This game was almost perfect, but some unfortunate problems, and a frightening disconnect between...
Gameplay- The Movies has plenty to offer in the gameplay department, including a “tycoon mode” where you build and run your own movie studio, and a sandbox mode which is more designed for people who just want to make their own movies. But with that said, there is certainly a frightening disconnect between making your own movies and playing through tycoon mode. I ran into disaster when I decided to film a movie I had made in tycoon mode. There were a number of complications: first, my movie required a large number of extras which became a huge problem, second, getting everyone on set for a large production was a nightmare, and a few times filming just stopped, and I would have to start over again. This was extremely frustrating and it pretty much killed my studio, but the whole reason I filmed a movie in tycoon mode was so that my achievements would show up on-line. I recommend that you stick to shooting the movies that your scriptwriters write; they will probably be shorter and it will most likely save you some unneeded pain. Also note, that tycoon mode can be quite challenging and can cause you to become a bit stressed, due to the almost constant micromanaging that you have to do to keep your studio rolling. But with that said, there are still many things that The Movies does well. Although challenging, tycoon mode is still very enjoyable, and unlocking things along the way adds even more fun to the mix. But for a lot of people, the highlight of the game will be in sandbox mode where you can let loose and make your own movies. The Movies allows you a great deal of open ended creativity when you are making movie, but yet it beautifully keeps the game simple, without losing too much in the movie making process. But, occasionally you may find yourself a bit disappointed with the lack of scenes (although there are a whole bunch), or that a certain scene isn’t available with a specific set. The ability to alter many parts of the pre-made scenes is nice and giving your actors that perfect costume can add some flair to your movies. You can even put your own voice into the game if you have PC microphone, or just do subtitles if that is to your liking. Once you are entirely done with your movie, you can go ahead and export it, and then upload it to the movies website. The Movies Online allows you to view and rate other people’s movies, buy things in the propshop using virtual credits (which you get by uploading movies and having people view and rate your movies), and chat on The Movies forums. At this point The Movies Online is decent, and it should only be getting better.
Graphics- I’m giving the graphics a ten because 1) the graphics do indeed scale beautifully, and the movie studio lots look great 2) the graphics work great within the game without demanding the latest graphics card. The actors are definitely similar to a Sims character, but the rest of the game seems to have it’s own artistic style that I really liked. Most of the scenes used for making your own movies, also look nice, especially considering that a game like this had yet to be created.
Sound- The Movies offers plenty in the sound department, including: a radio DJ who talks in the background during sandbox mode and tycoon mode (the DJ is funny but he can sometimes be a bit crude, but you can turn it off), background music for your studio and for your movies, and the ability to put your own voice into the game. In the end, you don’t feel cheated in the sound department.
Value- The Movies easily gets a ten in value because of countless hours you can spend making your own movies, and the 10-15 (possibly more) hours that tycoon mode will give you. You can spend quite a lot of time on one movie, if you decide to make a longer film or if you just want to tweak it to perfection. For those who just want to make their own movies, there are options that you can choose that will make life easier and less tedious. It is also worth noting that you can find this game for around $30-$40 with relative ease.
Tilt- Ultimately The Movies is loaded full of hours of fun, and sharing your movies online with friends or strangers is definitely cool (although there are some stupid people online who get very upset if you rate their movies poorly or other people’s movies poorly and feel that it is their job to extract revenge on you). But this almost perfect game is weighed down by some unfortunate problems, which is shame. None the less, the developers should be proud of this game because they made a very innovative and ambitious product, and it turned out to be a superb game.