The Sims 4is a big game.
Actually playing the game feels like you’re both telling and watching a series of private, intimate stories.
Let me start with one of those stories, about a man named Fred Bob.
Fred woke up early one morning this week.
He got out of bed without disturbing Autumn, and started to make her a special breakfast.
Everything was peaceful, except for the toilet, which was gushing water all over the bathroom floor.
They exchanged a few curt words, and tiny red characters popped up over their heads.
After a moment, Autumn had had enough.
Leaving her dirty bowl there, she dashed back to the bathroom the moment Fred stepped out.
He returned to the kitchen, planning to resume his recipe.
Fred glanced around the room, looking lost, raising his arms in confusion.
So much for a romantic breakfast.
I wonder if she thought: What are we doing, fighting like this?
We’re young and in love.
Or maybe, once she’d emptied her bladder, she just realized that she was feeling feisty.
Before long, the two of them were back in bed.
And thenThe Sims 4froze.
Plenty of other games let you do that.The Simsdoesn’t—at least to the same extent.
it’s possible for you to create distinct save files, of course.
Earlier generations of Sims grow old and die, giving way to new Sims in turn.
Any mistakes you feel you’ve made either have to be edited out or built upon.
However minor it was, I had a rare chance to try one specific scene again.
My second attempt for a peaceful morning went over much better now that I knew what was coming.
I immediately put Fred to work fixing the toilet.
Once again, Autumn woke up shortly afterwards.
Once again, she waddled over to the bathroom.
Fred finished fixing the toilet a moment later, and once again she was finally able to pee.
While Autumn did her business, Fred stood a few feet from her, staring aimlessly at the mirror.
I’m not sure why.
Still no special breakfast.
But this time, both of them left the bathroom feeling extra flirty.
They walked into the kitchen together, presumably to finish cooking.
You already know what happens next.
How can you not???
This reset wasn’t supposed to happen.
In my andThe Sims 4publisher EA’s ideal world, it probably wouldn’t have.
Games are supposed to run smoothly.
Mornings with my Sims are supposed to go off without a hitch—at least a technical one.
I’m glad it did, though, because it helped me realize what I love aboutThe Sims 4.
Every time I start and restart a level in a video game, I always do things slightly differently.
Things are similar inThe Sims 4, but they’re also very different.
Or he could have just gotten up and left the toilet half-fixed and gone for a jog.
Hell, I could’ve never even prodded Fred to pursue his boo so passionately.
There are many different ways to playThe Sims.
Some people like to create elaborate virtual dollhouses—the more ornate, the better.
I guess I just like to be, I don’t know…nice?
I approach the game with a mindset that’s half-parent, half zookeeper.
I like to create things.
But what I really love is watching them grow.
You beginThe Sims 4with a lump of clay and a broad directive: create a Sim.
There’s a commonly understood suspension of disbelief.
The characters inThe Sims 4are quirky as well, but they feel like something more than just cartoons.
At a certain point, you just have to let go.
At least, that’s how it worked with Fred.
Once I’d settled on his features and assigned him a personality, the real work began.
I set him up in a dingy apartment, and got him a job.
I spent a lot of time putting out fires—both literally and figuratively.
When he started to get bored and lonely, I took him out to the gym or the bar.
That’s where he met Autumn one night.
The drama of Fred’s life probably sounds dull, even to my fellowSimsplayers.
Itisboring to everybody but me, which is part of the game’s special charm.
Emotions are just that: the things your Sims are feeling at any given moment.
Nobody wants to send their Sim off to work exhausted, smelly, and on an empty stomach.
Do I tell the Sim to nap?
That doesn’t leave much time to eat.
This has made many of the mundane aspects ofThe Simsfar more engaging.
It’s also made me stumble into some serious time sinks.
I’ve playedThe Sims 4for more than 40 hours since last Monday.
There are many nooks and crannies of the game’s two neighborhoods I’ve discovered in that time.
I guess I like to admire the scenery.
Characters like Fred and Autumn obviously have a special place in my heart.
But I’ve often caught myself getting lost in many of the game’s other quiet moments.
Sometimes, it’s incredibly soothing to watch this little world unfold before you.
You start with a lump of clay.
Then it begins to shape itself.
Eventually, these Sims come into their own.
That’s what amazed me about the toilet kerfuffle.
See, I helped jump-start Fred and Autumn’s relationship.
But what their spat made me realize is: it’s stilltheirrelationship.
When I think about it: Fred is different, too.
They’ll still go about their lives regardless.
Over time, if I stopped nudging them along, things might fall apart on their own.
But why would I?
Seeing that my Sims are happy makes me, well, happy.
Everybody wins…right?
Ok…but why are people so upset aboutThe Sims 4?
I’ve been having a great time withThe Sims 4.
But I can also tell that many others haven’t.
I could understand this furor before the game actually came out.
If anything, it’s gotten more intense now that the entire game is available to pick apart.
I approachedKotaku’sreaders tohelp me make sense of this.
By the same token, however: haven’tSimsfans been tolerating these kinds of issues for a long time now?
As one commenterput it on Monday: “lets face it, Sims 3 ran like shit.”
Having my game freeze three times in little more than a week is incredibly aggravating.
But we’ve all been there…right?
But aren’t these also part of the fun?
I mean,The Simsis famous for its patch notes.
At their best, though, they’re often hilariously silly.
Having your box freeze up is, obviously.
But I’d argue that less consequential glitches are practically part ofThe Simsaeshtetic at this point.
To be fair, EA has explained some of the changes it made inThe Sims 4as best it can.
You might not like that justification, but you might’t simply dismiss it.
But we can only speculate about the future ofThe Sims 4.
So why not stick to present instead?
Because who knows what could happen?
Nintendo grossed outMario Kart 8fans earlier this summer withits Mercedes Benz DLC.
But then itwon them over againwithZeldaandAnimal Crossing.
Player criticism #3: In general, it just feels incomplete.
There are too many conspicuous absences to consider this a proper Sims game right now.
The current structure ofThe Sims 4’sworld leaves much to be desired, I’ll admit.
And this isn’t just an issue of leaving out various tchotchkes.
Those are never a good thing in my book.
I can’t reviewThe Sims 4for every singleSimsplayer any more than I can play the game for them.
The many ways thatSims 3fans have broken down the new game, meanwhile, strike me as incredibly persuasive.
At the same time, however, I’m also starting to see glimmers of excitement in the entrenchedSimscommunity.
The diminished scale actually made the game feel less lonely, and thus more plentiful, to the player.
“Fun, not features.”
The two need not be mutually exclusive.
But it’s far more difficult to add the former than it is the latter.
Last week, Isaidthat “this is just the beginning” forThe Sims 4.
I was speaking pragmatically at the time.
But I think the statement holds up in a grander sense.
If its predecessors are any indication, there’s still a lot more to come inThe Sims 4.
EA might have new outfits for all of us to try on, new venues and locales to explore.
I want to be around to witness all of this as it happens.
More than just that.
I want to play it.
