Summary
Life is big and complicated. Attempting to simulate it in all its facets is challenging, but attempting to do so in one video game is nearly impossible. That’s why the creatives behindThe Simspursued a piecemeal approach to building a world of virtual people in a virtual utopia via expansion packs. Some expansion packs practically sold themselves; for example,NightlifeandCity Livingallow urban dwellers to drop into the big city.
Meanwhile,Makin' Magic, Werewolves,andVampiresgave supernatural fanssomething to sink their teeth into. However, many packs that brought something new, introduced essential elements, or freshened up the game seem to have been lost in time; in some cases because their features or themes were too broad to market, and others because of their late arrival in the base game’s lifespan. Either way, whileSimssuper fans might have everySimsrelease perfectly cataloged in their minds, these packs are often overlooked by casualSimsplayers.
One ofTheSims 3’s most significant selling points was its revolutionary expansion of the third dimension (that is, to say, the introduction of the open world). However, its last expansion,Into The Future,aimed to open up the fourth dimension: time. Sims could step into the future thanks to a time traveler and their time machine. Sims could visit their descendants and see how the future turned out (much as a result of their actions in the present).
While it is by no means the most forgettable pack, having quite the compelling (if a little niche) theme of time travel and being bundled with manyinteresting retro-futuristic playthings, it arrived right at the end ofTheSims 3’s life, when many Simmers were getting ready to see what the actual future of the franchise held in the fourth entry.
There’s a lot to love aboutSnowy Escape,not least its emphasis on cozy Japanese decor, which is a beautiful addition for any homemaking enthusiast. However, as dazzling as the pack was made out to be, many fans at the time didn’t think the niche extreme winter sports activities of Mt. Komorebi added much to the overall game, and some fans felt that “lifestyles” were just traits with extra steps.
Some of its main selling points (snow, rock climbing, hot springs) were added inThe Sims 4’sother expansions. Overall, whileSnowy Escapeis a lovingly crafted expansion pack, it did little to actually expandTheSims 4, which is a problem for an “expansion pack,” making it more of a diversion than a memorable addition.
4Generations
A Well-Rounded Pack Without A Strong Selling Point
Teenage parties, wedding events, imaginary friends, and more:Generationsadded a lot to make each sim and their world feel more well-developed. It is a fantastic pack that adds many essential gameplay elements that make playingTheSims 3feel less complete without it, despite the base game being a feature-heavy offering right from launch.
However, as essential as the addition is forThe Sims 3, it’s hard to lock onto one significant gameplay change among its many small but important additions. While spiral staircases took building to new heights, and waterslides were a splash, there was nopretty new neighborhoodor singular mechanic to sell the pack or make it all that memorable. However, it definitely does not deserve to be forgotten.
Picking up a phone and starting a party has been a staple feature in theSimsseries for a long time, but this was not true for the first game until theHouse Partyexpansion. Before this, the only way to socialize was to be greeted by the neighborhood welcome wagon or by calling a sim over. For Simmers who work hard and play hard,House Partywas a gift fromSimsheaven, as it allowed sims to actively meet new friends outside, hoping that random townies would pass by, letting themclimb the career ladder(as progression is tied to a sim’s friend circle).
Sims can meet and make friends with new people at their parties, facilitated by the party objects that the pack provides. Nowadays, the pack tends to get forgotten because its features are interwoven with the base games in subsequent sequels. That and its age, with this being the second-ever pack released forTheSimsfranchise.
Sports, hobbies, and extracurricular activities are all essential aspects of life and should definitely be included in a life simulator. With the revamped goals and aspiration systems, players had new ways to shape their sims and their sims' journeys. The plethora of new objects and activities helped to flesh out the neighborhoods and lots ofThe Sims 2, from basketball hoops and DJ booths to restorable cars.
However, it’s hard to argue that many fans were begging for such a theme to be dropped into their game, no matter how well implemented. While plenty ofSimssequels have had reoccurring expansions (for example,thePetsexpansionsor theSeasonsexpansions), nothing has come along to mantleFreeTime, perhaps besidesThe Sim’s 4’sGet Together,which emphasized group activities, or (very tenuously)TheSims 3’sAmbitions.
1Livin' Large
Provides Features That Most Simmers Assume Come In The Base Game
It may come as some surprise to even the most loyal of fans (who were with the series from the start) that several iconic items, such as the vibrating love bed, the genie, and even the telescope, were, in fact, missing from the base game. They were only added in the series' first-ever expansion,Livin' Large.This pack also saw the introduction of the much-loved helper robot, Servo.
Fans may have forgotten this pack because it was bundled into the Delux editions of the game. It also doesn’t help that the expansion pack was not marketed with any specific theme, but this would have been hard to do since many of the features (cockroaches, sickness, andthe iconic Grim Reaper, to name a few) were cut during the development of the base game to ensure that Maxis made their deadline.
