Not many life simulation franchises out there have been able to gain the amount of traction and huge player base that The Sims has. Because of its popularity and multitude of installments, it's safe to say that it hasn't exactly been spared from hot controversies. The franchise is often torn by debates and disagreements over new additions and whether the old was really that much better than the new.
The Reddit communities of The Sims games in particular have a lot of these discussions. While most of it centers around the inadequacy of The Sims 4, it also brings up some of the past games that EA has given players and how good or bad they truly were.
10 Seasons Is Not An Essential Expansion
In The Sims 4, Seasons has often been considered a must-have package due to the weather additions, holidays, and seasonal changes to the environment. It was a massive change for the game, but some Simmers believe it's perfectly fine to play without Seasons and still have a good time.
In fact, the weather in Seasons can be downright annoying at times. Just when players want to have a nice day outside, a thunderstorm, blizzard, or heatwave hits them and forces their Sim to have negative moodlets or seek shelter.
9 Cars Would Be A Terrible Addition To The Sims 4
The community has been very vocal about some of the changes it wants to The Sims 4, and cars are one of them. After being introduced in The Sims 2 and then properly in The Sims 3, players have been dying to get their hands on a The Sims 4 version of the feature. But is it really that good of an idea?
Some Simmers on Reddit vehemently disagree. Cars would actually make zero sense in The Sims 4, and would see such limited usage that they would end up being a completely pointless addition. After all, players still need to go through loading screens to access new areas, so what's the point of even driving a car?
8 The Sims Medieval Is Underrated
Over the years, EA has released some interesting spin-offs from its main franchise. Most of them have been forgotten for good reason, but some, like The Sims Medieval, have been praised recently by Simmers on Reddit due to their ingenuity and original ideas.
It would actually be quite interesting to see a The Sims Medieval remake and bring the uniquely fun and quirky gameplay it introduced back to life. With how little medieval content is available in the actual The Sims games, it's somewhat understandable.
7 The Sims 4 Is Great Without Mods
The Sims 4 is a game that leaves many fans torn. There's a real divide between those who enjoy the game as it is and those who can't go through one hour of gameplay without mods without getting bored. Gameplay mods have been popularized by Simtubers as well and are generally speaking considered essential for an immersive experience.
However, The Sims 4 can be great even without mods according to some Redditors. At the very least, it helps to not deal with a broken game on every patch day when most mods will suddenly break due to a brand-new game version.
6 The Sims 3 Store Was Good
Those who played The Sims 3 actively will recall its store, which would annoyingly put in in-game advertisements for content. These were the early days of EA microtransactions that would become incredibly unpopular. Strangely, not everyone felt fury and anger towards The Sims 3's store practices.
Some parts of Reddit actually would vouch for a The Sims 4 version of The Sims 3 store, stating that it was a fun feature that had some good options. The only downside most can agree on is that the prices were a bit ridiculous, but the same could be said for The Sims 4's overall price after unlocking every DLC, especially with the introduction of Kits.
5 University Packs Are Not That Great
When it comes to popular packs and expansions, University has been a fan-favorite it seems since The Sims 2. The reason for it is probably the age group that plays the game and relates to the university experience the most.
However, not all of Reddit loves university. Some find the packs to be overhyped and quite boring to play through in the long run. And of course, sometimes the university stress Sims go through is a bit too relatable and hits too close to home.
4 The Sims 2 Is Only Good Due To Nostalgia Value
Not everyone can agree on what the best game in the series is, but The Sims 2 often comes up when making comparisons to the current state of the game with the franchise's golden days. And true enough, there was something special about The Sims 2, but not all of it has to do with its gameplay features.
Reddit does bring up the issue that The Sims 2 suffers from nostalgia value. Players remember the game as being better than it actually is. Playing The Sims 2 today shows that there was less time to do things Sims loved like hobbies and events, and more time was spent managing needs, making it more grindy and challenging.
3 The Sims 4 Is More Fun Than The Sims 3
Another comparison often made by Simmers is between The Sims 4 and its predecessor, The Sims 3. The Sims 3 really brought the franchise to another level by introducing an open-world setting and color wheels for ultimate freedom and customization.
Still, many find that The Sims 4 is still much more fun to play than The Sims 3. In fact, the open-world setting can be taxing to play with and never allows players to focus on just one Sim at a time.
2 Snowy Escape Was Overhyped
After a disastrous Journey To Batuu release, it was clear that just about any pack EA would release next would be praised by the Simmer community. When Snowy Escape released, it was almost everything players had wanted in a single expansion, with lifestyles and sentiments introduced.
However, over six months after, some Simmers find that the impact the pack had was actually incredibly small. There were no long-term goals introduced, and lifestyles and sentiments didn't fundamentally change the feel of The Sims 4. In the end, it became in some people's eyes a glorified vacation pack.
1 Rabbit Holes Are Fun
A major complaint about The Sims 4 is the abundance of rabbit holes, which are essentially a gameplay mechanic that shows text on screen while a Sim is off, invisible on screen, performing a task player cannot see. This removes the need to create new animations and areas and save time, but it also removes an important part of gameplay.
Some players disagree with this sentiment, however, and find that rabbit holes are a nice way to take a breather and be less engaged with the game. After all, The Sims 4 is a casual game and should remain light and fun, and not everything needs to be in the hands of players.