There are new and exciting aspects to each neighbourhood (I’m rolling with it) in their turn. Although, I do hope that the open spaces provided for the ever coming and going festivals do not grow to feel sometimes empty and lacking in activity. We have the option of 4 diverse and unique areas of San Myshuno: the Fashion District, Arts Quarter, Uptown and the Spice Market… oh, and Myshuno Meadows! There are constantly people moving about, which is great to see. The public spaces are open and stylised to the respected neighbourhoods (not sure if this is what we’re calling them?) of the city. I also found the apartment screens slightly jarring and it was difficult to distinguish between each apartment – the mouse very much had to be my guide! But I admit, I’m not sure what better way it could have been displayed – so I recognise that it’s pointless to criticise if you have nothing to offer as a solution. I understand that this fits with their new design of the screen where you can select apartments (see below), but I suspect there could have been a way around this to allow for maximum lots and the sense an apartment block should offer – living in a building packed with people. However, once you get over the initial bedazzlement of the Edit World screen and get stuck in, the playable areas seem somewhat… limited? I am a believer of more doesn’t always mean better and I have been a fan of The Sims 4’s smaller worlds, with all the detail they offer (even if it’s just pretty backdrops), but the fact that the penthouses exist in their own tower blocks with no other apartments is a tad odd. San Myshuno couldn’t be further removed, offering a bright, colourful landscape that feels like a modern metropolitan hub. I wasn’t a big lover of ‘Late Night’ nor ‘Nightlife’ – I’m just a country gal at heart – but that was primarily because previous incarnations were all so very dark and a bit too Hollywood–esque for my liking (nothing against Hollywood, I just feel it focused a lot on the idea of celebrity glitz & glam). I was never the biggest fan of the “city” expansion packs introduced into the series. Keeping with the funkier graphics of the Edit World screen, we get a backdrop of a crowded cityscape, with specific spots that are actually playable (as you can see above). Inspired by Eastern Asian cities such as Shanghai – San Myshuno certainly looks the part. However, I think it best to start with the main event – the city itself. When presented with the initial Edit World screen, I found myself unsure where to even begin.
The party, glittering night time skyline angle appears to have been dropped for this expansion pack and instead we’re served with a more authentic, immersive city feel.
So, how does it hold up? I’d say pretty well. ‘Get to Work’ was a new concept for an expansion, ‘Get Together’ brought back the previously party aspect of The Sims, but ‘City Life’ is very much the “city” expansion – The Sims 2 had it, The Sims 3 had it.
#SIMS APARTMENT LIFE REVIEW SERIES#
This is also the first time an expansion pack has truly shown echoes of past series of The Sims.
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