It is what its supposed to be.....
The largest part of your time will be spent laying and pulling pots (crab traps). There are boat upgrades, crew management, destination planning, and other activities, but the vast majority of your time is spent with the setting and pulling of pots. There are crew injuries and breakdowns that distract you from that activity, but basically it is what it is: setting and pulling pots and filling your crab hold before the season ends.
I like simulation games. And I realize that economic simulation games require "work" (i.e. pulling pots) to get your "reward" (i.e. upgrading your boat and so on). That is supposed to be your reward ... like killing Bowser in Mario Bros. or something. :) I've also realized (over the years) that simulation games have a limited audience and therefore, limited budgets. You won't see Crysis-like graphic in this game.
Is it worth the $60? It is to me. I like Deadliest Catch on TV, there are a ton of videos of Captain Sig and the boys, and I enjoy simulations (which don't get made as often as they used to). Don't buy this game just because you think Captain Sig is cool. Buy it only if you like simulations and if the Deadliest Catch extras are worth it to you, otherwise, you could be disappointed. But, I'm having fun with it and have no regrets ... Primarily because, it is what I expected it to be.
*Added after Gamespots rating*
I think it's ridiculous that Gamespot rated this game a 4.0. They need to balance their reviewers' opinions a little more to get a consistent, fair rating scale. To rate this game a 4.0, when (at least from my experience) there are no obvious technical issues, is totally unfair and out of line. I can understand that if you like fast-paced games this one is not for you, but 4.0's are reserved for abject garbage and this game is far from that . It's more likely that Gamespot is beginning to lose focus in their rating system. Look at all of the other sites' review scores for this game and look at Gamespot's ... it's way off.
How can the video reviewer say that the game (I quote) "can suck you into for hours at a time if you're not careful", then give the game a 4.0? The reviewer was obviously determined to give this game a lousy score (and Gamespot obviously lacks the editorial awareness to recognize that). I'm to the point that I don't even pay attention to Gamespot's ratings any more, I just look at Player Reviews and IGN's Reviews. Hey, when Gamespot can rate games like "Diner Dash" a 9.1 while rating games like this a 4.0; there is something terribly wrong here. The rest of the site is great, but their reviews are becoming VERY unreliable.