Surf’s Up Sun and Fun Collection Review

This set is, at first glance, only really useful to you if you play in Isla Paradiso, the world that came with Island Paradise. I mean, beach stuff, right? What use is a wave station and swimsuits to you if your favorite world is Appaloosa Plains? However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this set is actually quite versatile. The Wave Station can be placed not only at the beach, but also in pools and ponds. The pools and ponds do need to be large enough to accommodate the station (It’s 9×12, and you do need completely open space for it – no pool ladders or lights in the way) but it can be done.

This immediately made me think that putting a wave station in a pool at a gym venue would make for a gym that’s a bit out of the ordinary. I put a wave station in a pond at one of my Isla Paradiso resorts. It doesn’t seem to add anything to the resort score – although it might count towards your gym score if you’ve not already maxed that as it builds athletic – but I have seen guests use it. Sims even consider surfing an all season activity – icy ponds are no deterrent!

This set is more than just the wave station, though. I have always thought that the swimsuit options were a bit thin, especially for children, and this set really delivers in this area. I will get a great deal of use out of the swimwear in this set.

All of the pieces have several independent sections so you can customize each suit so your Sims don’t all look the same. There are many options for adult, teen, and elder males, something that is much needed. Most of my male Sims end up wearing the same swim trunks, as there just aren’t many options. The child shorts and life vest are unisex, so your tomboy Sims won’t have to wear a girly bathing suit if they don’t care to – a nice touch. The two adult female bikini tops don’t have matching bottoms, but they are easy to coordinate with existing swimsuit bottoms in Create-a-Style, so that is not a deal-breaker.

The surfing side-braid hair is, in my opinion, a gem of the set. It looks lovely on young adult and adult Sims as an everyday style, not just at the beach. I was disappointed to see that there is no teen version, but there are several other teen female braid styles, so this is also not a deal-breaker. All in all, there are CAS options for nearly every Sim, even toddlers!

 (Note: Toddler hat pictured not part of this set, but I couldn’t let her go out in the sun without a hat!)

Overall, this is a nice set. There are some solid additions to CAS, both in clothing and hair. The wave station offers a fun new way for your Sims to build athletic and if you don’t have room at home it can be added to a gym or community lot, even if you don’t have any beaches in your preferred world. I do think that the wave station offers more to storytellers than it does to pure game players, as Sims are surfing in place rather than riding actual waves, but the potential for screenshots is just amazing!

All in all, I would say 7.5/10. I can’t say this set is a must-have, but it does have a lot to offer, even if you don’t have Island Paradise. I would like to thank EA UK for sending us a review copy of the Surf’s Up Sun and Fun Collection.