Miss Thing

I got this pack for £11, significantly less than the pack costs even on sale; even with this saving, I have to say that I'm quite disappointed. This pack adds exactly what you'd expect in that there are cats and dogs, and they are heavily customizable, which is excellent. The CAS items are mostly cute with their strong animal theme, though some, to me, seem a little distasteful. The customization is absolutely fantastic and 10/10, but, for me, it's the gameplay where it loses points: you can raise your pet from being a baby, training and playing with it. There are new, cute interactions, but after a while you become aware that you are sat at a computer just clicking as the interactions start to repeat themselves. The world of Brindlton Bay is beautiful, and I have to admit that I haven't explored it fully yet, partly as I became bored with the game again soon after purchasing this pack. I love the style, however, and how large it is. It is also quite fun to take your dog for a walk on the beach. The veterinary career is enjoyable for a while (especially as its an active career), but-once again- the repetition soon gets old. Overall, I am glad that I have the pack, but it definitely is not worth £34, or even £17, to be honest.

City Living is definitely one of the best packs: apartments are a lot of fun to use (going through a loading screen to go from one to another is a pain, though) and the festivals and markets are a great addition to the game. The added culture is cool (with new CAS and Build Mode items), but I don't feel that it's fair to have to pay to have your culture represented (though, in my opinion, all packs should have been free updates to the game). Overall the pack is very fun and definitely added gameplay- which I use all the time- but (like all other packs) it left something to be desired in some parts, hence the 4 stars in place of 5. If you enjoy city life and having things for your sim to do in town, then this pack could definitely work well for you!

Originally, this was one of the packs that I was going to avoid. Now, I'm rather glad that I did buy it as it has proven to be a lot of fun. I enjoy having this pack to follow my sims to work or to the Hospital when giving birth (a lovely, unexpected addition to the pack), to own a shop and to become an alien! However, after playing with it on 2 worlds, I started to notice that the exact same thing repeated itself in the careers: both sims made the exact same 'breakthroughs' in the science career- in the same order, too, meaning that when you've done it once, there isn't much point in doing it again. This kind of repetition is what I have started to notice in all of the packs, making gameplay lacking and predictable. However, possibly my favourite part of the pack is the retail element: running a shop is so much fun! However, this also becomes repetitive as sims walk in, browse for a bit and then all say the same thing 'What choice what value' and are ready to purchase. I have encountered a very annoying and persistent bug in that the sims go through that process and say that they are ready to pay, but then do the 'help' animation for some reason and can't buy anything, which is very frustrating as you lose so many sales and it is practically pointless being open. And don't even mention the disappointment known as 'Magnolia Promenade'- a NEIGHBOURHOOD added in a EXPANSION?!?!? Please, it's pathetic (the shops there aren't even good- they could have made up for it with quality over quantity, but both are below par). Overall, the pack is 3 stars as it is fun to an extent but definitely not worth £34 or even £17 (though none of them are, in my oponion).