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PC | Simulation | The Movies

Boxart for The Movies
The Movies 30 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.0
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 4.0
  • FUN FACTOR 4.0
  • AVG USER SCORE n/a
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.9

Review: The Movies

Review by Mr. Marbles | 11/09/2005 | 15:04:36 PM PST

Grow out a ponytail and throw on some Gucci sunglasses. Peter Molyneux's film industry sim is finally here.

From the mind of Peter Molyneux comes The Movies, filmmaker sim for the Hollywood hack. The Movies lets you build your own self-absorbed movie studio from the ground up, with the goal of generating revenue, competing with other studios and, most importantly, making movies. Like any generic Tycoon sim, The Movies gets a bit over-focused on the trivial aspects of simulation, specifically with studio upkeep and playing constant babysitter to bigheaded actors, though while somewhat satirical, is a continuous bother. But the main attraction here is making short movies, which, if you're willing to spend the time, can be oodles of fun.

Surprisingly Simple
Starting a studio from scratch, you'll need to purchase essential buildings such as screenwriting and casting offices to get your movies rolling. The main gameplay screen is laid out in a simplistic drag and drop fashion where you can easily assign roles, option scripts, and release films by dropping a game icon or character into the proper place. Highlighted pathways and Pop-Up Video-style bubble icons provide unobtrusive tutorial tips that guide the beginner through the nuts and bolts, giving you more time to spend on custom scripts, sets, subtitles, and other options that lean more toward the creative.

Once you, or a hired screenwriter, pen a script, it's on to the casting office for role appointing and rehearsing and, from there, your soon-to-be masterpiece is off for shooting. While a shoot or rehearsal is in progress, you can keep busy by updating your studio's aesthetics, keeping things relatively clean, and making sure buildings, restrooms, and pathways are all easily accessible and interconnected . A progress meter appears over the set of a shoot that displays how many scenes are left to shoot, along with all other pertinent details.

After a movie has been shot, simply plop the appropriate film reel icon into the production office for release. Movies generate revenue based on production values and critic reviews that determine each specific film's box office lifespan.

The main gameplay engine is extremely open-ended, allowing for full-360 degree camera rotation, and a standard top down view with the option to zoom all the way down to 3-D street level. Other game interfaces such as the StarMaker (a versatile custom character creator), screenwriting and postproduction rooms provide a smorgasbord of customizable options.

"I Was Saying Boo-urns"
Several different movie genres become available as the game progresses from the silent era to present day, though don't expect to jump right in and out of The Movies' story mode. Combine a complex PC sim with the lengthy filmmaking process, and the end result could be measured in World of Warcraft time. But it's not all solo gratificationActivision promises to hold online virtual film festivals with real awards. Who knows? Maybe a Hollywood higher-up will take note of your potential and hire you to clean his toiletthe American dream.