The Sims is one of the most successful franchises in video game history, and rightfully so. I've loved this franchise ever since I was a kid, when I first played The Sims on my cousin's computer. I was fascinated by how much control I had over my characters and the endless options of how I wanted to play. I was attached to this franchise the moment I created my first Sim. After dabbling with the first game, I've managed to play the sequel more intently. The introduction of aliens, new families, and better social mechanics made The Sims 2 one of the best games I've ever played.

Some of the craziness you can expect from TS2(A Sim dying on his pee)

Now you might be wondering, what wrong has this series committed that might need forgiveness? I think that most people familiar with this series know what this is going to be about: the notorious expansion packs and The Sims 3. Specifically, I'm talking about The Sims 3's new expansion packs and stuff packs. Expansion packs have been around since the original game and I've lived with the fact that they change the game and give me a reason to come back and play, but I believe that The Sims 3's expansion packs feature a severe lack of game changing content. My first problem begins with The Sims 3 base game itself. The new open world is a revolutionary step forward, but so much is lacking. Where are the aliens? The memory system? Items like the hot tub and water slide? Even the quirky Sims humor from the previous two games is not as noticeable, and what fun is this game without the unexpected craziness that many fans have grown to love? To take out the little things just to release them in expansion packs later are preposterous. Expansion packs like World Adventure, Late Night, and Pets are expected clones from The Sims 2's expansion packs. Generations does not really change much of the core gameplay, and many features should've already been in the base game. As for Showtime and the upcoming Supernatural, both feature an emphasis on night life, as does Late Night, which suggests that they could've just been combined into one larger expansion pack. In my mind, the Stuff packs are the company's way to make a quick buck off of loyal Sims fans. Twenty dollars for a few in-game items is a complete rip off. In addition, new items sets are being released regularly to The Sims 3 store, all of which are absurdly expensive. I personally have this perfectionist mentality, and I would've liked to own a perfect game, with all the expansion packs and released items, but clearly this is impossible unless I want to waste a large sum of money.

With all that said, this blog is about forgiveness. Although the recent additions to the series have disappointed me, The Sims franchise still holds a special part in my heart. I have spent many hours playing this game, building the perfect family, and exploring all the options the game has to provide. Although it's hard to forget some things, like when a bug in TS3 wiped out my family tree, it's much more important to remember all the great memories this game has given me. I'll always cherish the times when my sibling, cousins, and I laugh over stupid things like our Sims fainting from lack of sleep, or when they can't control their bladder and pee all over the floor. This game is irreplaceable, and there is currently no other game that does the same thing at this high quality. Companies will always try to maximize their profits, and it is important to forgive them because that fact will never change, and we shouldn't let that tarnish the reputation of a great series. I am, and always will be a supporter of The Sims, one of the best video game franchises of all time.