It was a cute looking booth with an interesting game title and I had an hour to kill at E3. I decided to check out the game The Movies - and I was both shocked and delighted with what I found: an original game with amazing diversity and freedom. To actually classify The Movies into any single genre would be a tough task. The game is one part tycoon, one part sim, and one part … well, I'm not sure what the last part is.
In the game your task is to manage a movie theater and all the varied aspects of it: the sets, the trailers, the studios, the actors, the directors, and more. Unlike many tycoons and sim games, though, you also have to be aware of what's going on in the outside world. For instance, if you are running your studio during the 1940s, war films will be all the rage. If a new solar system is discovered or a comet flies by, stick with Sci-Fi to draw in the crowds.
Managing your stars and directors could be a whole game of its own. Relationships between actors and directors affect how well the scene goes. It's hard to have an intimate love scene between two actors who have never met, and if the director's a stranger as well, kiss your Oscar goodbye. You also have to maintain a balanced workload; if you give your directors too much to do and too little time out they're likely to have a breakdown, but if you don't give them enough work they'll get bored. And just because this is Hollywood doesn't mean that everyone is beautiful; actors who enjoy the cafй too much will have to be put on a strict exercise schedule, and if that doesn't work, cosmetic surgery is often your only hope.
The most amazing part of the game though, is the fact that you actually get to make the movie. And no, I don't mean pick one of five generic options…though it is possible to use a preset script. In The Movies, you can use an extremely detailed menu to actually create your own movies. Pick from hundreds of sets and scenes which you can sort by genre or search using keywords. Pick from your varied actors and directors to find the perfect matches for roles. You can even play with the camera angles, zooming in on a dramatic face shot or panning out from an exciting battle scene. And the script … while there are prewritten scripts that span across the genres from Western to Sci-Fi, you can chose to record dialog via a microphone and/or use the keyboard to type in your own subtitles. And when it's all over, if you find something wrong, you can cut out or move scenes with an easy to use menu.
The best part is that there is no 'wait to see if they deliver' with this game. These features are already in and were being displayed on the show floor, and will be coming to a gaming store near you in the fall. Whether you're into sim, tycoons, or any sort of fun, challenging game, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of The Movies as soon as it hits the shelves.
I am now a full time college student with a part time job. I kayak and ride horses 3-5 times a week but I always find time for my games. My current favorite is Lineage II, though I am always open to trying something new!
