The Sims 4

 PC
User Score
4.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 2630 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 680 out of 2630
  2. Mixed: 543 out of 2630
  3. Negative: 1,407 out of 2630
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  1. Aeroharp38
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    What is this? This is NOT an improvement from the Sims 3. Sim fans, please be aware that this is an absolute disappointment. There are a few positives, but minuscule in comparison to the negative. First off, the loading screen was quick, the Build Your Sim Mode was easy to use and fun! However, when choosing clothes and choosing hair color, there is little to none customization. You noWhat is this? This is NOT an improvement from the Sims 3. Sim fans, please be aware that this is an absolute disappointment. There are a few positives, but minuscule in comparison to the negative. First off, the loading screen was quick, the Build Your Sim Mode was easy to use and fun! However, when choosing clothes and choosing hair color, there is little to none customization. You no longer have the freedom to change the color, material or pattern. Same goes for the decor of your home, they have pre set choices of colors for you to choose from. The sims look overly animated and cartoonish, yes, the graphics are great and very smooth, but what's the point if the sims look ridiculous anyway? Second, WHAT HAPPENED TO FREE ROAMING? What happened to the city living and the townhall? There is nothing! You are basically left to live your days out on your lot and your lot only. I could go on and on about this game, I was really looking forward to The Sims4, but now I am unhappy and I am re-downloading the Sims3.… Expand
  2. Sagitta
    Sep 7, 2014
    9
    After a few good, solid das of playing, I can hnoestly say Sims 4 is the best in the series so far. Its a nice balance between the gameplay of Sims 2 and the open world-ness of Sims 3 (minus the agonizing load times and PC-choking requirements).

    I was actually shocked to find 4 plays *better* on my PC than 3 did - and I bought this machine not long after 3 came out. Overall the game    After a few good, solid das of playing, I can hnoestly say Sims 4 is the best in the series so far. Its a nice balance between the gameplay of Sims 2 and the open world-ness of Sims 3 (minus the agonizing load times and PC-choking requirements).

    I was actually shocked to find 4 plays *better* on my PC than 3 did - and I bought this machine not long after 3 came out.

    Overall the game is stable, and I keep discovering new thins hiding deep within the gameplay. I think a lot of the negative reviews are from people who played 15 minutes and then went PFFFt or - worse - haven't played the game at all.

    Pros: Well... almost everything, gameplay wise. The menus and camera can be a bit confusing, but they have a couple settings to revert those to previous incarnations.

    Cons: I only have two. The first is the lack of a more robust autosave feature. While the game crashes very, very rarely (had it happen twice in a week), if you haven't saved, then you're going to be in trouble.

    The second is a bit more important - the first patch resulted in my game crashing on launch. It took me a good couple hours to realize that the game had to be run in administrator mode so the patch could be applied. I wound up uninstalling and sitting through a massive redownload via Origin before realizing what was going on.

    So is it perfect? No. But in the realm of Sims games, I think its a very solid foundation for the inevitable mountains of DLC to come. It's probably the best in the Sims franchise so far.    … Expand
  3. clydetm1
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    EA.. you did terrible. Not surprised though knowing you've won the worst company of the year award for 3 or 4 years in a row, but you really did destroy this game.
  4. DracoSalieri
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    So EA has done it again. The hype over this game over the past few months was very high and I was really looking forward to it. Then came the release..

    After a very annoying day-one update (I live in South-Africa where the internet sucks) I finally launched the game. I was thrown into the create a sim, and realized right there. This game is not Sims. Where is the realism in the look of    So EA has done it again. The hype over this game over the past few months was very high and I was really looking forward to it. Then came the release..

    After a very annoying day-one update (I live in South-Africa where the internet sucks) I finally launched the game. I was thrown into the create a sim, and realized right there. This game is not Sims. Where is the realism in the look of hair? Where was the intuitive creation mode? I had fun figuring out the creation process and was finally done.

    Then I had to pick a house. WTF? Where is the town? A few little houses and a bar and gym? Where is the town hall? Where is the police station? Where is the game I paid for? Not only is the town tiny, suddenly there is a load screen while 'Travelling' and the open-world is gone. The content is pathetic and the customization of item colours is basic.

    Overall, this feels like a skeleton of a game that will force people too spend hundreds on expansions. EA you greedy bastards. This was the only money I will spend on Sims 4. From here on out, I will pirate the game! This is the reward I get for spending R700 on this game? I encourage everyone to pirate this game because EA needs to learn that the people that buy games, won't pay for a skeleton and then keep paying to bulk it out.    … Expand
  5. Alamoe
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    This Game ist not even close to what've expected! After my first look I thought: "Yes!". But still after one hour of playing, the game bored me. The interface and the control panel are confusing and not innovativ. It's difficult to see what the needs of my sims are and I have to click a lot more than before to see what I want. Also I'm missing many feautures from previous games, eg. aThis Game ist not even close to what've expected! After my first look I thought: "Yes!". But still after one hour of playing, the game bored me. The interface and the control panel are confusing and not innovativ. It's difficult to see what the needs of my sims are and I have to click a lot more than before to see what I want. Also I'm missing many feautures from previous games, eg. a pool, the "create a style" feature, cars, an open world and so much more! Its just very dissappointing to see a game we payed 70$ for, but that hasn't the lovely feautres we loved from Sims 1 to Sims 3. And I guess, if we want those features, we payed more than 600$ in the end. But whithout me.… Expand
  6. JTMichaelson
    Sep 7, 2014
    8
    The short:
    I gave this an 8/10 as a Sims game. It's mildly above average for a normal game, but if you like Sims game play then this should feel like any other title in the series. Still you may want to wait for the price to drop or some additional content to start rolling out if you're unsure about purchasing the game.
    The Long: It's an EA game, so there's been a lot of    The short:
    I gave this an 8/10 as a Sims game. It's mildly above average for a normal game, but if you like Sims game play then this should feel like any other title in the series. Still you may want to wait for the price to drop or some additional content to start rolling out if you're unsure about purchasing the game.

    The Long:
    It's an EA game, so there's been a lot of bandwagon-backlash against it well before it was even released and that seems to echo here. A quick glance at the review dates should be enough indication of how long people actually bothered to give the game a chance, instead of just rushing to try and damage the developer's reputation based on what they've read.

    After actually playing the game for a few days and giving it a chance, I've found that many of the "missing features" (from the often cited blog post) are gone but not missed at all. They certainly weren't necessary to the enjoyment of the series. The map is a prime example; it's more or less a static image now and at first glance it feels like its missing a lot of buildings. In retrospect though, its merely removed the useless filler in favor of better performance and faster loading times. Gone are the long non-interactive drives that were previously required just to watch my Sim disappear into a "rabbit hole" for an even longer period of time. Travel in the Sims 4 is now a quicker loading screen that helps cut to the real meat and potatoes of the game; actual Sim Interaction.

    This is where the Sims 4 takes the series really shines over previous titles. Emotions now help drive interactions with the world and other Sims, which can either give you minor goals if you are in control (like trying to recover yourself after an awkward encounter), or will simply make the autonomous interactions more entertaining to watch. The ability to multitask is a highly welcome addition to the series as well, as it allows characters to go about their days in a much more natural way instead of feeling so robotic. Technology plays a greater role in the world allowing cellphones and computers to handle far more tasks and play a bigger role than in previous titles.

    Visually the game has a simple but pleasant style to it, especially with the characters. The world has a certain 'box'-quality to all the shapes, but its very consistent and helps establish a style that should age slower and run well on a wide variety of hardware. Like the models, the animations go further to add additional emphasis where it can. This helps sell both the exaggerated style of Sims 4, along with the new emotions. The create a style is currently (and unfortunately) missing, but the default styles of furniture and tile sets help make up for it. This time around the textures and color schemes are significantly better by default, making it easier to create nice looking houses faster without having to customize everything. Its possible I only used it in Sims 3 because the default counters were so horrendous. Still, it would be nice to see an improved CAS system roll out in the future to add even more customization to the world.    … Expand
  7. kyarijames
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    I'm not happy this game is a failure thus far. In fact, I'm HEARTBROKEN. But, yes, that's how bad it is. I understand that some people like the game. I don't know why, but thats fine. Regardless, I feel like that is part of the problem. This game reflects the attitude of "You'll buy it anyway" and i cant stand that. This has such a huge following and is such a cash flow for EA that theyI'm not happy this game is a failure thus far. In fact, I'm HEARTBROKEN. But, yes, that's how bad it is. I understand that some people like the game. I don't know why, but thats fine. Regardless, I feel like that is part of the problem. This game reflects the attitude of "You'll buy it anyway" and i cant stand that. This has such a huge following and is such a cash flow for EA that they don't even have to try. Here is a vastly inferior base game that will end up costing you hundreds more if you want to *really experience* and have fun with it. I say enough is enough. For $70, I expect something worth my time from the BEGINNING… Expand
  8. GregR
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    You have to love EA's consistency in utterly destroying every franchise and IP in their library. EA has embraced the notion of releasing very basic functionality in all their games. In essence gutting each game until it's almost playable and then loading the backend with expensive DLC that provides the basic gameplay that should have been included in the original. With Sims 4, EA isYou have to love EA's consistency in utterly destroying every franchise and IP in their library. EA has embraced the notion of releasing very basic functionality in all their games. In essence gutting each game until it's almost playable and then loading the backend with expensive DLC that provides the basic gameplay that should have been included in the original. With Sims 4, EA is testing the waters. How far can they strip a game to the point that consumers outright reject the product? There's a lot of wallet gouging on the line here. This game is so gutted that it's been hammered by reviewer after reviewer for all the same boring reasons. I can only hope that gamers unite on this front, accept EA's challenge and refuse to purchase this game. This is the ONLY way that EA will change.… Expand
  9. Todesfurcht
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!
    This game went a step behind, instead of a step forward.
    Let it be said that I have been here since the very first Sims game was made. I've seen EA develop and learn many things over the years. This game is only more proof of what we feared, taking from the base game to add to expansion packs. Pros: 1. Beautiful game. A mixture of Sims 2 and Sims 3 graphics. It    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!
    This game went a step behind, instead of a step forward.
    Let it be said that I have been here since the very first Sims game was made. I've seen EA develop and learn many things over the years. This game is only more proof of what we feared, taking from the base game to add to expansion packs.

    Pros:
    1. Beautiful game. A mixture of Sims 2 and Sims 3 graphics. It was obviously trying to make everyone happy with the formula of realisim and cartoonism.
    2. Create-A-Sim has mindblowing mechanics. Being able to push and pull at any part of my Sim's body was heavily amusing.
    3. The Sims AI's have been tweaked. They can multi-task, hold multiple conversations at once, and show emotion.
    4. The new build system. It's quick, easy, and barely time consuming. Beautiful homes can be created with little stress.
    5. Gameplay is smooth and runs much better than the Sims 3.

    Cons:
    1. Again, weather fails to make an appearance in the base game. No rain, no snow, no hail, no anything of the sort.
    2. Toddlers were ripped from the game completely. Newborn babies suddenly turn into a child.
    3. Swimming pools were torn from us as well. No more drowning our hated Sims.
    4. Open world was completely removed. To get to a destination, you must use the travel option on your phone.
    5. No vehicles of any sort.
    6. Hospitals, work buildings, and schools are completely gone. The game is a giant rabbit hole, very much like the Sims 2.
    7. Loading this, loading that. Constant loading wherever you want to go. (I just keep my Sims in the house!)
    8. Base game is very small. There is a lack of activities, a lack of consequences for actions, and overall story development seems to be completely missing. The amount of clothing in the game is pathetic.
    9. Our customization has been dumbed down once again. There is no longer a create-a-style option. You're forced with EA's handpicked colors for furniture and walls. Even a color wheel would have been acceptable.
    10. The skills take ages to develop. You find yourself almost constantly having to worry about your Sim's needs. Especially in public. There is no time to reach their job requirements and their aspirations. Majority of the time spent playing will be spent messing with their moodlets. (Unless you get fed up and cheat, as I did.)
    11. Forced online game installation. You must have a high speed internet connection for the Origin program, or it will claim you're offline and refuse to install the game.
    12. You're forced to play in only two "worlds". Both of which are ridiculously tiny, very little room to create tons of families.
    13. Camera controls are glitchy and slow. Edge scrolling has never been more painful.
    14. There is nothing new or unique about this game. Multi-tasking is the only evolutionary thing this game has to offer.
    15. Sims die very easily. You can laugh to death, or cry to death. Go figure.
    16. A total of 12 hours worth of playtime. By then you have seen everything or done everything there is to do.
    17. Items we have always had in previous games are completely missing without any explanation. EA blames their "new game engine".
    18. The game will soon have to bare with however many glitchy expansion packs EA will decide to release in the near future.

    Within the first twelve hours of gameplay, I have already come upon a few bugs:
    1. The loading screen music is constantly playing in the background in all of my saves. Had to mute the game's music.
    2. I adopted a girl and it suddenly became my Sim's sister. (and my husband's daughter. Figure that one out.)
    3. THE SIMS REFUSE TO CLEAN UP THE DIRTY DISHES. They will pick up a plate and hold it for a few seconds before putting it right back down. (I have found that having the game on normal speed will correct the issue in some instances.)
    4. The sliders in CAS will sometimes bug, and completely alter something. (One time I was editing my Sim's eyebrows and their eyes got really wide. It acted like I was using both of the sliders. The undo button did not correct the issue.)
    The patches are not fast enough to compensate for the amount of issues. Simple things slipped right past EA's testing.

    In conclusion, stay with The Sims 3, 2 and 1 for now. We'll see what direction EA decides to go in after these reviews.    … Expand
  10. Craphead
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    Wow, for the price that EA asks this game has absolutely NOTHING. So little to do, so disappointing, and less freedom than in previous Sims games, I hope they release expansions quicker than they did with earlier parts because this game has like nothing in it.
  11. Saavat
    Sep 7, 2014
    1
    Absolutely terrible, after playing for just 2 hours I have already noticed how much of a step back this is from Sims 3 (even Sims 2!). Unlike Sims 3, which had an open world-like feel for the whole town, this game has loading screens between each small neighbourhood, and those loading screens are pretty big! Another thing I noticed very quickly is that sims just walk right through eachAbsolutely terrible, after playing for just 2 hours I have already noticed how much of a step back this is from Sims 3 (even Sims 2!). Unlike Sims 3, which had an open world-like feel for the whole town, this game has loading screens between each small neighbourhood, and those loading screens are pretty big! Another thing I noticed very quickly is that sims just walk right through each other instead of a sim getting out of the way. Now I can kind of understand why they did this (In Sims 3 sims would often get stuck because they can't get out of the way) but would it be too hard to simply add an animation where the sim turns to the side instead of walking through them? Now instead of typing another 700 characters on how bad this is, I will list everything else that I hate about it.

    - No pools for no reason that I can figure out.
    - No colour wheel in create-a-sim
    - When your sim goes to work he just teleports instead of getting into a car
    - A strange lack of a lot of clothing options (DLC probably)
    - Camera barely works

    All in all there was only one thing I liked about this game: It's smoother than Sims 3.
    If you want to play a good Sims game then you should just play Sims 3, even if it isn't the smoothest game ever.    … Expand
  12. Edeyz
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    Normally games about double their content/graphics/AI ect. after about 2 years, not half it for every 1.
    It is extremely unlikely I will ever buy a new sims game, and after the mess that was Simcity, nor will I even look at another EA game.
  13. UNCLEPAULIE
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    I have played the Sims since it first launched but now its just getting far too expensive, I only bought a couple expansions off the Sims 3 and they felt exactly the same as the ones I purchased on the Sims 2 ( Nightlife and University ) . I do not own the Sims 4 and TBH probably will not buy it, just to purchase the same old expansions AGAIN .
    I really hate EA these days and I am trying    I have played the Sims since it first launched but now its just getting far too expensive, I only bought a couple expansions off the Sims 3 and they felt exactly the same as the ones I purchased on the Sims 2 ( Nightlife and University ) . I do not own the Sims 4 and TBH probably will not buy it, just to purchase the same old expansions AGAIN .
    I really hate EA these days and I am trying my best not to get anything from them, they are charging £59.99 for the Sims 4 in the UK for a digital deluxe version and STILL charging full price for the Sims 3 and all its expansions . Their greed is just mind blowing .    … Expand
  14. light487
    Sep 7, 2014
    7
    In some ways, it's quite an improvement but in others not so much and still in others it leaves me wondering "Why?!" but all in all, I am enjoying the game. I've played around 20 or so hours and still enjoying it. I dislike the loading times but being only 10 seconds at each one, I don't really find myself growing agitated when I see them. There's no toddlers but I've never really beenIn some ways, it's quite an improvement but in others not so much and still in others it leaves me wondering "Why?!" but all in all, I am enjoying the game. I've played around 20 or so hours and still enjoying it. I dislike the loading times but being only 10 seconds at each one, I don't really find myself growing agitated when I see them. There's no toddlers but I've never really been that kind of player that makes use of the toddler age group in the game. There's no pools but I've never had a pool in my own backyard and only ever used the public pools in Sims 3 as another location, of many, to meet people.

    My pet hates right now are the fact that only a single building at a time is "active" in the game and that all other buildings need to be loaded if you want to interact with them, even if they are within walking distance. Another thing I dislike the most is the feeling that just about everything can be done from the start of the game and there's no feeling of progression. Lastly, there's a feeling that everything can be done from your own lot and you never have to leave. This is highlighted especially by the fact that your friends are constantly coming over without being invited. It actually gets quite tiresome to see the friends coming over all the time, to the point where I ignore them a lot now.

    I can't say it's the worst "on release" Sims game.. and thinking about it objectively, weighing up the pros and cons of the new things in 4 compared to 3.. they're roughly on the same level. Of course 3 had many years of expansions and mods to go with it by now, so if you are to compare 4 against the "current" 3, then 4 sucks of course!

    It's certainly not a horrible game and I think that if all the people giving bad reviews rated it more honestly, we'd see an average of around 5 or 6.. I gave it 7 because it's not yet a "wonderful" game but neither is it a terrible game. It's above average at this point.    … Expand
  15. Mordaith
    Sep 7, 2014
    10
    Not sure what all the hate is about. I'm not one to make prop of a S*** company like EA, but I've got about 30 hours in so far. Been playing since 20 min after launch. No problems. Really really enjoying the game. The Sims are way more interesting to interact with. They are smarter. I have not been bored. My sims always have something to do.
  16. RealCritical
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    EA paid metacritic official reviews to vote them with high score, but I will not do that,

    this game is exactly Sims 3 with a few new features, so... suks too much.

    And then we'll see 20 o 30 dlcs of this game with an expensive price... why EA? Sims 1 and 2 were great!
  17. Towern
    Sep 7, 2014
    6
    Far from the blindly positive 9's and far from the blindly raged 0's, The Sims 4 isn't the game the fans deserved or the game the best sold PC series deserved, I can't help to feel frustrated with this missing opportunity EA had. For me The Sims 3 are now the top of pyramid of this series, but lets through parts:

    --> (++) For most people the biggest change is in the graphics, first you    Far from the blindly positive 9's and far from the blindly raged 0's, The Sims 4 isn't the game the fans deserved or the game the best sold PC series deserved, I can't help to feel frustrated with this missing opportunity EA had. For me The Sims 3 are now the top of pyramid of this series, but lets through parts:

    --> (++) For most people the biggest change is in the graphics, first you strange but then you accept. With a more "cartoonish" look, the game never ran better. The greatest flaw in the third Sims was bad optimization, even in my gaming PC textures were awful and took ages to load, the lag rotating the camera and when you saw the all town from above... that's all gone. The Sims 4 run as smooth as you could want. But at what cost?
    The Sims are a bit more "real", they can multi-task, have emotions according to the situation and surroundings. Basically, the social features are a lot better, fast and responsive with always the results you would expect, but most important, it is a lot more fun to have a group talk or any kind of chat being that for me the highlight of this game. Which is not surprising since EA kinda admitted the social focus in their marketing campaigns. But at what cost?
    The Create a Sim and Building mode are also better, with more options and accessibility, even though it could use a few touches there and there, I'm not going to extend in this matter cuz my guess is you already know the features.
    The Aspirations... well that's subjective, either you love it or you hate it. They took the professional or epic focus out of it, instead they made some sort of social (and professional) accomplishments, but with a lighter feeling, they're easier and more accessible, and once you achieve it you can move on to another.
    That's about it for the positive things in the game...
    --> (--) What a shame EA, what a shame... let me just bring out all my thoughts before getting to the game.
    Money, money, money, you just don't care anymore EA, Maxis could have done here the GREATEST Sims ever, but you cut them down didn't you...? Cuz you have a schedule to keep, you have to keep making money, money, money. But yeah, we the consumers are the stupid ones right? Sure, we keep buying your **** after all... And that's where it hurts, you have no values no moral to realize that you created great series that hooked us up and have no problems exploiting who love them. You'll dry out EA, some day you will...
    Now for the game. This is how you describe The Sims 4 in one word: miss-opportunity. You had it EA if you had just put down that greedy feeling... If you had granted Maxis a few more months... You could had right here the greatest social simulator ever. And it would have been easy actually, you just had to take The Sims 3, implant the new graphics/engine and the creation features... THAT WAS IT!
    But no, you took down the open city, the shopping features, the workplace... hell, the pools, the new born babies! It's ridiculous, to me this is more like Sims 2 than 3!!! This is The Sims 2.7!
    Seriously, I wanted a new Sims, I wanted to play this game again in a new way... I guess I'll just stick to The Sims 3. You took that amazing feeling of innovation and revolution when The Sims 3 came out. I wanted that... I was expecting that, goddammit, YOU HAD IT ALL! WHAT YOU NEED MOOOREEE MONEY EA?!!!
    It's just... **** I would have given an 8 score, if the ****ing city was free to explore! Cuz thats what I loved about Sims 3, getting out of the house in the morning for a run to the park with the sunshine! Looking back... damn, it has optimization problems, but it's gorgeous. The city feels empty, it's no fun, no where to go without a ****ing loading screen, they put random people in your neighborhood when you're home just to give you the illusion that the city is alive! When it's dead!
    And I'm not even going to talk about personalization option (clothes, hair, objects...) it screams expansions... DISGUSTING.
    Such a shame... My god this game pisses me off, I just can't believe that NO ONE, NO ONE from the developer team said this is step back to you suits of EA. You that forward is the way to go right? No. I guess not.    … Expand
  18. Sylvire
    Sep 7, 2014
    2
    Seriously?

    What good is in this game. Game world has just changed somewhere between Sims 2 and Sims 3 with the area loading. You can't affect to your job now, it's just go in, come back, some moods change, here is your cash. All the actions take tons of time. I don't want to stay several hours in shower or talk to random person at street for hours and hours to keep social up. I'm    Seriously?

    What good is in this game. Game world has just changed somewhere between Sims 2 and Sims 3 with the area loading. You can't affect to your job now, it's just go in, come back, some moods change, here is your cash.

    All the actions take tons of time. I don't want to stay several hours in shower or talk to random person at street for hours and hours to keep social up.

    I'm almost expecting EA putting in soon real cash store where you can buy game money in bulk to get all the instant shower, bladder etc... potions.

    EA, latest Simcity was disaster and latest Sims also. You seem to be on the path to destroy everything you do with "fantastic" new streamlining. Heck, Sims 2 was better with all the options we got in it.    … Expand
  19. brbeu565
    Sep 7, 2014
    1
    This crap sucks. Alle the stuff you were used to use is gone. It's much more a Gameboy-Version of the Sims 2, but in HD. Spending 50 bucks for this, I'm really pissed off right now.
  20. Sjalka
    Sep 7, 2014
    3
    For that review i will only consider the base game, what we actually get for our money - without the certain knowledge that there is probably more than 10 times the content coming in various DLCs ( each for nearly full price )

    My first impression after installing is - the UI is kind of ugly, stylish, but still ugly. It starts out with the CAS, which places the sim against a plain white    For that review i will only consider the base game, what we actually get for our money - without the certain knowledge that there is probably more than 10 times the content coming in various DLCs ( each for nearly full price )

    My first impression after installing is - the UI is kind of ugly, stylish, but still ugly. It starts out with the CAS, which places the sim against a plain white background - and although it serves no purpose at all, i did very much appreciate the changing room style of the sims 3.

    CAS is the part where you spend a long, long, looooong time in - adjusting, readjusting, adding tiny little flaws and traits to the sim, trying to get the details just right even if you hardly notice them in the actual game.
    The first shock (not really a shock, cause it was mentioned so many times before i had the game) - there is no create-a-style. There is a saying that you only really appreciate something when you miss it. And it does turn out that i very much appreciated the feature in Sims 3 - and i so very much miss it now.

    I end up with a sim that allows me more freedom in physical aspects, while placing strange restrictions on me in terms of style. ( however, i only review the BASIS retail version of the game, i do not have the deluxe or collectors edition, so who knows - maybe they have a bigger wardrobe when it comes to styles? )

    My sims aspirations - hmm... a lot less customization there, too. a little disappointing, but the traits and flaws we get are satisfactory for the most part - but it does look like there is definite room to expand the list of available traits, - and also sure that EA will do it.

    On we go to the neighbourhood. - and man, that one looks terrible. No more birds flight over a fairly vast valley, or in later expansions - entire archipelagos. ... instead - a selection of a few houses. the size of my "world" does not even justify the name "tiny village" - in fact, it does not look like a world at all.

    I am painfully reminded at Sim City 2013, which gave us town sized squared instead of city/metropolis sized areas. - So it seems that "progression in sequels" means "smaller".
    Maybe however smaller means much more detailed? - well... no. It means just smaller.

    Building a house is similar to the Sims 3 with a few tweaks, useful tweaks, but again - however that was to be expected - i am missing tons of materials to customize my home, - remembering the Sims 3 BASE game however, ... yea - its about the same.

    Managing my Sims is as enjoyable as it was in the Sims 3 and 2 ( never played 1 ). - In fact, i d go so far and say - it is almost the exact same as the Sims 3 in terms of interaction with the sims. Sure, there are some tweaks like multitasking - but in general, my sims experience does not differ much.

    And so i focus again on the flaws. loading times that shatter any believe of a sprawling, living world around my house. Again, one only appreciates a feature when it is lost - and i realize how much i appreciated the wide open areas of the sims 3.

    Now in that case - i am not so sure if EA can DLC a more open world in that game - i kind of doubt it - which leaves me sad.

    on the positive side - i kind of like the new cartoonish look of the sims. Since it never managed to look "realistic" it is a good choice to go more cartoonish.

    All in all however, i notice that i miss a lot more than i appreciate - in all fairness however, i do believe i felt the same when The Sims 3 was released and it was only the base game yet. The restricted world however is a huge negative - and a huge step backwards in the series, a restriction that might break the game.    … Expand
  21. misscedras
    Sep 7, 2014
    3
    You remember sims 2... well sims 4 is pretty the same with better graphics. All the things I like about sims 3 (open world, more interaction, profession, toddlers, etc.) have been eliminated. Okay, the game doesn't lag (thank god) and the loading is so much faster. Seriously, EA, you need to reevaluate your team. You just can't create a new version of sims and forget all about the previousYou remember sims 2... well sims 4 is pretty the same with better graphics. All the things I like about sims 3 (open world, more interaction, profession, toddlers, etc.) have been eliminated. Okay, the game doesn't lag (thank god) and the loading is so much faster. Seriously, EA, you need to reevaluate your team. You just can't create a new version of sims and forget all about the previous one. Disappointed is the word.… Expand
  22. RedMallie
    Sep 6, 2014
    2
    What I like:
    1. The build mode tools.
    2. Some of the CAS features, for example, making bums bigger. 3. One to one interaction animations seem to be very realistic, for example, kissing, hugging, cuddling. What I do NOT like: 1. Both in Build mode and CAS, using the "intuitive" tools becomes tiring. Physically, my hands get cramped from trying to pull and push the controls. 2. There    What I like:
    1. The build mode tools.
    2. Some of the CAS features, for example, making bums bigger.
    3. One to one interaction animations seem to be very realistic, for example, kissing, hugging, cuddling.
    What I do NOT like:
    1. Both in Build mode and CAS, using the "intuitive" tools becomes tiring. Physically, my hands get cramped from trying to pull and push the controls.
    2. There are glitches and routing problems in game play.
    3. Multitasking or some issue that allows for sims to supposedly have a conversation from one room to another.
    4. Tilting the camera to view sims or houses in Live or Build mode is very limited.
    5. All the missing elements already widely discussed (toddlers, CASt, cars, pools, etc.)
    What I HATE:
    1. The terrible indoor lighting. It is too dim, and unrealistic. It gave me a headache.
    2. Very limited placement of objects both indoors and outdoors.
    3. Lack of at least cheats to compensate for limited placements.
    4. The lack of scaling of doors and windows to walls.    … Expand
  23. WhiskerStan
    Sep 6, 2014
    1
    For starters I am a long time sims fan and it has been a game I always buy and enjoy wasting my life away on. Well congrats EA you have ruined a tradition and a great franchise. After the glitches of sims 3 I'd assume this installment would be a bit better, nope. It's glitchy, and that would be forgive able if the game had all the items and things that makes the game....sims! I shruggedFor starters I am a long time sims fan and it has been a game I always buy and enjoy wasting my life away on. Well congrats EA you have ruined a tradition and a great franchise. After the glitches of sims 3 I'd assume this installment would be a bit better, nope. It's glitchy, and that would be forgive able if the game had all the items and things that makes the game....sims! I shrugged off no toddler stage, meh, even forgave no pools, whatever, but to backtrack to this awkward no open world? Unforgivable, honestly what is sims 4, it's in no way a sequel to sims 3, if anything it's an emotion filled body editor prequel from 2002???

    I was a huge fan of sims 3, it had its ups and downs but was overall enjoyable. Sims 4 gets boring in minutes, coming from me who spends and easy 6 hours just creating a house and another umpteen hours getting my sim promoted, and just doing random things it's sad to say sims 4 is a bore! In order to get this game on track a patch/expansion of epic proportions better be on the horizon and it better be cheap, bc I can I'll afford another $60 for an unfinished sloppy jaloppy as a sim would say! Just bad EA, just bad. Save your simoleans my friends and wait it out.

    And another gripe before I go, the graphics are an odd mixture of cartoon/realism and they are a step backward from sims 3. I understand the aiming at a larger market and those with less powerful computers but I feel like they dumbed it down to where even a computer running windows 98 could almost make this work. Just sayin.    … Expand
  24. omk358
    Sep 6, 2014
    6
    I've been a Sims player from the beginning, Sims 1, Sims 2 (still my favorite despite it's age) didn't really care for 3 (although it had some great features, I just didn't like it as much for reasons I won't go into here.) As far as Sims 4 goes, overall I like the game, it seems promising. Sure some things are missing, and in general when I pay $60 for a game I expect it not to crash asI've been a Sims player from the beginning, Sims 1, Sims 2 (still my favorite despite it's age) didn't really care for 3 (although it had some great features, I just didn't like it as much for reasons I won't go into here.) As far as Sims 4 goes, overall I like the game, it seems promising. Sure some things are missing, and in general when I pay $60 for a game I expect it not to crash as often as this game so far has. Out of everything this is my #1 complaint so far for this game. I think it's crashed more often than I've played it. I've managed to get play time up to about an hour so far before it crashes (losing everything.) Once it even crashed upon trying to save the game. I'm truly wanting to give it a chance and be able to play and give it time to grow on me but so far it's leaving me feeling disappointing because it's crashing far, far too often and that's no fun. Perhaps when the bugs are all smoothed out and there are one or two expansion packs available this will be a truly fun game. Right now it feels like a beta release and a day one patch I think confirms that (and it's still crashing...) A lot of people are sayings it's a fail, I don't think so entirely, but I do think it could have been and should have been better when your shelling out $60.… Expand
  25. jmpittman0220
    Sep 6, 2014
    7
    This game is nowhere near as bad as the idiots posting fake reviews have posted. Yes it takes some steps back but it makes it clear that this is a better version of the Sims all the same. If you're a fan already, you'll get your money's worth. If you're new to the series, you can get more for less from the previous iterations but once getting hooked you will want to make the jump to SimsThis game is nowhere near as bad as the idiots posting fake reviews have posted. Yes it takes some steps back but it makes it clear that this is a better version of the Sims all the same. If you're a fan already, you'll get your money's worth. If you're new to the series, you can get more for less from the previous iterations but once getting hooked you will want to make the jump to Sims 4. Internet haters are going to hate..... Losers.… Expand
  26. Kastrenzo
    Sep 6, 2014
    1
    Characters look better and it's a little easier to make unique buildings and sims.

    That's about the extent of the positives. I can't even begin to describe what garbage this game is. It's easier to list the features that aren't in the game, than the ones that are. At this point in the franchise you would expect that some of the features of previous expansions in the older games    Characters look better and it's a little easier to make unique buildings and sims.

    That's about the extent of the positives. I can't even begin to describe what garbage this game is. It's easier to list the features that aren't in the game, than the ones that are.

    At this point in the franchise you would expect that some of the features of previous expansions in the older games would have been folded into the base game of the Sims 4. Nope.

    No vehicles, no pools, no toddlers, a tiny game world, create a style is gone for both objects and clothing, there aren't even damn firefighters or police.

    This game was nothing more than an unfinished base platform which costs 10-20 dollars/pounds/euros/etc more than the usual cost of games. The intention here was simply to gut the fanbase with a dozen DLC/Expansions.

    Another franchise bites the dust.    … Expand
  27. anonymouse1
    Sep 6, 2014
    9
    Pros
    Emotions, UI, multitasking, build mode, little to no crashing/lag, graphics
    Cons Stuff that I don't miss (CASt, toddlers, pools, rabbitholes, dishwashers) Stuff that I do miss (skin tone/hair/eye color sliders) Dark sims are grey and light. Everyone has been giving this 0 because they say it's "empty". People said the exact same for sims 3- that it's "unfinished" (see its    Pros
    Emotions, UI, multitasking, build mode, little to no crashing/lag, graphics

    Cons
    Stuff that I don't miss (CASt, toddlers, pools, rabbitholes, dishwashers)
    Stuff that I do miss (skin tone/hair/eye color sliders)
    Dark sims are grey and light.

    Everyone has been giving this 0 because they say it's "empty". People said the exact same for sims 3- that it's "unfinished" (see its negative reviews on metacritic). It's not. The lots are actually full now because of the loading screens between lots. The pools didn't give me more than a couple of seconds of entertainment. If you are dying to have something that resembles a pool use a fountain. I would've given this a 7 but because of all the 0's I'll try to balance it out. I dislike the hair style but also realize how it helps performance.    … Expand
  28. ashgasm
    Sep 6, 2014
    3
    Let me just start of by saying that if you buy the Digital Deluxe version for $70, you're essentially paying extra money for around 5 extra outfits, a few hats, and around 6-9 items (ie. a tiki bar, which was the only thing I noticed from the "extra content"). I really wanted to like it. Honestly. But there's just so many limitations, things missing, lack of interactions and the Sims thatLet me just start of by saying that if you buy the Digital Deluxe version for $70, you're essentially paying extra money for around 5 extra outfits, a few hats, and around 6-9 items (ie. a tiki bar, which was the only thing I noticed from the "extra content"). I really wanted to like it. Honestly. But there's just so many limitations, things missing, lack of interactions and the Sims that I'm used to. My biggest issue is the lack of open world. Sure, you can walk out on the sidewalk, and there are more Sims that are just making their way around that general area - but it's because they're in that area of the map. Also, there are no cars - so yeah, people are walking because they have to. Nobody really progresses at anything - no relationships, job promotions, nothing.

    Why would they throw such an unfinished game at us? There are only TWO neighborhoods to explore. The nicest looking place to do anything (like have a beautiful engagement spot) is this pond at a park. There are no hospitals, schools, fire departments - everything's either a residential lot, a library, club/bar, gym, or a museum. If you're going to work, you walk off the lot and come back when it's over (none of those "Work Hard", "Slack Off" choices anymore).

    Interactions are dumb. You have a bar for a relationship, and then you have a separate bar for romance. Any negative reaction from the person you're talking to will affect your mood negatively. Were you feeling Very Confident? Oops, that guy just answered your question weirdly, suddenly you're Embarrassed and want to Hide from Everyone. And it's not just that - from what I experienced, you can have several romantic partners and relationships without any drama. Wasn't that part of the fun - how real it was? Now, you can have a bunch of boy/girl toys on the side, and then you can have your spouse, with no turmoil.

    It's nice that they actually do trimesters now for when you're pregnant - although it takes a bit longer for you to actually have your child. If you're in labor, people can still come and talk and interact while you writhe in agony on the sofa. After you have your baby, it just magically appears inside the home, in a basket. You can choose to age it up at any point, or wait it out. Once they age though, a freaking child just jumps out of it's crib and just suddenly talks, hugs, takes food from the fridge. You also just get to choose traits for the child now regardless of how/when they age, which is a lot less realistic.

    There are added features, but there are a lot that have been taken away. You can build a rocket in your backyard and explore space, but you can't drive a car. You can cook regular meals and gourmet meals (with some interesting tricks that your Sim will perform), but you can't go for a swim. You can play a game of Tetris in 3D, but you can't walk over to visit the building next to you (you have to "travel" - aka wait for the loading screen and then materialize in front of the lot).

    The biggest crime besides the lack of free roam is that the Sims 4 is BORING. There is no actual life going on outside of your household. It's just a routine - go to work, come home, cook, shower, sleep. There's nothing going on, no REALISM, which is the biggest selling point for the Sims and why Sims 3 was so thoroughly enjoyed. Don't get me wrong - the graphics are VERY nice. But that doesn't make up for ripping everything else out of Sims. I really thought this game would be a huge step for the franchise. Instead, it's a huge disappointment. $70 is really not worth it.    … Expand
  29. Oshout
    Sep 6, 2014
    7
    Feels unfinished.

    I know EA has a penchant for releasing tons of DLC - and the Sims 3 was no exemption, which I hope highlights the state of the sims 4. Currently, there's not much to do outside of go to work and come home. My sims are content to act on auto-pilot for their daily living and there's not much to do outside of train skills. Interactions feel clunky. Sims mostly do    Feels unfinished.

    I know EA has a penchant for releasing tons of DLC - and the Sims 3 was no exemption, which I hope highlights the state of the sims 4.

    Currently, there's not much to do outside of go to work and come home. My sims are content to act on auto-pilot for their daily living and there's not much to do outside of train skills.

    Interactions feel clunky. Sims mostly do what you expect them to otherwise just chat. Previous versions of the game felt like a soap opera - the people in the neighborhood could invite your characters into their lives and drama. Now it feels like a doll house, a doll house which lacks imagination.

    The easiest way to describe it is a lack of emotional connection to anything which happens.

    The game has a solid understanding of the dynamics of life - I like how the choices at work can affect your potential. The career oriented things I saw seemed plausible and fun to achieve.

    Felt like sims aged a bit quick by default but there's the normal option to turn it off, as well as an option to turn off the auto-birthday and make you instead have to blow out candles to age.

    The graphics are more inviting than the sims 3, but not so far out there that it makes you think, "Wow!". I miss being able to go places on vacation and explore and a variety of interactive towns.

    It's much less in your face, and has less staged actions than the sims 3 did at it's height, but the sims 4 feels very unpolished and lacking that energy that made the game an alternative to watching TV opposed to what it is now: a computerized doll house.    … Expand
  30. rmcfc1988
    Sep 6, 2014
    6
    I'll be honest this game is not worth the £49.99 that origin is asking for the standard edition. It is quite frankly a bare bones offering that is missing several features that have been popular in past games. Despite this I feel that this game has potential the new emotion system is a step forward, the UI and build mode have seen vast improvements since 3 and the loading times are muchI'll be honest this game is not worth the £49.99 that origin is asking for the standard edition. It is quite frankly a bare bones offering that is missing several features that have been popular in past games. Despite this I feel that this game has potential the new emotion system is a step forward, the UI and build mode have seen vast improvements since 3 and the loading times are much better.

    As this game stands I would recommend it to those new to the series (The sims 3 bundled with some expansions would be better though) however those that have played 3 and its expansions should wait till the inevitable expansions are released and wait till they are bundled together and put on sale. This is however what I felt about 3 when I initially bought it the base games are always lacklustre and really need the expansions to really improve things.

    All in all this is not a bad game it is nowhere near perfect though and EA and Maxis need to reintroduce features fast and not rip its customers off too much in doing so.

    Given that I only spent £25 on the game I'm not too let down and look forward to the (inevitable onslaught of) expansions which I hope will be more reasonably priced than the base game.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
7
#7 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 75
  3. Negative: 2 out of 75
  1. Cubed3
    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.
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  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]
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