The Sims 3 Spanish Facebook Page has announced today that a special edition of store worlds will be going on sale December 20th, 2012.  The Sims 3 Hidden Springs & Barnacle Bay Special Edition will go on sale in Spain, and comes with a special Sims 3 figurine bonus.
 
Spanish retailer Xtralife.es has this special “codes in a box” pack already listed for pre order.  There is no word on this special edition pack heading to the US, but we will keep you updated if any information surfaces.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks to Rincon Del Simmer for the info!

 

 

 
 

 

 
 
Hidden Springs has a irresistible attraction to the rich and famous who are looking for relaxation and who want to escape their day to day life. They cannot resist the stories about magical powers which slumber in the woods and lakes. Some of the town folks who live near the woods are acting mysterious and it seems as if they have a greenish skin colour. Is there really magic going on in the woods? 

You can walk along the lake, relax at a spa, hike though the forest and even solve old secrets in the museum of magic and spiritual business. What are you going to discover in Hidden Springs?

 

Continue…

 

 

Hidden Springs is on sale for a great price! For those of you who do not see the “Buy” Button, head on over to the world page and purchase it from there. Simmer 8Faith8 has confirmed it will only subtract the 867 Points from your account.

Thanks to Max Q Baker for the heads up!

 
 
 

 

The Sims 3 Store World Hidden Springs, has been re-listed on “sale” for 2,000 Simpoints until December 31st of this year. This sale is probably a result of their retail version being only $20 in stores for a code in the box, as opposed to $24.50 worth of Simpoints in the Sims 3 Store. For details and screens of the world, click here.

Thanks to Mikinzie for the info

 

 

 

Video Link

 

 

Source: LosSims100 & Rincon Del Simmer
 

 

 
Today I went out and purchased the Hidden Springs retail box, and I was surprised that it actually came with a disc! Now you may think this means you have a hard copy, but don’t get too excited. To run my tests on the world, I deleted Origin, and all the store content from my game, to see what (if any) extras this disc included. Can you guess what it was?

The only piece of content included on the disc is….. Origin! Yes, good ‘ol Origin. It probably includes an update too, but I’m not taking the time to test that. Did you really think EA would finally give a disc that actually included content?  Seriously EA, what was the point of the disc? The world is only 128MB, why would it jump to 2.5+ GB? Anyway, here is how it works.

First of all, there is no need to insert the disc, because the back of the manual includes a code you can redeem directly through the website. Either way, I went ahead and inserted the disc, only to be greeted with Origin’s installation. Sure, EA can fool first comers, but I know I did not need to install it. Moving along…

 

 

The disc acts as a game installation, when in reality, all you have to do is go to the Sims 3 Store and download it. You can continue through the installation steps, accept their TOS, and it will then conveniently open your launcher and provide a special “insert code” screen.
 

 

If you aren’t already, it will require you to log in, and then credit your account 2,450 Simpoints… or not. What it does, is give your purchase history an awesome $24.50 world, which costs only $20 on the website now! What do they mean, “Your account has been credited simpoints for use on Hidden Springs”?
 

 
Now here is where I just don’t understand EA’s logic. Why would they tell me the world costs 2,450 Simpoints, when on the Hidden Springs store page it reads 2,000? So technically, I should still have another 450 Simpoints in my account right? Wrong!
 

 
Now I know marketing has to keep their jobs, but honestly, who is running marketing over at EA? Specifically with the Sims department. This is just a sad way to gain more Origin members to compete with Valve (Steam), and other digital distributors.

For anyone wondering if this version of Hidden Springs includes extras, it doesn’t. If you also wonder if the FOY and Spell Book issue is fixed…it isn’t. Unless you are a collector and want to grab the box for your collection, there is no reason to grab the disc version. In the end, you don’t even have the content you paid for, unless you download it from the Sims 3 Store.

 

 

Today, the Sims 3 Hidden Springs is available as a code in a box in retailers near you! Origin has also listed the world on their website, so if you want to purchase from Origin without the box, click here!
 

 

 

Walmart has listed Hidden Springs for pre order! If you prefer getting your code in a box for a few cents cheaper than the rest, go on and order!
 

 

 

So earlier today, GameStop added their Hidden Springs listing, and now, so has Amazon. Pre Ordering is now available for $19.99! Just like GameStop, $4.00 cheaper than the Sims 3 Store.

(Amazon UK has not yet listed Hidden Springs)
 

 

 

GameStop has listed The Sims 3 Hidden Springs for Pre Order, with a release date of February 14th, 2012. The price listed at this time is $19.99, which is $4.00 cheaper than buying it through the Sims 3 Store.