For those of us who enjoy them, we can attest that Management sim games might be the most addicting genre in all of video games. That is why I was excited yet fearful to do this Blockbuster Inc. review. I’ve always fancied myself as a movie buff and loved hearing about the details of filmmaking. So you can mind that with a video game and I’m all there for it. I was just scared that it was going to take over my life And for a little while there it low key did.
So Blockbuster Inc, should you play it, who’s this game for, and is this a Hall of Fame management sim?
Let’s dive into it.
The Narrative:
There really isn’t a story that goes along with you managing your studio. Your journey is your story and that’s unfortunate that there wasn’t a narrative or at least a campaign mode to go with this game. It would have been really cool to have to manage a specific studio out of certain scenarios.
The Gameplay:
I love this concept of making a movie studio from scratch and managing aspects of it, such as hiring and assigning writers, actors, directors, etc to the movies that you want to create. The gameplay works as the following, you create the name of your studio, build your studio up literally using a building mechanic, hire a crew of people to make the movie work and then you yourself create the movies that you want your crew to work on.
You are one of six Studios and you are trying to bring in money and use that money to further your studio and make it be most successful. It is a simple concept but the gameplay around it is fun and entertaining enough that it makes the journey feel addicting and rewarding.
There is a light building mechanic associated with this game as well where you have to build offices for your directors, writers, and researchers so that they have a place to work at. You also have to build a maintenance room, lunchroom, lounge, and restrooms so that you can keep your team happy healthy, and whole. The building mechanic needs a bit of work especially compared to modern games that allow you to build the world around you like The Sims. I’ll touch on some of those later in the review.
Additional Pros:
I think it is a huge plus that there is a technology factor that you have to unlock by doing research. One of my favorite aspects about this is that the technology is pretty reasonable and accurate according to the decade era that you are in. For example in the 1920s and 1930s you have cameras microphones and lighting that you can unlock that is reflective of those eras.
Another really cool game mechanic that I want to shout out is the ability to buy the stocks of other studios to increase your monthly revenue. It’s a small mechanic but it really goes a long way into adding a realistic element of the game. Don’t get me wrong eventually, you will get successful enough that it becomes a monopoly and that’s not realistic but it’s a fun mechanic nonetheless.
Cons/Flaws:
I’m disappointed that there aren’t many achievements/trophies for this game. There are two and one of them is for completing the tutorial. That’s a bummer, especially for those who like collecting achievement trophies.
The overall enjoyment is marred by weird bugs and quality of life decisions. For example, there are times when I have all the personnel to work on a movie, everyone is happy, have the work hours set, and yet no one is working on the film. It is also weird that you can’t put some items like desks up against the wall. It’s little things like this that put a slight hamper on the joys of building.
Another con is that the end game isn’t well thought out. For example, you have to manage the egos and the happiness of your crew and as your crew goes in notoriety they often want you to rent them out a house or a mansion in this version of Hollywood. It is a great mechanic except that you quickly run out of housing space and there’s no way to expand that. So success becomes your enemy in the sense that the more successful people you have the less opportunity you have to house them and thus keep your crew happy. It seems like there should have been a way to expand the housing market if that was going to be in mechanics.
Overall/Should you Play Blockbuster Inc.:
If you aren’t into movie making and SIM games then I think this is a fun marriage of the two that fans of each would really enjoy. If you don’t like the tedious nature of SIM games this game definitely isn’t going to be for you. It’s not going to change your mind in that regard. While it feels Like this game missed some opportunities and had some quality-of-life issues I think it is an easy recommendation for fans of the genre. As long as you don’t expect too much you should have a great time.
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