Gaming Signal: First Impression: The Movies

First Impression: The Movies

From guest reviewer Doug (and long over due!):

My Rating:

Pros: Eye popping attential to detail; relatively simple controls allow user to pick up and go reasonably quickly; addictive subtasks or markers to unlock more and cooler toys, er, sets and buildings

Cons: No real intuitive feel for what new props/backdrops or ornaments actually �do� for your lot or movie; finding appropriate scenes from drop down menus is very time consuming and a little unsatisfying;inability to fling annoying, crying, temper tantrum throwing actors across the studio lot ala Black and White (ok, so that might be more of a pet peeve of mine alone, still�.)

Bottom Line : An incredibly fun game that at four in the morning will make you realize that you have neither eaten dinner, gone to the bathroom or seen your wife or kids since lunchtime while you try and perfect your �masterpiece� and in the process unlock that one last set you�ve been dying to try out�.And that�s just in the simulation piece!

My son and I had awaited THE MOVIES from Lionhead Studios for some time and I have to say that we weren�t disappointed in our purchase. The in game tutorials are pretty good at explaining what the controls do, and how to move around, entertain your budding stars and in general what the basic premise of the game is. The game also offers constant reminders like �a director is urgently needed in casting� in case you forget to assign one of your employees as needed. The �basic� phase of the game lasts for several years in game terms, and that�s a good thing.

You�re constantly having to update your lot, spend a lot of time training and pampering your actors/directors (whiny lot that they are) and typically spend a lot of time in the micromangagement of your lot. But hey, that�s why you pick a sim like this right? That�s part of why I gave it a four instead of a five. A five should be �THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER YOU SHOULD PLAY NOW NOW NOW!� and while this game may be that for some folks (and hey, getting to unleash your own version of movies like � Dracula� or Brokeback Mountain (evil grin) is a big enticement) not everyone is going to be as enamored of the amount of detail that this game requires. You can choose everything from props, backdrops and costumes to the music that plays and realistically you�re going to have to make some choices while playing the game�not the least of which is, when do I finally drag myself off to bed! A truly fun game that for some folks really will be all that and a bag of chips.