Everything feels like a step forward, even though there are some aspects (like random tutorials or some situations in which we felt completely out of control) that we would like to see more polished. Still, a great choice for The Sims fans.

The way they interact with each other, the way they can eat, watch TV and chat about underpants or spaceships at the same time is a marvellous technical achievement that puts the rest of the game, with its missing pools and open worlds, into context. I wish we could have it all in the same package – perhaps The Sims 5 will – but for now, I’m happily and frankly unexpectedly willing to trade those bells and whistles for characters that feel, well, real.

Series veterans are also going to realise that despite the various improvements, The Sims 4 is not in any way as robust as The Sims 3. The core game is magnificent and well designed for the most part, but there are a ton of missing extras, which will presumably be filled out with various DLC packs.

Although The Sims 4 brings a few new features, namely the emotion system, it can only make the early fans unhappy and disappointed. Electronic Arts erased many elements and features that were essential and representative of the saga. And we already know that EA will sell them in a few months, included inside expansive expansion packs.

The Sims 4 manages to be both the worst and the best installment in the series so far. It’s lacking content and has a fair amount of glitches and bugs. But the new feeling mechanics works really well, and opens up a new dimension that The Sims never have been close to before. In the end, the positive parts are the ones that are most noticeable.

Even in virtual worlds, variety is the spice of life. The Sims 4, for all its polish and cleverness, simply isn't very spicy.

The Sims 4 is still a charming life simulation, with a better interface and some new possibilities, but so many elements are missing compared from The Sims 3 (hello DLCs!) that all the fans will be disappointed.