Summary
The Simsmastered life simulator gameplay before most other games could even get a foot in the door. With a total of four main releases coupled with hundreds of DLCs, game packs, and kits since 2000,The Simsonly continues to further its presence in the gaming world. As it has been nearly a decade sinceThe Sims 4graced the market, many anticipate what’s next in store for the franchise, though it looks like fans may not have to wait much longer.
With a very scarce reveal in 2022 at Behind the Sims Summit,little is known aboutThe Sims 5. Called Project Rene, the upcoming EA enterprise has a speculative release date set for next year. There is much to anticipate for what opportunities and improvementsTheSims 5will have made from the previous installment. However, there is one aspectThe Sims 4fumbled that, regarding this particular feature,The Sims 5can instead seek guidance from the thirteen-year-oldThe Sims 3to better this beloved element.
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The Sims 4 Has a Pet Problem
There was a lot of initial joy whenThe Sims 4announced Cats & Dogs, an expansion pack that would bring back pets into the world ofThe Sims.The Sims 4already bettered several aspects of its predecessor, creating a more fully realized world with a plethora of emotional growth and a variety of customization, namelyincredibleThe Sims 4house customization. But there were a few changes fans found limiting compared toThe Sims 3’sexpansion pack titled Pets.
Both versions had phenomenal customization, allowing players to add their own funky patterns on conventional pet furs of all different breeds.The Sims 4also lets players adopt foxes and raccoons, which is exciting in itself if not for the fact that the option to own only cats, dogs, foxes, or raccoons was severely restrained compared toThe Sims 3’sgenerous capability to house cats, dogs, horses, lizards, birds, rodents, and turtles. While the small animals are constrained to cages, players can control horses, dogs, and cats and help them fulfill their own distinct wishes and goals, another option that was removed withThe Sims 4.The Sims 4later added more small animals, but only through the purchase of an additionalSimsstuff pack.
There was even a chance to find a wild unicorn at night inThe Sims 3. These unicorns weren’t just glorified horses; unicorns could bless plants, people, and pets. They could teleport, extinguish fires, and more. WhenThe Sims 4reintroduced unicornsin a later expansion pack, all of those special abilities were abandoned.
The Sims 4: Cats and Dogsdid offer one new feature: a vet clinic career. Though there is no option for playable pets likeThe Sims 3had, a Sim’s pet still needs to be attended to, thoughThe Sims 4players must guess a pet’s needs now. When pets get sick, players can bring their furry friends toThe Sims 4vet clinic. Players can also fully run the business and manage employees to create a successful veterinarian clinic.
There are pros and cons to bothThe Sims 3: PetsandThe Sims 4: Cats & Dogs, but the greater variety of pets with distinct gameplay and the capacity for playable pets were both sorely missed inThe Sims 4. AsThe Sims 5is still in development with a rumored free download and cross-platform gameplay, here’s to hoping EA looks back to whenThe Sims’pets shone most when considering how to implement pets into its upcoming installment.
