At some point in the recent past, there was a top-secret meeting. All the fat cats from the video game factories were there and at the end of this meeting, they came to the consensus that video game just weren’t sexy enough and it was their responsibility to rectify this problem. The result of this meeting was several titles, which ranged in quality from slightly less than mediocre to downright abysmal.
The latest game in the genre is Playboy: The Mansion, which offers a delightful glimpse into the glamorous world of running a magazine. The player assumes the role of Hugh Hefner and then the fun begins. In Mission mode, which is the meat of the game, the player must take the magazine from a new publication to an unstoppable juggernaut. The in-game tutorial does an excellent job of teaching the player to successfully interact with others and of introducing the player to the components of putting the magazine together.
Each issue consists of a cover page, an article, an essay, an interview, a pictorial and a centerfold. The player must keep journalists and photographers on staff in order to produce content; it is important to establish a rapport with a number of celebrities so that there can be a constant source of people to write essays, sit for interviews and pose for the cover. In one of the more interesting parts of the game, the player is responsible for coordinating all of the photo shoots. This includes selecting the outfit (or lack thereof) of the subject and actually taking the pictures. Getting content is not that difficult at all- the player only needs to ask the journalist or a celebrity to write an article or essay and s/he will do it, provided that they like Hugh enough. The same applies to doing a cover shoot with a certain celebrity. The quality of the content depends in part on the celebrity’s relationship with the journalist or photographer.
I have not spent very much time playing The Sims, but it’s quite obvious that Playboy: The Mansion borrows heavily from The Sims. There’s nothing wrong with this, per se. After all, The Sims is a popular franchise and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, is it not? In addition to putting together the magazine, the player also has the opportunity to decorate the mansion, which starts out with the barest essentials. Of course, there are a wide variety of items to choose from and new items are unlocked as a reward for completing certain tasks. As the game progresses, new areas of the mansion are unlocked, which allows for new places to explore and showcase at celebrity parties.
Another gameplay aspect that is very similar to The Sims is the importance of establishing relationships with other people. In order to initiate a conversation with someone, the player simply walks up to that person and the conversation begins. The player can choose whether or not they want to begin the conversation with a pickup line, a friendly handshake, or a formal handshake. The manner in which the person is approached will affect the nature of the conversation. A pickup line will lead to a hug, making out, and eventually an intimate encounter on whatever piece of furniture happens to be nearby. Becoming friends with a celebrity is advantageous; by inviting that celebrity to the "Inner Circle", the player can invite them over at any time. This is very useful for producing a steady stream of interviews and essays. It is very easy to achieve whichever type of relationship you want need for any given scenario.
I never had a problem establishing a rapport with a celebrity, despite the fact that the mission stated that said celebrity was notoriously reclusive or snobby. Quite a few of the missions involve establishing some sort of a rapport with a celebrity, so the relative ease of getting to know someone led to a lot of repetition which gets old fast.
This does not mean that the game is not enjoyable. While less repetition would have been ideal, it was still a lot of fun putting together issues and getting Hef to hook up with people.
Graphically, the game is serviceable, but there is nothing breathtaking or spectacular. There is quite a bit of glitchiness in the environment: in the pool area, there was a box of supplies and for some reason, the chaise lounge kept popping out of the box over and over again. There are also numerous issues with clipping and jaggies that you wouldn’t normally expect to see from an Xbox title. The characters look cartoonish, and all the girls are beautiful (except for the ugly ones).
There is very little voice acting in Playboy: The Mansion. Instead, the characters just mutter at each other, just like in that other simulation of real life game. However, there are a couple of advisors who pop up from time to time to offer some verbal advice and encouragement. Players can choose what sort of music is played in the background by toying around with the radio. Players can also import their own music into the game via the Xbox's custom soundtracks. Sound effects are not always in sync with what is happening, however. For example, the aforementioned "intimate encounters" are accompanied by appropriate sound effects. However, after the player presses the button to end the encounter, the sounds continue, even though the characters are walking away.
Playboy: The Mansion does offer quite a bit of entertainment value. Unfortunately, glitchy graphics and sounds cut into the game’s overall credibility. Completing missions and putting together issues of the magazine were a lot of fun at first, but because there was so much repetition, they became more like chores rather than a pleasant diversion. If you absolutely have to have an infamous game, Playboy: The Mansion is better than the other games it has been categorized with, but if you’re looking for a quality title, these are not the droids you’re looking for.
