GamesSimulationThe SimsThe Sims 4The Sims 4 Lovestruck compiles some of The Sims 2’s greatest hits, and it’s making me wonder if The Sims 5 will come sooner than we thinkWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSimulationThe SimsThe Sims 4The Sims 4 Lovestruck compiles some of The Sims 2’s greatest hits, and it’s making me wonder if The Sims 5 will come sooner than we thinkWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: EA)
The Sims 4has been going strong for ten years now, and love is finally back in the air. New pack Lovestruck feels like a revamped version of perhaps the best Sims era: The Sims 2. Specifically, theSims 2’s Nightlife expansion. As well as thumping club music, vampirism, and stretch limousines, Nightlife introduced the Chemistry system, allowing players to set their Sims' romantic Turn Offs and Turn Ons to make dating and creating stories that much more interactive.
That’s what Lovestruck’s new Attraction system seeks to emulate, on top of championinggreater dating diversityand more dynamic outings with your would-be beaus. If it all sounds familiar, that’s because I suspect EA is drawing inspiration from the past to chart The Sims' future – a move that is pushing it closer and closer to its next generation.
My heart’s (paid) content
(Image credit: EA)
Uh oh(Image credit: EA)I tried the 100 infants challenge in The Sims 4 and it’s made me scared of children
Uh oh
(Image credit: EA)I tried the 100 infants challenge in The Sims 4 and it’s made me scared of children
(Image credit: EA)
I tried the 100 infants challenge in The Sims 4 and it’s made me scared of children
A long legacy means great expectations, and The Sims 4 has had its work cut out to meet them. The road was rocky at first. It took EA three years to add toddlers to the base game, its Cats and Dogs expansion featured far fewer animals to adopt than in The Sims 2 and 3’s respective Pets expansions, and even stuff as mundane as laundry room equipment can only be acquired through paid kit packs. And yet, I paid up.
Adding content through paid expansions has always been the name of the Simming game, but whenever I feel that new content should have been implemented as a free update, I’ve been known to get the grumps. I’m not grumpy that Lovestruck’s more detailed romance systems cost money – I’ve played a fair few hours of it myself, and there’s a lot more to it than retching in disgust after checking out your neighbor. However, I am wondering why EA has gone as far back as Sims 2 to mine for content. With something as seemingly basic as a romance system being introduced at this late stage in The Sims 4’s life cycle, my spidey senses are tingling.
As a fan, my immediate reaction is to shout my thanks from the rooftops and ready myself for a Simlish Love Island spectacular set on the glittering shores of Sulani. From an analytical standpoint, maybe EA is just running out of ideas, and the only way to go forward is to look back.
A date with destiny
(Image credit: EA)
I’m almost hoping that EA’s trip down memory lane with Lovestruck signals a clean slate is coming.
I’m almost hoping that EA’s trip down memory lane with Lovestruck signals a clean slate is coming.
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The fact is that the more content we get for The Sims 4, the more EA will have to shoulder next time, and next time, and the time after that. Just how viable is this going to be in the long run, for players and for the publisher?
Which leads us to the big question: when willSims 5even land? More to it, are we ready to see The Sims 4 go off into the sunset? Personally, I think I am – but it’s a shame, because it’s taken a full decade for EA to get the game in as good a shape as it’s currently in. I recall the early days of The Sims 4, a time before Wants were re-added and all my digital playthings felt like empty husks. I also recall the not too-distant memory of theharrowing incest bugthat plagued my game in the preamble to the High School Years expansion back in 2022 – and let’s not even mention the buggy Wedding Stories launch. Most of these kinks have been smoothed over, though I’m sad to report thatthe incest bug is backwith a particularly nasty vengeance.
The Sims 4 now has a veritable treasure trove of expansions under its belt, more than double that of its predecessor, which also featured twice as many packs asitspredecessor. I’m almost scared to imagine what The Sims 5 would even look like if that expectation persists, and to make it easier on both the developer and my future wallet, I’m almost hoping that EA’s trip down memory lane with Lovestruck signals a clean slate is coming, and that perhaps its learned a lesson or two along the way.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”