Aside from games, we see at movies as the second best entertainment form. We can’t get enough of them either, especially if it’s a comedy. Movie Hangout Stuff is a DLC that tries to give movie aficionados additional room to nurture this hobby, especially with friends. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the DLC doesn’t seem particularly exciting. What is there to be excited about with a projector, some popcorn, a few new clothes, and furniture with a colourful bohemian style? However, if you give it more than 20 minutes of your time, you’ll easily realize that organizing movie nights is far more interesting than initially anticipated.
What is a Sunday Sims Spotlight?
A weekly article designed to inform The Sims community through a detailed look at expansions and numerous add-ons for the cult simulation game. We inform you about what works best in terms of mechanics and all the things you might encounter for decorating your home.
Building the Perfect Backyard Cinema
The projector screens are much bigger than we imagined. We had a plan at first to turn a spare room into a home cinema, but the screen completely dominated the space. So, we went with the second best option and moved everything outside instead.
The furniture included with the pack fits well around a backyard setup. We created this relaxing place with bright cushions, small decorative tables, hanging lanterns, and colourful rugs. The end result felt different from the usual patio furniture found in the base game. We are terrible at decorating, but we have to admit to ourselves that what we did in our garden looked like a place where we’d actually want to spend the evening.
The Create-A-Sim additions aren’t overdesigned. Most of the new clothing mixes well with existing wardrobes.
Don’t Forget the Popcorn
When we set our Sims up in the garden, we realized that no movie night feels complete without snacks. That’s where the new popcorn machine comes in. It offers a few different flavours that depend on your Sim’s cooking skill. At the beginning, it was fun watching our Sims casually grab handfuls of popcorn before settling in to watch the film. It’s one of those little animations that adds a bit more life to everyday interactions.
Like many objects in The Sims 4, the machine isn’t great at handling crowds. More than once, we watched everyone queue up, wave their arms because someone was in the way, and then reshuffle themselves until it got sorted out.
More Than Background Television
The projector—the best addition, if you ask us—doesn’t replace an ordinary television. It allows you to choose from several different movie genres, including horror, comedy (yes!), romance, action, and family films. The movies themselves are short animated clips rather than static images, and the Sims react throughout the screening. It’s fun watching an entire group jump at the same horror scene or laugh together during a comedy. Again, simple things like these give movie nights and the whole “playing with life” phrase a little more personality and, as you know, drop by drop…
Speaking of making an ocean, the moodlets afterwards also add some variety. One of our more snobbish Sims left the screening complaining about the film, while others simply enjoyed having spent time together. It’s another drop that helps each gathering feel slightly different.
An Easy Way to Bring Sims Together
Movie Hangout Stuff makes watching a film a fun and fulfilling social activity. It gives you new, albeit short-lasting, ways to make something new and see how the Sims react to it. The fun didn’t last long, and soon enough we moved on to other things, but while it lasted, we feel we got decent value out of the pack for an afternoon or two.
Thank you for reading, see you next Sunday!
- Game: The Sims 4: Movie Hangout Stuff
- Developer: Maxis
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Platform Played: PC
- Release Date: January 12, 2016
- Price: $9.99
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