sounds good. Sims look better. The user interface, as a whole, looks much more modern. The grass is greener? I’m struggling to come up with more positives already. The same can’t be said for the negatives of the game – here’s another three. Traits are more limited, careers are simplified and limited anyway, cars are gone, and toddlers have vanished. Oh wait, that was four. What more do I have to say? The Sims 4 looks polished enough to be branded an EA game, but is nowhere near complete enough to be a part of The Sims. The disastrous thing is that if the Sims 4 is successful, there weren't be a Sims 5 (Google it). So if you have a copy of The Sims 3, keep it well. You might be playing it for a while.
    Expand
  5. Oct 1, 2014
    4
    While a pretty good game in itself, it's hard to judge Sims 4 without comparing it to the previous versions in the franchise. The constant loading screens are quite annoying and the lack of features compared to release versions of 2 and 3 are very blatant. The good.. the character creation and house building is much better and more streamlined than in S3, but lacks options. TheWhile a pretty good game in itself, it's hard to judge Sims 4 without comparing it to the previous versions in the franchise. The constant loading screens are quite annoying and the lack of features compared to release versions of 2 and 3 are very blatant. The good.. the character creation and house building is much better and more streamlined than in S3, but lacks options. The multitasking feature is a great addition, and would have been worthy of its own expansion to S3. Expand
  6. Sep 6, 2014
    4
    EA strikes again.
    Dumbed down & gutted for later DLC sales.
    Expect the "pool party" & the "growing up" DLC's soon for a mere 20-30 bucks.

    Used to be "EA games, challenge everything" now it's "EA games, charge everything"
  7. Sep 2, 2014
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Just wait for the game that me and Will made, The Sims 4 Religions with personal intentions and beliefs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Sims 4 can be also a good game but without me lead tester Jomar Divina and Will Wright, the game would suck than The Sims 1 and 2, Plus with the Baptist Church, The Old Path and 700 Club Asia exclusive live doctrines, game coming soon early 2016. Expand
  8. Nov 20, 2014
    4
    Never been a fan of the Sims series but when I bought this for my girlfriend a few months back, I thought I'd give it a try. Firstly, she is a die-hard Sims fan, and she doesn't even play this. Whilst it seems intuitive, bright and bubbly, I must warn Ye' it's all a facade. Behind the initial wall of pop is a long line of mediocrity in all shapes and form. I only put two hours into thisNever been a fan of the Sims series but when I bought this for my girlfriend a few months back, I thought I'd give it a try. Firstly, she is a die-hard Sims fan, and she doesn't even play this. Whilst it seems intuitive, bright and bubbly, I must warn Ye' it's all a facade. Behind the initial wall of pop is a long line of mediocrity in all shapes and form. I only put two hours into this game, before turning it off. That was 3 months ago. No intention of going back. This game is not entirely bad, but it doesn't offer anything either. Confirmation to why I ever enjoyed the series. Expand
  9. Sep 14, 2014
    4
    The game is an absolute disappointment, I'm not saying that the game is bad but it is very disappointing. I've been playing 'The Sims' since the first one, as a big fan of the series this is a big let down..
  10. Sep 8, 2014
    4
    This game is crap. The Sims 3 already had some features removed from The Sims 2, but that was acceptable. This game had 89 features REMOVED from the game. It has less than The Sims 3. Hell, even The ORIGINAL Sims had more features than this game. And Maxis actually DEFENDED the missing features by saying "We improved the character creator, added better A.I. and better graphics". TheThis game is crap. The Sims 3 already had some features removed from The Sims 2, but that was acceptable. This game had 89 features REMOVED from the game. It has less than The Sims 3. Hell, even The ORIGINAL Sims had more features than this game. And Maxis actually DEFENDED the missing features by saying "We improved the character creator, added better A.I. and better graphics". The graphics are the same as The Sims 3. Everything you see in the trailer is pre-rendered fifa/madden **** A.K.A. EA's hype generator. To give you an example of how unaceptable the game is, I'll tell you some of the missing features that were in previous games:

    - No toddlers*
    - No pools*
    - No public area editing*
    - No open world. Everything you see in the distance might as well have been a wall painted*
    - No sheds, garages ect. Instead you're limited to just a house.*
    - No diseases*
    - No public jobs*
    - No unlimited floors (max. 3 floors)
    - No party invitations
    - No private schools*
    - No garages/garage doors*
    - No swimming*
    - No pets*
    - No seasons*

    Also, if your computer has more than 4GBs of RAM, you're f*cked

    * Probably DLC
    Expand
  11. May 23, 2016
    4
    I waited several years in order to accurate review Sims 4, because honestly - all the sims games started out buggy, or lacking any major features until expansions and DLC appeared and all simmers know that all the Sims games come with a crap-load of expansions....and unfortuntely those expansions are usually comes with patches that fixes alot of the bugs and glitches from previousI waited several years in order to accurate review Sims 4, because honestly - all the sims games started out buggy, or lacking any major features until expansions and DLC appeared and all simmers know that all the Sims games come with a crap-load of expansions....and unfortuntely those expansions are usually comes with patches that fixes alot of the bugs and glitches from previous expansions....heck, I don't think Sims 3 became 'stable' until a few of the last expansions appeared...but I disgress since this is about TS4...

    Nope, just can't give it a positive review - after several years, the game is STILL a mess with rampant bugs and glitches, some of which are still fairly game-breaking or review constant fixing/repairing in order to fix, sometimes the bugs just break the saves completely causing tons of game time to be lost.

    Still lacking tons of features and options from previous games, the neighborhoods are still WAY too small for builders, the 21 lot limit more or less makes each world feel so cramped and tiny that any legacy families have to be killed off just so you have room for newer generations - and lets face it, no one wants their prized sim to die especially after working on them for a long time, building relationships/families and stats...

    I could easily say that any simmer who hasn't purchased the game so far, really should just ignore this version and go back to Sims 3 and hopefully this hasn't ruined the chances for a Sims 5 at some point in the next 5 years...yeah...it'll take that long as EA drains Maxis for expansion after expansion which is usually around 10 - 12 expansions before they start the process over again.

    Sure the game has a few good things going for it, but its got so many issues and missing elements compared to the previous games that the good parts just never really shine bright enough and with the several years since its launch it still hasn't really progressed that much, some of the expansion packs haven't really been able to make the game that much better and I will say that, if the Sims 4 originally launched with all the current content back in 2014 then the game would have scored better but lets face it - so much content was cut its just not even funny - but again...its EA so its to be expected.
    Expand
  12. Sep 3, 2014
    4
    My score is 4. No no its not that bad totally I think its step forward but its really buggy right now and empty, I'd say its a good demo of what is too come. I believe it will be a good game to play in 2 years. I haven't played Sims 3 till they have released Pets addon and and Im not going to pay for this game either untill it will be fully playable. Right now its a good demo and I wouldMy score is 4. No no its not that bad totally I think its step forward but its really buggy right now and empty, I'd say its a good demo of what is too come. I believe it will be a good game to play in 2 years. I haven't played Sims 3 till they have released Pets addon and and Im not going to pay for this game either untill it will be fully playable. Right now its a good demo and I would say it must cost 25$ tops as US dollar and Ero as well. Too empty and nothing really to do unless you would like only to build houses, but for Sim there is not much to experience. I like a lot of things like interface, sim editor (tho they must return full customization) and emotions and other things but game-play is empty, very empty a few days tops to play it or week and that's it, played whole day going to the store to get my 70$ back for its too much asked to payed for nothing. Its solid 4 score nothing more. Expand
  13. Sep 3, 2014
    4
    "Do not expect much for Base Game. At least it has potential to be one of the good game but better stick with TS3 until other expansion/DLC come out"

    Graphic/Sound: 9/10 Game Engine: 6/10 Gameplay: 3/10 Content: 1/10 Price: 0/10 I gave them graphic/sound 9/10 for their beautiful world, animations and almost perfect lighting and shading. But the sound are just ding-dong like
    "Do not expect much for Base Game. At least it has potential to be one of the good game but better stick with TS3 until other expansion/DLC come out"

    Graphic/Sound: 9/10
    Game Engine: 6/10
    Gameplay: 3/10
    Content: 1/10
    Price: 0/10

    I gave them graphic/sound 9/10 for their beautiful world, animations and almost perfect lighting and shading. But the sound are just ding-dong like kindergarten song. I still prefer instrumental classic theme of TS1 the most.

    For game engine, it is now optimized for both PC and iOS. So, they have to sacrifice some large portion that become controversial so much. That is open world and story progression of other NPCs. It proved that it can run smoothly with high settings on almost all of the PC. But is it worth it since the town is now so small, silent and lack of life. I'm okay with loading screen since it doesn't take much time but at least create more venue for us to explore and play with, EA !!

    Emotion and multitasking are the most excellent idea in this series, it make them more life-like. But why they have to delete other aesthetics aspects which is actually make the game looks "incomplete". User interface is now okay, they are just swap places for each icon, but nothing significantly changed. Build mode and Creat-a-sims are also improved but they also left some limitations e.g. not every part of the body can be adjusted, can't chose other style of MANY doors and windows. What the hell??

    The content is now almost empty as the Sims Base Game always be. But this time it has been stripped to its bone. Toddlers, pools, many furniture, cars, etc. are now gone. My cars!!! No more Create-a-style. At least they can create color pallet with 100 shade for us to choose from. Just ask Microsoft Office developers!!

    For price, it is easy. Not buy it, okay?
    Expand
  14. Sep 2, 2014
    4
    I am a huge Sims fan, always have been. I was very excited to see Sims 4 coming - they amped it up to be this amazing new game. I could not agree more with the other reviews on here... The Sims personalities, the way they look and interact is fantastic. But thats the whole game right now. Honestly. I purchased the game this morning came home excited to play spent a good 5 hours hopingI am a huge Sims fan, always have been. I was very excited to see Sims 4 coming - they amped it up to be this amazing new game. I could not agree more with the other reviews on here... The Sims personalities, the way they look and interact is fantastic. But thats the whole game right now. Honestly. I purchased the game this morning came home excited to play spent a good 5 hours hoping something was going to happen once my sim progressed so far. Nothing. What I did during my 5 hours was socialize. socialize, go to work, socialize, improve skills, go to work. build a little. There are tons and tons and tons of content left out. At this point in time I would rather revert back to playing Sims 3. This game has huge potential. Hopefully EA makes good with their fans and adds free downloadable updates and content to make this worth owning. When I first starting playing Sims 3 I was glued to my chair. After my 5 hours today with Sims 4 I was bored and shut it off. Such a shame. Expand
  15. Sep 4, 2014
    4
    I am still on the fence. Just bought it and played for a couple hours. Mostly, frustrating. i have been dedicated to The Sims/EA Games for 13 years... I was expecting my socks to be blown off. instead, the opposite. i like the game but so much is missing. no top or bottom edge scrolling (WTF) that is basic! makes playing a pain. no pools, no tilt or top view on camera, no easy way to panI am still on the fence. Just bought it and played for a couple hours. Mostly, frustrating. i have been dedicated to The Sims/EA Games for 13 years... I was expecting my socks to be blown off. instead, the opposite. i like the game but so much is missing. no top or bottom edge scrolling (WTF) that is basic! makes playing a pain. no pools, no tilt or top view on camera, no easy way to pan and rotate. it's weird... i enjoy the new features, such as multi-tasking and emotions but truly i could do without that for the game to brought closer to its height in SIms3. I dislike also, the closed neighborhood. In neighborhood view you can only see a few buildings, not an entire town, so not many options there. You can only choose from 3 or 4 lots... travelling is a pain. you cant just go out now, there is a loading screen and you're not able to follow sim around town as we could in Sims3. And the lack of interaction! what is this about?? you cant collect bugs, examine plants, fish by clicking the water... or i haven't figure it out yet. I went to get a refund and EA tells me I have no games eligible... what a joke. stick me with anti-climatic game then deny a refund when it isnt near as great as i anticipated for TWO YEARS?! I am almost embarrassed to admit i have been such a diehard fan for this company. Expand
  16. Sep 5, 2014
    4
    I've waited this games for years. Finally I bought it, and I got disappointed. The game isn't finished yet, there are some bugs as babies disappearing, or characters looking like if huehuehue and Slenderman had children. The game has the basic core-features, but lacks of that extra The Sims series give you. Cars, basements, exploration, and damn it, I even miss burglars. This game isI've waited this games for years. Finally I bought it, and I got disappointed. The game isn't finished yet, there are some bugs as babies disappearing, or characters looking like if huehuehue and Slenderman had children. The game has the basic core-features, but lacks of that extra The Sims series give you. Cars, basements, exploration, and damn it, I even miss burglars. This game is promising, but the only way EA can redeem themselves is giving aways DLC's for free. The Sims 4 is a remastered version of The Sims. On the other hand, the new Sim Creation is pretty cool, plus some other stuff (the piano is back!). Luckily, we'll have some upgrades soon with the missing content. Expand
  17. Sep 6, 2014
    4
    I just purchased this game and I have to say, I am slightly disappointed. While the interactions are cool and the graphics are awesome, I am bummed at how little the world is. There are no restaurants, no movie theaters, no grocery stores, no pools, you can't see where they work, no hospitals, I mean the world is tiny!! I regret spending the $60! I will be playing my sims 3 much more thanI just purchased this game and I have to say, I am slightly disappointed. While the interactions are cool and the graphics are awesome, I am bummed at how little the world is. There are no restaurants, no movie theaters, no grocery stores, no pools, you can't see where they work, no hospitals, I mean the world is tiny!! I regret spending the $60! I will be playing my sims 3 much more than TS4 for sure. So few stories to play out as well. I love the supernatural expansion for TS3 and am disappointed to hear TS4 won't do this also. I purchased TS4 hoping to have a less laggy, nicer looking version of my S3 only to be bored an hour after playing. I do enjoy how much more involved I can be with my sim and how they can do multiple things at once. The ability to multi task is something I miss in my S3 so that's a plus. But overall, I'd say EA missed the mark with this one. Expand
  18. Sep 8, 2014
    4
    As reformas mercadológicas feitas pela EA Games em The Sims 4 e SimCity arruinaram os dois jogos que um dia já foram carro-chefe da produtora. TS4 trouxe as emoções e a multitarefa, que dinamizaram a simulação. Porém, não há grandes diferenças com a versão anterior, e em alguns pontos, é muito pior. Não posso negar que há algumas melhorias em TS4. Mas além da falta de compromisso daAs reformas mercadológicas feitas pela EA Games em The Sims 4 e SimCity arruinaram os dois jogos que um dia já foram carro-chefe da produtora. TS4 trouxe as emoções e a multitarefa, que dinamizaram a simulação. Porém, não há grandes diferenças com a versão anterior, e em alguns pontos, é muito pior. Não posso negar que há algumas melhorias em TS4. Mas além da falta de compromisso da produtora, muito foi perdido e o jogo ficou incompleto. The Sims 4 é um jogo com ausência de recursos importantes, é "meia-boca", estéril. É de fato um passo atrás na série. Expand
  19. Sep 9, 2014
    4
    First of all: Sims4 is not worth purchasing.
    I thought I maybe should give it a go, but I was let down.
    Good things: 1.Creating a new Sim or family is quite easy to do, creating a sim is much faster now, you can be more precise and you can freely adjust body proportions by drag and drop. 2.Sims are now able to do multiple things at once. The second thing is talking 9/10 3.You can
    First of all: Sims4 is not worth purchasing.
    I thought I maybe should give it a go, but I was let down.

    Good things:
    1.Creating a new Sim or family is quite easy to do, creating a sim is much faster now, you can be more precise and you can freely adjust body proportions by drag and drop.
    2.Sims are now able to do multiple things at once. The second thing is talking 9/10
    3.You can now give parties, even with multiple sims having birthday at once.
    4.The new talents are also quite cool, although not that much different to sims3, except they often affect your mood and wishes, which appears quite often. Which leads me to mood.
    5.The mood feature is pretty cool after all, it makes you want to use it, because it appears in the right situation and seems realistic. For example: You feel confident after you brush your teeth, then you go to another Sim and use: "confident pick-up line". If you succeed you will feel both, confident and coquettish, while one of them is always stronger. If brushing your teeth was the only action making you feel confident, you might be mainly coquettish now, what allows you to do specific flirty things.
    This is basically the only thing which keeps you playing and the game fluent.
    6.Emotions look real and are nicely animated.
    7.Building your house is easy but not quite full filling.
    8.Cool new jobs.

    Now the bad things. There are plenty's of them, I might forget some.
    1.You can't define and precise colours of your clothes anymore
    2.There are only two very small worlds.
    3.Which despite being small have a loading screen for every single house and you have to travel by clicking your phone.
    4.No dishwasher / not many objects you can purchase, especially a huge lack of games. Darts, balls, anything. Just a table to play cards on, music instruments, computer and chess.
    5.No age step between baby and child.
    6.Children don't feel childish, more like too little teens.
    7.You can't see any stats, work progress, relation status or ANYTHING except the picture as long your Sim is at work.
    8.No pools.
    9.Sims who you have any kind of progressed relationship with (mother, daughter, gf,bf, a.s.o) will try to visit you EVERYDAY and sometimes THRICE if you are not at home (because you are at work too, because your several other does not when you work), until you let them in. For every time you don't (because you don't quit working to come home and open the door), your relationship decreases.
    10.Sims need to pee way too much and will often wake up because of that.
    11.Babies are objects now, which are only able to lay in bed or be cuddled, but never let out.
    12.If you don't pay attention while cooking you will miss the cake for your birthday after work, because you need to bake it and can't purchase one.
    13.Parties start immediately, no matter which state of needs, mood, time, or being at work. Parties at the bar will likely be flops, because the entertainer has no piano (no one told you he needs one before of course) and if you did not bring a cake (to blow out the candles is your main goal in the party "mission") because you did not know it start immediately... well you won`t get any, not by any chance and you will load being very frustrated.
    14."Make love" option tends to disappear and you have to click the bed like S2.
    15.Sims switch chairs and run around like having AD HS.
    16.You still can't ask Sims about their age. (I know you don`t ask women for their age but pls... I married a young looking woman, married her and 4 days later, one day after giving birth to my son she grew a senior. My Sim wants to make 10 babies, hard with an old lady like her. At least she has a daughter...)
    17.No ghosts.
    18.No environmental events/activities
    19.Not a single dlc of Sims3 found it's way into vanilla Sims4
    20.You feel robbed and betrayed all the time. You will feel like: "I bet this will come with a dlc", or "Really? No dishwasher?" 9/10 Minutes.

    Pls don't buy this game. If it was tagged with 20€ I would recommend it, but for this retail price and as member of a progressed Sims-Series, it should have been so much better.
    I hope this was helpful.
    Expand
  20. Sep 10, 2014
    4
    All right, I can't bring myself to give this game an entirely bad review. It DOES have a lot of good points. First, the graphics are beautiful on any setting, allowing even those with lower-end computers to enjoy playing. Additionally, the music is well-done, the interface (once you've gotten used to it) is a nice improvement, and the game itself loads faster than any of the other baseAll right, I can't bring myself to give this game an entirely bad review. It DOES have a lot of good points. First, the graphics are beautiful on any setting, allowing even those with lower-end computers to enjoy playing. Additionally, the music is well-done, the interface (once you've gotten used to it) is a nice improvement, and the game itself loads faster than any of the other base games - especially TS3. So overall, not a bad game, right? Wellllll.....

    The issues I take with TS4 are multi-fold. First and foremost, the price vs the level of completion. I wouldn't have minded shelling out $70 to a small, indie game with lots of potential, where devs actually needed the money to continue development. However, dropping $70 into a multi-million dollar franchise and getting a game that is, well... not finished.... is a little ridiculous. I didn't complain too much about the loss of open world - honestly, the loading pages take about as long as cross-map travel would have anyway, and probably won't get much longer with added DLC, so we're good there. Fortunately, the immediate area is open, so I can still visit next-door neighbors without dealing with loading.

    That said, I find it absolutely unacceptable that EA left so many bugs in the game. I've run into the majority of the known bugs at this point, and the two updates I've seen since launch a little over a week ago, seem to be making things worse. Showers keep running, even when there's no one in them (and seem to break faster when they do)... Conversations with other family members become "stuck", where no matter what those sims are doing, they're conversing - which messes with their ability to do other things - like bathe. With any other installment in the series I would hit one, maybe two bugs if I were really unlucky, and rarely more than one in the same day. With TS4, it's every two or three Sim hours (yeah, seriously.)... EA's best solution? Create a secondary "save" file, and send one sim travelling - and follow that sim. That *should* fix the issue. They think. Insert eye roll.

    Honestly, I was a bit concerned with the demo Create a Sim. The game just didn't look the way I'd expected it to. But I shook off my trepidation, and told myself this was probably an earlier version that EA wanted to use as an example. This was true - there are, in fact, subtle improvements to the full create-a-sim that weren't present in the demo. That said, however, the improvements just weren't significant enough. There are an extremely limited number of options - even down to the color combinations one can choose per clothing article. With base TS3, even though there were very few available choices for content (just like any base Sims game, kids)... The possibilities were infinite - you could literally make a hundred (or more) different outfits from the same shirt, pants, and shoes - all dependent on what patterns/fabrics you chose for each piece. I could spend hours in TS3 perfecting my sims. TS4 takes that ability away, and now, while I like the more intuitive style of designing the actual sim, I spend about 5 mins finding a clothing combination I hate the least, before being over THAT hot mess.

    The career choices are wildly unrealistic - what happened to the cop, the doctor, the businessman, and all the rest of the "normal" career paths? I mean, come on. I like the amount of challenge that's been added into promotion - I always play my sims on prolonged lives, so promotions before were just way too simple. I can also appreciate the challenge added to the "major wishes" - and I especially like that they're now relative to the age groups and you can have more than one! It always seemed stupid to me that a sim would finish his or her lifetime aspiration as a teen (or child), and just be done with "it all"... So that's kind of cool. However, putting the same amount of difficulty getting a child's "promotion" or "goal" there as an adult's is stupid. Their age-up time is less.

    My final complaint, before I run out of characters, is this: TS4 just isn't as "immersive" as earlier base games in the franchise - the player just doesn't get sucked in the way past games did. In a running series like this, the games should be GROWING, always improving (and, you know... finished BEFORE release). My hope is that future DLC and updates will correct the glaring flaws, of which there are unfortunately many with TS4. The game has potential, and for a first-time indie game, or even an open beta, it'd be a great start. The problem lies in the fact that this ISN'T an indie game - EA and Maxwell have been doing this long enough at this point to have known better than to release an inferior product.
    Expand
  21. Sep 14, 2014
    4
    The worst game of the Sims franchise, after a couple of hour playing you will start feeling that you are playing in a prison world. Is inconceivable that with today’s technology they didn’t developed a open world. Not recommended if you actually like The Sims.
  22. Sep 17, 2014
    4
    I have been a dedicated fan since the beginning. When the news of a new Sims base game released, I was so excited I think I peed. Sims 4 was advertised as a step forward and a new outlook on the way we play RPG games in its entirety. The day I downloaded it I sat down at my computer with a bag of Starbursts ready not to see sunlight for the next three days. After 10 hours of game play andI have been a dedicated fan since the beginning. When the news of a new Sims base game released, I was so excited I think I peed. Sims 4 was advertised as a step forward and a new outlook on the way we play RPG games in its entirety. The day I downloaded it I sat down at my computer with a bag of Starbursts ready not to see sunlight for the next three days. After 10 hours of game play and counting, I can confidently say that I am not impressed. Creating my Sim was very basic. It was not what it was all cracked up to be. The facial sliders were amazing and being able to click on your Sim is unique. Although the creativity was ultimately stripped from my fingers. With no creative tools and horrendous eye lashes my Sim looked like a slight twin of Iggy Azalea. Managing the highlights of your hair, length of your eyelashes and even the personalization of your eye shadow has been taken out and left true style completely basic. With only three traits, a feminine walk, and a Wealthy Ambition, I decided to make my house. As I started editing my starter home I noticed right off the bat it was extremely hard to navigate and get a diagonal view into the house, it was only a vertical or horizontal view, no in-between. Again I have noticed there as no create a design tool. There is only standard selections to choose from, which isn't all that bad because I have really noticed the modernity of the designs. I feel like EA stepped up and made their interior designs not so 90's. The game played smooth an after i designed my tiny modern home I began to play. I thought that the Sim emotions are incredible! One of the best add-ons I have ever seen on an RPG game. The emotions really make a difference in playing and I honestly think it's what keeps me playing. Being able to take an angry poop when clicking on the toilet is comedy you can't get enough of. I also love being able to paint emotional art pieces and writing emotional books. It makes the game play a lot more spontaneous and exciting.

    In its entirety I do believe Sims needs more improvements as a game. I can live without toddlers and pools, but who can ever live with those ungodly eyelashes and not being able to personalize our clothes into a zebra jumpsuit. If EA is planning on making an update I do recommend them listening to their forever true customers and correct their wrongs. The whole aspect of the Sims culture to us is to create a world we want to live in. I don't want to live in a basic world.
    Expand
  23. Sep 19, 2014
    4
    The sims 4 offers nothing new. In fact it offers a considerable amount less than it's predecessor sims 3. The main notable difference is the lack of an open neighbourhood populated with sims who lived their own lives. The idea behind this is that people don't have to sit through a long loading screen to play the game but instead give us one every time we want to visit any other location.The sims 4 offers nothing new. In fact it offers a considerable amount less than it's predecessor sims 3. The main notable difference is the lack of an open neighbourhood populated with sims who lived their own lives. The idea behind this is that people don't have to sit through a long loading screen to play the game but instead give us one every time we want to visit any other location. This isn't a very good compromise, I would happily sit through one long loading screen, getting myself a drink and maybe a snack and come back to a then seamless game than have to sit through a loading screen for every excursion from my street. It's just quite bland, I'm not a fan of EA and their methods but Sims have always been one of their strongest points. For me this is a let-down and I don't think I will be sinking any more money into expansions when the base game itself is lacking much needed content. The reason I give it a 4 is because it still does what the sims is suppose to do. It provides a reality simulator in which you can raise a family but honestly aside from the addition of new Sim moods, and addition so small it would be a better suited to an expansion this game offers nothing new and I would urge most people to stick with sims 3. If you are a hardcore sims fan then additional content may eventually make this a game worth playing but for everyone, I'd stick with sims 3 for now. Expand
  24. Nov 1, 2014
    4
    This game is mainly for big fans and I am a very big fan of The Sims series. Unfortunately, this took me by surprise. Look, I understand that I am going to get some hate by some real die hard fans about this but I can assure you that I have my good and bad reasons. The first thing I notice was that the loading screen was quicker than The Sims 3 and I figured that that was some improvement.This game is mainly for big fans and I am a very big fan of The Sims series. Unfortunately, this took me by surprise. Look, I understand that I am going to get some hate by some real die hard fans about this but I can assure you that I have my good and bad reasons. The first thing I notice was that the loading screen was quicker than The Sims 3 and I figured that that was some improvement. The next improvement was the interface. It looked beautifully sharp and was no doubt an upgrade to its counterparts but that's when I realize that the Sims 4 is just another SimCity (New One). With all of its improvement it seems to me that they dispose so many great aspect that made its counterpart so popular. The Sims 4 is a dumb down version of The Sims 3 believe it or not. Yes, the way your Sims act (emotion wise) is more 'real' than The Sims 3 unit but that's barely an improvement that could had easily been implemented on The Sims 3. Also, don't expect global view. Why? Because it's not there anymore. Another thing to not expect is color customization. Yes, you read it, no more creativity on how different you can make your avatar look. There are only a few things that The Sims 4 has really improve on. One as I mention before, is emotions and the way your avatar interacts with other Sims. Two, the way you build homes and how easily you can turn a box into a glorified piece of art. Last but not least, interfaces and loading time. And just to point out why it loads so fast is because there's no more global view and what I mean by that is, rather than seeing your Sim drive to the local gym or the local dance club, you get a beautiful loading screen instead. Oh yeah, did I also mention that you are limited to where you can live? Maybe this is just for now but it doesn't excuse the fact that you're limited to how your Sims can live. Overall, this version of The Sim is just a big disappointment. Wait until it goes on sale, gets improved updates, or have some type of bundle with extra DLC's because for a full $60 or $70 for the deluxe edition, it isn't worth it. The Sims 4 is meant to be played with medium-end performance, meaning most modern computers should be capable of running it without having to get high-end graphic card or CPU in comparison to The Sims 3 (If you want to run it without much difficulty). And if you do happen to like this version of The Sims, more power to you but this isn't my cup of tea. Expand
  25. May 7, 2015
    4
    Loading screens, loading screens, loading screens! A perfectly good game franchise ruined by constant loading screens and a very limited and lacking base game with the idea that DLC's will replace this once readily available content from previous games that came with their base game.

    I refuse to pay £30 for a DLC which adds a few more jobs and outfits, nor will I pay £15 for a DLC that
    Loading screens, loading screens, loading screens! A perfectly good game franchise ruined by constant loading screens and a very limited and lacking base game with the idea that DLC's will replace this once readily available content from previous games that came with their base game.

    I refuse to pay £30 for a DLC which adds a few more jobs and outfits, nor will I pay £15 for a DLC that adds tents and an outdoor fire!

    Boredom: check, overpriced: check, limited in content: check.
    Expand
  26. Jan 29, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm an experienced Sims player. I've invested quite a bit of money into the entire franchise (including a monthly subscription fee for The Sims Online.) I thought I might cover some of the aspects that some of the other reviews didn't cover.

    I was able to test this game for 48 hours through Origin, so I tried to encompass as much of the gameplay as I could.

    I think the graphics were actually pretty nice. The game seemed a little smoother, and the load times were a lot shorter. However, there are a lot of load times, and the division of the town into sections takes away from the continuity all together. It doesn't feel like a town at all. There's no grocery, spa, any of the buildings where your sim might have a career, and with a maximum of 12 or so houses, it feels more like a pre-made art farm. I had one sim wife go out on the town, she danced some, got hungry, and had to go home because I couldn't find anywhere for her to eat.

    Everyone likes the customization in CAS and build mode. I enjoyed CAS, but I felt like it was all a little flat. The hairstlyes were awful, most of the clothing was the same style with alternate colors and patterns.
    The sims seem to have more character, animation wise, while having less character because of the limited options of aspirations and traits. One of my sims enjoyed the outdoors, and aspired to be a botanist or gardener or something, So I built a garden outside. I'm used to gardening being a hassle from the Sims 3. It makes you sweaty and tired. But for my sim, it was completely unenjoyable. That doesn't make any sense. She aspires to be a master gardener, and she loves the outdoors. Gardening should be fun for her.

    I really wanted a grocery. Paying out of pocket everytime you open the refrigerator is ridiculous, and completely unrealistic.

    Hosting house parties is ridiculous. I don't see how one sim hosting a house party with two guests and a horrible time limit could ever achieve all the "requirements" for a great party. At least it could've been tailor made for the amount of sims at the party. My female sim has a girl friend and a guy friend over, and she has to flirt 5 times? Serve 3 drinks? Play an instrument for an hour? By the time she was done making them all drinks and multitasking with chitchat the entire time, the party was over and everyone left. Also, I wanted to avoid playing the instrument because she's not very good and would feel all embarassed when someone heard her. (Audible sigh.)

    Another hint: uncomfortable. Your sims get uncomfortable all the time. 70% of your sims life is spent being uncomfortable. 20% is feeling tense. Having to get your sims to feel a certain way for them to succeed at work or school is taxing. Having to get my culinary career sim to make 4 drinks and/or meals every day before work is silly, and a waste of money.

    There's also a moat the runs around your entire neighborhood behind all of the houses. That's where you fish! You're not lucky to have a house so close to the river. That's just a thing. If you don't live in the desert, it looks kind of like a concrete water ditch with a wall running around it. It really took away from my pseudo-Victorian style house.

    Overall, I can appreciate the effort. I get what they were trying to do, but they just didn't execute it as well as they could have. I've read a lot of people mentioning how the sims 3 was terrible without the EPs, but that just isn't true. The base game should be a full representation of the game and how it plays, and extras are extras. I'll keep playing The Sims 3 until I get bored with it.
    Expand
  27. Feb 21, 2015
    4
    For me The Sims 4 was done lazily. It was sold incomplete and surrounded by excuses. Not counting the reported bugs, average graphics for myself and others. They had hurry to sell the game but ought to have given more time for producers. They also ought to have prioritized some important things for the players. Still for me they were more motivated in The Sims 2 that had few bugs, but itFor me The Sims 4 was done lazily. It was sold incomplete and surrounded by excuses. Not counting the reported bugs, average graphics for myself and others. They had hurry to sell the game but ought to have given more time for producers. They also ought to have prioritized some important things for the players. Still for me they were more motivated in The Sims 2 that had few bugs, but it was fun and with a strong base game. Expand
  28. Jun 28, 2015
    4
    This game is "not finished", during the Create-A-Sim part of the game you can only have 3 traits, unlike Sims 3 which allowed player to have up to 6. Also during Create-A-Sim you can't see what jobs there are available so you have no idea what traits to pick, Sims 3 allowed players to pick a Life Time Goal/Wish and this Goal/Wish was the job that we picked for the Sim. For example, if IThis game is "not finished", during the Create-A-Sim part of the game you can only have 3 traits, unlike Sims 3 which allowed player to have up to 6. Also during Create-A-Sim you can't see what jobs there are available so you have no idea what traits to pick, Sims 3 allowed players to pick a Life Time Goal/Wish and this Goal/Wish was the job that we picked for the Sim. For example, if I wanted to be a Super Spy, that'd be the Goal/Wish, to become a Spy. The Sims 4 didn't even have Pools when it came out! Pools where added a few months later for free. Another thing, we couldn't see our Sims at work. I just wanted to be able to see the building my Sims worked at, just like in Sims 3. Again, after a few months EA allowed us to see out Sim at work! BUT we had to quit our current job and get a new job with the 3 jobs that you can be with your Sims while they where working. The 3 Jobs where, Detective, Scientist, or Surgeon/Doctor. This new DLC called "Get to Work" costs about $35. So basically you are paying for the game all over again (If the game was 50% off...). Oh and one HUGE thing EA messed up with, THEY DIDN'T ADD CARS! Can you believe it? They didn't add cars! Every so often you will see a few cars driving around the world, they can't be driven by your Sims though. EA, add cars as a FREE DLC for the game, and make the world "Open-World" like the Sims 3 was. I really dislike Sims 4 because it has a different "travel" system. That new travel system makes my game run at about 10 FPS just because of the loading screen. EA, please change the Sims 4 and make it be like Sims 3, I want to be able to travel with a car and not a long, laggy loading screen. I want to be able to have up to 6 traits for my Sims and not 3, I want to be able to see what jobs are available for my Sims when I'm creating them. I want my Sims to be better dancers and not just wave their arms like they are freaking drunk or high. I want my Sims to be able to live in a house that have Spiral Stair cases, and Elevators. I want my Sims to live in a single world and not split up within the 3 world that Sims 4 currently have. I want EA to fix their **** and stop dancing in our money.

    EA, you better fix this.

    I mean it.
    Expand
  29. Jun 15, 2015
    4
    The series takes a step backward in Sims4. While the emotions system and multitasking abilities have potential, the graphics are like watercolor cartoons, the open world gameplay of Sims3 is gone, and the game in general seems dumb-down and oversimplified. It feels like something you'd buy off the App Store for 5 bucks, not a full featured PC game for 60 bucks, which, believe it or not, IThe series takes a step backward in Sims4. While the emotions system and multitasking abilities have potential, the graphics are like watercolor cartoons, the open world gameplay of Sims3 is gone, and the game in general seems dumb-down and oversimplified. It feels like something you'd buy off the App Store for 5 bucks, not a full featured PC game for 60 bucks, which, believe it or not, I paid. I still find myself going back to Sims3. Expand
  30. Feb 6, 2016
    4
    IMPORTANT:I am reviewing this game with the version it launched in 2014 any new things will still be negatives so let's get started

    The good:create a sim (+2),Better UI(+1.5),slightly better graphics (+0.5) The bad: there are many things missing such as...create a style,Pools,toddler stage,cars,basements, etc, no exploration so in the end the game falls short and in my opinion is
    IMPORTANT:I am reviewing this game with the version it launched in 2014 any new things will still be negatives so let's get started

    The good:create a sim (+2),Better UI(+1.5),slightly better graphics (+0.5)

    The bad: there are many things missing such as...create a style,Pools,toddler stage,cars,basements, etc, no exploration

    so in the end the game falls short and in my opinion is the WORST MAIN sims game to date
    Expand
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 75
  2. Negative: 2 out of 75
  1. Jul 23, 2020
    60
    While an enjoyable title that has been polished up and seems generally very modern, it cannot be expected that The Sims 4 is not going to be compared to The Sims 3. In this respect, it seems that while the game took a few steps forwards, it also took a few steps backwards by abandoning features that were very helpful and appreciated in the previous versions. It does have new features that people have been waiting for, such as emotions and more personality for the Sims. As for now, for some players it may not quite be worth to abandon The Sims 3 for it, but for new players looking for a first experience with the franchise, they may have an easier time navigating than former The Sims 3 players. People that have previously enjoyed the latter may be disappointed by the menus (Sim creation, building, or navigating town), as they have been so massively oversimplified that they are now actually confusing.
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 25, 2014
    80
    The Sims 4 is once again a new beginning. Needs more content and soon, please. [Oct 2014]
  3. CD-Action
    Oct 24, 2014
    40
    The Sims 4 is just a foundation of a game. How would you react if you bought a new Elder Scrolls game and realized that half of the cities are unavailable (because TES6: World Adventures is around the corner), there are only 4 weapons (TES6: Accessories), you can’t ride horses (TES6: Pets), there are only 12 quests (TES6: Careers), 2 guilds (TES6: Friends) and 3 spells (TES6: Supernatural)? [Nov 2014, p.50]