New ‘Sims 4’ Game Receives Mixed Reviews From Fans And Gamers Alike

Maxis and EA Games officially released the Sims 4 on September 2, and so far the game is being met with mixed reviews. The first notable caveat is that, so far, there is no Mac version available and no indication if and when one will become available.

That factor aside, there is no limit to the excitement and anticipation that surrounded the release of the Sims 4. Fans of the gaming franchise eagerly awaited the opportunity to get their hands on this new offering. Here is what one avid Sims fan had to say about the overall game play.

Although the Sims 4 has added a whole slew of new features, it has deviated from some of the most valued features that were found in the previous version of this popular life simulation game. To hear Kevin Van Ord from Gamespot tell it, the game is missing several key elements.

“There are no swimming pools, or toddlers, or so-called rabbit holes like restaurants and grocery stores. There are no cars and no carpool, no bicycles and no schoolbuses; there is no create-a-style feature that lets you personalize clothing and carpets, and you cannot terraform the terrain… The greatest loss is that of the seamless neighborhood.”

Of course there are some positives to the game. A lot of the features that are now missing make the game play a bit more seamless than before, even making it possible to play on a laptop as the game offers a feature for laptop mode. Inc. Gamers had the following to offer regarding the positive attributes of Sims 4.

“I’m really impressed with the creation tools. I’m obviously reserving full judgment until I’ve spent a lot longer with everything, but it’s clear a lot of effort went into making the Create-A-Sim and building construction utilities both fluid and powerful, and that seems to have worked wonders.”

Overall, the verdict is that in the Sims 4, it seems that the programmers that put the game together really dumbed-down some of the more popular and perhaps nostalgic features all in the name of streamlining the game play. Being that glitches were common in the previous versions of The Sims, and this was a big complaint from fans, it would appear that Maxis Arts has at least listened to the feedback when they designed Sims 4. Unfortunately, in order to achieve more seamless game play with less glitches, some customization features are lost.

Time will tell how any expansion packs will add to the overall Sims 4 experience.

[Photo credit: Sims Community]