In our latest look at The Sims 4 expansion packs – you can check out our reviews on Island Living and Cats and Dogs – we take a look at the Get Famous DLC. Does this addition allow us to live out our celebrity dreams?
As with other packs, I have created a new character to fully experience the new features. In this instance, we were looking for someone at least considered a ‘celebrity’ but without any discernible talents, a reality TV star; literally someone famous for being famous.
I couldn’t think of anyone who really fits the bill, so I created a random character called Gemma Collins. Totally unrelated to the reality star without any discernible talents and someone famous for being famous known as Gemma Collins.
Right off the bat though, the new customisation options are a bit strange. There aren’t as many clothing options as I would expect, but for some reason there seems to be several facial scarring and dirt options. These wouldn’t look out of place in a horror-themed DLC but certainly makes sense if your Sim is an action movie star, however that feels a bit niche. They just feel out of place in this expansion where it covers all kinds of famous people, not just those of the action movie variety. Overall, as far as Sim customisation goes, there are several new hairstyles and a few new outfits, but the amount is a little lower than I expected to see.
What there is plenty of though are new furniture options.
Any successful famous reality TV star has been given a helping hand from somewhere, and Gemma is no different here. Rather than moving her into Mirage Park – the residential area for up and coming celebrities – I used the in-game cheats to give her the best start in life, with a welcome boost to her bank account. This meant that she could move straight into The Pinnacles, Del Sol Valley’s most exclusive area.
Del Sol Valley is the new area introduced in the Get Famous expansion. Much like other new areas from other packs it is a good mix of residential and recreational areas. With this city being based on Los Angeles, there aren’t many natural areas; instead, most of the recreational areas are full of bricks and mortar.
With her new-found funds, Gemma immediately moved into the vacant lot in The Pinnacles. And what a beauty! Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and most importantly, not one, but two swimming pools.
The furniture in the Get Famous DLC is understandably more high-end. There aren’t huge amounts of conventional and functional furniture, but what there are a lot of are decorations. Wall hangings, pedestals, sculptures, rugs, anything that the reasonable person would consider luxurious is in abundance in this expansion. And now in abundance in Gemma’s house.
After a long look at each and every room and a quick dip in both pools, Gemma was ready to see what local amenities were on offer in Del Sol Valley. She headed to Starlight Boulevard and first stop was the most exclusive club in town, Studio PBP.
It is here where we get a first glimpse of a major new feature in this DLC: The Fame system. Highlighting a Sim will now show you their social standing and how famous they are. It shows you who you should be talking to, and who you should aspire to be to help you make it up the social ladder. This then has a direct effect on gaining entry into Studio PBP, because this club has a bouncer outside the door who will decide who is worthy enough to pay through the nose for a couple of drinks. Seriously, the club even informs you that you are paying twice as much than other places for the same drink.
Gemma tried her luck with the bouncer, and unsurprisingly he wasn’t having any of it. Her bank balance may suggest famous, but she needs to up her Fame game before being allowed access. For now, she will have to settle for Orchid a Go-Go, the bar across the street with a much laxer exclusivity policy.
After a few drinks here, Gemma moved on to the Plumbob Pictures Museum, a small museum that houses movie props and merchandise from yesteryear. But Gemma saw it as an opportunity to instead corner some celebrities and beg them for a selfie. She managed to find one, a male A-list celebrity – instantly visible as they have a sparkling aura around them – but she was immediately rebuffed and once again turned down. Gemma wasn’t having a good day, and her mood reflected that.
Starlight Boulevard also has a gym called Pectoral Fitness and Ward Park, where you can interact with the Walk of Fame and check out the famous names on the stars on the walk. Other than that though, there isn’t really much else on offer in terms of things to do. As a result, Gemma decided to apply for an Acting Career – the new job on offer in the expansion – and already has an audition lined up for tomorrow at 7pm. This requires a Charisma level of 2, good job we have a new wall mirror that we can use. But first, sleep.
Gemma awakes from her sleeping pod – which looks like something straight out of the Alien films – and immediately gets to work on the Charisma. But suddenly, there is a knock at the door, and the new neighbours have come round to introduce themselves. One of them is that A-lister that shunned her yesterday for a selfie.
Putting the first impressions to one side, things go well. This is, until Gemma starts feeling like she doesn’t deserve this house, and this poorly timed mood swing has an adverse effect on her interactions with her new neighbours. Maybe it’s because her new neighbours have pointed out that she has no social stature and yet lives in a house this big. Even spending yesterday flaunting her worth by literally throwing thousands of Simoleons into crowds of people hasn’t improved her stature yet. Standing there now, as her neighbours are leaving, she understands that better than anyone. This new Fame system gives a new objective in The Sims 4 and is a really good addition to a series that has started to feel a bit stale in the recent years.
And for the record, Gemma didn’t get the job from her audition, but this has only made her more determined.
The Sims 4 Get Famous DLC on Xbox One appears to have seemingly added more of the same as with previous expansions, such as a new location, new customisation options and new careers, and not much else, however the inclusion of this Fame system offers a new target to aim for. In the case of Gemma Collins, that is the ability to feel like she deserves her new home. For new players, it may be all about getting filthy rich, or having the largest amount of Simstagram followers. Whether this warrants the £34.99 price tag, I would say no, but it is a neat system that offers something different over other packs and that just about makes up for the lack of content elsewhere.
