You're in the Movies
Encyclopedia
is a party game
for the Xbox 360
that is bundled with the Xbox Live Vision Camera
, developed by Zoë Mode
. It was released by Codemasters
in the United States
and the United Kingdom
in 2008, and in Australia
and Japan
in 2009. The game is a process of filming a movie on one of the 30 scenarios that can involve up to four people. Actions include the application of make-up, jogging in place, driving a car and playing volleyball. Previous video can be stored on the console, as well as to send to friends via e-mail. The game was first previewed at Microsoft's Press Conference at E3 2008 in July 2008. It was later shown at the Games Convention
one month later. The game has met with mixed reviews, receiving criticism for the Xbox Live Vision Camera
bundled with the game.
to take video of up to four players and then record it on short films, making it seem as though they are the stars of the picture. Each of the 30 movies in the game is preceded by a small selection of mini-games that has players pretending to toss logs or steer bikes—movements that approximate what the movie's characters do on screen.
Scores are awarded based on how closely each player manages to mimic the action required. Afterwards, players have to do a series of pick-up shots by assuming various facial expressions for the camera, such as an evil grin or a look of intense concentration. The movie is assembled once enough shots have been captured, at which point players watch their recorded antics placed within the context of various sci-fi, thriller, and adventure
stories. Videos can be shared to people in different households via links sent by Xbox through email.
's Press Conference at E3 2008 in July 2008, Shane Kim announced the game, along with Scene it: Box Office Smash. The feature in the game that allows players to star in trailers for fake movies was shown in the conference. The movie shows was entitled "Cold Blooded" and was about a giant, radioactive salamander. Other Gameplay Footage was also shown during the conference as well. It was later shown at the Games Convention
one month later.
After its release in North America, Hollywood star Burt Reynolds
fronted a series of TV and magazine advertising spots for the game in Europe. The commercials featured Reynolds using his long and illustrious career as a part of the tinsel town A-list, starring in more than 90 feature films to date, to show would be leading men and women how to become stars by transforming their living rooms into Hollywood studios, capturing the attention and participation of family and friends.
Reynolds said It was "great to be able to share some of my experience with everyone about what it takes to be a movie star. You're in the Movies on Xbox 360 allows everyone to have a piece of the action and have a fun time with their friends and family, starring in their own features, from the comfort of their own homes." The TV campaign aired in major European markets in November 2008.
As mentioned in an interview on Gamespot
, Andy Trowers, the lead designer of the game, first had to prove that the game all worked. They made what's called a "vertical slide" of the game, where they made one movie and they thought about all the games that would make the actions. The whole of the first part of the development was about getting the vertical slide that worked and showed that the game was fun, showed that the technology works, and that was it. He also said that they "wanted people to be able to share movies" and "give people the freedom to do what they wanted."
based on 19 reviews. Video game reviewers from gaming websites and magazines gave criticism for the Xbox Live Vision Camera
bundled with the game.
Nate Ahearn on IGN
gave the game a 4.2/10, referring to the Vision Camera as "an annoyance" that "handcuffs the entire experience." Nate also criticized the pacing and the activities, which he called them "boring", stating "You’re in the Movies is bad, no matter how many beers you’ve consumed throughout the night." Don Francis
on Gamespot
gave the game a 4.5/10, and called it "a box-office bust, despite featuring your own recognizable stars." Francis shared the same criticism with the mini-games as Nate Ahearn did on IGN
, and also criticized the voice acting which he called "annoying", stating "Despite the pack-in camera, the problems of You're in the Movies drag this would-be game down, making the $60 price tag much too high to justify. There are better party games on the Xbox 360, and less expensive ways to get a Vision Camera." 1UP.com
's Tyler Barber gave it a C+, stating it was more of "a video game, not an acting studio."
Eurogamer
's Dan Whitehead was the harshest on the game, which he gave the game 2/10, stating "People don't live in movie studios. They live in houses and flats that are lit for comfort, not to fulfil the technical requirements of an ageing webcam. If you really want to put yourself and your friends on the TV, leave this failed experiment on the shelf, and put the money towards a digital camcorder instead."
Party game
Party games are games that some people play as forms of entertainment at social gatherings. Party games usually involve more than one player. There are a large number and styles of party games available and the one selected will depend on the atmosphere that is sought to be generated...
for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
that is bundled with the Xbox Live Vision Camera
Xbox Live Vision Camera
-Compatible games:In-game video support*American Idol Encore*American Idol Encore 2*Band of Bugs*Bankshot Billiards 2*Battlezone*Bomberman Live*Burnout Paradise - Photo taken after takedown occurs...
, developed by Zoë Mode
Zoë Mode
Zoë Mode is a subsidiary of Kuju Entertainment based in Brighton and London that develops music and party video games. The studio was formed in 2007 when it was rebranded from Kuju Brighton, itself formed from the remnants of Wide Games. On 1 September 2008, Zoë Mode opened a sister studio in...
. It was released by Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 2008, and in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 2009. The game is a process of filming a movie on one of the 30 scenarios that can involve up to four people. Actions include the application of make-up, jogging in place, driving a car and playing volleyball. Previous video can be stored on the console, as well as to send to friends via e-mail. The game was first previewed at Microsoft's Press Conference at E3 2008 in July 2008. It was later shown at the Games Convention
Games Convention
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
one month later. The game has met with mixed reviews, receiving criticism for the Xbox Live Vision Camera
Xbox Live Vision Camera
-Compatible games:In-game video support*American Idol Encore*American Idol Encore 2*Band of Bugs*Bankshot Billiards 2*Battlezone*Bomberman Live*Burnout Paradise - Photo taken after takedown occurs...
bundled with the game.
Gameplay
You're in the Movies uses the bundled Xbox Live Vision CameraXbox Live Vision Camera
-Compatible games:In-game video support*American Idol Encore*American Idol Encore 2*Band of Bugs*Bankshot Billiards 2*Battlezone*Bomberman Live*Burnout Paradise - Photo taken after takedown occurs...
to take video of up to four players and then record it on short films, making it seem as though they are the stars of the picture. Each of the 30 movies in the game is preceded by a small selection of mini-games that has players pretending to toss logs or steer bikes—movements that approximate what the movie's characters do on screen.
Scores are awarded based on how closely each player manages to mimic the action required. Afterwards, players have to do a series of pick-up shots by assuming various facial expressions for the camera, such as an evil grin or a look of intense concentration. The movie is assembled once enough shots have been captured, at which point players watch their recorded antics placed within the context of various sci-fi, thriller, and adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
stories. Videos can be shared to people in different households via links sent by Xbox through email.
Development
At MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Press Conference at E3 2008 in July 2008, Shane Kim announced the game, along with Scene it: Box Office Smash. The feature in the game that allows players to star in trailers for fake movies was shown in the conference. The movie shows was entitled "Cold Blooded" and was about a giant, radioactive salamander. Other Gameplay Footage was also shown during the conference as well. It was later shown at the Games Convention
Games Convention
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
one month later.
After its release in North America, Hollywood star Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
fronted a series of TV and magazine advertising spots for the game in Europe. The commercials featured Reynolds using his long and illustrious career as a part of the tinsel town A-list, starring in more than 90 feature films to date, to show would be leading men and women how to become stars by transforming their living rooms into Hollywood studios, capturing the attention and participation of family and friends.
Reynolds said It was "great to be able to share some of my experience with everyone about what it takes to be a movie star. You're in the Movies on Xbox 360 allows everyone to have a piece of the action and have a fun time with their friends and family, starring in their own features, from the comfort of their own homes." The TV campaign aired in major European markets in November 2008.
As mentioned in an interview on Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, Andy Trowers, the lead designer of the game, first had to prove that the game all worked. They made what's called a "vertical slide" of the game, where they made one movie and they thought about all the games that would make the actions. The whole of the first part of the development was about getting the vertical slide that worked and showed that the game was fun, showed that the technology works, and that was it. He also said that they "wanted people to be able to share movies" and "give people the freedom to do what they wanted."
Reception
You're in the Movies received generally mixed to negative reviews from critics. It currently holds a score of 55.92% on the aggregate gaming review site Gamerankings. It also received out of 100 at 55% from MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 19 reviews. Video game reviewers from gaming websites and magazines gave criticism for the Xbox Live Vision Camera
Xbox Live Vision Camera
-Compatible games:In-game video support*American Idol Encore*American Idol Encore 2*Band of Bugs*Bankshot Billiards 2*Battlezone*Bomberman Live*Burnout Paradise - Photo taken after takedown occurs...
bundled with the game.
Nate Ahearn on IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a 4.2/10, referring to the Vision Camera as "an annoyance" that "handcuffs the entire experience." Nate also criticized the pacing and the activities, which he called them "boring", stating "You’re in the Movies is bad, no matter how many beers you’ve consumed throughout the night." Don Francis
Don Francis
Donald Pinkston Francis is an American epidemiologist who worked on the Ebola outbreak in Africa in the late 1970s, and researched on HIV and AIDS. He retired from the U.S. Public Health Service in 1992, after 21 years of service. According to him, the White House wanted him fired, but in order to...
on Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game a 4.5/10, and called it "a box-office bust, despite featuring your own recognizable stars." Francis shared the same criticism with the mini-games as Nate Ahearn did on IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, and also criticized the voice acting which he called "annoying", stating "Despite the pack-in camera, the problems of You're in the Movies drag this would-be game down, making the $60 price tag much too high to justify. There are better party games on the Xbox 360, and less expensive ways to get a Vision Camera." 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's Tyler Barber gave it a C+, stating it was more of "a video game, not an acting studio."
Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
's Dan Whitehead was the harshest on the game, which he gave the game 2/10, stating "People don't live in movie studios. They live in houses and flats that are lit for comfort, not to fulfil the technical requirements of an ageing webcam. If you really want to put yourself and your friends on the TV, leave this failed experiment on the shelf, and put the money towards a digital camcorder instead."