So the only thing left is to not worry about all that stuff. If the game appeals to you and seems to be a reasonable value, enjoy it. If not, don't.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't get swept up in the hype (in either direction) but don't try to over-think it either.

Okay, silly me - inventing a problem that doesn't exist. Oh well.
Here is some pros and cons I have been listing while playing.
Pros: Graphics are pleasant to look at.
Autonomous same sex interests. YAY! :D
Watching the sim cook is actually fun.
When trashing food, sim scrapes the plate empty to the trashcan.
Cons: Camera resets after using TAB.
The Tutorial has to be removed from the console before game start up.
Clipping happens a lot.
Pause doesn't work while using TAB
Routing is sometimes VERY questionable. ("Better routing" My ass.)
Random push-ups.
Sims move all the time. When sitting and having a conversation, sims get up and swap spots all the times.

What annoys me the most is really the fact that sims can not stay still, they have to go and MULTITASK all the time.
Sitting on couch and having a conversation is wayy to simple for them.

This makes me sad. We could be making intelligent point and click/touch adventure games in the style of the sierra "quest" games. Instead we're shaking down teenagers and tweens for their allowance using a sex tape celebrity.

I don't think you should feel stupid. There's nothing wrong with liking two characters so much that you want to buy the game despite misgivings; I cancelled my pre-order a few weeks back and I still have some "no, get it" kinda thoughts now that the game is on the edge of release here in Europe. Whatever the case, if you decide not to buy the game, I think you should not buy it based on your own opinions on the matter and not on the opinions of people who click "disagree" with your post.

If you really want to stick to your principles but also want to give the game a try, there is that "24-hour return" policy that Origin supposedly offers (great game gaurantee?). You could check out the game and still return it if you felt you'd made a mistake.

Thanks. I'll be sure to download it before the next time I boot up my TS2.

Hypothetical question: assume you're an addict to a special drug that loses its efficacy after a while and you need a slightly altered version of that drug. Your dealer announces that they have this new version ready, but as it was hard to concoct, the dealer demands additional benefits from you on top of the (raised) price, such as sex once a week and free use of your apartment. What will you do?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrkS91YT2sg

Processing and junk. Now with 100% more jealousy, also forgetful and sleepy.

I agree with that but it does explain a lot about where EA is getting their marketing information about their alleged target demographics.
I will never have that that poison known as Candy Crush (from the people who tried copyrighting the words candy and crush) and that Kardashian thing (I won't call it a game), on any of my devices. I play real video games be they on tablet or PC .. fave tablet/android game at the moment is The Room, closely followed by Room 2 and Plague Inc) not that click and play stuff ... I have even less interest in that than I have in Sims 4 and that is saying a lot .

That's a very smart approach, not only the game will become cheaper, but it will get some patches and first mods (insert an applauding smiley here).


OK, as a female gamer I feel insulted. I stopped buying sim products because the quality has declined drastically, not because of stupid mobile games. They read the data wrong again.


Oh, thanks.) I'll be waiting for a link. If it's based on viewing the action, why didn't it work in yesterdays livestream (can't remember the gamers name), I wonder.

Nope, I'm still not very interested in the game as it stands.

EA lost me when the very first screen shots showed they were heading in the cartoony art style direction. I can understand why they might want to do so, but it just doesn't appeal to me personally. Edit: As various omissions in the game came to light, it just solidified my disinterest.

I just hope that some of the early adopters don't start to feel buyer's remorse after the shiny newness wears off. Hey, I think we've all done that at some point in our lives, right? I know I have! :D

Also, Since when was 5 million people a small fanbase? My perspective may be skewed because I live in a country with 6 million people in it, but.. that's a lot, isn't it?

and @tedw - thank you for the reply. Sorry for my silly rant. >.<

I'm not sure. It's a bit less than the probable number of people who still pay $15/mo for WoW every month, and that game is 1) also ten years old; 2) in between expansion packs, so its subscriber base is 'low' right now. I believe it topped out around 12 million subscribers.

I was fearful when news first broke of TS4 as I just got back into TS3, plus I didn't see what difference they could bring. My point stands today.

I was eh on the art style then it grew on me, then I really loved it. CASt and no weather/pets were a disappointment but I expected it (no weather/pets that is). They became easier to digest. The survey frightened but intrigued me. Now I'm just frightened by it. lol

The info blackout was the first red flag. They pissed me off with their obsession over CAS and no gameplay photos and videos.

Toddlergate is what ended things for me. First, is was not including pools and toddlers. Then, it was the meaning behind this. This told us that they were going to nickel and dime us every which way they could. That was something I wasn't paying for.

Well, despite me watching LP's and people having fun, I won't buy since my main deal breakers are still on:
No decent story progression
No decent open world
I hate the look of it all and I can't be staring at an ugly game for hours.
No CaSt
I don't want to install Origin.
And I just found out about ani's tax mod that seems to allow separate bank accounts for house hold members. So one of my main gripes is gone too.
And the thought of another 5-year round of patching and updating mods makes me very very tired.
For a change, I want to play and not worry about those things.

Have fun playing!

I wonder if this is what a lot of people felt when they figured they don't like TS3 but bought it anyway because a lot of people liked it.

WoW is an exceptional, once-in-a-generation megahit though. You won't find any other game that comes close. Have a look at CCU (concurrent users/players) numbers on Steamcharts.com to see what scale actually means "popular".

A fanbase of 5 million people is pretty low when you consider that the fanbase for Skyrim is around 14 million people as of 2013. Or when you look at the sales data and fanbases for any other triple AAA video game title (Sims has not been a triple AAA title since Sims 2).

Can the sims' free will be adjusted the way it can in TS3? Maybe turning it down a notch will curb the hyperactivity, but hopefully not leaving them standing around like zombies?

So far we're rocking a 2-star rating on Amazon. Here's one five-star review, though:

Super easy to download. Gave me a download code that I just copied and entered into Origin on my PC and everything seems to be working great! Super excited to start playing!

That's right, the reviewer reviewed the download process.

I don't know what it's going to take to convince me the Sims 4 is worth getting. Just installing Origin is completely out of the question.

I may be literally angry with rage over this game, but I ain't losing sleep over putting the series out to pasture. Seen several franchises i've enjoyed come and go as they succumb to destruction; i've seen the Simpsons degenerate into a pathetic husk of what it once was, endlessly milked in the pursuit of more money. I watched in horror as the new SimCity laid waste to the series, and once again having to wait for a worthy successor to the 10-year old SimCity 4. And now that the same thing is happening with the Sims 4 to many people, including me.

I've been a Simmer for 14 years, with 3 mainline games, countless expansions and 3 console games, all with ups and downs. It's been a great ride, but it looks like the end of the road for me as i'll probably never buy a Sims game again. Still an avid player at heart, since at least I have Sims 2, the absolute peak of the series but of course it won't be there to play forever. It's been fun, the Sims - and I salute you.

I had a very lengthy reply to this but then I decided there was a much simpler way of saying what I had to say *clears throat* :

Nowadays, you don't need to play a video game to know whether or not you'd like it. Especially not for a sequel that doesn't offer anything its predecessors didn't (it offers less actually). Why do you think reviewers, Let's Players, and Live-streamers are so popular? They're our beta testers.

Like I said, I'm sure TS4 is loads of fun....but why should I or anyone else buy it when there's nothing new as far as game-play is concerned? What's the point? Because it's the Sims? So what? I have the first three Sims. I've never gotten a straight answer out of anyone when I ask that so can somebody who bought the game and loves it as much as Carl explain to me what I'd be missing out on if I stick to TS2 and the occasional TS3? Besides the obvious better graphics and CAS.

How about the one other 5 star review posted 2 days before preorders were available for preload that simply says " I Love IT" .. really do you have to make it obvious you either a) are a SimsGuru or other EA employee, b) you are a Yibsim, or c) you pirated the game.

My review is up- stayed at my sisters, who did not cancel her pre-order in spite of my advice and she is letting me play today while she is at work (mind you I played between 4 and 8 am and then got bored) but I did play long enough to get a sense of what I did and didn't like.

Only options about Free will are "Strong free will" and "No free will whatsoever". This is a big bummer.

Side note, but my gut feeling is actually that the Amazon rating will go a little higher. SimCity has a devoted following, but it's a devoted following who are very, very serious about their city simulation and aren't going to be swayed by the name of the franchise. I have a feeling TS4 will get more 'fandom' based five-star reviews.



Is that literal, or are you just describing how it behaves between on/off?

Literal. I just checked.

I get what you're saying, but Mr. Patcher is still an idiot.
Skyrim may have a bigger playerbase, but it's only one game + 3 DLCs.
The Sims is a game, 7 expansions, 7 stuff packs, and god knows how many store items.

I'm talking completely out of my ass when I say this, but I'd take a guess that EA has made more money from The Sims 3 than Bethesda has from Skyrim.