The Sims 4 review (PC): Falls short of its lofty potential

Release Date: September 4 (Europe), September 2 (US)
Platforms available on: PC (Mac soon)
Developer: EA Maxis, The Sims Studio
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Life simulation

Sims devotees invest their heart and soul in each instalment, nurturing generations of virtual beings and making their mark on the world they inhabit; so convincing them to begin anew is no easy feat.

The Sims 4 had to do something special to prise fans away from their beloved digital families, and while it includes some interesting twists on the established formula, true innovation is lacking.

To say developers EA Maxis and The Sims Studio were complacent is untrue. New features like multitasking Sims and automatic group conversations make the life simulation experience more authentic, and take some of the heat off the player.

The new emotions system is an ambitious inclusion that makes your Sims more expressive than before, but it could have used some extra fine tuning.

Moods have a tendency to fluctuate too quickly during group chats, which makes it difficult to capitalise on them, not to mention the confusion this causes about your Sim's mindset.

Additional dialogue options and activities appear depending on your character's mood, and while many of these have purpose, others are throwaway attempts at quirkiness.

The Sims 4 had to do something special to prise fans away from their beloved digital families, and while it includes some interesting twists on the established formula, true innovation is lacking.

For example, the option to 'write a motivational book' when your Sim is feeling inspired is a progressive inclusion that aids their development, yet being able to 'pee like a champion' is nothing more than an attempt at humour that doesn't really hit the mark.

Basic needs such a hygiene, hunger and sleep still play a prominent role, but players are no longer a slave to them to quite the same extent, as they deplete slower, leaving the emotions system to take the driver's seat.

This gives players more opportunity to socialise, pursue interests and build-up their character's skills during down time, giving rise to a greater sense of freedom.

The Sims 4 is an upgrade in this regard and its revamped career system is another string to its bow, ensuring a greater sense of progression and richer rewards than past instalments.

Careers now branch off into more specific aspirations and reward players with prizes at regular junctures, letting them unlock new special items to purchase the further they progress.

New content tailored towards your Sim's skillset continues to open up as the game progresses. For instance, if your character is a writer, there will be no shortage of books around for them to bury their head in, while gamers will eventually be given the opportunity to livestream.

Tweaks like these don't revolutionise the Sims experience, but help keep it fresh.

Although The Sims 4 isn't short on new features, it fails to correct some of the long-standing criticisms of past instalments, notably the inconsistent artificial intelligence.

Sims can largely be left to their own devices now, should the player prefer the hands-off approach, but ordering two characters to carry out the same task too close together occasionally results in one of them abandoning it entirely.

Orders like dish clearing continues to confound some Sims, and there was one instance where we left the room for less than a minute and came back to a kitchen aflame.

The development team's failure to address the intelligence quibbles of old is forgivable, but it's difficult to overlook the fact that The Sims 4 is a step backwards in some regards.

There is no longer incentive to venture out into the neighbourhood and explore, other than to socialise, now that there's precious little to do on your doorstep.

This is particularly disappointing when you consider that one of the highlights of The Sims 3 was immersing yourself in its living, breathing neighbourhoods.

You know what they say about kids - they grow up so fast, and this has never been more true than in the Sims 4, with the toddler stage of their development having been jettisoned.

The game is sure to be improved by countless expansion packs going forward, but the promise of future updates may not be enough to console the disappointed Sims 3 fans who have made the jump to the latest instalment.

The result saps some of the enjoyment out of parenting, and the fact that the majority of child-parent activities can be done from home doesn't help matters, discouraging users from exploring the outside world.

The customisation options also feel somewhat anaemic compared to The Sims 3, with fewer carpet and wallpaper choices in build mode, as well as limited outfit colour options during character creation.

However, it should be noted that build mode has been effectively streamlined and now sports a less convoluted interface, while the online Gallery is a great addition for those who struggle with Feng Shui.

The Gallery is a hub where players can download other user's creations and arrange them in their home. It's ideal for those who have always struggled with the building aspects of The Sims, although its interface could use some de-cluttering of its own.

The Sims 4 takes a step forward in some ways, while taking two steps back in others.

Like its predecessors, the game is sure to be improved by countless expansion packs going forward, but the promise of future updates may not be enough to console the disappointed Sims 3 fans who have made the jump to the latest instalment.

3

The Sims 4