It’s rare to see a game franchise become worse and worse as the years go by, but there’s no doubt that The Sims 4 has failed to live up to basic expectations. No surprise, really, given what it needs to live up to: the quirkiness of The Sims, as well as the sheer detail and immersion of The Sims 2, which has yet to be replicated in any other game in the franchise.

Players new to Simming might wonder why the nostalgia for The Sims 2 is so big, and the answer is quite simple: it’s the small things. At the time, developers added so many seemingly insignificant but actually game-changing details into the game that really made it feel like the incredible life simulation it’s supposed to be. Here are just 10 of those things that never make an appearance in later games.

10 Introduce Friends To Each Other

In The Sims 2, a Sim with two friends who don’t know each other can actually introduce these two Sims to one another if their relationship with both friends is high enough. It’s a specific friendship interaction, which makes it so cool and immersive.

While it’s possible to include two people who don’t know each other in the same conversation in The Sims 4 and therefore technically have them get to know each other, it’s a bit too vague to actually have the same meaning.

9 Scope Out The Room

One of the major features of The Sims 2 was the introduction of turn-ons and turn-offs. Sims could build up chemistry with one another based on whether or not they matched each other’s interests and ideal type.

An interaction that was available was having a Sim scope out the room to see which Sim they most felt connected to in that area. That Sim in question would then start glowing to differentiate them from the rest.

8 Hanging Out In A Group

One of the annoying things in The Sims 4 is that anyone can join any conversation at any time. At the same time, it’s kind of realistic and cool that a conversation can have many participants, but it feels strange when it’s a bunch of random Sims.

In The Sims 2, interactions were more one-on-one based. However, it did include a special interaction known as hanging out, which would allow the player to have a large group or just two Sims sit down and chat with one another.

7 Mealtime Interactions

Mealtime interactions are some of the greatest in The Sims 2, and just makes setting up a dinner so much cooler. Sims would automatically set the table with as many plates of food as there are Sims in the house, rather than everyone getting their own plate.

Moreover, Sims could also throw food at each other, try to steal a bite from someone else’s plate and even hold hands while dining together if their relationship is high enough.

6 Having Pet Jobs

That’s right: pets could actually have jobs in The Sims 2. It might sound completely insane, but whether the family had a cat or dog, they could get picked up by carpool to go to work and earn real money by learning commands for their career.

The owner of the pet could enroll their furry friend into one of three different careers:  show business, security or service. Progressing in the career would even grant them rewards like new collars or alternative fur colors.

5 Grab Someone

Most players who have been this franchise since its conception will remember just how raunchy The Sims used to be. The Sims 2 followed in those footsteps for some time, with its awkward cutscenes when Sims would WooHoo for the first time and other bizarre details.

One interaction that’s been long since abandoned is actually grabbing someone by their behind when in a strong enough relationship with them. Maybe that’s for the best…

4 Developing Interests

One feature that absolutely needs to see a return in the later games is interests. These really made conversations and Sims in general more unique depending on what they were passionate about. By reading magazines and doing certain activities, Sims would increase their interest in some topics.

While in The Sims 4, Sims can talk about topics related to their skills or their traits, there isn’t really an equivalent to just having interests, which makes the game really stale.

3 School And Parenting Interactions

While these were not manual interactions, they were still an essential part of gameplay that happened automatically and made the world feel so much more realistic. When children and teens returned from school, their parents would either scold them for bad grades or cheer them on.

With good grades, teens and children would also run inside to excitedly tell their parents. Similarly, when parents returned home, children would show their joy by running up to them to greet them.

2 Running In Stairs

It’s a dangerous interaction, but realistic nonetheless. Stairs could be used in more than one way in The Sims 2, and Sims could even slide down spiral stairways, a feature which was later seen in The Sims 3 as well.

However, running up or down the stairs is something that has never returned to the game since The Sims 2.

1 Cuddling While Sleeping

One of the most heartwarming interactions was definitely seeing a couple cuddle in bed and hold each other while both asleep or awake at night. It just made their relationship feel so much more organic.

This was something that could happen automatically and randomly as well, showing that the Sims had a mind of their own as well and weren’t just mindless, happy bots like in The Sims 4.

NEXT: 15 Sims Memes That Prove The Games Make No Sense