Best Game Packs Sims 4
Has been routinely bolstered and improved by new expansion and game packs since its 2014 release. Sometimes, this add-on content is centered around one big feature, like the Strangerville storyline, the Vampire system, or the Fame mechanic. The newest expansion, Island Living, is different, focusing less on a mechanic, and more on the feel of a specific place.Island Living drops players into Sulani, the first Sims 4 world built with the game’s new terrain tools in mind.
Sulani, from the start, has more texture and life than The Sims’ typical flat, square lots on which I build. Each lot in Sulani has a built-in landscape, like rolling hills and sloped paths that lead down to a gorgeous beach.I can send a Sim out to get a tan, anger the island’s elemental spirits, or watch the nearby volcano erupt and wreak destruction. Or I just can just chill, as baby turtles hatch on the beach and waves lap at the shore. Escape from the cityThis expansion pack feels more optional than some of the other The Sims 4 upgrades; the new content is heavily concentrated on Sulani and creating the perfect island getaway. Much like the previous urban-based expansion City Living, Island Living is centered around executing a core concept in as many ways as possible.
The Sims 4 StrangerVille features a new entity - The Mother. This massive mother plant is the cause of all the weirdness in StrangerVille, meant to be discovered by following the StrangerVille Mystery Aspiration which functions as the game's storyline (you can do it without the aspiration, but it's not recommended). Since its launch in 2014, The Sims 4 has seen five meaty expansions with all new areas, abilities, careers, items, and more. Here are all five ranked from worst to best.
The Sims 4 Stuff Packs. Stuff packs are the smallest Sims 4 expansions, and as their name indicates, they simply add more stuff to the game! There’s 14 stuff packs released up to date, and each one costs 9.99€ / 9.99$. All stuff packs, add at least one item with a new interaction your sims can take.
The question is merely whether a player is interested in engaging with that fantasy.If you do find the idea of a perfect island oasis intriguing, then Maxis has done an excellent job crafting Sulani and its inhabitants. The island that can be impacted by the locals and the unpredictable weather. Sims clean up pollution over time, and its unique climate includes sunny skies and monsoons alike.The Sims is at its best when the mundane and the wild are married together, and Island Living excels at this.
For instance, there’s a new kind of Sim: mermaids. They can either be created, or human Sims can buy magical kelp to transform into a mermaid.I created a new family of mermaids, and we frolicked on the beach. Later, my Sims attended a cookout that was cut short by a thunderstorm. While most of the Sims fled for shelter, my two mermaids laughed and ate hot dogs in the rain.
Later, one of my mermaids would become best friends with a dolphin. New toys in the sandboxIsland Living has added a bevy of small tools to facilitate telling these cute, dollhouse-style stories.
Mermaids are a very simple occult type compared to vampires; they don’t have skill trees or major social drawbacks. Instead, their “hygiene” bar has been replaced with “hydration.” Mermaids must frequently return to water (even if it’s just a bath or a sink), and then they can use their hydration to summon storms or sing a variety of siren songs.There’s a new work from home career, the Conservationist, with two branches and unique reward traits. The fishing skill has been completely overhauled, along with new island-related part-time jobs and side gigs like dive instructor and lifeguard. There are new cosmetics.
Best Sims 4 Expansion Pack 2019
Sims can tan. Houses can be built atop stilted foundations. And players can learn about a Sulani-specific culture and its customs and traditions. Sims who take the new Child of the Islands trait gain moodlet buffs by participating in Sulani-specific activities.None of these new tools radically transform the game or open up wildly new paths.
Instead, they’re smaller and more grounded changes. Playing a character in Sulani feels different, not just because of the new cosmetics they can wear, but because Sulani feels alive and unique without veering into being gimmicky. It’s harder to capture that appeal in one screenshot or story; instead it’s a bunch of smart, sometimes easy to overlook modifications that fill The Sims 4 out and reinvigorate my interest in the game.
Maxis / Electronic Arts Getting away from it allMaxis has made a version of The Sims 4 that I find more relaxing and calming than a more manic, over-the-top version would have been. It’s also more welcoming than its predecessors.This is the first time in a Sims game that there is a starting couple comprised of two women, and the first time a gay family has started with a child. (The Heckings, a gay couple from Cats and Dogs with a pup of their own, were a reference to.)The world of Sulani also includes a non-binary Sim for the first time. Players have access to a menu of complex gender options, where they can choose their Sim’s frame, clothing preference, and more. Maxis has included trans and non-binary Sims before in the gallery, but Lia Hauata is the first non-binary Sim to start in a city household and use that menu of options.Island Living also offers a new host of pride cosmetics, and a gender-neutral bathroom sign.
The Sims 4 has been quietly knocking it out of the park when it comes to queer and trans representation, and it's great to see that its a continued commitment on the developer’s part. Adding small things like a gender-neutral sign might seem insignificant to some players who’ve always felt represented (or haven’t had to even consider their own representation) but all of these additions and decisions become quite meaningful in the long run.All of the above helps make The Sims 4’s new Island Living expansion the perfect oasis of escapism for me. The news is a nightmare, I always have real-life responsibilities to worry about, and things can seem very dark. Island Living continues to flesh The Sims 4 out in the best ways, making it feel like a port in a storm.
The Sims can be silly and over the top, but Island Living has succeeded at making a very believable form of escapism that is enjoyable and relaxing in all the right ways.
This post may contain affiliate or referral codes. Please help support the blog by using them!I love playing The Sims 4, which probably comes as no surprise and I have basically every expansion, game, and stuff packs that are currently out as of June 25, 2019. I’m only stating the date as more packs are probably going to come out in the future and I’ll post something in the future on those most likely.
So I thought it would be a fun idea to rank them.Now I’m ranking them based off how often I use the content of these packs, a number of things you get in the packs, and the overall theme of the packs. Some packs I solely just use a few of its features, but none of the rest of it. So the rankings are all my opinion on how usable they are to my gameplay. Expansion Packs. These are the massive gameplay content that revolves around a single theme. These include new game systems and abilities in the game as well as traits, aspirations, skills, build items, CAS items, and careers. Sometimes new neighborhoods are created for these packs.
And some users will find one more interesting to them as compared to others. These are the most expensive packs as they offer the most. Even though I don’t use all the features from the expansion packs, I always use the items that come with them.
Here are my rankings of the expansion packs:. Cats & Dog – This is probably my favorite expansion pack and was released in November 2017. In this expansion pack, you get a new world called Brindleton Bay where you can run your own vet clinic and own cats/dogs. But unlike Sims 3, you cannot control your pets nor monitor their needs.
In order to learn about their needs you need to ask them “What’s Wrong?” whenever it appears as an options. Seasons – This expansion pack was released in June 2018.
And was long time coming in The Sims 4. There is not a new world in this pack but apparently that’s because they had to rework every single world to work with each of the four seasons and every asset that comes with them. So that’s fine by me since it means we get the seasons to work everywhere. You also get two new clothing types: hot and cold weather each with new plenty of new items. One of my favorite features is you can create your own holidays and have social events flow from one to another without sending everyone back home first. You can make your own traditions and plan out holidays up to two weeks in advance.
Plus you get green houses, glass roofs (also available for all users regardless of which pack they get), and new gardening career. There’s a lot I don’t really care for in this pack and generally leave bizzares and thunderstorms turned off as it just forces you to use the pack if enabled, but I can’t deny it’s a good expansion pack. Get Famous – Expansion pack released in November 2018. This was one of my favorite expansions from previous packs and definitely still holds that option with the latest release. It’s similar to the vampire game pack where you have perks and it’s nice cause it doesn’t interfere with the entire game as you need to opt-in to get it. Unlike seasons which if enabled in your game changes your entire gameplay. You also get award ceremonies, acting career, YouTube-like at home career, and two new aspirations.
However, becoming a celebrity requires way more effort than anything else in the game but I still find it a lot of fun. City Living – This expansion pack was released November 2016. In this expansion pack we got the world of San Myshuno which resembles San Francisco mixed with New York City and Brooklyn. There were three new careers added with this expansion pack: politician, critic, and social media. As well as the option to live in apartments where you pay rent and deal with noisy neighbors unless you move into a penthouse. Get Together – This expansion pack came out December 2015 which gives the new world of Windenburg.
In this world and pack, you gain the ability to join or create clubs. And other activities to do with your friends like the DJ booth and dancing. Windenburg is probably my favorite world in the Sims 4. Island Living: Released June 2019, this expansion pack brings into the game a new world complete with mermaid sims. Mermaid sims are like plant sims where you need to eat a plant to become one and there are no major differences other than a few new interactions and hygiene is replaced with hydration. You also have new seashell and treasure collections, four new jobs (Fisherman (Part Time), Lifeguard (Part Time), Diver (Full Time), and Conservationist (Full Time with option to work from home)), two new traits (Child of the Sea and Island), one new aspiration, and several new lot traits including one that disables water and electricity.
This pack does not really effect the rest of your worlds though you can give your sim a part time and full time job now, which can be nice. While I like the idea of the tropics and mermaids, this expansion just isn’t the same as Island Paradise (which I LOVED!) as you don’t have hotels and can’t join the sims when they scuba dive under the water. So as far as game-play goes it just isn’t there with this pack as most of it is hands off.
Get to Work – This expansion pack came out March 2015 and gave you the option to go to work of three new careers: scientist, doctor, or detective where you complete objectives every day in order to advance in the career. They require you to go to the work in order to get promotions, you can’t just work hard to advance. There were two new worlds introduced: Magnolia Promenade and Sixam the alien home planet.
Speaking of aliens, this pack also introduced the ability to make playable aliens without needing to be impregnated by one first. You can also run your own retail store, learn baking and photography. Game PacksThese are new to The Sims 4 as they were not created for the previous games. These are smaller and cheaper in comparison to expansion packs, and just like expansion packs, they revolve around a single theme. Game Packs give gameplay content not previously available.
Here is how I would rank them:. Parenthood – By far my favorite game pack that came out May 2017. This allows adult sims to control and shape their child or teen’s life. It also gave the ability to curse, have acne, complete school projects, and have a curfew. Toddlers, children, and teens can now be rebellious to their parents and other siblings. Parents can treat this new behavior by being strict, or they could be nurturing and hope that good things will come.
Vampires – I have always loved that Supernatural element of vampires in The Sims. So when this pack was released in January 2017, I was beyond excited as this allows Sims to create Vampires with different powers and weaknesses.
You also receive the world of Forgotten Hollow. The pack also comes with a new aspiration, new lot traits and numerous CAS and Build mode items that fit the darker Vampire theme. Even if you don’t like the supernatural element, the items can be used to create a lovely Victorian home. Jungle Adventure – Release February 2018, this game pack brought us the second vacation world of Selvadorada. Where new food, dance moves and music can be found.
Best Sims 4 Game Packs Ranked
As well as the ability to find ancient artifacts and mysterious relics through exploring the jungle and its hidden temples. Every time you visit, you will receive a different temple with its own challenges so their is always something new to explore. Spa Day – This game pack came out July 2015, and allows for a new building type called the spa. Where you can learn the new skill of wellness and receive massages. You can also visit the sauna or mud baths.
And perform yoga and meditation. Dine Out – Released June 2016, this game pack allows Sims to visit restaurants, as well as build and run their own restaurant. Those that own restaurants can experiment with new foods, employ staff and succeed in cooking. Outdoor Retreat – The game pack that I use the least and came out in January 2015. Outdoor Retreat brought the first vacation world called Granite Falls.
Where you can take a vacation outdoors in a national forest and learn a skill called Herbalism. Which is great when you want to go camping for a weekend but might not be everyone’s cup of tea. StrangerVille – This came out in February 2019.
You get the military career and a new town with the same name. It includes a story attached to a new aspiration you get with the pack that takes about 2 hours to complete, but doesn’t have a lot of repeat-ability which is why this pack is so low in ranking. I do like the items that came in the pack as it’s more western and conspiracy theory inspired, and you get a laptop that your sim can travel with. But it’s not enough to make up for the fact the story is the main focus and only is unique once. Stuff PacksStuff packs are the cheapest out of all of the packs for Sims 4 and are roughly around $10. You get themed items such as objects, hair, and clothing, but they lack in gameplay. Here is how I would rank them:.
Movie Hangout – I originally was highly on the fence of this pack when it came out in January 2016. But has recently been one of my more used stuff pack as far as furniture and CAS. It includes Bohemian-styled clothing, home theaters, and items such as the Popcorn Maker. Bowling Night – Other stuff pack I questioned when it came out in March 2017.
But I seriously cannot go without using the retro furniture that came with this game pack. It also includes items such as bowling lanes allowing players to build their own bowling hangout(s) for their Sims to visit where you can learn the bowling skill. Vintage Glamour – I love playing with rich sims so this stuff goes perfectly with that as it comes with Butlers.