I've mentioned in previous blog posts that I love to play The Sims 4. I find both gameplay and building sucking me in for hours at a time. The Sims 4 base game is now free to play, so I highly recommend downloading it and giving it a try if you've not played it. The one thing I will say is that occasionally base game can get repetitive. I think this is why I would always become addicted to it for a week and then forget it exists for another 5 months.
There's a few ways around that repetitive gameplay cycle. The first way, there are many challenges out there to do, in both building and gameplay. I've attempted a few, so I may write another post about them. But there will be something for everyone to try out, so if you find yourself getting bored or repeating the same gameplay scenario, do a quick google search! A few popular ones include the 100 baby challenge, Legacy challenges and Rags to riches. All challenges will have rules set in place for you to follow whilst you attempt to reach the goal. Secondly, you can purchase and download extra content. This includes expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs and kits. After testing out a fair few, I can confidently say that the packs do add fun extra content to the game, and I don't feel like I could go back to just base game.
In this post I will be reviewing all the expansion packs I currently own, in hopes to give you an honest insight into the extra content. But remember, these are just my views and opinions!
Expansion packs can be expensive (£35-£45 on average), as they're the ones which gives you the most extra content, the majority of expansion packs come with their own world, a huge variety of building objects, hairstyles and clothing. These packs add the most gameplay. It is clear that the higher the price of a pack, the more items / gameplay you will get from it. Below are reviews of the current expansion packs I own.
Discover university
As you could probably tell by the name, this pack lets your sims go to university. The new world, Britchester, holds two universities which your sim can study at when they age to a young adult. Britchester also has student accommodation, a student bar called Pepper's, a few homes and university lots including study areas, libraries and canteens. The universities are Foxbury institute and university of Britchester. Both offer a wide range of degrees and distinguished degrees. Both universities offer extra curriculum clubs like the art society. This pack also includes a new hobby; research and debate. You do not need to be a university student to start this hobby.
To start your university journey you must apply for university, your skills and grades from school (if your sim grew from a child) will be taken into consideration during your application. You are also able to apply for scholarships to help keep study fees low. Once your sim has been accepted into university you can enroll and start to study. Each week you select classes for your sim to take, to graduate you must complete 12 classes. You're able to take as many or as little classes each week, I personally recommend a maximum of three if you want your sim to do well academically but also have a social life. More than three classes can become overwhelming and lead to lower grades or lower moodlets.
Alongside attending university, your sim can join clubs as mentioned before, this adds to gameplay and gives you some more social interactions, plus can increase your skills in certain hobbies and give you exclusive, locked content. Your sim is able to attend guest lectures to learn more on different subjects, they can study in new locations and even get free food at university canteens (perfect for if you're not using the motherlode cheat).
This pack also has a large range of objects, hairstyles and outfits. The outfits are *chefs kiss* and I probably use at least one on each of my sims. The hairstyles are the same. I am obsessed. They have the cutest double space buns, braids and a variety of male hairstyles which don't suck as much as base game. Outfits include a variety of dungarees and pinafores, so many jeans and a great choice of fitness gear. Building objects include a range of university items like food shacks, posters and even a prank free door.
See the full range of included content here: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/store/addons/the-sims-4-discover-university
Overall, I love the content included in this pack, most objects you can use outside of university living. The gameplay is also really fun and reminds me of my time as a student, but since having this pack I see myself using the gameplay less and less. I'm not sure if I just got bored of going to university or if I just enjoy other packs more. The main thing that let me down with this pack is that if you chose for your sim to live in student accommodation, you also have to control those people, sometimes it can be up to 3 other sims. I personally don't like this as it means I can't focus on the one sim I made, you're forced to play other random sims. I feel like this pack would be so much better if you could live with people but didn't need to control them. Secondly, even though having a good grade can help your sim get a job or advance to different levels in a career faster, there is no need for your sim to go to university to get any specific job. I feel like there should be some graduate degree entry jobs, or careers only available to those with specific degrees to make the gameplay more realistic.
Overall I would give this expansion pack an 8/10.
Get famous
I love this pack, purely because you don't have to follow the career in order to get famous. With this pack you get a new world called Del Sol Valley. This world has your standard socialising buildings like gyms, a bar, even an exclusive bar as well as a variety of homes ranging in price. The main, and only career in this pack is actor/actress. Your sim is a freelancer and selects gigs based on levels of skills required. You then must attend an audition where you will pass or fail. If you pass you will have a few requirements to achieve depending on the role. For example you may be asked to improve your fitness skills or to bond with your director. By doing these you will perform better, increasing your chances of promotion or levelling up in fame.
You earn fame points by doing different things, then you level up until you reach the highest point. Each level comes with perks you can select, but if you lose your fame level, you lose the perks that come with it. Anything which will earn you fame will have a little star and the word fame next to it. Some examples are; uploaded to your simstagram, painting, and music production. The gameplay for this pack is endless, there's so many ways to become famous and this pack includes two new skills; acting and media production. By getting famous you gain fans, you have paparazzi follow you and can earn more money when selling crafted items. This pack is so useful for living a luxury sim lifestyle.
This pack includes a bunch of different objects, from set lighting and equipment to high end household items. For me, some of the items don't really get used as I've never made a film set or been too keen on high end, gold, luxury houses but the items I like, I like a lot and struggle to not use them. Outfits include some fancy dress / costumes alongside luxury dresses and stylish day-wear. Hairstyles are limited but a few have two-tone colour options which I find really cool.
See the full range of included content here: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/store/addons/the-sims-4-get-famous
Overall I don't like the fact there's only one career included in get famous. I wish there was more such as singers or musicians, influencer or even something random like a news reporter. This would stop the pack from being a bit repetitive. As you're able to make your sim famous with other things I find myself not really following the acting career too much. The world is lovely but the park sucks, there's little skill building opportunities here as there's no fishing area or chess table. I am working on re-designing this park and will hopefully have it on my gallery soon! I do love the outfits and the fact it's easier to earn money with painting and other skills. You also have the option to delete all fame and not let your sim earn fame, so it's nice to be able to kind of turn it off and on when you want to.
Overall I would give this expansion pack a 7/10
Get to work
Now this pack gets confusing with worlds. The main one you see is Magnolia Promenade, it isn't really a world, it has four lots and is mainly for businesses such as restaurants or shops so it's not ideal for living in. This was a bit of a let down, I rarely use this world. Although there's three other hidden worlds. Two of these are discovered when you go to work with the careers in this pack although you cannot move around or purchase anything in these. They give off willow creek and oasis spring vibes. The third world is the most exciting and I won't lie, I only found out about this whilst writing this! You are able to visit Sixam, an alien sim world, to do this you need to create a Wormhole generator as a scientist.
Lets move onto careers. There's three included which are nurse/doctor, Police officer and scientist. They're played like base game careers where you level up with hard work and reaching requirements but you also get to play the careers out. As a police officer you need to solve crimes. You get to go to crime scenes, find evidence and then arrest a suspect. You also have to help out at the station by finger printing suspects and various other tasks. This adds so much to the gameplay unlike base game where you cannot work with your sim. You do also have the option to send them alone where the time will speed up like normal careers. This gives the option to do both which I like as I can find it getting boring repeating the same work day over and over again.
This pack has such a range of objects, it gives you all the things you need to make a hospital, police centre, jail and a lab. But it also comes with some cool living decor, most items are so versatile and I do find myself using them in everyday houses. It also allows you to build secret jails in your basement... you know we've all been there. The outfits and hairstyles are basic to say the least, a lot are just uniforms with a few cute children clothes.
See the full range of included content here: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/store/addons/the-sims-4-get-to-work
Overall the objects and create a sim items includes are a tad basic compared to other packs but the objects are really useful. It's the gameplay that makes this pack worth it. There's just so many options on what to do as a career, you can even run your own business! I can't complain about the gameplay at all, I just wish there was more clothing options and a few more hairstyles. Although for what you get in gameplay makes up for this.
Overall I would rate this expansion pack a 9/10.
Seasons
This is the most recent expansion pack I've bought and I understand why people say it's a must have pack! Although there is no new world with this pack there is so much gameplay! Firstly, there's weather so you actually have a reason to dress up nicely for warm and cold weather. There's rain, extreme heat, snow and thunderstorms. All of which add more modlets for your sims. They can get scared by thunderstorms and can even die from heat exhaustion when jogging in the summer.
Alongside weather there's also holidays like Christmas, valentines day, new years and some random days like prank day and tax rebate day. By successfully completing the tasks set these days your sim will receive happy modlets, if you fail to do the tasks your sim can become sad. I really enjoy this pack as it adds more realistic components to the sims 4. Although I do believe weather should be in base game. I do sometimes find the holidays overwhelming, especially if I'm on task with other things in the game but I accept the bad modlets from not completing the task.
Now onto the extra content, because it includes holidays there are so many decorations like Christmas trees, lights and halloween decor. There's also a good range of furniture, doors and windows. Some main building items I like are the toddler swimming pools as it adds more gameplay for toddlers and the beehive! It's a fully functional beehive where you can collect and sell honey! There's just so much content in this pack which I use in every single game, even without the gameplay side of this pack the items you get are so versatile and there's a massive range.
The clothing and create a sim content also has some massive range, from cute summer tops and dresses to warm winter coats. There's a lot of costumes like Santa Claus and an elf suit but I don't think I've ever used these.
See the full range of included content here: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/store/addons/the-sims-4-seasons
Overall this pack is excellent, it adds so much to gameplay without you having to change your sims career or skill sets, it makes the game more realistic and is especially good for getting your sim to socialise during the holidays. Although I feel like some of the gameplay content should be available in base game the extra building and create a sim content really do just make this pack worth it. Because you have the weather seasons there's so much range of items from plants to holiday decor to outdoor parasols.
Overall I would rate this pack a 9/10.
And that is the end of this post! I hope this gave you a little insight into some of the packs, I hope to get more soon so I'll be sure to update you on my opinions on them! I would just like to say these are my own opinions and in no way are connected to EA.
Remember to be kind to yourself, love yourself and focus on what makes you happy. Have a fantastic week! lots of love x
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