Get The Sims 4 Create a Sim Demo [Online Game Code]

CUSTOMER REVIEW



First off, this is simply a demo of the Create a Sim aspect of the game. There is no actual gameplay included (as in, no Build or Live Mode), but it does allow you to get a hands-on approach of making Sims and saving them to your personal library for when the game comes out, or you can upload them to the online Gallery to share with others.



You mold your Sims as if they are clay, clicking on highlighted areas with your mouse and then "pushing" and "pulling" them. This presentation is different from former entries of the series, as they gave you sliders with which to fine-tune your Sim's features. Honestly, the "molding" is pretty much the same thing, and I would have preferred the option to have an advanced mode with sliders to tweak areas.



When I first tried it out, the controls struck me as sluggish, and certain areas of the face felt difficult to manipulate. The range with which you can move a feature is quite limited right now, and it is extremely dependent on which preset templates you chose to begin with. Even though areas light up when you hover the mouse over them, it was difficult to deduce where the "hidden" sliders truly were, since the controls are still limited (you can't just grab and pull anywhere you want, you are still restricted in how you can move areas). The Sims are also more animated than ever, which looks promising for gameplay, but not a good thing when you are trying to adjust their body shape. At least they stay relatively still when altering their face.



As I gained experience with the demo, the controls felt a bit more intuitive, but there still is that sense of limitation. It's also very easy to make mistakes when dragging an area, so make good friends with that handy undo button. However, once I got past the learning curve, I found making the Sims goes by quickly and pretty easily.



Compared to Sims 3, I found the face sliders offered pretty much the same variety, with a few improvements, like you can easily adjust the cheekbones. And then a few steps backward. (Seriously, no eyelash slider? Don't they know that people like me are out there, being fixated on eyelashes?) The body sliders are a welcome addition, but Sims seem to think that it's a good time to wiggle around when you're trying to adjust their shape--or maybe they just don't want to be touched.



The clothes and hairstyles are, not surprisingly, limited, since they are only a sample of what's in the game. I was happy to see some more ordinary styles incorporated, though, allowing me to make more natural and down-to-earth Sims. It will be interesting to see what's in the full-game. I still preferred styles available in Sims 2's base game, but that's just preference. (And probably me being dated.)



As someone else noted, there is now a search and filter feature to make it easier to sort the clothes and find what you are looking for. I imagine this is going to be invaluable when more content is available and it becomes too easy to get lost in the catalog.



If you haven't paid attention to what's been cut from this game, and if you are a fan of Sims 3, you'll be surprised by the absence of CAST (a.k.a., Create-a-Style-Tool). You can no longer choose patterns and colors and instead rely on preset recolors, similar to Sims 2. I don't know what would have been so difficult about a color wheel, but even something like that isn't present, sadly.



It's impossible to deduce how interesting the Sims' personalities will be from the demo, since there isn't a playable area to test it out in. Judging from the descriptions, they are simplistic and over-the-top, but we won't know until the game comes out. Aspirations seem like they are going to be very goal-oriented, which is good for players who run out of ideas of what to do next. Not so good for players who prefer to set their own goals. But remember, this is all judging from a text-box description.



Walk styles, which are new to Sims 4, look pretty ridiculous to me. If you liked the energetic and over-the-top animations straight out of Steamboat Willy (Mickey Mouse's first appearance), then you'll probably find them cute. But I can't imagine playing with most of them.



Best thing about this demo was the soundtrack. Seriously, the music is plucky but tranquil and definitely the best in the series. I also liked how flexible the voices were for the Sims. Sims 3 introduced the ability to choose your Sim's voice, but deep-voiced men often sounded plain old dumb to me. There are still three preset voices for each gender, but the selection is more varied and changing the pitch sounds natural enough for all three of them. Now I can see I'll actually have Sims with different voices, as they sound lively and interesting, and most importantly, unique.



Most disappointing to me, considering I love generational playstyles, was that this demo only contained the Young Adult stage. As many know, toddlers have been cut from the game and babies can't be carried away from their cribs, but I still would have liked to see how the remaining age groups look and animate. The Create-a-Sibling featured in this demo doesn't give me a clear idea of how genetics will work in the game, since the results are very random.



So, in short:



PROS:

*Beautiful soundtrack; music is lovely, sound is charming

*Quick loading times

*New areas to manipulate the Sims' shapes; body sliders are a nice addition to a base game

*Hats go over any hair, boots adjust to pants

*Skin adjusts to body weight and muscularity; skinny Sims with low muscle mass look bone-thin, whereas fat Sims with high

muscle mass still look flabby, and muscular Sims with low body fat look cut and macho



CONS:

*"Molding" the Sims comes with a steep learning curve, especially if you're used to sliders

*Gets tedious quickly if you play for different age groups, as I lack motivation to make only Young Adult Sims

*No eyelash slider--now eyelashes are attached to eye presets and can't be adjusted beyond that



MEH:

*What's the point of choosing the Sims' personalities right now if we don't know how it will affect them?



Overall, it was an underwhelming experience for me, and one filled with mixed feelings.