The Sims has a long history spanning over twenty years, four main games, six spin-offs, and two mobile games. It remains the most popular life simulation game of all time, having sold over 200 million copies across all titles and still going strong with its latest, somewhat controversial installment: The Sims 4.
Within the loyal community of players, The Sims 4 is, without a doubt, the most heavily disputed game of the franchise. Since its release in 2014, the game has been criticized for lacking crucial features that made the franchise so popular in the first place, and seven years later, many have yet to return.
10 So Many Beloved NPCs Are Still Missing In Action
Where are the burglars that would randomly appear to terrorize the player's household? Where are the self-sufficient police officers that would arrive at a simple call? Where are the social workers that would take the player's child or pet if they were neglected?
Simmers are still demanding that these classic NPCs be added to The Sims 4 seven years later. Firefighters and fan-favorite skeleton maid Bonehilda were also originally part of the list of missing NPCs, but they were added to the roster via a free patch and a stuff pack, respectively.
9 Creating A Sim & Decorating Isn't The Same Without Create-A-Style
Create-A-Style is a Sims 3-exclusive feature, but it sure left its mark. Players could go all-in when it came to adding patterns and specific colors to clothes and objects, allowing for more unique Sims and more fashionable spaces. Fans who were excited to see Create-A-Style return in The Sims 4 were disappointed when the game came out and the feature was nowhere to be found. Instead of the limitless combinations from The Sims 3, The Sims 4 only provides a small number of swatches per clothing item or object.
Players might get something akin to Create-A-Style with the new Dream Home Decorator game pack, but considering the feature would come in a paid DLC and not in the base game like in The Sims 3, this doesn't mean much for players who aren't willing to spend extra.
8 Where's Auto-Roof When You Need It?
While The Sims 4 is a tremendous leap in the franchise for builders, it also got rid of one of its user-friendly features for people who still struggle with building their Sims' perfect home. Auto-roofing first appeared in the original Sims game and didn't provide customization, but a much better version was reintroduced in The Sims 3.
The new auto-roofing could be disabled when preferred, and also offered several different roof styles to choose from, but it, unfortunately, didn't make it to The Sims 4. It could still make a comeback in an upcoming pack if Simmers are loud enough about it.
7 What If A Sim Wants A Pet Fish? Or A Bird? Or A Unicorn?
Considering the previous entries introduced a large diversity of birds, rodents, reptiles, horses, deer, and even unicorns, the variety of pets in The Sims 4 is astoundingly tiny. The Cats & Dogs expansion pack came with only four kinds of pets to choose from, the expected cats and dogs in an array of breeds, and the option of adding exotic pets like a fox or a raccoon to the household.
A later stuff pack added small rodents like hamsters and rats, but once again, the variety was limited and the process of obtaining them included paying for an additional DLC, a decision that was strongly criticized by players at the time. Not even the fish in the game count as pets.
6 Babies That Aren't Just Objects To Interact With
What's a life simulation game without real babies? That's a question Simmers have been bombarding the team behind The Sims 4 with, for years. The babies of The Sims 4 are little more than an object, remaining tied to their bassinet unless a teen or older Sim tends to them before putting them back down. They can't be carried around and can't interact with any object in the house, rendering them unplayable for Simmers who enjoy family gameplay above everything else.
The Sims team has replied on multiple occasions that they don't think there will be a further update for the babies, so players might have to wait until The Sims 5 to see any change.
5 An Effective Memory System That Impacts Gameplay
Memories were introduced in The Sims 2 and were an important part of a Sim's relationships and history. Whenever a Sim went through an impactful event like the birth of a child, a death in the family, or a break-up, the Sim would store the memory and attach an emotion to it. Sims could later recount the memory to friends, reminisce about it by themselves, and even start fights over past transgressions if a disliked Sim was nearby.
The Sims 4 still has Memories, but these aren't automatic like in the previous two games. Instead, the player has to manually create a memory that ultimately won't change anything in the Sims' day-to-day life. Still hoping for a revamp.
4 Where Are The Other Supernaturals?
The Sims 4 has introduced a handful of supernatural life states like vampires, ghosts, aliens, mermaids, and Plantsims, but they've yet to bring back so many others. Zombies were introduced as early as the year 2000 in the original Sims game and were brought back in the following two games.
While The Sims 2 added genies, werewolves, and even Bigfoot to the mix, The Sims 3 providing new ones such as mummies and fairies, among others. While it's possible The Sims 4 might come out with a Supernatural pack like The Sims 3, it's more probable that they will sprinkle these life states in several other packs, if they ever do add them.
3 Bring Back The Pond Tool
Ponds do exist in The Sims 4 but they're an object that can only be found in the game's debug mode, which can only be accessed through cheating. In The Sims 3, players could use the pond tool to create ponds freely in both residential and community lots.
Simmers have been requesting for this and other similar tools since the game was released, and while the Sims team eventually patched in a pool-creating tool and upgraded Build & Buy mode, they've yet to allow players to make ponds.
2 Sims Still Can't Go For A Drive
Cars are a feature that Simmers have been asking for since the game first dropped. Starting with The Sims 2 and following into The Sims 3, Sims are able to pick their own car from a variety of models, drive them around, and even set up a garage in their home.
The Sims 4 includes cars only as decorative items, rendering them completely useless in terms of gameplay. This decision has been defended by the developers since the Sims in this version of the game don't have any need for cars to transport them like in the previous entries, but players are still waiting for the day cars will be added.
1 Create-A-World Would Literally Change The Game
Create-A-World was a Sims 3 exclusive feature, but it had its basis on the Create-A-Neighborhood function from The Sims 2. Players of these games could easily create and customize an entire neighborhood, starting with a completely blank terrain so they could let their creativity take over. Trees, lots, and bodies of water could be added at choice to create the perfect world, which could later be uploaded and shared with other Simmers.
The Sims team added a somewhat 'blank' free neighborhood called Newcrest in a patch after The Sims 4's release, but the customizing is restricted to each individual lot, just like in every other world. This feature might never come back given the way The Sims 4 is constructed, but modders have been working hard to make this a possibility as soon as possible!
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