When comparing The Sims 4 vs Portal 2, the Slant community recommends Portal 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best low-spec PC games?” Portal 2 is ranked 50th while The Sims 4 is ranked 83rd. The most important reason people chose Portal 2 is:
While Portal 2 requires focus and logic, it does not punish players for causing a bit of mischief. The instant respawn system means trolling your friend will affect almost nothing in the game, as there are no in-game setbacks when you die. Being able to stop at any point in the game to just goof around is great for releasing some steam, even when it is at the expense of your co-op partner.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Easy cloud sharing
A new feature, cloud sharing is very useful for those that like to share their designs or download other players. From other sims to house patterns and layouts all can be shared or downloaded for use in game.
Pro Build tools, best in the series
The Sims 4 offers the best build tools in the series making it even easier to design and furnish their homes.
Pro Emotions mechanic gives a feeling of realism
Emotions replaces the old system of traits. Using emotions to regulate how sims behave does feel more natural to a way a person would behave making for a more realistic feeling simulation. This allows the player to feel more immersed in the game.
Pro Multiple active tasks in queue
Unlike previous versions, The Sims 4 allows for multiple active tasks to be performed from the queue at the same time as long as they are physically possible.
Pro Tone of silliness easy to manage
Depending on the players choices tone may be set to a degree. So players wanting a less silly story to their game may do so by making rational choices during the game.
Pro Customizable maps
Users can change plots on the map to build different kinds of building such as cafes. Giving the player more depth and customization options to their world creates a more enveloped playing experience.
Pro Co-op does not punish when you want to goof off with or troll the other player
While Portal 2 requires focus and logic, it does not punish players for causing a bit of mischief. The instant respawn system means trolling your friend will affect almost nothing in the game, as there are no in-game setbacks when you die. Being able to stop at any point in the game to just goof around is great for releasing some steam, even when it is at the expense of your co-op partner.
Pro Huge selection of user-generated content that should appeal to any use-case
The game has more than 60,000 co-op puzzles created by users through the Steam Workshop and through mods. Because it is user-generated content, the quality and size of these puzzles vary widely, including everything from simple, one-off chambers to full-fledged expansions with high-quality stories, voice-overs, and new gameplay elements (for example, Mel). By having such a selection of content, there should be something that appeals to just about anything someone is looking for.
Pro Entertaining and well delivered voice acting
Voice acting for Wheatley the AI robot is done by Stephen Merchant (Extras, The Office UK, Life's Too Short) in humorous fashion. His delivery is well executed on all dialogue. On top of this specific experience, the rest of the voice acting of every other character in the game is performed just as well, in part due to the fact that the dialogue was written in a funny smart and entertaining cool fashion. This makes for a top quality listening experience that shows a lot of care was taken with the acting of the game.
Pro Creates a sense of accomplishment through a high level of teamwork
Game is shit
Pro Challenging puzzles that require creative thinking
Pro Witty and funny character driven story
Four major characters drive the single player poop campaign, and they are amazing. Three of which have explosive personalities, bring humor, suspense, sadness, and empathy. The other being Chell, who doesn’t speak but her interactions with the rest of the cast make her all the more mysterious and interesting. Most of the time you don’t even see or directly interact with the characters, but that just shows how great and cool they are.
Pro Cross-platform co-op
As long as both players have a Steam account, the co-op is able to be played even if one user is playing on the PS3 while the other is on a PC.
Pro Well implemented tools that improve teamwork
Pro So large in scope that it takes multiple playthroughs to see everything
Portal 2 is larger in every way when compared to the first title, from the longer and more detailed story to the larger levels and new game mechanics. This makes for a title that will last 8-9 hours minimum, with many elements that are worth revisiting, not to mention the co-op section of the game, which is separate from the single player story.
Pro Versatile selection of co-op multiplayer
It’s possible to play a multiplayer game for free online using the Steam servers, as well as locally on your machine using split-screen (the second player must use a gamepad controller if playing locally). This keeps the multiplayer options versatile to any players needs.
Cons
Con Missing features that were in previous versions
The Sims 4 is missing a lot of features and options that were in previous version making the title feel unfinished or rushed. Of course it all could be a ploy to sell these features to the consumer at a later date basically making the users pay for the games content piecemeal.
Con Too many loading screens
There are way too many jarring loading screens when trying to navigate The Sims 4 small world.
Con Clipping
Characters can sometimes clip each other when trying to navigate the same path, which results in a loss of immersion for the player and shows a laziness of design.
Con Main co-op campaign is short
The co-op campaign in Portal 2 is about 4 hours long for experienced players, meaning it could be beaten in a just a couple days. With almost zero replayability, this makes the game feel incredibly short. Luckily, hundreds of hours of user-generated content is available.
Con It's already on every coop list since 2011
Con Steep co-op learning curve
Although the single-player campaign features a gradual learning curve, co-op offers no mercy. The puzzles start off hard and only get harder. It’s highly recommended that you play through single-player first if you are not familiar with Portal's mechanics.
Con Sense of accomplishment is often onesided
Con Frequent motion sickness trigger
Con Late game single player can be quite difficult
While the single player learning curve is quite gradual, late game the puzzles can become quite difficult, sometimes leading to the player being stuck for long stretches of time. While not impossible to solve, some creative thinking will need to be done in order to finish.