When comparing The Sims 4 vs The Stanley Parable, the Slant community recommends The Stanley Parable for most people. In the question“What are the best PC games that don't revolve around killing people?” The Stanley Parable is ranked 10th while The Sims 4 is ranked 41st. The most important reason people chose The Stanley Parable is:
One of the main themes of the game is the illusion of choice that's presented in games. While a player can make a vast number of decisions in the game, the narrator reminds the player he can only make decisions that the game allows him to and how the game manipulates the player into making them. The narrator points out that not just common choices such as what path to take to get from point A to point B, how to approach a certain situation or what ethical choices are available are limited to the game's designers having thought of and implemented those aspects of the game, but decisions such as purposeful suicide, not taking action, disobeying instructions and even turning off the game are only there if the game allows them to be there.
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 Discusses the illusion of choice in games
One of the main themes of the game is the illusion of choice that's presented in games. While a player can make a vast number of decisions in the game, the narrator reminds the player he can only make decisions that the game allows him to and how the game manipulates the player into making them. The narrator points out that not just common choices such as what path to take to get from point A to point B, how to approach a certain situation or what ethical choices are available are limited to the game's designers having thought of and implemented those aspects of the game, but decisions such as purposeful suicide, not taking action, disobeying instructions and even turning off the game are only there if the game allows them to be there.
Pro Exceptional narration
Excellently crafted, hilarious writing delivered by a well spoken, charismatic British narrator. Kevan Brighting has become somewhat of a cult success since the game due to its cult like status which just shows how deserving he is due to how well done the narration of the game is done.
Pro The game has a lot of different endings to find
There are numerous ending to the game that appear to play out even when the player makes the same choices as their last playthrough.
Pro Insightful commentary on state of game design
The game tackles topics such as ludonarrative dissonance, choice in games, narrative limitations, etc while mostly focusing on the relationship between the game and the player in terms of storytelling in a very meaningful, educated and entertaining way.
Pro Points out narrative limitations in games by encouraging breaking narrative structure through gameplay
The game encourages players to explore decisions that would change the meaning of the presented story. What if you took a left turn where the game asked you to take a right? What if you decided not to push a big red button needed to continue playing because you didn't agree with pushing the big red button? What if you died in a boss battle? How would that affect the narrative of the game?
The game rewards you for not following the "intended" narrative structure of the situation in order to point out how the structure is unavoidable in games as a whole. The process of attempting to break the structure can be highly satisfying in The Stanley Parable and can help you better notice limitations of narrative in other games.
Pro A few nods to other games can be seen throughout the game
References to other games including Half-Life 2, Portal & Minecraft can be found throughout the game.
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 More an interactive story than an actual game
The Stanley Parable is not much of a game in the strictest sense but more an interactive story or interactive "art".