It's time again for gamers to engineer the lives of a new generation of Sims, though you will need to install a day-one patch to ensure that babies don't multiply and the grim reaper doesn't show up with flowers on blind dates.
The Sims 4 is the latest entry into the one of the video game industry's most beloved franchises, a fact backed by sales numbers and made clear by the raucous reception the game received from hardcore gamers during the game's reveal at E3 2014.
The Sims 4 aims to give players more control than ever over their Sims and the emotions of the virtual characters, according to Rachel Franklin, executive producer for The Sims 4.
"Every Sim is unique in The Sims 4, your own individual creations that come to life with big personalities and endless possibilities," states Franklin. "Who they are on the inside changes the way you play. Your Sims embody the traits and aspirations you give them in The Sims 4, and playing out their charming, hilarious and crazy stories has never been more fun."
The Sims 4 brings a new social element that enables players to share Sims in game, according to EA. With the latest entry into the series, EA says it wanted The Sims 4 to better grasp the emotions and personalities players put into both the characters and the Sim cities.
"One of the fundamental tenets of The Sims experience is the ability for players to express their personal creativity -- in both the Sims they create and the homes that they build for them," says EA. "Create A Sim and Build Mode have been completely rebuilt to be more powerful and tactile than ever, featuring direct manipulation and drag and drop functionality."
While the launch of The Sims 4 went smoother than that of the Sim City revamp, by magnitudes of order, there were some kinks in the game that had to be addressed by a day-one patch. The merging of households caused issues with babies, causing them to either sleep their entire lives or to propagate without conception.
There was also a bug that introduced the Grim Reaper on some dates.
"[We] fixed several issues with Sims attempting to go on dates with the Reaper, resulting in nonresponsive game states," notes the patch."The Reaper still loves ya, baby, he is just too busy to go on a date with every lovelorn Sim that vies for his attention."
The Sims 4 launched on Sept. 2. Check here for a full list of the Day One patches and take a look at the game's new "Create a Sim" mode below:
