Sul Sul! Welcome to It’s a Sims Thing. If you know me, I love all things The Sims. I’ve been an avid player and fan of the Sims franchise for most of my life, from MySims to The Sims 2: Pets to The Sims 2: Castaway to The Sims 3 to The Sims 4 and even The Sims Medieval!
While I may have qualms with The Sims 4 packs, I find plenty of packs with game features and creative design aspects that I love. Whether sending my Sims off to University or unraveling the Strangerville mystery, many of The Sims 4 packs make gameplay a more enjoyable, creative experience. Not only that, there are plenty of pack features, such as quests/assignments and events, that make the gameplay more enjoyable. From Jungle Adventure to Island Living and even Growing Together, a game pack I never expected to love this much after the whole My Wedding Stories buggy game glitches. It’s safe to say there are plenty of packs I love, five to be exact, so let’s dive in!
When I first heard about this pack, I was instantly reminded of the familial values in The Sims 3: Generations. Complete with a cute seaside city, San Sequoia, reminiscent of San Francisco, and plenty of fun-filled community activities, such as fishing and going to the movie theater. Not only that, but it also included wonderful create a sim and build mode additions for the free Better Babies update. With the addition of more events such as slumber parties and baby showers, the Sims experience is instantly more fun. Treehouses even came back! While the tree for the treehouse is just an object and doesn’t interact with the seasons pack, it still is a fun addition and a great skill-building activity for your sims. While the world in this pack may be small, including the lot sizes. It is still a pack worth every simoleon.
If you’ve ever dreamt of living out your treasure hunter dreams, this pack is for you. Selvadorada is a lush jungle wonderland and the perfect vacation spot with plenty of fun features, from quaint rentals to archaeological expeditions and even curses… Oh my! While it’s a shame that we can’t live in this beautiful world, there are plenty of hidden places to explore. Not only that, but players get to uncover the secrets of this new area, uncover hidden treasures that belong in a museum, and interact with skeletons. Whether you want to be the next Nathan Drake or Indiana Jones, simmers can become like their adventure heroes while solving puzzles and mastering new skills like foraging, navigation, and cultural knowledge. And the best part? The gameplay instantly becomes more exciting when venturing into the unknown jungle!
Ah, Sulani! It was love at first sight with this new Sims world. Out of all of the worlds in The Sims 4, this is the one I tend to play in the most. From the beautiful beaches to the lush mainland and even the fiery volcano, you can’t beat the location. Another perk, mermaids, of course! Mermaids were the third supernatural beings to come to the games. These aquatic sims instantly add to the world’s wonder, and there is plenty to do. Players can make the island a special place, from cleaning up the ocean to testing out your lifeguard skills and connecting with the island culture. While this pack does lack some of the features that came with The Sims 3: Island Paradise, such as the ability to discover uncharted islands and interactive diving, the newer pack boasts a better environment, careers, and island activities.
Strangerville is by far one of the weirdest packs ever. I never thought I would like this pack because who would want to live in a world in which your sim could get infected by a monster straight out of a horror sci-fi… Doesn’t sound fun. And yet, this pack turned out to be quite the adventure. This tiny western city, equipped with just the right amount of mystery and conspiracy is the perfect place for a sim looking to save the world. This pack is the perfect addition, instantly improving the gameplay experience for those looking to play their Sims’ lives on the edge. It’s pretty fun to partake in the quest to save the town, and once all tasks are completed, you get to live in a safer Strangerville. This pack also boasts unique build mode items as well as some exciting new careers.
And finally. Without further ado my favorite pack is…
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enjoy following my sims to university and helping them study for finals… And yet, here we are. This is one of the Sims team’s best and most ambitious packs. This pack instantly exceeds the The Sims 3: University Life experience. With the ability to live in the world and the option to study at two different universities, players are instantly granted more options. Plus, there are tons of majors to choose from. The only downside of this pack is it’s a time suck. You need 12 credits to graduate and you can only take up to four classes per semester. So essentially, if you pass each class, it would take three sim weeks… Yikes! But in the end, it’s all worth it, as your sim instantly gains more opportunities within their careers financially. Plus, you get some great memorabilia like a diploma and graduation portrait.
The Sims 4 has plenty of lovable packs and features, making this series one of the most ambitious in franchise history. What are some of your favorite The Sims 4 packs? Were there any packs we missed? Let us know in the comments. We would love to hear your thoughts!
