As a cozy retro gamer, I acknowledge that we should be doing more to preserve the legacy of certain retro games, and with technology always advancing, it’s become increasingly difficult to play our beloved cozy retro games. Emulators aren’t always reliable and trying to get older technology to work is a jobsworth- not to mention potentially dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing! Electrical fires anyone?!
For years fans have pleaded with publishers to re-release our beloved favourites on modern day consoles, and majority of the time our pleas fall on deaf ears. I’m looking at you Nintendo for still not releasing Twilight Princess on the Nintendo Switch, or Capcom for not giving Dino Crisis the remake experience of its more infamous counterpart- Resident Evil!
So, you could say that I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that EA had re-released The Sims: Legacy Collection recently. Released on Steam, EA released this expansion pack (along with a re-release of The Sims 2) to celebrate The Sims 25th anniversary. Let’s just say, many of us simmers rejoiced when we heard the news- especially when we also found out that these games can be enjoyed on a Steam Deck too!
With the excitement over, let’s find out whether The Sims 1: Legacy is worth its £17.99 price tag!
Firstly, you’re drawn into the game through that amazing soundtrack with the neighbourhood theme by Marc Russo, making you feel at home while you decide whether you want to create a household or play with some pre-made sims. One thing I will say is that the aspect ratio on the neighbourhood screen is small, maintaining its original size of when the game was first released decades ago- which was frustrating, and I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t prepared to play the game on such a small aspect ratio.
However, these fears were quickly put to rest when I actually started playing the game, as it stretched to fit my entire monitor screen, with no issues. No annoying screen tearing nor dreaded pixelation from the game being blown up on a bigger scale. It was nice to see my childhood clearly and enjoy the over-the-top gameplay and antics on a wider screen without having to compromise on quality.
Firstly, not only are you getting the base game, but included in The Sims: Legacy Collection are all the expansion packs- Livin’ Large, House Party, Pets, Vacation, Makin’ Magic, Hot Date and Superstar, so there is plenty of content to enjoy!
As for the gameplay itself, it was nice to finally enjoy The Sims 1 again and on a modern computer, without having to jump through hoops, bend over backwards or go down the dark, dangerous alleyways of the internet just to get it working. All the expansions were there to be enjoyed, and enjoyed they were as I created my first Sim and plunged myself into the world of Magic Town once again!
It plays like any other Sims game; you create a Sim (or play a pre-made character) and control the many aspects of their lives, dictating their careers and relationships, whilst also ensuring that their needs, such as hunger and hygiene, is maintained. All the above is up to the player of course. It’s the freakin Sims, play it how you want to.
Obviously regarding the gameplay, it’s very stripped back compared to The Sims 4 counterpart, so those who have never experienced the original series before might be in for a shock when they realise that there are no quality of life perks, such as weekends, a family tree or a life or death cycle, so going back to basics took some getting used to. But realism was never at the heart of The Sims 1, it was the whacky scenarios that could pop up at any minute that made this series highly entertaining.
My main complaint is the number of bugs that have plagued The Sims: Legacy Collection. Although I feel fortunate enough to not have encountered many as some people.
Firstly, there was the issue of the keyboard shortcuts not working for me. One minute P (the shortcut for Pause) would be functional, then other moments it would stop responding- and there was no explanation for this. Sometimes going into the menu to save my game, or even build would cause my game to not respond or would just stop working after I played it for a while.
Now it’s not uncommon for new releases (even re-releases of older games) to have some kinks in them. Is it acceptable? Absolutely not, but I am glad that EA are already addressing the issue with upcoming patch notes, so hopefully by the time you’ve found this review, these bugs and glitches would have been fixed.
Overall, I must say that I had such a fun experience going back and playing The SIm 1: Legacy Collection, and I highly recommend it to any cozy retro gamer who is looking to relive their past! Even though I’ve been very skeptical and on the fence with EA these past few years, I must say that recently they’ve really been listening to the community and seem to want to keep simmers happy! Which is refreshing.
You can currently buy The Sims 1: Legacy Collection on its own on Steam, or even get it in a bundle with the Sims 2: Legacy Collection! Happy Simming!
