The sixth expansion pack for The Sims 4 is finally here, and a year earlier than expected, no less. The £34.99/$39.99 DLC dropped on the 16th of November across the world, bringing with it a rather impressive amount of content for the game. So far the themes of the expansion packs seem to be focusing on the more realistic aspects of modern society, and what could be more relevant to modern simmers than a pack that lets you get famous through the power of the internet? Stardom is the focus of Get Famous, and as such it gives its players a number of ways to help their sims achieve stardom or notoriety. While I think Get Famous might fall short of expectations if players compare it to the two previously released expansion packs, Cats & Dogs and Seasons, I feel like this piece of DLC might stand up on its own as a fun addition to the game. So without further ado, let’s dive in to Get Famous and see what EA has given us to help our sims climb the ladder of stardom.
First of all, there are an impressive number of CAS and Build Mode items included in Get Famous. My number one complaint with any downloadable content for The Sims 4 is usually the lack of wearable or usable items. In terms of what’s available in the latest addition to the game, Get Famous adds 113 of CAS items, all of which I can definitely see myself using regularly. There are some more far-fetched items of clothing here, costumes which accompany the acting career are also available immediately in CAS, but if you have the Vampires game pack then it won’t really seem out of place. There is a small collection of hairstyles for women, and even less so for men, but at this point, that’s to be expected. The vast majority of the clothing is for adults, although there are some for children and toddlers as well. Although I understand the logic that you’ll most likely be spending more time with adults in this game, the lack of options for children and toddlers in the collection of DLC that’s available is a tad disappointing still. Having said that, I do spend the majority of my time playing The Sims 4 with young adults and older so I’m pleased with the amount onumbers included here.
Moving on to the Build Mode items, there are 255 items included in Get Famous. These items can be divided into home furnishings and movie set items. Similar to the costumes in CAS, there are lots of items from different move sets and props available in Build Mode. You can place these items in residential or public lots, but more often than not they look out of place. The usable Build Mode items are nice though, and suitably fit the theme of rising stardom. It’s not all reskins of the same object though, as there are some pretty interesting usable items here. The sleeping pod makes its debut as an alternative sleeping location, along with a vault to store all of your sim’s vast wealth. The vault lets you lock away your valuables, while a new safe lets you add some of your sim’s household income to keep safe from intruders or your spouse. The vault also provides a new woohoo location, as your sims can now get down and dirty on top of a huge pile of money which represents your sim’s wealth. It’s not all about sleeping and woohooing though, your sim can also build a walk in wardrobe or have a koi pond in their garden, fully equipped with a wide variety of fish or even a shark if you’re feeling fancy.
One of the major additions to the game besides CAS and Build Mode, is the new active career available in Get Famous: the acting career. I have to admit, I wasn’t overly excited at this addition until I started playing the game. This career is not just a rabbit hole experience, and I absolutely love it. Your sim will have to join a talent agency which will affect what types of gigs you can audition for, and your sim will not receive a steady pay. Instead, your sim will have to audition for gigs based on what skills they have (not just including the acting skill), and they will be paid depending on how well they perform on set. It’s probably the most interesting active career to me, since you can follow your sim to set and choose how they perform their jobs. You can take risks or do the bare minimum based on what skills your sim has, risking total failure if you try to show off without the necessary skills or experience. The set develops as your sim advances in the career as well, meaning you get fancier free food, a better dressing room, and extra options around the set as well. In addition to the acting career, you can also make your sim famous by being a music producer or a streamer. This works similarly to the social media influencer career from City Living, as you’ll have to work on your career skills as well as your social media following. I really love these new career options, they’re a lot of fun to play around with and they fit in very well with the internet obsessed world we really live in.
Perhaps the biggest inclusion in Get Famous is the new celebrity status. Your sim will gradually get famous by advancing in their careers or socialising with other famous sims. Celebrity specific events are also added, providing opportunities for your sim to show off their singing or musical talent at open mic nights to gain fame and potentially get an award out of it. A skill tree has been added for your sim to manage the benefits and disadvantages of their fame, forcing you to pick perks along with negative traits to balance out their celebrity lifestyle. This works in much the same way as the vampire skill tree from the Vampires game pack. As your sim gets more famous, they will get a reputation as well. Performing positive interactions in public will gain your sim a positive reputation, while being mean gets you a negative one. How you interact with fans also impacts your reputation, as you can sign autographs, take selfies, or just make your fans swoon and pass out with your sheer force of celebrity.
Get famous enough, and your sim will have a shining aura around them (which can be disabled) and might even get a star on the walk of fame in the new neighbourhood, Del Sol Valley. Don’t think it’s all smooth sailing though, as the paparazzi will soon be following your sim everywhere the more famous they become. Famous sims also become VIPs, and can gain access to exclusive VIP areas of public lots which are guarded by bouncers. Your non famous sim can always bribe a bouncer to get in though, so there are ways around the red rope. I really enjoy the way the celebrity reputation and fame works in Get Famous, although I’m not sure how well it will integrate with the rest of the game after a long time playing. If you’re really not interested in fame, then you can mostly ignore it anyway, but it could become a nuisance if you accidentally get famous and your sim is constantly bombarded with paparazzi and dedicated fans.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoy Get Famous and all that it adds to the gameplay. Like I said, I can easily see myself using the CAS items and some of the Build Mode items frequently, and I really enjoy the new world, even if it is a bit small. Fame and reputation is something ingrained in our own society, so it’s nice to finally see it in The Sims 4. My only fault with the acting career is that it could have been expanded upon to include a director or film producer as well, but it is EA after all so they may well be included in another piece of overpriced DLC. In the end, the big question is whether or not it’s worth the price tag. In my opinion, it is, since it offers a lot to gameplay that can be used no matter how you play The Sim 4, although I generally object to paying over £20 for extra content after paying £40 for the base game. Despite how much I like it, I also have to judge Get Famous by the cost of the expansion, and for that reason, I can never fully recommend DLC for The Sims 4 at full price for every simmer. If this seems like a pack that you’d be interested in, you probably won’t regret it, but for those on the fence, I would wait until it goes on sale.
