This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Colby chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
As a self-declared Sim connoisseur, I have several Sims packs. Unfortunately, due to the more recent choices of the company, I haven’t been buying any more packs, but I will rate the packs that I do have. I’m rating very generally; maybe later on, I will go more in depth with the different Occults and build mode. I also might talk about the “worlds,” including the base game.
For Rent (expansion pack) 8/10
- Came with Tomorang, and I actually really like it. It’s one of the more recent packs that I’ve acquired, so I haven’t tried everything that it comes with, but so far I’m having fun. I like that you can become a landlord and I also really like Tomorang. It’s super pretty. One thing I don’t really like or understand is that being a landlord isn’t considered a career (although it should be!), so my Sims still have to go to work. On the bright side, that just means they have multiple forms of income.
My Wedding Stories (game) 7/10
- Tartosa is beautiful and that alone is a 10/10. I think Tartosa is my favorite world, followed by the Island Living world, Sulani. It’s just so beautiful and I’m, like, 95% sure it’s supposed to be based on Italy. For the actual gameplay though, I’d give it a 7/10, simply because I find weddings in general to be very buggy and difficult to play. Sims genuinely have minds of their own, and it is SO difficult to get them to do what I want them to do that I typically just avoid doing events. I really like everything leading up to it, though, such as planning the wedding events and buying the cake and picking out a theme. It’s personally a lot of fun for me, especially when I pretend like my Sims are doing a destination wedding or are visiting Tartosa on holiday.
Vampires (game) 8/10
- I got this at the same time as Seasons, and, honestly, I really like it. I feel like it’s lacking in some ways, but I still think Vampires are a lot of fun. Forgotten Hollow should definitely be a bit bigger with more things to do. What I love is that there is so much room for speculation and add-on with other game packs (such as Spellcasters and Werewolves), and the full lore is super interesting. In general, Occults are a very fun addition to the game and my own personal storylines.
Strangerville (game) 8/10
- Strangerville is a cool world, but the general gameplay is definitely one and done, I fear. Once you’ve solved the mystery, there isn’t much to do anymore, unless you want to keep repeating the same storyline. It is fun at first, albeit a little bit tedious overall. But I like the concept and the townies that it includes.
Snowy Escape (expansion pack) 9/10
- Mt. Komerebi is really cool, and I like the activities offered. I don’t actually do them, though, so I always feel like I’m learning new things about this pack when in reality there probably isn’t all that much to learn. I’m also, like, 95% sure Mt. Komerebi is based on Japan, which is also cool. What I find really fun about this pack is that it just feels so big. Also the festivals are a really fun aspect that I didn’t have before this pack, as are the vending machine deaths. Those definitely caught me off guard.
Seasons (expansion) 9/10
- This was the second pack I ever bought, and it does NOT come with a “world,” BUT it does come with seasons (duh) and holidays. I think this pack should honestly be part of the base game, because in some ways it feels very… basic. A calendar, holidays, and weather are all parts of real life and so naturally they should be incorporated into a life simulator game. However, I will say that I do like how it allows a lot of opportunities for expansion through mods. For example, certain mods will have their own holidays (Lumpinou with Rambunctious Religions, or PandaSama’s Mods), which is really cool and adds to realistic gameplay.
Island Living (expansion) 7/10
- I LOVE Sulani. It’s very much a destination vacation spot for me, so I rarely have Sims actually live there. I think Sulani is really pretty, and the careers that the game comes with are cool. I haven’t actually tried them out, though… I need to explore this pack more. Island Living also comes with mermaids and, like Aliens, I feel they are a little underdeveloped. But I think that I need to play with all of the Occults I have, to give them a better shot.
Get to Work (expansion) 4/10
- Yikes. This pack definitely suffers from being one of the first. Magnolia Promenade is just… yikes. I actually had no clue that this pack came with Aliens until much later. Also, what are we supposed to do with Aliens? It feels very… lacking. I’m rating very generally, but if I had to rank based on worlds this would definitely take last place. Magnolia Promenade has only three lots. Again, I think this pack has a lot of potential, but if EA had gone back and made it what Businesses and Hobbies is today, I think it would be way more popular.
Discover University (expansion) 6/10
- I like it, but it’s just okay. The gameplay is kind of buggy and unless you are playing with a longer lifespan, your Sims will be in university for the entirety of their young adulthood. I guess for some people (in real life), that’s realistic, but it just feels kind of time-consuming for the type of gameplay I personally like to do; I usually just cheat my way to completion. Britechester itself is also okay. Not very many lots to live on if you aren’t a university student, which is fine.
City Living (expansion) 7/10
- I have mixed feelings about this one. I like that we get apartments, but I don’t like how we can’t build our own apartments, LOL. I really like building, and I feel like being able to do that would be cool. I also feel like certain aspects of City Living and For Rent should be combined. For example, why have two separate packs when we could just have the ability to be landlords in City Living along with the ability to live in an apartment? San Myshuno is also cool, but there aren’t many lots, and sometimes random townies will take the apartments I want so I’ll have to evict them.
Cats and Dogs (expansion) 8/10
- My very first expansion pack, Cats and Dogs. I have an emotional attachment to this pack because while I play on my Macbook now, I used to play the Sims on my PS4, and the only pack I had was Cats and Dogs. Therefore, I am biased and I love it a lot. Brindleton Bay reminds me of Martha’s Vineyard, and it’s just so pretty. I can’t say much about the gameplay because I honestly don’t remember, since I don’t have it on my Macbook. Also, this pack comes with the vet career, which is cool, and of course cats and dogs. Personally, I think they’re annoying and creepy looking, which is why this pack gets an 8/10. Plus my pets kept running away even though my Sims were literally taking care of them… it was so dramatic.