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You're in the Movies (YITM) is a camera based game, of which the Xbox 360 has very few, this game looks set to change that as it attempts to provide lighthearted family entertainment. Does You're in the Movies prove to be 'the' game to break out your Vision Camera for, or is it rather just too much effort to get up and running?
Gameplay:
YITM contains a variety of mini-games, each having up to 4 positions for gamers to star in their own feature length theatrical movie trailer. In the event of there being less than 4 players taking part, then the remaining slots are filled out by actors that are already featured in the game. This tends to break up the enjoyment somewhat of viewing your film back, it's always more enjoyable with the total 4 players (in some cases substituting for your Michael Jackson figure if needed).
The mini-games include the likes of whacking wasps before they get to sting you, getting your close-up expressions on camera, and an awful lot of running on the spot and playing various musical instruments. You're in the Movies is a very entertaining experience, especially if you're just watching. You'll soon get used to your friends making fools of themselves, and with any luck, be joining in on the mindless fun that You're in the Movies provides, yourself.
The reasoning behind the title of the game is a simple concept, that's not just because you can see yourself performing the mini-games on your own TV, with the game cutting out the background and focusing on just the players, dropping you in its own themed backdrop. YITM records all of your acting sessions in the game's variety of mini-games that are on offer. When choosing to make a movie from the menu, you are first required to select one of the available movies to be featured in, and quickly line your face(s) up in the 4 positions available to select your role in the film.
There are some settings that you're required to quickly run through before the game commences, this an attempt to quickly tweak the camera position and distance for players that will be standing, as well as, and more importantly, the lighting in the room. Whilst getting the settings spot-on can be a chore, and not always achievable, given the lighting and size of the room available. A switch around in our room and some furniture moving, and we were all good to go, achieving much better results in the final cut. In the end, the tweaking is worth the effort to get near-perfect results. With things like lighting not being correct for the game and distance from the camera, then your image portrayed on screen can often have some blank spots, which just proves more frustrating than anything else, though the game still manages to provide an excessively amusing experience regardless of some irregularities that may effect some user's set-ups.
During set-up, the game asks all players to move out of the camera's view. The game then takes a snapshot of your room as the camera sees it, at which point all players can step back into view and be treated and initially mesmerized to see themselves in a different background. Essentially what's happened here is that the game takes note of your background, rendering it invisible, then any new additions that step-in view, such as yourself, friends/family, will then be displayed, simply appearing cut-out from your own environment. So when participating in mini-games, such as dancing at the disco or outdoors running away from deranged monkeys or a tornado, you are no longer in your living room but are in the disco or outdoors, well, at least on your TV anyway.
The mini-games you take part in and the footage of your performances that is recorded will not be putting you in the same situation in the final cut. For example, one of the mini-games will have you turning a valve quickly as water is rising putting you in imminent danger, though in the final trailer this will likely have you at the steering wheel of a speeding getaway car or something fairly similar. It is your performance that is recorded and not the entire mini-games, which can sometimes make the acting more difficult as you've really no idea what you may end up doing in the final feature. All performances in the mini-games from the selected movie you've chosen to star in are then edited after completion and cut into a final feature-length trailer for all to view back. The concept proves rather genius in the way that it just works, and can naturally be saved for later viewing. Your masterpiece can even be uploaded from your saved films collection, where the film will then be retrievable from your computer via. the email address associated with the uploader's Xbox Live Gamertag.
After a while, and especially if playing solo, you may become tired of the movie-based scenario rather quickly, and just want to check out the various mini-games on offer. If you find you want to revisit a specific mini-game or try and find something new, then in the Game Options you will find that the mini-games are accessible and playable in any order you please, without the fuss of yourself being recorded and cut into a cheap film trailer. Though not to knock the overall experience, the game is entertaining if you've got the numbers to make up the party, which is what the experience is clearly all about.
Graphics:
Visually, You're in the Movies is a tough nut to crack, the emphasis is very much on the player detected by the Xbox Live Vision Camera, though the environments. While there not over the top with the amount of detail on offer, they do pertain an aesthetic nature that fits in with the game. More so in the rather corny final trailers that come along with the typical over-the-top voice overs that you find in a lot of real film trailers.
Sound:
The annoying but appropriately wacky voice acting with carnival like theme music fits the bill perfectly. With various sound effects from disco music, vicious wasps and raging chimps, the game's audio falls in-line suitably well with what's on offer. The only thing we'd like to hear less of is the game's main voice-over which can be heard throughout navigating the menus and providing tips before each film take; it's something that is painstakingly hard to endure after several hours play.
Longevity:
Provided you have people that are interested in playing, and even the people that aren't really interested in gaming, may just become somewhat mesmerized by this game. So it's not likely going to be that difficult to fill up the game with 4 players. While it can be played with just 1 player, the game is at its best, just in enjoyment and laughs when you have the full party of 4 players in there, acting their little hearts out. Many of the selectable films on offer do have you repeating various mini-games, which can become a bit of a nuisance over time, though the immediate fun factor that the game presents holds true for a long while, and if you've got kids around, it's not likely to be something they'd grow tired of anytime soon. Add to that the Director Mode, which enables you to grab scenes from all of the unlocked films, mix them up and create your own masterpiece, complete with your own voice-over via your trusty Xbox Live Headset, then you have the potential, with patience, to create and edit together your own unique films to be featured in at a later date.
Overall:
The first good camera game for the Xbox 360 is finally here, now you have a use for your camera other than Video Chat and sending your friends random and weird images rather spontaneously. As the game comes in two flavours, with or without the camera, then if you've been looking for an excuse to pick-up the camera, then this game is most certainly a good reason to take the plunge, especially if you've been wanting to give features such as Video Chat a look-in. You're in the Movies, will easily appeal to kids, but adults are sure to find this game just as entertaining.
The Xbox 360 is attempting to make a bigger push towards the strange phenomenon that is casual gaming. very few games on the platform, especially camera games, succeed in captivating, though YITM does a decent job. Chances are if you're reading this, you're a 'hardcore' gamer, and the thought of 'acting' stupid in front of the camera does little to entertain you. Perhaps seeing your friends and family getting involved, will provide you the different kind of entertainment you never thought you'd get from your Xbox 360. Humiliation is also an odd phenomenon, watching is strangely satisfying, though you may find that you pass caring about that, and want to simply join in on the fun. The gamer in you just may want to prove your dominance in this game too, though be sure to have a towel and some water nearby dear gamer, you'll be needing these with the long acting/exercise sessions ahead.
| Review By: Wayne Julian - Overall Rating 7.5 (out of 10) |
| Gameplay: |
7.5 |
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| Graphics: |
7 |
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| Sound: |
6.5 |
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| Longevity: |
7 |
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| Overall: |
7.5 |
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