The Movies Hands-On

Activision treated us to yet another promising game at the E3 this year. After being dazzled by Activision's latest and greatest, we stepped over to the section where Lionhead honcho Peter Molyneux exhibited a fresh build of their latest project, The Movies. We spoke about this game on several other occasions earlier, but this was actually the first time we got to watch it in action.

Don’t be sad Julie. Dad’ll pay for a new boob job.

They will call me the new Alfred Hitchcock.

At the outset, we were informed about the game's basics. The gameplay is defined by three main chores: running your movie studio (and coping with all the responsibilities that come with it), tending to the needs of key movie stars, and of course, creating the movie itself.

As you probably already know, The Movies encompasses an extensive timeline, stretching throughout the entire 20th century. In the first portion of the demo we got acquainted with the fundamentals of running a movie studio. You begin in 1900, when movie production was exceedingly simple compared to today. Back then, it didn't take several years to make a movie. Basically, all you needed to do was get a camera and start rolling. So, this opening bit we saw clearly serves as a tutorial. You have nothing but a camera and a single cameraman at your disposal, so making low-budget flicks is your first task. Everything appeared to run smoothly and the interface looked intuitive and straightforward. It was pleasing to see the player faces challenges right from the start. Even though filming was a lot simpler than it is nowadays, there are still many crucial decisions to be made. If you have your heart set on running a successful studio you must determine which part of the business needs immediate expanding. Remember you have a tight budget at the beginning, so you decide whether money should be poured into research and development (to increase the quality of film sets) or better scripts and more experienced actors.

Another interesting facet we saw at work was the different range of character profiles. Each actor or actress has unique aspirations and a specific personality. For instance, if an actor is cast in a cheap action movie, and yet his talents are more suited for drama, he'll quite naturally feel disappointed and unfulfilled. Character statistics shown on screen seemed simple enough - salary, celebrity rating, ability and preferable genre. Like we've stated in our previous coverage, most actors and actresses with high celebrity ratings are inclined to demand all sorts of commodities on and off the set. We saw a rather simple solution to getting rid of a whining superstar. One such actor was simply sold off to another studio. Hm, that makes complete sense - if you can't please 'em, just sell 'em. (Can we sell Smapdey? - Six) (Quiet, you! - 2Lions)

Much like in real life, some people just cannot handle the pressure of being in the movies. So, there are actors who can just burst at any time and cause a debacle, which naturally causes a few problems. The demo that was on display gave an example of such behavior. We watched as a very popular actor climbed on the set completely drunk and still in his costume. Without much further ado, he was taken to a clinic and thrown into rehab. We noticed that the clinic features all sorts of treatments for actors and actresses that went "overboard" so to speak. Here acting talents may resolve almost any issue, from alcohol, anger management, to drug addiction, weight problems, and so on. Later on we were shown how an overweight actor could be treated. The once chubby exterior of the character transformed into an athletic and attractive physique -- showing off the Black and White morphing technology in action. Unfortunately, each therapy requires additional expenses and time. Production costs will increase if your key actors remain at the clinic too long.

Appearances are essential to a good acting career. If an actress, for example, is extremely talented and yet thoroughly unattractive, she's liable to effect the overall appeal of the movie. This can be easily remedied. Plastic surgeons can perform miracles, ya know. The idea, however, is not to overdo it, or you're likely to have a Loch Ness monster on your hands instead of a potential Pamela Anderson or Angelina Jolie. (Two words. Sharon Stone. Ewwwww. - Six)

As the game went on, we were able to witness the makings of an action flick. The action film boasted a delightful and exciting car chase scene. As soon as the cameras started rolling, the car raced off into action. At first the car meandered slowly through the street, but moving one of the sliders on the main screen brought more elaborate action scenes into play. Once the appropriate tone for the action was set, the car started spinning on the road and eventually rammed hard into a fire hydrant, causing a massive explosion, dealing fiery death to the city side, taking out a bus full of nuns and a third-grade class field trip in its wake. (Okay, I made that last bit up. - Six)

Aaaaand... CUT! That's a wrap everyone!

Filming is a serious business mind you. It takes patience and skill to see a project through to the end. Of course, even if you assemble the greatest film crew of all time, that doesn't necessarily mean your project will achieve financial success. And even if it does, you can still get slammed by the critics and general public for making a crappy move. To make your work worthy of the audience, you should take the time to listen to your advisors - but, you still have to proceed with caution, because even they can be wrong sometimes. Essentially, it's all up to you.