The Sims 4 turns 3 years today!
The 4th installment for The Sims has been released on September 2nd, 2014 with not much offering. As we covered in an article a few weeks ago which talked a lot about the missing features and bugs that were presented in the first version of the game – the game has dramatically changed. From simple UI changes to adding an entire new life stage The Sims 4 had a lot to offer during the last 12 months, but was it enough?
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The team released a couple of important updates to the game. There were plenty of updates which only addressed bug fixes for the game but there were also updates which really added more to The Sims 4 base game. Here’s an overview of every important update that was released in the last 12 months:
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Lot Traits Update” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]October 27th, 2016
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Holiday Celebration Pack Update” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]December 1st, 2016
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Toddlers Update” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]January 12th, 2017
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Main Menu Update” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]February 2nd, 2017
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”PlantSim Challenge Update” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]April 13th, 2017
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Load / Save UI + Feature Update” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]May 25th, 2017
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What stood out the most from all of these updates is definitely the Toddlers Update. It didn’t just bring more to the game – it brought a lot more players to the game. The “players currently online” section in The Sims 4 Gallery Menu has spiked up ever since and even EA has confirmed that “the last 12 months have been the best in title’s history”.
In terms of game updates The Sims Team really delivered this year.
Packs
For the 2nd year in a row The Sims Team only offered one Expansion Pack – The Sims 4 City Living. It would’ve been great if the pack had more options that would let you build apartments on any lot but nope. I was bored of it in a matter of few weeks but some simmers still enjoy it to this day.
However, they made things up with the release of 2 Game Packs – Vampires and Parenthood. Surprisingly these Game Packs released in a matter of 5 months and they both offered something unique. With Vampires you could rank up your Vampire Sims and unlock all sorts of abilities that would help you through the day in Forgotten Hollow (the second world that was added with a paid pack this year). Parenthood, a Generations-themed pack which focuses on Toddlers, Kids, Teenagers and their caregivers really expanded and reimagined the family gameplay.
Now, to talk about your favorite packs – Stuff Packs! For the 2nd year in a row, The Sims Team released 4 Stuff Packs for the game (I think we have a pattern here)
- Vintage Glamour
- Bowling Night
- Fitness Stuff
- Toddler Stuff
Looking back at these 4 stuff packs I think we got a good variety of things that were offered – new makeup gameplay, bowling alleys, climbing walls and playground equipment for toddlers.
Let’s take a look at how these packs were released chronologically:
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Vintage Glamour Stuff Pack” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]December 6th, 2016
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Vampires Game Pack” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]January 24th, 2017
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Bowling Night Stuff Pack” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]March 29th, 2017
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Parenthood Game Pack” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]May 31st, 2017
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Fitness Stuff Pack” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]June 20th, 2017
[/icon_timeline_item][icon_timeline_item time_title=”Toddler Stuff Pack” title_font_size=”desktop:24px;”]August 24th, 2017
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Some Simmers are closely following the release pattern of previous Sims installements and fear that The Sims 4 is coming to an end. But, looking at what The Sims Team is currently making the game is far from over! Here are something to get excited about for the next few months:
- The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack – coming November 10th
- The Sims 4 for Xbox One and PS4 – coming November 17th
- The Sims 4 Eco Living Stuff Pack – coming in 2018
Are you satisfied with the last 12 months and do you think it could’ve been improved? Let us know in the comments!
