LGR - The Sims 4 High School Years Review
LGR - The Sims 4 High School Years Review
Gameplay and overview of the TWELFTH expansion pack to The Sims 4. This time it’s all about making teen sims spend years in high school. Classes to attend, social media to influence, proms to eat copious whole chickens at… Is it worth the $40 price tag? Let’s see!
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Content
0.424 -> [upbeat educational jazz plays]
[computer buzzes, beeps]
5 -> Ahh, I gotta say folks. It’s been a refreshing
year off from reviewing Sims 4 content, and I
11.58 -> needed it more than I realized. It wasn’t exactly
my intention to go so long but that’s how it ended
17.4 -> up, since I swore off reviewing game packs, stuff
packs, and kit crap for my own well-being. It just
23.58 -> so happened that EA took another full year to
release a new expansion after Cottage Living,
28.2 -> allowing me some much-needed time away from
Sims drama and disillusionment. But welp,
34.5 -> it’s back to the grindstone since there’s
a new $40 pile of CONTENT on the table:
39.54 -> High School Years, the twelfth full-fat
expansion pack to The Sims 4. And it’s a
46.44 -> pack I was genuinely curious to try! Partially
due to my not touching the game for a solid 365
52.26 -> days. But also because this is the first time
sims actually have the opportunity to go to
56.94 -> daggum school. Like in-person, controlling them
during class and lunchtime and activities and
61.92 -> things. Not counting universities of course.
When it comes to secondary education though,
66.78 -> yeah that’s never been an option in the mainline
Sims games, beyond some rabbit hole buildings and
72.54 -> special events. It’s always been pretty hands-off,
so yep, as an old school simmer that’s a good 17
78.48 -> years removed from his own time in high school
– uh, I dunno, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be!
84.36 -> And that readiness begins with exploring the new
world of Copperdale, an old lakeside mining town
90.78 -> nestled down into an alpine valley. There
are three neighborhoods to live out your
95.64 -> high school years within: Rockridge Heights,
Prescott Square, and Plumbite Cove. Featuring
101.52 -> an admittedly average 12 lots, with two of
them filled up by the all-important high
106.74 -> school itself and its associated auditorium.
Both can be highly customized and rebuilt,
112.14 -> providing you stick to a handful of guidelines as
with other specialized lots. Unfortunately though,
117.6 -> high schools cannot be placed in other towns
in The Sims 4, since apparently the entirety
123.66 -> of Copperdale is vital to the operation of this
one school. So teens from elsewhere simply attend
129.42 -> the old invisible off-screen school as usual, or
travel some unknown distance to appear at the high
135.06 -> school in Copperdale. And hey, if they do happen
to live there then it’s quite a nice place! Look
141.6 -> at all those wide, perfectly-drivable
roads, ahh. Ideal for the long-awaited
146.82 -> reintroduction of cars to the game so teen sims
can learn to drive and – oh wait, NOPE! Yeah,
152.04 -> The Sims 4 still lacks usable automobiles.
Driving lessons for high school sims would’ve
157.32 -> been a perfect chance to introduce them again, but
oh well. What you do get is a heavy emphasis on
163.08 -> teen fashion! Which I guess is 2020s teen fashion,
a subject which I know less than nothing about,
169.2 -> so I won’t even pretend to go all “hello fellow
kids” on a topic like Gen Z clothing. What I can
175.74 -> say with confidence is there’s a whole crapload
of it, along with hairstyles, accessories, and
181.32 -> other wearables. Regardless of style preferences
or fashion trends, the quantity is impressive. You
188.1 -> also get four new aspirations and three traits:
the teen-specific Drama Llama, Goal Oriented,
193.86 -> Live Fast, and Admired Icon. And broader traits
of Overachiever, Party Animal, and Socially
200.4 -> Awkward. All useful for teenage sims living
through the potential hellscape of high school.
204.84 -> On that note, school starts at 8:00 AM and ends
at 3:00 PM. Officially, technically. In reality,
212.94 -> the schedule is more what you'd call guidelines
than actual rules, with the first hour or so
217.68 -> dedicated to hanging out and screwing around
before class. A good time to claim a locker then,
222.96 -> and freshen up, grab supplies, or decorate it
using a handful of predetermined aesthetics. Then
229.38 -> it’s onto first period in one of two classrooms,
each with 9 student desks – that are distractingly
235.98 -> never all filled at once. I’m sure it’s possible,
but I’ve personally never witnessed a full class.
241.86 -> I do like that some of the desks and furniture
look all worn out though, that’s a nice touch.
246.3 -> Though everything is still far cleaner and more
pristine than any school I ever saw growing up,
251.82 -> this looks more like a set from a Disney Channel
movie than anything else. Basically it doesn’t
257.04 -> look enough like a prison to be fully relatable
growing up in America. That and lunchtime is
261.9 -> entirely too jovial and free of judgment, everyone
is so happy to talk and mingle with everyone
267.24 -> else all the time. With no one preferring to sit
anywhere in particular or cause too much mayhem,
272.04 -> imagine that. Anyway, the two daily classes
are brief and suitably boring, with the teacher
278.76 -> droning on about unimportant things and students
often distracting themselves with silliness and
284.22 -> social media. With an occasional pop-up decision
during lessons giving your sim an opportune choice
290.16 -> that’ll benefit or hurt their daily performance.
You can also, just, ignore class entirely if
296.16 -> you like, sitting there idly doing nothing but
farting to pass the time and share the smells.
301.379 -> [flatulence.]
302.935 -> [fart-inspired jubilation]
307.004 -> Mm. Farting so hard it sets off the fire alarms, now
that’s how you solidify yourself as a freshman
312.06 -> legend. Or maybe that was just a scheduled fire
drill but hey, one can dream. As a student you
318.54 -> can even just get up and leave at any time really,
or cut classes entirely to go wandering the halls,
325.08 -> trying to avoid the custodian. But you’ll
naturally be penalized, and/or sent to the
330.18 -> principal's office for a stern talking-to. And
by that I mean they’ll probably just play video
335.04 -> games while you sit there trying to hold in your
flatulence. Yeah I’ve noticed a good number of
339.6 -> weird moments, and I mean, being a Sims game
that’s how this stuff goes. Teachers peeing
344.76 -> themselves in front of the class. Students opting
for the floor instead of a chair. Random t-posing
350.46 -> in the hallways – er wait, that’s a feature, not
a bug. Yeah “The T-posing Challenge” is a thing
356.34 -> teen sims can do... Because. As well as causing
some relatively harmless mayhem, eungh it’s
363.06 -> just a prank, bro. In addition to the usual
mischief-related hijinks, you’ve got hall locker
367.98 -> stink bombs, PA system overrides, whiteboard
shenanigans. Good times. Just be careful who’s
374.46 -> on the receiving end, as you may end up with
a Bullworth situation on your hands, and Jimmy
378.96 -> Hopkins don’t play like that. Especially with more
reasons than ever for teens to be mean and poke
384.18 -> fun at one another, like the addition of puberty,
acne breakouts, and body hair. And yep, the hair
390.24 -> grows over time now, so shaving your bountiful
body parts is potentially advised depending on
395.34 -> your sims’s inclinations. Either way toss a bunch
of horny unhinged teens in a building for 7 hours
401.1 -> a day and dumb stuff is gonna happen, likely
resulting in after-school detention. Heh, though
407.58 -> what does that even mean here? Sims sit around the
classroom chatting and playing with their phones?
412.44 -> How’s that any different to normal school? Cuz
seriously, the high school is really more of a
416.88 -> community hangout spot for teens in this pack.
Student sims effectively have free reign of the
422.22 -> place, especially after hours with classes no
longer in session. Draw wangs on the whiteboard,
427.44 -> sleep on the couch in the teacher’s lounge,
flagrantly fumble through the principal’s computer
431.76 -> and see those games they were playing. The faculty
never stopped me cuz hey, school’s not in session
437.04 -> so anything goes. Have at it, kids, no one cares!
This is not a complaint, it’s just kinda silly!
442.429 -> [fireworks explode in a silly fashion]
444.649 -> Same with the auditorium, that acts as a school
extension on a nearby separate lot. Events like
450.24 -> prom are held in this space, seemingly at the
end of every week? Not sure why it’s so often, it
457.2 -> kinda loses its luster when it’s such a frequent
event but anyway. Prom is, in effect, just like
462.96 -> any other weekend party, albeit with more angsty
hormones and less booze. There's a list of goals
468.84 -> to complete, but otherwise it's a mashup of
dancing, selfies, awkwardness, bickering,
473.76 -> and voting on the Prom Jester and Royalty toward
the end. Oh and roast chickens, so many chickens,
480.6 -> a disturbing number of whole cooked chickens. And
the party of course continues, minus quite so much
487.56 -> poultry, at the inevitable prom after-parties
held around town. Like at Plumbite Cove just
493.68 -> across the lake from school: a delightful little
waterside destination holding a ferris wheel,
498.42 -> haunted house, and tunnel of love. All acting as
new rabbit holes for sims to lightly traumatize
505.44 -> onlookers with messing around and woohooing. It’s
entirely possible to get banned from these things
510.96 -> if you’re caught doin’ the nasty, so y’know.
May as well have your picture taken to remember
515.46 -> the days before being outlawed from having fun, a
task which the new photo booth carries out nicely
521.1 -> for a small fee. And hey, the local ice cream
and boba tea vendors will never turn you down,
526.74 -> no matter how many times you’re kicked off the big
sex wheel. Truly, everyone is equal in the eyes of
531.66 -> sketchy food sellers. Perhaps not in the eyes of
SimParents, understandably, which may not be so
537.9 -> forgiving or open to afterdark teenage canoodling.
Thankfully windows and doors exist, providing
544.56 -> ideal passageways towards adolescent freedom under
the veil of darkness. A more responsible reason
550.92 -> for departure are all the after-school activities
and high schooler jobs available. Football, cheer,
557.22 -> computer, and chess teams are all optional
options, each with their own related objects
561.78 -> for practicing their associated skills at home.
Along with semi-frequent group meet-ups somewhere
566.94 -> on school grounds, which is nice cuz otherwise
these team things happen off-screen. And classic
572.22 -> part time jobs like babysitter, barista, fast
food and retail worker, lifeguard, and day
577.92 -> laborer are a thing. But c’mon this is 2022,
what about that online hustle? Enter the fresh
584.28 -> new jobs of Video Game Streamer and Simfluencer,
each making use of the new Entrepreneur skill.
590.94 -> Streamer is self-explanatory: your sim plays games
online for profit, streaming live either alone or
597.12 -> with friends for those sweet, sweet simoleons.
Simfluencer is more open-ended, with the option
602.88 -> to review so-called “lifestyle” objects around
the house, and post them online. These are limited
608.22 -> part jobs but the freedom provided in both hours
worked and income earned make them super appealing
613.8 -> for teens. And who can resist all that tech,
from ultrawide, curved, and dual monitor setups,
619.92 -> to RGB LED lighting blasting your eyeballs on
every available surface. Even gaming chairs
625.92 -> are complete with their own RGB nonsense and
totally-not-sponsored branding. Not all chairs
632.4 -> are as illuminating though, with High School Years
providing a good 16 chairs and chair-like seats
638.04 -> overall. Impressive. And useful for sittin’
your butt down, wasting time on the internet.
643.62 -> Naturally, side hustles make heavy use of social
media, though it’s separate from the vague “social
649.32 -> media” option already in-game. Instead, each
hustle has its own number of followers unrelated
654.84 -> to other platforms. On that note there are two
new platforms: Trendi and Social Bunny. Trendi
661.74 -> with an “i” being an online fashion marketplace,
and Social Bunny being somewhat Facebook-ish.
668.04 -> Trendi lets sims browse, buy, and sell fashion
styles, which come and go seasonally. Along
673.68 -> with hyping up styles to followers online in an
attempt to manipulate the market a smidge before
678.48 -> selling it for a bigger profit. You can push
existing styles, or slap some together yourself
683.76 -> at the new thrift stores/boba tea shops.
An appealing combo I wish I had for real!
690.06 -> Peruse the pants and pullovers, tunics and
trousers, and come up with your own amalgam of
695.04 -> astounding style. Towniecore will be the next big
trend in Copperdale, mark my words. And as for the
702.48 -> Social Bunny app, ehh. It’s kinda fun at first,
being able to share recent events online using a
708.24 -> handful of emotional states. And sliding into the
DMs of everyone you’ve ever met like a libidinous
713.52 -> lunatic. But it’s not long before you realize
it’s largely a repetitive time-waster, with only
719.34 -> a few of the same messages ever being sent back
and forth between anyone, and no option to fully
724.8 -> customize what your sims are saying. I disabled
it after a week of everyone in town letting me
729.6 -> know I should play the guitar or start a pillow
fight. Finally, at the finale of high school lies
735.15 -> a grand graduation ceremony... I... assume.
My sims never actually managed to graduate,
741.84 -> at least not with any pomp or circumstance. One
opted to graduate early after the fifteenth time
747.24 -> being asked by a random sim over the phone. So
no ceremony for them. And the other simply went
753 -> to high school till they were forced to age into
young adulthood, which kicked them outta school
757.38 -> with no option for a ceremony. Despite being
class valedictorian. In both cases, a diploma
763.14 -> arrived through the mail and that was that. Which,
hey, is exactly how I graduated high school myself
769.44 -> having spent my senior year attending online. So
uh, points for oddly relatable realism, I guess.
775.92 -> And that’s the gist of the High School Years
expansion pack! It’s pretty okay in a pretty
782.64 -> typical way for $40 Sims 4 expansions, in that
it adds a variety of stuff to experience without
789.18 -> rocking the boat in any substantial way. And
y’know what, fine by me. I’ve made my peace
794.76 -> with how The Sims 4 is never gonna be quite the
same as older games in the series. It is entirely
799.56 -> its own thing at this point and being run by
folks with a production roadmap that clearly
803.7 -> works well for their bottom line, so there’s
not much point in changing the formula. And so
808.5 -> it’s unsurprising to see that High School Years
falls right into what I’ve come to expect from
812.88 -> Sims 4 expansions. A straightforward extension
of core gameplay that doesn’t scream “wow,
817.98 -> this is game-changing!” But instead whispers,
“hey, this is sorta fun to mess around with
822.66 -> when it’s not glitching out.” And according to
many reviews, bugs and glitches are copious with
828.84 -> this one. I personally didn’t experience much
of that at all, mainly the graduation glitch,
834.06 -> so your mileage may vary. If nothing else,
it’s neat that for the first time we’ve got
839.64 -> a section of sim life that’s more fleshed out
than it ever has been. I know it’s a trade-off
844.14 -> compared to how things were done in the past,
like instead of one big Generations expansion,
848.28 -> now much of the same style of content is spread
across multiple packs. Though simultaneously,
853.32 -> the individual parts that make up said content are
more involved and arguably offer more potential
859.68 -> for emergent gameplay. So anyway, yeah, High
School Years. Not a time in my life I’d wanna
865.98 -> revisit in reality, but in SimReality? I enjoyed
my time with it, however middle-of-the-road it
871.92 -> may be. I’d recommend the pack, on sale,
if you’re looking for a slice of “realism”
877.2 -> in your Sims 4, and don’t require anything
earth-shatteringly different from the status quo.
882.72 -> [upbeat tunes intensify]
886.835 -> If you’d like to check out my previous Sims videos
I’ve got far too many of them. And if you like
892.56 -> this style of video then do check out my others,
I cover lots of computer gaming-related things
897.42 -> here on LGR, so I hope you stick around.
900.741 -> And of course, thank you for watching!
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aym80GTi6Ls