The Sims formula is pretty tried and true: make a sim, plonk them down, build them a kinda bad house, send them to work so they can get a better house, meet somebody special, have a couple of kids, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:die in a freak pool accident. This has been the routine since the Sims made its debutღ in 2000. But! What if there was something else? Something different?

The Sims Stories was an experimental series in many ways. In a tech sense, they were an attempt to make laptop-friendly Sims games. Story-wise, they were an experiment in in-game storytelling. While the Sims had attempted this before, notably with the Sims Bustin' Out, it had never attempted in-game stories to this level. These stories were witty, fun, and dynamic. While the series didn't have the success hoped for, they remain intriguing spin-offs in their own rights. Here are the five stories ranked from the Sims Stories.

5 Alice's Story

Fighting Against Inequality with a Dog for Fun and Profit!

Alice’s story is only in last place in﷽ this ranking because the others are so strong🦋. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty of fun to be had in Alice’s story!

Alice’s story is that of, well, Alice Whitt and her dog Sam. She’s recently moved back to her grandparents’ house in her hometown, but — gasp! — a greedy landowner is threatening to evict her. The only way to make enough money to save the house is🌊 to enter the local dog competition. The catch? Sam isn’t exactly the most well-behaved dog. Will Alice be able to do the impossible and teach an old dog new tricks? Or will she be in the doghouse?

This story is incredibly simple — which isn’t a bad thing. While it is the weakest of the five stories, the characters really make it shine. Alice is plucky and a hard-worker, and learns to stand up for herself over the course of the story. She also has a legitimately heartwarming relationship with her friends. Sam is also a wonde𒆙rful dog. Players really root for this kind of pathetic dog to win the day — which of course he does. The highlight of this story is the antagonist.

The greedy landowner, Diana DeBore, is a fantastically snotty villain. She really goes out of her way to be the absolute worst to everyone she encounters. She ta﷽kes this little dog show so seriously, to the point of having Sam literally kidnapped (dognapped?). She’s like a bootleg Cruella DeVille and it&r꧟squo;s fantastic. Diana DeBore is the true standout of the characters.

While not pe𝕴rfect, Alice’s story is a cute little playthrough and an excellent opener for🌠 the series.

4 Stephen's Story

It's Diva!

Stephen's story is remarkably complex. It involves a master thief, a fancy ball, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a love triangle to rival Pleasantview, and a mystery that needs to be solved. That's a lot, and it's hard to narrow it down. This story is a bit unwieldy, with a lot of twists and turns that seem a bit much. If it wasn’t for a specific choice, this story would be the worst of the five.

One thing and one thing alone elevates it over Alice's story. And that thing? Diva the cat.

Diva is a delightfully awful cat. She eats salad, attacks chairs, sets up her owner with dates, fights criminals, and causes problems on purpose. Diva is probably one of the funniest characters in the Story series just because of how much drama she causes for no reason. She is by far the most memorable character of Stephen’s story. She and she alone elevates Stephen’s story over Alice’s. Without her, the story is a pretty typical love story. With Diva? It's a riot. Check this story out only for the world’s most chaotic gremlin of a cat. She’s well worth it.

3 Riley's Story

Drama for Your Sims Llamas

Riley's story is among the simplest in the series. But it is so dramatic, it almost takes the cake. Riley is a recent arrival from SimCity. Having just lost her job, she moves in with her Aunt. Shortly after she arrives, she meets Mickey, and sparks fly. Trouble is, Mickey’s already involved with the crabby Agora. And, what’s this? Riley’s old flame from high school, Dylan, has recently returned to town? Who will Riley pick? And where’s her Aunt, anyway?

On the surface, Riley’s story is a typical love story. But it is filled with more drama than a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Caliente family reunion. There are kidnappings, secret love affairs, an objection at a wedding, and an actual murder plot. In a Sims game! For once, the player isn’t the one plotting a Sim&rsqu🐟o;s demise. It’s good that this drama is here, otherwise this story would be very lacking. Riley herself isn’t very sympathetic, and the other characters are all either two-timing somebody or thinꦚking about it. However, that isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes players just want to enjoy the chaos, and this story more than delivers. There’s less meat to this story than the others, but what meat is here is chaotic beyond measure. Tune into Riley’s story if you want to see the Real Housewives of Four Corners. It’s a delightfully awful watch.

2 Vincent's Story

A Surprisingly Sweet Love Story (and Also a Satellite?)

Vincent’s story is, like Riley’s story, primarily a love story. But where Riley’s story focused on messy drama, Vincent’s story is focused on Vincent himself. A wealthy billionaire who just launched a super-successful satellite, Vincent returns home to find his very new girlfriend already planning their wedding. Heartbroken over her blatant gold digging, he breaks it off and begins searching for true love. He finds it in latte-hottay Naomi, a barista at his favorite coffee house. The two begin dating, but Vincent’s ex-girlfriend isn’t so easily defeated. Will these two l෴ovebirds manage to work it out?

Vincent’s story is a shockingly cute love story. Vincent and Naomi have excel🦹lent chemistry. Watching them fall in love is a real pleasure. But it can’t all be love and roses. Vincent’s ex, Samantha Hayden, is a wonderfully wicked character hellbent on revenge. Her various revenges on Vincent, ranging from sabotaging his date to trying to set him on actual fire, are fantastic to see play out. The chaos she brings adds a genuine threat to the story. But the greatest threat to this happy couple isn’t Samantha, as it turns out. The greatest threat?

Vincent himself. Or, rather, Vincen🧸t’s creation.

The story ends with Naomi being killed by Vincent’s falling satellite. The Grim Reaper appears and gives Vincent two choices: sav💫e Naomi’s soul in exchange for his wealth, or keep his wealth and lose Naomi forever. It’s up to the player to decide the fate of Naomi and Vincent, giving a fantastic sense of weight to this story. Try out Vincent’s story and choose for yourself. What will you do?

1 The Sims Cas🐭taway Stories 🦹

🎵Ahoy there, ahoy, we are Castaways🎵

Including the Sims Castaway Stories in this list is almost cheating. It is such a wonderful game in its own right that, by default, it blows the other stories out of the water. The Sims Castaway Stories is an entirely unique and an entirely original experience. It's almost closer to 2011's The Sims Medieval in nature than the other Life Stories, which were firmly rooted in the canon of the Sims 2. Castaway Stories is about — what else? — a Sim becoming a Castaway. No longer stuck in Suburbia, the Sims are stuck on a deserted island. The name of the game here is survival, and there can be dire consequences if a Sim doesn't think fast.

Like the other Life Stories, there is a free-play mode. But the main focus of Castaway Stories is the Shipwrecked and Single storyline. The main sim wanted nothing more than to meet a special someone on a singles cruise. But when the ship sinks, they're forced into a deadly fight for survival. The protagonist is then exposed to, in no particular order:

• A cursed idol that tries to kill them
• Child-eating hyenas
• A mysterious plague
• A sketchy professor
• A Simon-knock off minigame
• A surprisingly complex dating sim mechanic
• Monkeys who try to fight you (and usually win)

All of this comes alongside the basic mechanics of survival. Sims will have to gather food, build shelters, make allies, and try and figure out the mysteries of Felicity Island. This game is absolutely unlike any other Sims game, and it. Is. Glorious. Its clever design, quirky mechanics, and surprisingly complex story elevates Sims Castaway Stories, and makes it the best o🌞f the Stories series.