The Movies

Did you ever feel The Matrix never meant anything and it was all based on Thomas Anderson’s deluded cocaine trip and the film was just a long entertaining portrayal of his bad trip? Or maybe you’ve longed to re-imagine a classic film fusing your own zany personality into it? Well your in luck Mr. MiniKubrick because the studio that created the masterpiece known as Fable is on their next mission designing what could potentially be the most ambitious simulation game ever – enter The Movies.

The Movies, akin to the games real life counterpart, is soaked from head to toe in dollar bills. The interface clocks the amount of incoming and outgoing costs players spend on things such as set construction, crew salary, promotion, and studio maintenance (among other things). Certain actors will only hire for millions while others may work for food, and as the cast and crew peruse your studio lot dollar bills will swirl from their heads signifying the money your spending on them just for being alive. Additionally if you plan on coming up with a bitchin’ script you’ll need to consider the size of paychecks your script writers receive; blockbuster films require four star scripts while B movies would take up less time and money.

Whether on camera or stumbling around stoned your team of actors can eat your wallet up quickly. Drug addiction is a challenge players can prevent so their lead role isn’t trashing sets and rambling their lines like a raging lunatic. Actors are similar to real people and require the same TLC to keep them from falling victim to their own vices, which can range from sexual addiction, anger mismanagement, alcoholism, to glutinous eating. Yes, making sure your up and coming George Clooney doesn’t become a glutton does factor into The Movies (Can’t Wait!). Controlling the characters that roam your movie world is as accessible as picking them up and selecting an action such as hiring them, sending them to rehab, or putting them to work.

Managing your own personal tinsel town will take hard work, but it should pay off when the box office writes you your first cheque. To preserve your studio and remain successful throughout the games century long lifecycle that spans the early 1900’s to 2010, aspiring film makers can pamper their actors with a paparazzi-free lifestyle littered with private jets, glamorous trailers (or pillow sized cabins), and a healthy studio abode with trendy bars and cafeterias. For those conservative players the option to give studio dwellers rusty burger stalls and porter-potties is available, just remember rival studios may capture your talents interest with higher paychecks and better working conditions. Guaranteeing your film gets proper exposure through advertising and researching new technology such as colour film and 3D visual effects also affects your studios success rate. Three or four titanic hits won’t keep your studio afloat, but a collectors box set of films re-released as DVD collections could garner your studio and actors the staying power needed to move forward. If studio management isn’t your bag of tricks, you can always hire someone to cover that while you focus on making the actual movies.

Stunning architecture, raindrop painted landscapes, and photorealistic sets give The Movies that true to Hollywood feel – which when fused together with special effects, lighting, and studio editing can create truly impressive and highly believable moments. Character art is quirky, expressive, and vibrantly animated – often over exaggerated always believable. You’ll watch over your studio from an isometric eye with the ability to zoom and rotate your view. When getting close and personal with actors on set players can take the directors seat to view the unfolding drama behind the 9mm lens. The Movies sound stage is filled with appropriately themed scores, unique sounds, and personal pizzazz that adds an extra layer of life to the title. The PC version of The Movies will include the option to upload your own voice for that added touch of character, and if LionHead Studios doesn’t overlook the possibilities of using the soon to be released microphone the GameCube could get the same treatment. Given that the Cube will miss out of the modding options akin to the PC community and online features via Xbox Live, implementing some sort of mic feature would definitely keep me happy. I can only imagine the possibilities…Recording verbal fights in Chinese then placing that audio into a romantic love scene could crash the box office but would rule at my armchair empire studios.

As deep and intriguing as managing the studio is, the role of directing and creating movies isn’t as detailed as I would have imagined. That isn’t to say creating your own movies is limiting, but you can’t make French sci-fi romance hybrids set in outer space starring talking squirrels, but why would you want to? Once you’ve selected your cast of actors and their outfits you’ll move on to setting the theme and creating the script. The theme of your film is crafted by the script and sets you work with, which can range from sci-fi to romantic western. When The Movies premiers in your living room sometime 2005 there should be more themes and countless backdrops, set props, and costumes to diversify your thematic language. The incredibly large wardrobe of costumes will only expand the personality of your film and at the moment the number of possible costume variations sits at 4,205,165.

Crafting the action during pinnacle points of your film is handled by the games unique slider bar which appears during key scenes. Sliding the bar to the left during a bar brawl may have your characters biting fingers and pulling hair, while sliding the bar to the far right would result in broken bones and bodies getting tossed over the bar and into the shelves of drinks. An actors personality will also reflect how the slider bar affects the scene, as certain actors perform better in western films or romantic situations while others feel at home in the chicken suit. In addition to the slider bar there are special effects, explosions, 3D graphics, green screens, and a whole list of other effects that allow the director to craft their dream into a personal representation of themselves.

Micromanaging Hollywood in your television has yet to be attempted in a game universe, but neither has playing the role of God – which was the theme of Peter Molyneux previous title Black & White. With a track record of Fable, Black & White, and Theme Park, it seems clear LionHead Studios and Peter Molyneux know what their doing. Let’s hope this title doesn’t become a B list game when it hits shelves mid 2005. Look for a review shortly after the games respective release.