The Movies - What a Blockbuster
Does anyone remember the old 'Movie maker' with McZee? I do! I spent too long playing that as a child, and loved every minute of it. At the time it was high tech, cool, funny and generally great, but since then nothing like it has been released to satisfy my creative urges. Yes, i said creative. . .
That is, until now. I followed this game for months before it was released, and snapped it up as it hit the shelves. In days it was complete but still had so much potential. I love it, and it hasn't gotten old quite yet, though i can see it joining McZee in the drawer of orphaned games eventually, but hopefully not too soon.
So lets hear about it you say? You wan't more? I certainly do. The Movies is a game which allows you to build your own studio lot - piece by piece, set by set, even scene by scene as you will, and to produce your very own blockbusters.
You start the game in the early 1900's, at the birth of the movie industry, and progress through the years to the present day - with new technology, sets, actors and costumes coming with each new year.
This way, the game grows around you, much as your studio lot grows from a portacabin or two, to a cinematic empire.
Now imagine making movies, but then cross breed it with the sims. Wierd eh? Nope, just plain fun. Your actors and staff (to a lesser extent) are their own annoying, pestering, selfish, spoilt, rich ,self obsessed, drunken people. You have to manage their career - every aspect of it, from relationships to salary, and film roles to trailer prestige. You hire staff in the same way, but they don't require any micro management. Leave them to it, they don't need to be pampered like the stars.
My only complaints are that even though the game i the best of its kind on the market, you're still restricted to pre-scripted interactions, and sometimes this prevents you from getting the scene, or even film you want.
The finance of the game needs tweaking. I mean i can make a few terrible movies and be better off than if i made a blockbuster and a half. Film quality seems to be judged a bit oddly, and time just flies by. I could blink and i'd miss 20 years of my actors lives. . .
I won't go into much more detail, but let me say this - If you like movies, the sims and have a creative side (or two) then this game is for you. It gets my two thumbs up.