I was initially really pumped for this pack, the world looked beautiful, swimming in the ocean, mermaids!! I was planning on buying it on the day it released, which was last Friday.
But then, after watching some youtube Let's Plays, I realized how empty and shallow the whole pack was. Yes, there are jet-skis, dolphins, swimming and beaches, and the world itself is gorgeous. But after that, what GAMEPLAY is there? The conservation career looks OK for certain types of players, but the other two careers are just rabbit holes. Mermaids initially looked interesting, but after reading about them, they look pretty "meh," a huge step down from Vampires, about as lackluster as Aliens. The new traits are boring. "Child of the Island" is too specific and only has to do with this pack and not on the overall game, "Child of the Ocean" is kind of pointless since you can only swim in the ocean in Sulani.
Where is the breaking new feature that's going to change the way I play the game? Get Together had clubs, Get Famous had the Fame and Reputation system, Get to Work had active careers, even City Living had lot traits. Even in the Sims 3 Island Paradise, you could manage and run your own hotel, along with a myriad of other things. What does Island Living have? Nothing but a pretty world.
And I can imagine after a couple of hours watching your sims sunbathe on the beach, it would get pretty boring..
So, I'm happy I didn't buy this, and I'll be waiting for a pretty steep sale when I do!
