Some of my favorites Sims 4 expansion packs like Life in the city and Snow getaway expand gameplay elements and add new features that make gameplay more fun — like the ability to take your Sims to karaoke, live in apartments, and even go on a windsurfing trip. and Sims 4latest expansion pack, High school yearsbrings a bunch of new features to the game that are as refreshing as a glass of graduation punch.
High school years gives players a new world, Copperdale, which is home to a fully functional high school, new pre-designed families, and new areas that were ripe for exploration, such as a dockside amusement park and a combination boba tea and thrift store.
To really test out all of these new elements in the pack, I took the opportunity to put my Sim through the entire high school experience – drama, selfies, existential crisis, and prom included.
Disclaimer: Images taken for this article are not final gameplay footage and are subject to change.
Straight into the board game
Starting my new Sim family on Sunday in Copperdale, I immediately wanted to check out one of the new side hustles for my teenager. Teens and older can take on two new side hustles: Sim-fluencer and Video Game Streamer. Hours for both are available early in the morning or later in the evening — perfectly mimicking when IRL teenagers might actually stream or catch sideshows while going to school.
The Sim-fluencer side hustle paired with one of the new Teen Aspirations, Admired Icon, immediately made me want to leave the house to get out and meet people in town. One new location I love is ThrifTea, a thrift store where Sims can style new clothes to sell on Trenda (i.e. Depop of the Sims 4). The thrift store has a rotating inventory of clothes to choose from, some even designed by Depop sellers themselves working in collaboration with Sims 4 team.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
Along with the new locations in Copperdale are all new social interactions that seem very fitting for the inclusion of a teen-focused expansion pack. My Sim met several other teenagers while she was out exploring, including a few she flirted with. Those flirty interactions later turned into my Sim being able to “admit daydreams about being in love” to her mom after she got home – a wonderful new interaction.
More on the teenage crush, when my Sim went to high school there were several interactions with other Sims that she had flirtatious vibes with, including revealing her crush and even asking her to prom. When she fell in love with multiple Sims, she also had the option of trying to get over the crush.
New world and social interactions from High school years bring the game to life for teenage Sims. I enjoyed my Sim’s interactions with other teenagers, both on a friendship level and for those pesky teenage crushes throughout my time playing. There were rejections, there was social awkwardness, and even taking a photo in a waterfront photo booth left my Sim equally excited or depressed depending on how the interactions went.
To high school
I was able to get down to academic work by following my Sim to school on Monday morning. Checking her class schedule revealed a feature that’s relatively minor compared to everything else in this pack — every day of the week, Sims take two classes that teach them different skills. For my Sim, her Monday schedule consists of math and science, both of which focus on logical skills.
It’s a small feature, but also very practical. Now teens work on the various skills available to Sims while attending high school, while teens can build their skills just by doing homework after school in the base game.
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The time spent at school gave my Sim plenty of free time to interact with other teenagers and engage in activities. There is a large basement in a pre-built high school that has a computer lab, a gym, and a chess club area where Sims can spend their free time. I didn’t end up using those spaces during school hours because it takes a while for your Sim to actually walk down to the basement during those breaks between classes. I was focused on my Sim making friends, studying for final exams, and achieving various school goals such as making friends with staff members or working on homework.
After the school day actually ends, the school stays open as a place for the Sims to hang out, which I particularly enjoyed. There are extracurricular activities and clubs like cheerleading, but Sims can also hang out with friends, study, use different content, and invite their crush to prom through a billboard.
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Similar to dating, weddings and other social events in Sims 4, prom comes with its own goal tracker that encourages you to dance, vote for a prom award, and participate in all things prom. My Simica went to the prom with a completely different companion than she originally asked for, which caused a bit of jealousy and anger among the teenagers.
And while I didn’t customize the prom itself, I went back to the hall afterward to mess around with different prom setups with different prom-specific items. Much like the high school itself, the hall can be completely remodeled into its own prom (or a completely different building) and mixing and matching for some different themes was fun — something I think players who enjoy building will get a lot out of it.
High school years brings a fun expansion pack that brings a number of new elements Sims 4, all that makes me happy. The ability to set trends, trade in second-hand goods, pursue side jobs, and explore new relationships during the high school years is refreshing; especially for teenage Sims which I used to love playing but never as much as with this pack. My Sima’s high school experience saw her perfectly prepared for her exams, juggling some existential feelings late at night while playing video games for hours, and having to struggle to find a new date for prom the night before.
Compared to my own high school experience where I attended an entirely online school, my Sim’s academic endeavors were much more traditional than mine ever was. And while there were definitely some similarities between my high school experience and my Sim experience, I didn’t miss the irony of finally getting to see what prom was like through the lens of a virtual prom.
The Sims 4: High School Years is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn