Hooray For The Sims 4

Recently, I got a first look at a game I've been looking forward to ever since being blown away by The Sims 3:

The Sims is fascinating in that, somehow, it always finds a way to exceed itself. While becoming unrealistically more comical, each generation of The Sims is still more lifelike than its predecessor. Each generation opens more doors for your Sims (and their lives) to walk through.

"Omg! They have cars now!!!" - Me (upon the release of The Sims 2 in 2005)

However, as a long-time fan, I've discovered a few patterns that make me wonder how long the Sims innovation will continue. Will The Sims 4 be yet another awe-inspiring leap for the game? Or will it simply be "same game, different box"?

If you're not familiar with the franchise, it's not difficult to understand. The Sims is a life-simulator wherein you create characters (Sims) and live through their lives (i.e. get them jobs, have them start relationships with other Sims, have children, etc.). The game starts with the base game (The Sims, The Sims 2, The Sims 3, or The Sims 4) and becomes more fun as you add expansion packs to it (e.g. House Party, Night Life, Showtime, etc.).

The base games are pretty standard; you can't do much more with your Sims than the basics. Though, fans of The Sims probably notice a trend in the expansion packs...

Deja Vu?

Hopefully, The Sims 4 will incorporate some of the beloved aspects of past expansion packs into the base game so that players don't have to wait for and buy expansions packs to keep up with the last generation!

Some other things on my wishlist:

• Bring back the ability to plead to the grim reaper to save a loved one. (For some reason, you could do that in 1 and 2 but not 3)
• The Sims have had "juice bars" for a while, but in The Sims 3 Late Night it was tongue-in-cheek acknowledged that there was alcohol in those beverages. I think the ability to get drunk (and make bad decisions) would be awesome in The Sims 4. 
• It would be cool if you could ask a friend watch your child instead of hiring a babysitter. Or at least choose your babysitter.
• Something totally new...

Of course, there are also gems within the previous games that I hope remain in the newest installment. But, for now, these are the major things that come to mind as I anticipate the release of more details about this game. In the meantime, we have this: 

What do you think so far?
Share your thoughts on Facebook!