Life simulation series, The Sims is a truly ground-breaking franchise. With no primary objective or finite goals, the focus of the game is the human behind the Sim. Building your own community, sometimes composed of various iterations of yourself, was the game’s main objective. No competitions, no races, just living your best or worst life from the comfort of your own home.
Naturally, the Sims 4 release has stirred up feelings of nostalgia for the OG players. Back in the day, you had to face some seriously tough choices, both on-screen and off. Do you risk frying the family computer with a RAM-eating expansion pack? Do you dare to test your friend’s cheat codes necessary to remove the bed and pixels? Are you mentally prepared to see at least one member of the Goth family every single day?
Time to boot up those memories folks because we’re about to take a walk down a low-poly-count memory lane.
10 Old Roses Have Budded
Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of roses and not the creepy kind Mortimer Goth loved to grow. Any Sim's fan worth their salt knows that Rosebud=Simoleons. Originally introduced in the first game of the series, rosebud (along with its iterations for even more Simoleons), let you live large on an ill-gotten budget.
10 Features From Past Sims Games We Want In The Sims 4
Though, to be fair, the Sims only doled out §20,000 to get your Sim’s life started. With beds ranging from §300-§3,000, fridges falling anywhere between §600-§2950, and toilets starting at §300, the essentials quickly add up. With such a small amount of startup cash, it was much easier to Alt, C, Shift, and Control to make Simoleons the easy way.
9 Real-World Technology has seriously advanced
Technically, the first version of The Sims wasn’t in 3D. The jump from Sims to Sims 4 is astounding, as it replaced the original's isometric view with a full-on 3D environment. Instead of using pre-rendered objects with few customization options, Sims 4's level of customization allows for millions of combinations of clothing, alone.
It's had to imagine that the image on the left was cutting edge but 20 years ago, it was groundbreaking. For a bit more perspective (no pun intended): the original Sims screen resolution was 800x600px. Nowadays? 1920x1080px is the standard.
8 You'll recognize your "new" neighbors
Before its many expansion packs, your Sim had to work on their charisma the old fashioned way: Unintelligibly talking to themselves in the mirror while gesticulating wildly. The other option was to invite over one of the handfuls of pre-programmed Sims characters. Because they were so few options and you wanted your Sim to be super suave, you were pretty much forced to invite over the Goth family.
For two decades, the creepy family has lurked down the block. In the Sims, the three-person family not only featured the one cemetery in the world, but they loved to come and bother you. All. The. Time. Sometimes, it seemed like they never left, as one Goth replaced another.
7 You can actually make your Sims character look like you
When the game was released in the early ’00s, your physical appearance options were limited to four hair colors, three styles, three skin tones, and a handful of outfits—most of which were polo shirts. While the original game offered a handful of personalities to choose from and the ability to edit your Sim’s bio and first name, it pales in comparison to the options offered now. Between the prepackaged bodies and few facial types, it was pretty much impossible to create yourself—or anyone else really.
The following versions and expansion packs brought new outfits, ages, and races. The game’s technology has become so advanced, users can manipulate their character down to the last detail. No, seriously. Sims 4 lets users choose where to place individual wrinkles.
6 You don’t have to be forever young
Since its release in 2000, Sims has always had the ability to make some babies. Eventually, the baby transformed into a child in what looked like a torrent of neon tennis balls. Like human beings, the Sim characters had no control over how the baby would turn out. Everyone loves a good surprise!
Well, not everyone. In the Sims 4, the level of interaction between parent and child from birth is exceptionally advanced, especially given how child sims could not transform into full-fledged adults in the original game. Sure, a child can make some money getting good grades, but they'll never grow up or contribute to the family in any way.
5 The architectural improvements have really hit home
The original Sims was groundbreaking for its time. You could build houses, customize your yard, and put in that pool you've always wanted. However, when it came to the actual aesthetic, there were much fewer design and decor options.
Anyone who’s played Sims knows the unbelievable amount of time and the painstaking detail involved with building a home. Sure, there were much fewer furniture, wallpaper, and window options but version one lovers built their homes one wall at a time.
Like always, the Goths are nearby. Obviously, Sims 4 is leaps and bounds ahead of its original in the graphics department, but it's comforting to know your favorite neighbors haven't gone anywhere.
4 Well, there goes the neighborhood
In the original Sims, all of the neighborhoods were of the same design. Soon, expansion packs rolled out, allowing for sub-neighborhoods, including Vacation Island and Magic Town.
Sims 4 is more of a “big picture” kind of game. It focuses heavily on creating and controlling an entire neighborhood. In 2000, we could barely keep up with the Goths, let alone the Joneses.
3 There are more ways to die
Killing off your Sims character has been around since, well, the Sims. Back then, there were only a handful of ways a Sim could die. Now you can sentence them to death by laughter, overexertion, and even embarrassment. The original game had three life stages: Baby, child, and adult. For perspective, there are now seven options and with a time limit for each life stage. As a result, Sims can now die of old age.
That’s not to say earlier Sims managed to live forever. Put one in a tiny room with a fireplace and no door? Dead. Delete the ladder while your guy’s in the pool? Dead. Ok, so that’s more murder-y than dead, per se but everyone who’s played the game and says they didn’t kill off a Sim at one time or another is lying.
2 The job market has significantly improved
Back in 2002, the Sims universe’s career opportunities were lacking, to say the least. They weren’t even jobs, really, and the job titles were vague to the point of a recent graduate with no intern experience. Your Sim could go into 1 of 10 career fields, including whatever “Xtreme” is.
Three iterations later, a Sim character can be anything from a secret agent to a scientist. Even pets can get in on the action as security, service, and showbiz dogs.
Naturally, the careers added in Sims 4 were tailor-made for the millennials who got in on the ground floor, including options to become Tech Gurus, Social Media Managers, and Freelancers.
1 May the Plumbob never change
Since Day 1, each Sims character has rocked a Plumbob. Like a mood ring of sorts, Plumbobs change color to represent the playable Sim’s frame of mind. The iconic floating diamond swung from a rich green to a blood-red depending on the Sims’ mood. Sims 2 added additional gradients from the green-to-red spectrum to better signify their computer-driven feelings and needs.
Twenty years and endless expansion packs later, the Plumbob remains the same. Small variations are made and more detail has been added, but the iconic floating diamond still shines brightly.