Guest Article: Top 10 of the Worst Sims Packs

Please note: this is an opinon article written by our guest author NightSimmer. It states his opinions about the packs listed down below and does not reflect the overall thoughts and opinions of the community.

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The Sims, a series that has many iterations over the last decades, has not only several sequels to the original life simulator but a plethora of DLC to accompany each addition to the franchise. While the series has seen many incredible additions to the game, it has also seen some pretty terrible ones. Here is a list of the Top 10 Worst DLC released!

This list does NOT include content available in limited edition versions of games, content from The Sims 3 Store or any third-party creations. Furthermore, this list excludes base games.

#10: The Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff (Stuff Pack)

Let me begin by saying this pack is, by no means, terrible. The reason why I’m placing it on this list is because I personally don’t care for cars. Most of the use I got out of this pack comes from the furniture which I’ve repurposed as furniture for kids’ rooms. However I can see the appeal for car lovers because there are a variety of vehicles available. Unfortunately there isn’t exactly a point to this pack because any car you can possibly want is available in the form of Custom Content (which is free).

In retrospect, I definitely took this pack for granted. Who would’ve thought that years later cars would be an obsolete concept in The Sims 4 while its older cousin, The Sims 3, would have an entire stuff pack dedicated to it.

#9: The Sims: Makin’ Magic (Expansion Pack)

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel bad putting any Sims 1 DLC on this list solely on the nostalgia factor but the truth is this pack started a very irritating trend in The Sims franchise that alone justifies its position. While many enjoy the inclusion of the supernatural and occult in the everyday lives of their Sims, I for one find it annoying. When I play The Sims I want to simulate life – I want to simulate scenarios or events that are possible. Admittedly, supernatural-themed content is fun at first but the charm (no pun intended) disappears quickly. This pack feels gimmicky and in a lot of ways feels like a regression for the series.

#8: The Sims 3: Movie Stuff (Stuff Pack)

To enjoy this pack means one of three things: You’re either a very optimistic person, a fan of comics or simply a very creative person who can find a purpose for any object. However I feel as though if you fall outside of those realms you will not enjoy this pack. When this was announced as the final stuff pack for The Sims 3 I was confused. Out of all the directions to choose to be The Sims 3’s “swan song” they chose… movie stuff? It’s a questionable decision because this pack tries to do many things. It dabbles in broad movie genres such as Wild West, Horror and Action but overall it falls short because it never really commits to anything. Offering a few themed items tailored to those aesthetics is lame. The idea of “movies” is too vague of a concept to restrict it to a stuff pack. The “a little bit of everything” format can be an effective approach to creating content, but not for a theme as big as “movies”.

The CAS and Build/Buy items have the same problem as many of The Sims 3’s DLC additions; they’re all horribly gimmicky and generally just unneeded because they require a very specific context to fit into the everyday life of your Sims. As a final curtain call for The Sims 3 era, it’s truly disappointing.

#7: The Sims 4: Luxury Party Stuff (Stuff Pack)

The Sims 4 Luxury Party Stuff is a pack that I initially enjoyed. I thought the inclusion of interactive objects, a few vibrant CAS items and uniquely designed Build/Buy objects were a sign of good things to come for The Sims 4. Looking back, I can’t help but see this pack as a red, flashing ALERT because it would mark the beginning an era in The Sims’ history characterized by horrible stuff packs. This is the first of many stuff packs in The Sims 4 which is why I initially praised it. However once the smoke cleared and I could see the items for what they really were, I brought into question the morality of The Sims team; how could you package together a collection of items so horribly tacky and charge real, human money for it? Granted, the price point of this pack is only 10$ but that doesn’t excuse the poor choices made.

Aside from one or two CAS items, everything else is virtually unusable because the items are tainted by weirdly textured “jewels” or wacky designs. There is a difference between luxury, high-end couture clothing and tacky pieces. The clothing is quirky, it’s flamboyant but one adjective you can’t use is luxurious.

#6: The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff (Stuff Pack)

It’s amazing how when compiling a list of all the DLC available for The Sims, this pack didn’t enter my brain once until I checked on the Internet to verify that I covered everything. For this reason, this pack finds itself high up on the list. Unlike most on this list, it isn’t necessarily bad; its vague theme, exuberant amount of objects we already had iterations of in the game itself and overall restrictive “family” aesthetic keeps it from being anything other than meh. In other words, it screams “filler content”. Objectively speaking, people should not be paying for such an uninspired piece of content and, in retrospect, this pack serves as foreshadowing for The Sims 4 series (which is essentially a ton of filler stuff packs). It doesn’t take a risk and the series would not be shaped in any way by its absence. Additionally, when compared to the rest of The Sims 2 content which was stellar, charming and full of character it further supports the idea that this is a pack that should’ve been left on the drawing board. It really shouldn’t have ever seen the light of day.

#5: The Sims 4: Get To Work (Expansion Pack)

The Sims 4 Get To Work was the first expansion pack available for The Sims 4 and, much like the base game, it feels hollow and void of anything remotely intriguing or immersive. Simmers have been begging for years to be able to travel to work with their Sims and that has always been interesting to me. I could never understand the appeal in seeing virtual people work, as work is a rather mundane thing to do in real life let alone in a video game. Alas, people asked and The Sims Team delivered (apparently they cared enough to give the fans what they wanted back then). The new careers are fun and unlike anything we’ve had before which I commend. I love when The Sims Team includes new gameplay that allow new experiences to be made. However what I don’t like is how boring and repetitive the game gets about four hours into it.

Go to work, watch your Sim perform some animations, go home and repeat. It’s dull and a feature that I don’t care for when I delve into The Sims. I’d rather have my Sim disappear for a few hours and continue to do things around my own lot than have to travel with them and force myself to complete a work day. Unlike Ambitions, Get To Work doesn’t make you feel like you’re working towards something big. In Ambitions there was potential to truly alter the world around you and have larger-than-life characters. In this case, you feel like you’re a very tiny part of a bigger picture. It feels like a virtual rat race which is hauntingly reminiscent of the reality we live in. In that respect, it successfully accomplishes The Sims’ goal which is to simulate life. However it’s still a game and games are supposed to be fun and in that regard this pack falls short.

#4: The Sims 3: Town Life Stuff (Stuff Pack)

A huge problem with The Sims 3 is that, while the then newly implemented open world style of gameplay was revolutionary, it couldn’t fully live up to its potential because of rabbit holes. For those who may not be familiar with this term it simply refers to a lot in which a Sim can enter but you as the player can’t see inside. The selling point of this pack claims is the supposed new gameplay for your towns but that isn’t entirely the case. The pack comes with 7 lots but the catch is three of them are rabbit holes. The fact that these rabbit holes are so brilliantly designed feels like a tease since we can’t see the insides of them, leaving us disappointingly imaging what cool things are going on inside. The other 4 lots are lot types we already have (library, gym, a facility to do your laundry and a park). In essence, it’s the same stuff we’ve had but with a fresh coat of paint. It doesn’t offer any real gameplay, just an alternative aesthetic for those who are interested.

The fact that The Sims Team gave this pack away years ago speaks volumes about the desirability of this pack…

#3: The Sims 3: World Adventures (Expansion Pack)

World Adventures takes a beloved concept that many fans appreciated from The Sims 1 & 2 (travelling/vacationing) and turns it into an RPG. Exploring one of the three locations is fun until you realize that there aren’t any locations reminiscent of vacation getaways to visit, there isn’t a new world to live in (although you can move to one of the three locations later on) and the sole purpose of travelling is to complete lame, boring puzzles in hopes of finding and gathering rare objects. There really isn’t an incentive to get away other than to unlock some new objects. While I applaud EA for taking a risk, this is certainly one that didn’t pay off. The simplistic nature of The Sims is not a good mix with roleplaying game elements. The Sims 3 was simply too restrictive. A video game should never feel like a chore to complete.

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is a saying that’s more than applicable in this case. Plus context is important when ranking these packs. Keep in mind this was the first expansion pack released for The Sims 3 – talk about a lame way to kick off your new era.

#2: The Sims 3: Katy Perry Sweet Treats (Stuff Pack)

Yes, Katy Perry Sweet Treats did make an appearance on this list and – to the surprise of many – it’s actually not at the #1 spot (more on that later). The number one issue with this pack is that unless you’re someone who collects all available content for The Sims or a KatyCat, this pack is very difficult to see the appeal in. The objects are tacky and verging on unusable and the CAS items are useless unless you intend to pair them with Showtime. At its core, the number one issue with this pack is that none of the items work in any context unless you intend to become a Katy Perry tribute act in your gameplay (which is something I assume many people would abstain from) or simply admire quirky content.

#1: The Sims 4: Backyard Stuff (Stuff Pack)

In the history of The Sims Series, perhaps nothing feels as uninspired, cheap and desperate as The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff. Not only is this pack the third effort by The Sims Team to feature content related to outdoor activities (talk about repetitive), but the lack of weather or interesting objects make it feel like a slap across the face to consumers and Simmers alike. Oh – it’s summer? Here, have a couple of tacky summer-inspired items, some waterslides and some (although, admittedly they are quite charming) wind chimes. The lack of weather, an addition Simmers have been begging for since the launch of The Sims 4, only further exposes the barebones nature of The Sims 4 when installing this pack. After all, it’s quite difficult to enjoy the summer weather when weather is entirely absent from the game.

Much of the Sims Community took to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction which prompted several users to create spin-off content. One user even went as far as to create a tropical-themed mod to satisfy the craving for summer-related content that is actually fun. When a stuff pack inspires people to create content of their own because of the inadequacies on The Sims Team’s account, you know this pack is bad.

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Stay tuned next week for a Top 10 of the best Sims Packs in the franchise!