There's been a lot of talk about what's really wrong with The Sims 4 in the past few weeks, especially with the announcement of Eco Lifestyle, one of the most controversial expansions for the series. Many fans feel that the game has forgotten about its precious roots, which are buried in the first game: The Sims.
Overall, the franchise has gone through a lot of changes since its early days. Some of these changes have been generally positive, while others have stripped the game of its original feel completely. A few key features have yet to even make it to the current, fourth installment of the series.
10 Prank Calls
Ask any fan and they'll tell you that The Sims was great because of its unpredictable randomness. The game was playing against the player themselves, making things difficult and actually interesting. One of these random, sort of frightening features, was prank calls.
Players would randomly get a call at any hour of the day with a cryptic message, that might make them terrified of what's about to come. Too bad this funny feature didn't make it to The Sims 4.
9 The Genie
Many NPCs have yet to be added into The Sims 4, since EA is probably looking to add them to specific expansions or game packs. One of those NPCs is the genie, which was first introduced in Livin' Large. It was then added into every subsequent game, except The Sims 4.
The genie is an agent of chaos. He can either bless a Sim with great fortune or completely ruin their day. It was another layer of challenge and fun that just lacks in The Sims 4.
8 Zodiac Types
Zodiac types might not be everyone's cup of tea. After all, there's no actual scientific evidence that they really mean anything or have any real bearing on a person's personality. However, in The Sims, they did influence a Sim's personality quite a bit.
In consecutive games, zodiac types were even used to measure whether two Sims could really be a good match. For an unknown reason, however, it was never reintroduced after The Sims 3.
7 Comfort And Environment Needs
Not all features that didn't make it to The Sims 4 were actually good. As much as the current game needs fixing, some of the changes it brought about were probably for the best. One of them was adjusting the needs of the Sims.
The Sims was notorious for having quickly depleting needs, which made gameplay annoying. Moreover, players had to deal with such crazy needs like Room and Comfort, which forced them to decorate and ensure their Sims had comfortable couches and chairs to sit on.
6 Gabby The Mime
Another iconic NPC that hasn't seen a return since the very first game is Gabby the Mime. Although there was a mime that resembled him quite a bit in The Sims 2's FreeTime expansion, players haven't been granted an actual silly mime NPC since its first appearance.
Gabby would appear during flopping parties to try and cheer up the guests, but often fail at the task. Again, this is the sort of quirky gameplay fans definitely are looking for.
5 Winter Vacationing
It's true that The Sims 4 has done a lot to provide different worlds and environments for Sims to visit. However, so far only two vacation worlds are available: Granite Falls and Selvadorada. This provides a camping type vacation, as well as a The Sims 3 World Adventures-style jungle adventure.
With Island Living, players were also given a more permanent world to live in by a tropical beach, but what's missing is a winter vacation spot as seen in the snowy skiing resorts of The Sims. This could be a potential future addition for the current game.
4 Carpool And School Bus
Small things can really make or break the feel of a game, like carpool and school buses. There's nothing like hearing the honk of a communal vehicle in the morning as Sims start their day.
Unfortunately, cars are a bit of a dead zone in The Sims 4. Time will tell if the developers will ever decide to add any in the first place.
3 Burglars
One of the biggest gripes that fans have to this day about The Sims 4 is the lack of burglars. These annoying yet funny NPCs really did put a unique flavor into gameplay in The Sims, where they could sneak into a house in the middle of the night to steal something.
This also made the presence of home security systems and alarms absolutely vital. The house wasn't just something to live in — it also had to be secured and maintained.
2 Raccoons
While it's true that technically players can create raccoons thanks to the Cats & Dogs expansion, the actual gameplay element of raccoons are absolutely nonexistent. Back in the day of The Sims Unleashed expansion, raccoons played a more significant and unique role.
These creatures could sneak up to the lot at night and turn the trash bin upside down, causing Sims a real headache in the morning.
1 Amusement Park Rides
Who could forget about how superior Makin' Magic was compared to Realm of Magic? The expansion was so much richer in content, introducing amusement park rides, one of the rarest objects that haven't been seen much in the games since.
These rides included roller coasters and haunted houses, and just made the whole carnival look of the world so much cooler. Rides definitely need to come back to the game.