Let’s face it, Sims 4 had a rocky release for several reasons. For one, the towns present in were few and far between, totaling at about ten locations available to players. Secondly, fans were less than pleased with the game’s extremely lengthy and frequent loading times.
Although Sims 4: Get to Work is the first official expansion of the original game, it feels as though the real potential of Sims 4 is beginning to surface — as if we had only reached the tip of the iceberg on day-one. As we anxiously charged $80 to our credit cards, we had no idea that we would only be experiencing 10% of the game’s full potential, with over 90% of content lying below the surface. If you have wheelbarrows filled with gold, perhaps you can explore the full 100%.
We are no strangers to EA’s typical business model, which usually consists of “publish at all costs” and “push micro-transactions.” With the help of EA and other large corporations, we now rely heavily on expansions and add-on packs to extend the original length of the games present in our video game libraries.
Although Sims 4 has always welcomed add-ons and was one of the pioneers of this business behavior, you can’t help but feel cheated. Are we used to this type of release? Yes. Did Sims 3 include far more original content on day one? Yes.
Ever since the release of the original Sims, players have craved a full-fledged Sim experience, and now we have it. Rather than simply selecting “slack off” or “work hard” as your Sim goes off to work, you can now tag along with them and help accomplish tasks, while simultaneously earning your simoleons.
In the Get to Work expansion pack, players can choose to explore careers in law enforcement, medicine and science. Although there are only three career tracks, each branch is expansive and filled with additional missions and exploration options. Get to Work career tracks are labeled as “active careers.”
In the medical career track, players will work their way up from clerical, all the way to learned doctor. Your Sim will manage the front desk, offering up goodies to patients. They will conduct x-ray scans or have one-on-one interactions with sick Sims. Watching my Sim deliver a baby Sim was unlike any other experience I’ve had in the series and I must admit, I really enjoyed it.
In the law enforcement career track, your Sim will go on police beats, surveying and monitoring the streets. Not only can they book a Sim into custody, but they can also take their mugshot once they get there. As your Sim moves up the career ladder, they will go on investigations as a crime scene investigator, analyzing evidence and collecting information.
The most fascinating career track by far in this new expansion is the science career track. Former players of Sims games will feel right at home with the chemistry table and potion making feature. In addition, Sims can actually create full-fledged clones. What truly makes this career track especially unique is how it opens up your Sim to alien encounters.
As a scientist, your Sim will work out of an area that is rumored to be visited by certain “alien” visitors. As you go about your business, aliens may suddenly appear, beaming you up into their UFOs. You may come back completely normal or even pregnant, regardless if your Sim is male or female (sound familiar?). I personally admire that the developers carried this feature to Sims 4 from present games, since it is a classic feature of Sim’s total hilarity.
The most enjoyable part of the alien encounters within the science career is that for the first time ever, Sims are able to visit the home planet of our favorite extra terrestrials. Although aliens have always played a significant role in the Sims series, you have never been able to see where they actually originate from, and their home planet is a true beauty to behold.
Aside from the career tracks present in this expansion, the entrepreneur features from Sims 3 have also received some improvements as well. Sims will be able to open their own businesses in Magnolia Prominade, creating their own advertisements and displaying their own “for sale” items. If you’re a Sims player who typically resorts to simoleon cheat codes, this new function may eliminate the need to, since average Sims will be able to earn more if they invest properly. Sounds like real life right?
This new expansion pack also incorporates a fresh, new “photography” feature. Rather than taking the regular Sims 4 selfies, players will be able to stage actual photoshoots. After you have applied your own filters to your photos, you may then hang them in your very own Sim home.
Sims 4: Get to Work accomplished a great deal. On the surface, you would assume that this expansion would not include much, but that is not the case. I found myself feeling the excitement that I had craved when I made my initial purchase. Not only does this expansion pack deliver several things that veteran Sims fans have been waiting for, but it completely enhances the quality of play that was lacking at the game’s initial release.
This review was based on a review copy of Sims 4: Get to Work for the PC provided by Electronic Arts.
