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The Movies: Stunts and Effects

Score: 89%
ESRB: Teen
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Media: CD/1
Players: 1
Genre: Simulation/ Themed

Graphics & Sound:

There was nothing better than being able to make your own movies with The Movies. So how do you make it better? You make it bigger and badder in true Hollywood fashion with The Movies: Stunts and Effects. This is truly an add-on, so you do not have to start over from scratch. You can interject the expansion pack at any point in your personal movies experience, as long as you have built a studio that is currently in the 60's era of movie making. Plug in The Movies: Stunts and Effects and take advantage of new sets, costumes, scenes and of course, stunt work. Or use the quick start to jump right into the action and get a taste of what having stuntmen is like.

The look and feel for the game has not changed. You simply have more to see. The graphics and animations of the newly added expansion are clean and crisp, just like the original title.

Don't expect any dialogue just yet. You get the same sim-esque babble as before. I would really love to see an expansion called I am ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille, where you can use a microphone to add lip-synching to your scenes. You would be right in front of the camera, so you could get those classic face shots.


Gameplay:

With The Movies: Stunts and Effects, you have the added features of creating stunt scripts, filming on miniature sets, acting against a green screen, and using stuntmen in your movies. Start off by building a stunt school to attract stunt talent and add them to your studio. Along with building the stunt school, you have the ability to build a hospital. Trust me, you are going to need it. Whereas other actors care about their petty lives of trailers and entourages, the stunt men just care about their skill and condition. You use the hospital to make sure your stuntmen stay in peak physical condition. Now that you have your school and your hospital, you will need to train your stuntmen in the ways of the stuntman arts. You can achieve this with special training apparatuses. Just like getting an actor to practice a specific genre, after building a training area, you drop your stunt man in and watch him go. Make sure to keep an eye on their condition.

When cast into a movie, a stunt-man's performance can make or break a feature film. In order to write a script with a stuntman after you have built your school, you will see a helmet icon inside of your scripting office for each genre. Simply drop your script writer onto the helmet the same way you would for a normal movie and they will begin work on your stunt script. When your script is completed, you will have to cast a stuntman alongside one or more of your leading actors. You don't have to assign a stuntman every time. You can take the risk of a lead actor doing their own stunts, and audiences love it. However, you risk the health and longevity of your star if things go wrong.

Once rehearsal has been completed, it is onto the set for shooting. A notifier will chime letting you know when your stunt scene is approaching so you can see the stunt in action. You will also be notified when a stunt has been successfully filmed or if it has been a failure.

Along with these added bonuses for your movies, you also have access to a free camera mode when inside of The Advanced Movie Maker that puts you in the role of script writer and director. The new sets, props, and scenes give you even more options to play with. They have also added the stunt filter allowing you to quickly choose those scenes that have stunts. Make a "Godzilla"-like romp through the city with the miniature sets or film against the green screen for a realistic space look.


Difficulty:

The Movies: Stunts and Effects is a challenging addition to The Movies family. You have more to keep up with in the regular game mode, and there are many options to balance to produce the best movies there are.

Game Mechanics:

There have been no changes to the way the game works directly. You use the same grab and drop method of getting all of your people into place. The added camera control can take a few runs to get used to. To operate the free cam, you click on the free cam icon, choose a start and finish location marker, and let 'er rip. It is that easy.

I love the new expansion, and I am already hungry for more. Hey, it is Hollywood after all; you always want more. You are going have hours of added material with the introduction of the new toys available in The Movies: Stunts and Effects. For now, I return to my life's passion of directing. See you in the movies!


-WUMPUSJAGGER, GameVortex Communications
AKA Bryon Lloyd

Minimum System Requirements:



3D Hardware Accelerator Card required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible 32MB Hardware T&L-capable video card and latest drivers, An English version of Microsoft Windows® 98SE/ME/2000/XP, Pentium® III 800MHz or Athlon&tm; 800MHz processor or higher, 256MB RAM, 8x speed CD-ROM drive and latest drivers, 2.4GB of uncompressed free hard drive disk space (plus 500MB for Windows® swap file), 100%DirectX® 9.0c compatible 16-bit sound card and latest drivers, 100%Windows® 98SE/ME/2000/XO compatible mouse, keyboard and latest drivers, DirectX® 9.0c
 

Test System:



Windows XP Pro, 3.2 GHz P4HT CPU, 2 GHz Ram, 256 PCIE 16 ATI X300

Microsoft Xbox 360 MotoGP \'06 Sony PlayStation 2 Urban Chaos: Riot Response

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated