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Genre: Sim
Format: DVD
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Mac Port: Robosoft Technologies
Mac Publisher: Feral Interactive
System Requirements: Mac OS X v10.4, 1.6GHz PowerPC, 512MB RAM, 64MB video card, 8GB free hard disk space
Review Computer: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo aluminum MacBook, 2GB DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Network Feature: No
Processor Compatibility: Universal
Price: $49.95
ESRB Rating: 16+
Availability: Out now
Official Website: www.feralinteractive.com/game/superstar

Here’s an instance where a late repackaging of a fairly old game (even by Mac release standards) really does improve upon the value of the original. Also, it gives gamers a second chance to pick up a game they may have previously missed. The game in question is The Movies. The packaging in question is The Movies: Superstar Edition.

Now, understand that if you own The Movies and the Stunts & Effects Expansion Pack, there’s nothing here to justify buying this release. You’ve already got what you need, so have fun. In fact, if you have The Movies but don’t have the expansion pack, you still shouldn’t buy this. Cheaper to just get the expansion.

Rather, this is a box for those who have neither, which is a shame, because this really is a fun, engaging, and surprisingly creative game. The Movies puts you in charge of a major motion picture studio, and pretty much everything else that goes along with it. Hire actors, fire actors and send them to rehab. Assign directors to movies. Research new filmmaking technologies. Decide where on the lot to plant a tree. Determine whether there’s more money to be made in comedies, in romances or in dressing vampires in baseball pants and letting them run around in the woods for half an hour.

The Movies is a sandbox game at its heart, meaning you start with a lot full of dirt and seek to build your empire. Build a set or two, get a director and a couple actors who’s strengths match the type of film you’re making, train some crew members, annnnnnd…cut! Your first movie’s done. Money starts to come in despite the bad reviews, and things start to grow.

As you move along, this becomes more and more difficult to manage. It’s a strategy sim, and that means micromanagement. Plenty of micromanagement. Getting the right actor for a part is easy, but keeping said actor happy is not. As the movies start to make money, actors’ demands increase. If their demands are met, they become unhappy, which translates to bad performances, which translates to poor box office. So, you give them makeovers, send them to rehab, whatever it takes. If they start to cost you more than they make you, you fire them and begin the search for the next young talent.

You have two choices here. You can try to win by pampering your actors, or you can drive them to self destruction. You won’t win that way, but it’s still fun. Chances are, you’ll want to advance, and that means you’ll have to manage finances, construction, and other such nonsense. There’s an audience for this kind of stuff. I get that. But I’d prefer if a game such as The Movies focus more on making movies and less on placement of the cafeteria.

It’s doubly annoying here, because what you’ll really want to do is just start making your own movies. Seriously, The Movies allows you to make your own movies that you can share on the Internet. Create an advanced script studio, and you’re presented with iMovie-like controls that allow you to drag storyboard elements into a timeline to create your own movie. Add dialogue, insert a soundtrack (from iTunes or GarageBand in the Macintosh version, or you can select from over 30 tracks of original music included specially for this package), edit it down (you can even use your iMovie transitions and effects), then export it to share with the YouTube world.

Creating your own movies is a fun experience once you get the hang of it, and it adds plenty of replay value to the game. You may eventually get bored with building your cinematic empire, but you can keep creating movies well after the heroes have ridden off into the sunset. Understand, though, that this will take work and training. Thankfully, the printed manual is very well written. Its pages actually reach into the double digits! Five times over! In addition, The Movies features in game tutorials to help you on your way. Play them. This is not a game to rush into or through. Take your time with it, don’t get turned off early by its complexity, and after a while, you may not want to play anything else.

And that’s why this is such great timing for this package. There is nothing else. As I mentioned early on, if you’ve already got The Movies, you don’t need this edition. But if you’ve never played it, now’s the time to give it a try. For $50, you get the full game, you get the complete Stunts & Effects Expansion Pack, and you get some bonus costumes, sets and music. More importantly, you get a great game that, quite honestly, can keep you entertained for years.