Sims 3: Island Paradise Review: Quite an Adventure

As a long time Sims fan since the late 90s, I was very impressed when I tried out this new expansion pack, Sims 3: Island Paradise recently. Not only does this expansion pack give new furniture and clothing like all the normal ones, Sims can now turn into Mermaids, own Resorts, become Lifeguards, and go Scuba Diving.

Being A Little Mermaid

This new feature on the Sims is not only highly interesting, but reaches me on a personal level of being a Little Mermaid fan as a child. Sim Mermaids live on land, and while out of water walk on two legs and have scales running up them (which you can customize). As they dive into the ocean and pools their tails pop out and you can see it in action.

A few key issues to realize is that as a Mermaid you can get dehydrated and pass out, and if you avoid being in the water for four sim days you turn into a regular human. This is definitely a worthy trade-off for being able to Scuba Dive for an unlimited amount of time and go treasure hunting. Plus, being a Mermaid is really cool! The only problem I find is becoming a Mermaid legitimately. You either have to save up enough Lifetime Happiness Points, or befriend a Mermaid that will take you to their secret island.

Life as a Resort Owner

I find that being a Resort Owner is really amazing. Not only do you not have to work many hours, but once you set the resort you really don’t have to be there all the time. You gain money daily from how many people stay there, and you can go in build/buy mode and edit the land.

The only downfall is that if you don’t have much money to spend on the Resort it’s not really worth doing it. The Resorts are very costly to start out but I do enjoy not having to go to work every day. If you do want to work everyday, you can. The Resort is more of an investment than a real job in my eyes. Also, you can choose a Lifetime Wish to become a high-class Resort Owner.

Saving a Sim’s Life

A new feature in this expansion pack is becoming a Lifeguard. This career isn’t too difficult to excel in. The major skills required for it are Athletic and Charismatic. A common workday would be surveying a beach by walking around or sitting in the lifeguard’s chair, and if you find a struggling Sim, they will alert you, and you can save them. If you’ve had any former experience with the expansion pack Ambitions, it’s like working as a Hairstylist and Tattoo-artist. You gain money for each Sim you save, as well as gaining a weekly paycheck.

Diving into the Great Blue Ocean

Scuba Diving in the Sims is a cool feature because not only can you find Mermaids to chat-up, but you can also find sunken treasure, catch fish, and find parts of treasure maps. These maps are useful for finding hidden islands in Isla Paradiso. There is a type of Lifetime Wish surrounded by finding and owning all secret islands.

Overall

All in all, I find this expansion pack worth the money. It’s got a lot more to do within the original Sims 3 game, especially being spread out over many islands instead of one mass of area.