1. Animal Crossing is only available on the Nintendo Switch
For those who already owned a Switch before the game came out, this probably isn't as big of a deal as it was for me. Ordering a Switch these days likely means waiting a month (or longer) for it to even ship to you. Not to mention the system, on average, costs between $200 and $300. Then you have to purchase the game for $59.99. I had to borrow a friend's to be able to play the game because I can't get my hands on one. The Sims 4 however is on sale for $6.24 (for PC) right now and many of the in game expansion packs are on sale as well. It is also available on the Xbox One and Playstation 4 for $49.99, $10 less than Animal Crossing costs.
2. Animal Crossing Starts off Painfully Slow
If you play the game as intended, it takes days (in real time) before you have several villagers on your island and the island becomes more inhabited. As a person who likes to get right into games, having to wait days to feel like I was really into the game was frustrating. In the Sims, you can start off right away in a world with goals and aspirations. There's already plenty of people to interact with and I feel that game play in it ramps up faster.
3. You Don't Start Out in Debt in the Sims
This was another big one for me. Starting out in Animal Crossing you owe Tom Nook $49,800 bells (in-game currency.) This personally makes me feel behind and a little stressed in the game. One of my favorite things in the Sims is that you can start out with as much (or as little) money as you want. The Sims, being a game that encourages cheats, has a cheat that you can enter called "motherlode" that when entered into the cheat bar gives your household 50,000 simoleons (in-game currency.)
4. Lack of Pocket Space in Animal Crossing
This is a bone I have to pick with most games. I absolutely HATE when games have a limit on item space. Although there are ways in Animal Crossing to get more pocket space, it is irritating starting out when you can only hold 20 items at a time. It's a little better once you redeem 5,000 Nook miles for the Pocket Organization Guide, which gives you an extra 10 storage spaces. In the Sims 4 you can put as many items as you want in your pockets and leave them there as long as you like.
5. Building is More Expansive in the Sims
In the Sims 4, building can be a huge part of the game if you want. You can build anything from houses to restaurants and shops to a vet clinic. I have always been a person who loves to look at gorgeous houses, and the Sims 4 allows you to build the house of your dreams. Although Animal Crossing New Horizons has more island building features than previous versions of the game, it still left me wanting more. The terraforming tools allow you to create hills on your island, waterfalls, rivers, etc. There's also more expansive house decorating options in this version of the game and more objects to place. Despite all of these new features, it still left me wanting more.
Although I see the appeal of Animal Crossing New Horizons, I still believe the Sims 4 is the superior game of the two. I loved both the Sims and Animal Crossing games growing up, and still do today. However, of these two game versions, the Sims 4 takes the cake.
