I haven’t had much time to play because of everything going on, so I am not going to write a full review here. However, there are many things that I think need to be brought to attention for those of you who may be thinking about getting this game.
The character creation mode is excellent in that you can completely customize everything (from colors – even highlights and lowlights for hair – right down to fabrics / patterns and colors for clothes). However, the lack of hairstyles and clothing that you start out with is pitiful. I am sure this is only to promote their online store where you can purchase more, but it makes character creation very frustrating. Also, there is no “curly hair” hairstyle, which I never understood, and it really aggravates me. What do they have against people with curly hair? Also, the male hairstyles are few and terrible.
There is no God mode. This version of the Sims is different in that you create a family and must immerse yourself in that family only. You can’t do multiple families in a neighborhood (so no making yourself and all of your friends in separate houses and making your own virtual world where everyone is happy). This is very disappointing for most people who’ve played The Sims that way, but I think that ultimately it is probably a better move. It promotes more people to actually play the game through the way it is meant to be played, instead of just trying to make simulations of their own lives.
I haven’t played much of the build and buy modes yet but they seem pretty nice. You can now put furniture on half-squares and you can also set furniture diagonally. They also added wall cabinets for the kitchen, which I never understood them leaving out.
Otherwise, you can preview land before you buy it (including houses and their furnishings). The draw distance once you are in your sims’ lot is very nice – you can actually see scenery and things that are further away.
From what I understand your Sims are more automated (or can be) and you can also set in your options how slowly they age.
And let’s not forget that they now have the “Evil” trait. Which I have not tried out yet. They also have “Kleptomaniac” which might be fun.
Of course, just like any other Sims game, it is made for them to be able to charge more money in the long run by not including anything. They give you $10 worth of Sim points when you buy the game to give you a taste of their online store, which is a bunch of stuff that should have come with the game. One dollar for a virtual shirt is balls.