‘The Sims 4’: Top 5 Reviews You Need to Read

Electronic Arts and the creative developers at EA Maxis/The Sims Studio have been crafting the 4th official entry in the beloved Sims series.

On September 2, 2014, The Sims 4 finally became available to PC/MAC users. Now we all know how awful the launch of EA’s SimCity reboot turned out to be. Has EA learned from their past mistakes and released a much more manageable and playable PC live simulation?

Check out these reviews of The Sims 4 and find out if this entry is worth playing.

Den of Geek- 2/5

Den of Geek’s review lamented the fact that The Sims 4’s lack of an open world to create and explore in hurt the game the most. The removal of features that were present in past entries in the series is also a huge issue this review points out:

With the technology available today, it’s inconceivable how EA could have made the decision to make a game not set in an open world. You can’t add great features to a franchise in one game and then remove what worked so well in the next game. It doesn’t work like that! The game begins to feel more like a mindless chore after a few hours, and it becomes apparent that I should work on my own level of fun instead of my Sim’s. I really wanted to like The Sims 4, but I strongly suggest you spend your simoleons elsewhere.

Softpedia – 8/10

Softpedia’s review is one of the few positive ones out there. The reviewer noted that game game’s fun factor is quite high and the Create-A-Sim/Build Mode systems are more fun to delve into. The lack of imprint features that were seen in past Sims games is mentioned in this review, though:

The Sims 4 is a fun experience that certainly takes great steps in improving the core mechanics of the series. The Create-A-Sim and Build Mode systems are much more accessible yet offer a lot of depth for those that desire it. Sims are smart, can multitask, and interact in lots of nifty ways. However, there are still plenty of missing core items while the existing set of options are limited, to say the least, no doubt to ensure that the upcoming expansions bring lots of highly desirable things.

Escapist Magazine – 3 and a Half/5

Escapist Magazine noted that The Sims 4 isn’t much of a huge upgrade from The Sims 3. The game’s enhancements and tweaks were noted as being positives for the game, but the lack of engaging content brought the game’s fun a lot:

The Sims 4 isn’t bad, exactly, it just sure as hell isn’t particularly good. In cutting out the fluff and focusing on the core gameplay, EA Maxis has forgotten that fans LIKED the fluff, and the core gameplay was simply a conduit to obtain all the distracting nonsense and silly toys. Call me cynical, but it seems to me that this fourth installment will become a conduit for all that … we’ll just be expected to pay more to get it. The Sims 4 is basically The Sims 3, but shrunken and sterile. While some tweaks and enhancements are nice, none of them can offset the overall lack of engagement provided, and the looming promise of DLC is no compromise.

ABC News – 2/5

ABC News’ review wasn’t very kind to The Sims 4. The reviewer had several issues with numerous game bugs that hampered the improvements that came with the more intelligent Sims. The game’s controls and improved structure as the 1st game in an expected line of upcoming Sims updates were the positive highlights from this review:

It would be awesome — if it all flawlessly worked. In my review copy of “Sims 4,” I ran into many unforgivable glitches, such as Sim babies resembling Freddy Kruger and Sims awkwardly swapping chairs while gathered around a table. In one instance, a bizarre Rip Van Winkle goof caused all of my neighbors to age faster when I wasn’t controlling them. They later died.

That last bug was enough to drive me to scream Simlish — the game’s goofy language — at my laptop. With such snags and so many features introduced in the previous three entries left out this time, there’s an unshakable feeling while playing “The Sims 4” that even though the Sims have evolved, something still isn’t quite right about them, and it ain’t just their dishpan hands. Two stars.

Hardcore Gamer – 2.5/5

Hardcore Gamer’s review was none to kind to The Sims 4. While they said it comes with the expected visual upgrades, it’s lack of worthwhile features and repetitive content hamper the game’s experience:

Superficially, The Sims 4 is the upgrade everyone wanted. It’s prettier, rife with the possibilities only the fourth entry in a longstanding simulation series can provide. Upon closer inspection, however, the myriad of flaws become strikingly apparent, and hints of greatness are few and far in between the layers of mediocrity coating much of its repertoire. The lack of core-features, underutilization of the impressive emotions system, flawed customization and faulty…practically everything else, only emphasizes EA’s struggle to keep its promises.