Lucky Palms: On Sale Now
I finally got around to buying Lunar Lakes (which I am really enjoying) and now here comes a new world already! Lucky Palms is a desert world which is dotted with oases, loosely built around the same concept as Palm Springs. Lucky Palms is currently on sale through 7/12/12, so even if you aren't ready to play it yet, if you think you might be interested, you should buy and download it now!
This is the first time I have had the opportunity to watch the Live Chat walk-through and demo, which was a fascinating experience. This guided tour explained a lot more about the world - and in terms more relevant to players - than any marketing material could. For example, they pointed out that there are new water textures for the world, which really are gorgeous. And we also learn that the funny little pothole area near the poorest neighborhood was designed after the Salton Sea.
The Salton Sea was an inland saltwater lake in California which was promoted as a hot tourist destination by certain unscrupulous real estate tycoons. Then the sea dried up and the houses were left high and dry, and the homeowners got left holding the bag. The Salton Sea area of Lucky Palms has fun little additions like abandoned pilings from an old pier. They really took a lot of care designing this world!
I was also heartened to hear that this world has more than the usual number of empty lots. And the flatter terrain should make it easier for players to place their own new empty lots. (Despite what a lot of players believe, the Sims 3 design team really does hear and process the feedback of players, even if it doesn't always seem like it.)
Lucky Palms comes in two versions: Gold and Standard. The Gold version includes several exclusive gambling-related lots and items, including a blackjack table, a slot machine, and the Lucky Simoleon casino. But it's a lot more expensive: 4,350 Sim Points (on sale for 3,700) compared to the Standard version's 2,450 Sim Points (discounted to 2,100). Given that a whole entire expansion pack will run you about $50, the Gold edition hardly seems worth the premium price.
Both the Gold and the Standard version include the Wishing Well, which is clearly the break-out item in this world expansion. The Wishing Well has a lot of potential interactions, as well as attracting faeries, and (if your Sim is lucky) granting wishes.