Objectively? Probably not. For me? Yes, would buy again. There's still a handful of packs that I'm waiting for outrageous sales (below 50%) before buying, but IL is exactly the opposite for me.
May I ask why? Curious because Island Living is my least favorite pack out of all 7 and I’ve rated it 1 out of 5 stars.
Depending on what type of player you are OP, if you can, I would wait for a sale or put it in a bundle (like I did). The world, BB and CAS are lovely - you can basically build a matching home from IL content which is so great (!!!), but gameplay is very lacking, and not expansion-worthy.
If you love occults (like I do), then mermaids are pretty disappointing - they don't act that much different to a normal sim, and they don't have a lot of different interactions with the water.
If you love jobs/gameplay, then most of this is already in the base game. The swimming actions for oceans are the same as pools (no new skill, diving is a rabbit hole and you can't move the camera underwater even when snorkeling), lounge chairs are in the base game (and the towel interaction is similar, so you're not missing much there), and so is the improved fishing. You have 1 active career in IL (I love how it changes the world, but it only works in one beach/area), and the rest are rabbit holes. In terms of expansion packs: swings are already in seasons, and while you can't tan/burn, if you play an occult in IL, you can't do that either (as my poor vamp sim found out).
On the other hand, I know some simmers really enjoy this game, so if you decide to get it, I hope you have lots of fun .
Yes. It added a lot. Mermaids can do more compared to Sims 3 and are fully customization, a new beautiful world with their own welcome and all that, new activities and careers, traits, etc...adds swimming in the ocean and the world feels bigger now, make sand castles, look for shells, etc... Plus what you do changes at least part of the world.
I suggest looking at this. Carl goes into a lot of a deeper detail of this pack than anyone and sum it up very well. He is a gamechanger, but Ive found him to look at every feature in the pack and go into it I favor this moreso than a LGR review.
But as I mentioned bwfore the value of a pack will vary person to person.
Yes, I really am enjoying it. I love the conservationist career and the beautiful world and the build and cas items.
I would be thrilled if it was cheaper of course, but I would also buy it again at full price and don't regret it.
I've heard people saying Jungle Adventure added more and was a game pack and while I agree, I would have bought Jungle Adventure as an expansion haha. I love that pack too. I'm just thankful they gave it to us for less cost.
(And this is coming from a broke single parent who uses her entire entertainment budget just on the Sims, haha! No tv, no movies out, going out for coffee once every few months, no data plan or minutes on her cellphone (only just got my first cellphone this year, one was given to me).
But yep, the pack was worth it to me because after hours of play in it I am still very, very much in love with it lol! I don't play the mermaids (more of a realistic player and haven't seen the mermaids yet) but it's just got so much in it that I can enjoy.
To be honest, I have all the packs except vampires and I only regret 2 of them and think one wasn't worth it. (Regret Bowling Stuff and SPa Day, neither add anything to my game, and thing City Living was way too expensive for what it comes with, THAT one should have been a game pack)
No! It is indeed gorgeous with it's mermaids and landscapes; but the mermaids are really disappointing. There's only very few cool things that you can do as a mermaid. Overall the only exciting thing that it gave was the fact that you could swim in the ocean now. Unlike the Sims3, you need to become a mermaid in CAS or have another mermaid help you. In the Sims3, becoming a mermaid was easy, just buy the kelp. Now it's extremely hard for pre-existing Sims to become a mermaid.
I suggest looking at this. Carl goes into a lot of a deeper detail of this pack than anyone and sum it up very well. He is a gamechanger, but Ive found him to look at every feature in the pack and go into it I favor this moreso than a LGR review.
But as I mentioned before the value of a pack will vary person to person.
I got it for about $12 less through a different seller than Origin but even if I had paid full price, I would feel as if it were worth it. Heck, forty dollars equals two trips to the deli for me and my S/O; it's the price of one dinner at a very special restaurant my family and I visit a couple of times a year for special occasions; it's less than half of what it costs to get my hair cut and highlighted every six weeks.
For me, the new world, mermaids, interaction with dolphins, expanded fishing, and build items were definitely worth the asking price, not to mention that island view. My real life is sometimes so stressful that coming home in the evenings and watching my Sim fishing from her boat with a Sulani sunset in the background is super relaxing.
I know not everyone has as much money in their budget as I do, but I will get literally years of enjoyment and relaxation out of this pack. I play this game at least four evenings a week, for a few hours at a time, and when I do the math on what it costs versus how much time I spend in the game, in the long run it turns out to be inexpensive entertainment indeed.
love the town/lots
love the build/buy
I like some of the create a sim content
love the beach and water activity's
love the semi active career
love dolphins
however
Mermaids seem incomplete
diving and career pointless to me this time
same with lifeguard careers
As much as I like elements of this packs its a GP not an EP
This is bad news for future EP packs if EA and turn whats clearly a game pack into a EP
So far in my gameplay, I view it as not worth $40. Sort of glad I got it as a free birthday gift, but sorry the gift-giver paid full price. It has a pretty backdrop, and lacks gameplay features. It is extremely buggy, which makes the game not fun. I kind of expected to be disappointed in just what I view via trailers.
And I say this as someone who does still love the pack.
I got it for a much cheaper price elsewhere, so I would recommend waiting for a sale, for sure.
If you’ve played Island Paradise or Sims 3 in general, you would be disappointed with this pack, because this pack is definitely lacking that magical open feel of Sims 3, especially in the underwater and houseboat department (and resort system department), and this pack does feel it’s lacking some content.
Even the mermaids (which are one of the major selling points for me personally) are not fully done and I felt misled. Mermaids don’t have transformations, don’t have anything for younger life stages, and don’t even have any special bassinet or special deaths, etc. And, here’s the huge one, they don’t directly drown sims technically.
I still love mermaids because I’m a mermaid fan, but man, does it feel like some missed opportunities here.
I also miss seeing the giant kraken and the dangers of the kraken and sharks. *sighs*
So, yeah, even as a Sims 4 fan, I would say definitely get it for a sale price, not full price, lol!
I'm an access member so I got it at a discount and pre-ordered it ( I had the money that week) but I would still pay full price for it, if you want it and can get it...then get it and be happy about it. If you don't want or can't spend that wait for a sale.
I suggest looking at this. Carl goes into a lot of a deeper detail of this pack than anyone and sum it up very well. He is a gamechanger, but Ive found him to look at every feature in the pack and go into it I favor this moreso than a LGR review.
But as I mentioned before the value of a pack will vary person to person.
That review is so spot on.
It's exactly how I feel about this pack.
Yeah, I too feel this review was right on the money and while I do like the textures, some of the features existence are questionable and the lack of gameplay makes it value not what the going price is today. I do like the pack but I would like it at an much cheaper price than $40.
Omen by HP Intel®️ Core™️ i9- 12900K W/ RGB Liquid Cooler 32GB Nvidia RTX 3080 10Gb ASUS Ultra-Wide 34" Curved Monitor. Omen By HP Intel® Core™ i7-12800HX 32 GB Nvidia 3070 Ti 8 GB 17.3 Screen
Honestly no. I was exited about this pack....but it doesn't have enough content, not enough for me to say that it's worth 40.
The world is beyond gorgeous yes, the CAS and Build/Buy are great yes, the swimming/water animations are amazing, but the gameplay itself? It lacks depth yet again and it lacks in quantity.
Depth because for example. every sand sculpture sims build is a great one. They are all idiot savants and unlike in previous games there's no chance at failing to do one or making one of bad quality. Another example is the fact that there's no reward for completing that stupid rabbit whole mural that takes ages to complete. Another, is how snorkelling won't allow sims to find things or how you can only snorkel in certain areas of the world whereas in TS3 you could do it in any body of water you could swim in. The new cultural stuff just isn't there, or it's all recycled from previous packs.
Quantity because there's not enough here, there's some beach activities and that's it. No new skill, no new system, no scuba diving lots/neighborhood, only two boat types you can ride, and a lot of rabbit holes.
I have also expressed my hatred for all things world exclusive before with CL and this pack delivers on that, yet again. Much like City Living it has exclusive lot traits yet again, and exclusive festivals yet again.
I think it is best enjoyed with all packs installed as some make a difference to what you can do there, like Seasons.
I'm finding it running very smoothly so far.
My elderly Sim is very energised there She got invited to Geekcon, (CL) and after a while, took off in the spaceship rescuing a little dog that the spacers had stolen. (They had 69 levels of cages)! She fought and won a battle on her way back home. This is the first time I've managed to complete a space mission without being arrested by the police or crashed.
Negatives seem to win over positives in paying full price. I would recommend buying on a sale, or entering several giveaways for IL.
That does always seem to be the case, at least with this Sims series.
I'd like to thank everyone for their input. It has been very helpful along with all the other posts, reviews, and gameplay videos going on. I think for this one I will wait on a sale for it. Or at least wait until some of these major bugs are dealt with.
Personally I felt it was worth full price but I can see why others feel it’s only worth getting it on sale. I’m getting a lot of gameplay out of it more so than some other expansion packs I have
I don't think so. But then I am tight haha. I don't think any of them are ever worth the price! I mean £10 for a stuff pack, it's just a few bits of furniture!
I buy everything at a discount.
Oh god no. They way over hyped Island Living. There is little to nothing to do, as everything get's boring pretty quick. No underwater houses, no house boats, no resorts, and everything just seems incomplete. Scuba diving is pretty disappointing, as you can't follow your sims like in TS3 IP. The new careers are just pretty much rabbit holes, except conservationist I guess. Overall, I just felt like I payed for Sulani and the build mode and CAS items. Pretty much a 40$ game pack.
Not really, no. The world is gorgeous, I really like the new build and buy items, as well as the clothing and hairstyles, but the gameplay is shallow. It's pretty, but that's about it. The new career is OK, but I've had a few issues with tasks not completing when you work from home. Cleaning up the island is nice, but doesn't truly affect gameplay that much, it's mostly how the island looks, which is a bummer. Also they could've really taken the cultural aspects to another level, but didn't. It all feels a bit incomplete. Again, pretty to look at, but not a whole lot to do.
Comments
May I ask why? Curious because Island Living is my least favorite pack out of all 7 and I’ve rated it 1 out of 5 stars.
If you love occults (like I do), then mermaids are pretty disappointing - they don't act that much different to a normal sim, and they don't have a lot of different interactions with the water.
If you love jobs/gameplay, then most of this is already in the base game. The swimming actions for oceans are the same as pools (no new skill, diving is a rabbit hole and you can't move the camera underwater even when snorkeling), lounge chairs are in the base game (and the towel interaction is similar, so you're not missing much there), and so is the improved fishing. You have 1 active career in IL (I love how it changes the world, but it only works in one beach/area), and the rest are rabbit holes. In terms of expansion packs: swings are already in seasons, and while you can't tan/burn, if you play an occult in IL, you can't do that either (as my poor vamp sim found out).
On the other hand, I know some simmers really enjoy this game, so if you decide to get it, I hope you have lots of fun
I used more so far compared to Get Together.
Lets make this a reality!
It is a good video and well worth the watch. Thank you. I would recommend him to others.
I would be thrilled if it was cheaper of course, but I would also buy it again at full price and don't regret it.
I've heard people saying Jungle Adventure added more and was a game pack and while I agree, I would have bought Jungle Adventure as an expansion haha. I love that pack too. I'm just thankful they gave it to us for less cost.
(And this is coming from a broke single parent who uses her entire entertainment budget just on the Sims, haha! No tv, no movies out, going out for coffee once every few months, no data plan or minutes on her cellphone (only just got my first cellphone this year, one was given to me).
But yep, the pack was worth it to me because after hours of play in it I am still very, very much in love with it lol! I don't play the mermaids (more of a realistic player and haven't seen the mermaids yet) but it's just got so much in it that I can enjoy.
To be honest, I have all the packs except vampires and I only regret 2 of them and think one wasn't worth it. (Regret Bowling Stuff and SPa Day, neither add anything to my game, and thing City Living was way too expensive for what it comes with, THAT one should have been a game pack)
That review is so spot on.
It's exactly how I feel about this pack.
For me, the new world, mermaids, interaction with dolphins, expanded fishing, and build items were definitely worth the asking price, not to mention that island view. My real life is sometimes so stressful that coming home in the evenings and watching my Sim fishing from her boat with a Sulani sunset in the background is super relaxing.
I know not everyone has as much money in their budget as I do, but I will get literally years of enjoyment and relaxation out of this pack. I play this game at least four evenings a week, for a few hours at a time, and when I do the math on what it costs versus how much time I spend in the game, in the long run it turns out to be inexpensive entertainment indeed.
love the town/lots
love the build/buy
I like some of the create a sim content
love the beach and water activity's
love the semi active career
love dolphins
however
Mermaids seem incomplete
diving and career pointless to me this time
same with lifeguard careers
As much as I like elements of this packs its a GP not an EP
This is bad news for future EP packs if EA and turn whats clearly a game pack into a EP
And I say this as someone who does still love the pack.
I got it for a much cheaper price elsewhere, so I would recommend waiting for a sale, for sure.
If you’ve played Island Paradise or Sims 3 in general, you would be disappointed with this pack, because this pack is definitely lacking that magical open feel of Sims 3, especially in the underwater and houseboat department (and resort system department), and this pack does feel it’s lacking some content.
Even the mermaids (which are one of the major selling points for me personally) are not fully done and I felt misled. Mermaids don’t have transformations, don’t have anything for younger life stages, and don’t even have any special bassinet or special deaths, etc. And, here’s the huge one, they don’t directly drown sims technically.
I still love mermaids because I’m a mermaid fan, but man, does it feel like some missed opportunities here.
I also miss seeing the giant kraken and the dangers of the kraken and sharks. *sighs*
So, yeah, even as a Sims 4 fan, I would say definitely get it for a sale price, not full price, lol!
(She/her)
Yeah, I too feel this review was right on the money and while I do like the textures, some of the features existence are questionable and the lack of gameplay makes it value not what the going price is today. I do like the pack but I would like it at an much cheaper price than $40.
The world is beyond gorgeous yes, the CAS and Build/Buy are great yes, the swimming/water animations are amazing, but the gameplay itself? It lacks depth yet again and it lacks in quantity.
Depth because for example. every sand sculpture sims build is a great one. They are all idiot savants and unlike in previous games there's no chance at failing to do one or making one of bad quality. Another example is the fact that there's no reward for completing that stupid rabbit whole mural that takes ages to complete. Another, is how snorkelling won't allow sims to find things or how you can only snorkel in certain areas of the world whereas in TS3 you could do it in any body of water you could swim in. The new cultural stuff just isn't there, or it's all recycled from previous packs.
Quantity because there's not enough here, there's some beach activities and that's it. No new skill, no new system, no scuba diving lots/neighborhood, only two boat types you can ride, and a lot of rabbit holes.
I have also expressed my hatred for all things world exclusive before with CL and this pack delivers on that, yet again. Much like City Living it has exclusive lot traits yet again, and exclusive festivals yet again.
I'm finding it running very smoothly so far.
My elderly Sim is very energised there She got invited to Geekcon, (CL) and after a while, took off in the spaceship rescuing a little dog that the spacers had stolen. (They had 69 levels of cages)! She fought and won a battle on her way back home. This is the first time I've managed to complete a space mission without being arrested by the police or crashed.
I'd like to thank everyone for their input. It has been very helpful along with all the other posts, reviews, and gameplay videos going on. I think for this one I will wait on a sale for it. Or at least wait until some of these major bugs are dealt with.
I buy everything at a discount.