10 Features I’m excited for in The Sims 4 City Living

For me, City Living is one of the most stimulating packs I’ve seen so far. With its new options for storytelling, fashion and diversity City Living has the opportunity to bring a fresh feel to The Sims 4.

Dynamic living

I am a sucker for vibrant colours and neighbourhoods so when I saw the Spice Market and Arts Quarter I was ecstatic. The area was filled with thrilling colours and flowing streets, it felt dynamic which is something The Sims 4 has lacked in a way. Although we have had vast areas in our neighbourhood to run around and explore in there’s never felt an immense reason to. With soul now implemented into the streets, it gives me a reason to explore the hearty neighbourhoods. It’s not just trees and lakes, more art and for a city girl, it’s home.

Lot Traits

As someone who uses The Sims 4 to tell stories while playing, the Lot Traits adds a personality to our homes we have only had to imagine before. Something like a haunted house can now really be haunted with Lot Traits such as ‘Cursed’, ‘Haunted’ and ‘Filthy’. Also, it gives way to many challenges from the Simming community. It will also be a valuable way for YouTubers to expand their Let’s Plays. It makes you really think about the kind of family or household you want to develop and play. I’m jubilant to see what kind of life we can either bless or inflict on our Sims and how it will develop their lives.

Storytelling Possibilities

For the Story Sim Players, City Living has a whole host of ways to feature Simmers tales. From working our way up through the neighbourhoods or lot traits, the ways to present our Sims lives has expanded vastly. We can take our Sims to festivals and conventions, earn money by selling art or crafts instead of a job and have memorable involvement in bringing our Sims legends to life.

Cities

Our wonderful new world of San Myshuno, the vast city landscape is the most beautiful world I’ve seen so far. I mean I love Windenburg, but it wasn’t too long before it became stale so to finally have a city to explore is amazing. Honestly, I was becoming tired of seeing countryside themed areas. In The Sims 3, Bridgeport was the place to live, having so many different areas to settle down in. I loved that diversity of gameplay having a city brought. You could live outside and venture in on nights out and to work or live in the hustle and bustle.

New Careers and Traits

Since The Sims 4 came out, new advancements with Careers and Traits have been pretty satisfying. We had an entire expansion pack for careers, so to be getting 3 within this expansion is interesting. With these new careers, they are more like what we had in The Sims 3 with Ambitions that, they make you explore and go outside for your work with goals and achievements. It’s a positive way to meet the city and its life. The new traits with Unflirty and Vegetarian just adds another depth to your Sim, something I am interested to see play out.

Singing

As a lover of musicals and singing the Karaoke bar and singing skill is a huge deal for me! I can’t wait to make the newest pop star or just someone who likes to sing in the shower. I feel the inclusion of the karaoke bar as a venue was a great idea from The Sims team, and I’ll be adding karaoke stations to the bars and pubs around The Sims 4 worlds. It’s an amusing way to keep Sims delighted and upbeat while developing a new skill. Though I wish there was a career you could make out of it, you can still earn tips while performing so it’s worth developing your skill.

Fashion

I don’t use much custom content in my games, apart from some makeup items, so for new high fashion items to be included in the expansion made me so passionate about making some new Sims. I already know I’ll be in that CAS for 2 hours creating outfit after outfit. With the various styles and influences, The Sims 4 CAS team has really outdone themselves and I’m proud to give them the praise. I can’t wait to really be able to present my Sims personality and background through their fashion choices and not have to download content to make up for it.

Diversity

I am a strong believer in diversity within communities so it’s humbling to see Asian and African influences being included in a mostly Western game. From the fashion, food and new build mode objects the embodiment of these cultures is a warm welcome to The Sims 4 world. Whenever I’ve tried to create a traditional character I’ve found it difficult to represent their cultural identity. But with City Living, the addition of headscarves and conventional fashion we can bring that correct image to our Sims and not have them feel displaced.

Festivals and conventions

I go to a lot of conventions, mostly gaming. So for the inclusion of things like ‘Geek Con’ it’s another way for clubs to gather or like-minded Sims to be able to find one another in the spacious city. The festivals link to the new diversity and being able to participate in something unfamiliar. They also give your Sims an opportunity to learn new recipes and find friends to really share their passions with. It lets you venture to other neighbourhoods and really integrates you with how they live, celebrate traditions and their  hobbies.

A place for Young Adults and Teens to fit in

With neighbourhoods like Windenburg, we have had the inclusion of nightclubs and random parties out by The Bluffs. But now we have a place where the younger generation really thrives. It’s more realistic for them to be living in apartments for low rent than a house for example. They can live with their best friends or you can have a new couple starting out a life together. San Myshuno is the ideal home for Young Adults starting to grow and the Teens have plenty of hang out spots and activities with friends.

Overall I feel City Living will bring a whole host of new and lively activities and ideals to The Sims 4 world. I, for one, can’t wait to explore and create a whole combination of stories and lives for my Sims when it comes out the beginning of November.