So I’m thinking of finally giving it ago and play the last iteration of the seriea. The base game alone bores, so I’d be interested to hear which packs are worth getting/buying (the list os overwhelming and I might not have enough hard erive space). Do note, I had a taste of vampires, realm of magic and I remember visiting San Myshuno. Should I get these again or should I save my money/time before installing some others first?
Keeping in mind that no matter what you buy, the game will still feel incredibly hollow, I will make this tight but very comprehensive, giving feedback for each non-kit piece of content over the past decade.
+ Positive
~ So-So
- Negative
Overall, packs feels very "Different Ways To Play With The Base Game" instead "Play With New Content." You'll notice a pattern...
Everyone Liked That People typically enjoyed this, and you might too.
EP: City Living
+ Has a lot of content and things to do around the city.
~ Apartments are nice, but you can't build your own.
- The city only looks big.
EP: Life & Death
+ Offers top-requested end of life features, such as customizable funerals, graveyards and tarot.
~ Darker themes may not gel with the games lighter tone players are used to.
- “Death” gameplay is great, but “Life” can feel a bit shallow.
EP: Business & Hobbies
+ Personalized businesses and detailed business systems.
~ Depends on other packs to make the most of the pack and some integration is missing.
- A lack of hobbies/business types.
GP: Dine Out
+ Experimental cuisine was a great addition to an otherwise solid (but common) concept.
~ Lack of ability to work in your own restaurant or hire household members.
- Dining can be slow.
Required Purchase Fundamental to the genre. You'll probably buy it, but may or may not like it.
EP: Get Together
+ The club systems is incredibly powerful and a complete game changer.
~ Has nice gameplay items, but not much else if you don't use clubs.
- It's basically the rest of the base game.
EP: Cats & Dogs
+ Has a new Vet business.
~ Some things are absent, like pet houses and competitions/contests.
- Is literally Cats & Dogs, which cannot be controlled with cheats.
EP: Seasons
+ Adds dynamic weather elements to the game.
~ Adds a lot of fun new items and holidays, but not much else.
- Later worlds don't utilize weather to the fullest.
EP: Discover University
+ Integration with many careers and skills to improve career growth paired with lots of new items.
~ Underutilized of (but developed with) many systems across the series, such as clubs and dorms.
- Can be a little lackluster in places.
EP: Growing Together
+ A lot of content for family focused players.
~ Relationship dynamics feel nice, but don't appear to influence the household overall.
- Feels like a base game refresh sold as an expansion pack to offset the cost of infants being added to the base game.
EP: Adventure Awaits
+ The amount of core gameplay items paired with custom venues significantly makes up for the packs shortcomings.
~ Lacks a core theme but covers a lot of ground.
- Getaways could be better implemented.
GP: Parenthood
+ Offers great additions to family content, focused on child developed.
~ Build/Buy and CAS can come across as bland or inconsistent.
- Suffers from being a game pack.
Nice To Have You don't need it, but might like it.
EP: Get To Work
+ The 3 active careers are nice.
~ Retail & aliens are nice but could be better.
- Suffers from being the first expansion pack of the worst base game in the series.
EP: Get Famous
+ Fame is dynamic, and integrated across all packs, while also making the famous Sim function like an occult with buffs and debuffs.
~ Acting is the only active career.
- Del Sol Valley leaves a lot to be desired.
EP: Island Living
+ Sulani is beautiful, which is the biggest selling point.
~ Looks like a vacation pack, but isn't.
- Content doesn't take full advantage of the tropical setting, focused mostly on living, not relaxing (such as a lack of travel focused gameplay).
EP: Snowy Escape
+ A solid alternative to a travel pack with lot of extreme outdoor activities, including rock climbing and snow boarding.
~ Extreme sports, lifestyles, and onsen gameplay loop draw away from the Japanese aspects, making them underwhelming while also leave the player wanting more from the culture in the game.
- Lifestyles don’t influence much of the game, while also feeling a bit unnecessary.
EP: Cottage Living
+ Adds top requested activities related to farming and rural life.
~ Farming is improved may feel shallow for those expecting more from gardening.
- Depends on fetch quests in place of other gameplay additions.
GP: Outdoor Retreat
+ Has fun outdoor items.
~ Camping is lackluster by nature, and so is this, but if you enjoy camping, you may like this.
- Suffers from being the very game pack release.
GP: Spa Day
+ Has a lot of gameplay items for a niche concept.
~ Focus on spa, which are niche, but well done if you enjoy spas.
- Probably more for builders than players.
GP: Vampires
+ Vampires set the standard for occult gameplay and customizing vampires with traits and features across different time periods and era is very well done.
~ The neighborhood is pretty small.
- Suffers from being niche.
GP: Realm Of Magic
+ Both worlds, while small, are nice.
~ Build style is nice but niche, making them difficult to use.
- Magics is based on books, not skills, which impact integration with other packs.
Beautiful Gowns Has very nice Create-A-Sim or Build/Buy items, but not much else.
EP: Eco-Lifestyle
+ The Build & Buy item are amazing and many of the gameplay items feel like must have, like the dumpster.
~ Too much work required to engage with the eco-systems while also not feeling like you're making a difference; You'll probably turn them off.
- NAPs can feel intrusive or like bugs.
EP: High School Years
+ TONS of build buy items to personalize bedrooms.
~ A lack of actual agency at school with no want to control school events (such as prom committee or student president) and the amusement part is a rabbit hole.
- The high school is a big too big for 12 or so students, and would probably fair better as a rabbit hole experience with teen centric content.
EP: Enchanted By Nature
+ Fairies are nice and can be highly customized.
~ There isn't any major content to speak of, but what's there is very pretty.
- Was probably a game pack.
GP: Jungle Adventure
+ Makes the most of a game pack budget with randomization.
~ The build Items looks nice, but can be a little inconsistent.
- Offers very little once you've finish exploring.
GP: Strangerville
+ Great build/buy items (but lacking in completeness due to being a game pack).
~ A story focused pack if you're into that.
- Offers very little once the story is finished outside of a career and a few items.
GP: Dream Home Decorator
+ Lots of mid century build buy items.
~ Build/Buy catalog lacks variety and new game play items.
- The Interior Design gameplay loop starts fun, but soon becomes lackluster, and eventually buggy.
GP: Werewolves
+ The grunge CAS and Build/Buy items really sell the pack overall for such a niche concept.
~ The world is just one neighborhood but well made.
- Werewolves are just super niche while also looking somewhat strange.
Probably Fraud Lots of smoke and mirrors. Purchasing this feels like a rip-off.
EP: Horse Ranch
+ Horses are okay.
~ Was probably a game pack.
- Nectar and ranch animals are nice, but there's too little additional content to justify the expansion pack title.
EP: For Rent
+ Apartments can be built anywhere.
~ The world is relatively small and underpopulated, but nice.
- Save corruption has gone unfixed and the landlord experience can feel underwhelming.
EP: Lovestruck
+ Online dating is nice.
~ Romantic gameplay is nice but can feel overwhelming or underwhelming.
- There’s not really anything in it.
EP: Royalty & Legacy
+ Build/Buy, CAS, and the World saved this expansion pack.
~ The cheapest & quickest expansion pack ever produced, and it shows, offering very little in term of depth or innovation, but you may enjoy having a dynasty or sword fighting.
- Content is rehashed, recolored, a lightly modified content other packs, with a lot of base game recolors sold as new content.
GP: Journey To Batuu
+ The only pack where Sims can gamble.
~ Fetch quest focused gameplay that many people may not like, with a lack of active lots.
- The aliens aren't occults, just Sims in masks.
GP: My Wedding Stories
+The new wedding micromanagement content can be disabled.
~ If you like to micromanage weddings, you may have fun.
- Weddings are no more interesting and there's very little in the way of actual content.
Is this the whole list of EPS/GPS? I think I’ll go first with City Living, as I feel like Business and Hobbies doesn’t (seem to) bring any World to explore and gameplay depented on other packs, while Life and Death might be boring to play as first EP.
On second thought, I’m on a fence with these three: Get Together And Getaway. I guess what I value in a sims game for me is for my Sims do more stuff, gain skills and make a change to the world.
There are more. I got tired and had to go to work lol this is just EPs. There are around 100 pieces of DLC.
Personally, I hate Get Together but it has items I like and use often (closets, DJ booths, etc.). Adventure Awaits has a TON of every day gameplay items but only offers getaways and custom venues. The items carry the pack a lot. You can also make your customized venues.
Life & Death is a bit boring but doesn’t really kick in until someone dies. However, this is important for wills, ghosts, funerals, etc., which feels necessary now that it exists.
Business & Hobbies has a world but is focuses on business ownership, not exploration.
While I agree with the vast majority of @matrix54 evaluations, there are a few oddities depending on what type of player you are. If a builder, then it's true that For Rent sucks as a Landlord simulator, as well as being buggy, but it has what I've come to regard as a builder, essential items that every venue whether residential or community requires. The water boilers, central heating, air conditioning, electrical box, all that jazz. Every build, needs them, as standard, certainly once you do have the otherwise awful For Rent pack installed. Likewise all the Eco living solar panels, water collectors, wind turbines, all that jazz, as the best complement to the For Rent plumbing and electrical essentials. But only if you are a building nut who needs each job done finished and correct... as standard
Almost forgot, of course Seasons also required, for the all important Thermostat gizmo that ties all of the above mentioned electrical and plumbing essentials together. Plus the hot and cold weather to make all of the above have an actual point. Yep, cannot deny that. If you don't have Seasons, everything I've just said above is pretty much worthless.
"Become a government informer. Betray your family and friends. Fabulous prizes to be won!" Red Dwarf - Back to Reality.
I’m also a builder. I enjoy For Rent for the build items. I’m an absolute slut for the cabinets in For Rent. However, I can’t recommend it on good faith.
I also like the build items in Strangerville… but… yikes
I'd look up on Instant Gaming (as Snatch promoted, suggesting it's possibly the only platform that sells the dlc at cheapest price) and so far the affordable for now that might keep me interested I can see is City Living. So I probably will be installing this one Hoping the eye-candy city keeps me entertained, as I heard there's little to do and festivals are annoying.
Though I wonder If I should refrain from purchasing GPs first before expansions packs, or no? Werewolves seems like would be a fun thing to play from the start, than any other pack because I do remember Vampires and ROM kept me hooked to play TS4 at all (Parenthood would be my other vote, but for that I'll have go the cumbersome process of building a family to get the mechanics running). Other packs seem to be very niche or very situation-specific to even start playing them