BLOCKBUSTER INC. REVIEW - HOLLYWOOD DREAMS MEET BUGGY REALITY
Ever wondered what it would be like to run your own movie studio while fighting with a UI that seems designed by a drunk monkey with a vendetta against edge scrolling? Well, Blockbuster Inc. is here to answer that question, and boy, is it a mixed bag of popcorn.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, FRUSTRATION
Let's address the elephant in the room - this game desperately wants to be The Movies' cooler younger sibling, but ends up feeling more like its awkward cousin who tries too hard at family gatherings. Sure, it's got some neat tricks up its sleeve with expanded production customization and a more detailed studio management system, but it's also got more issues than a Hollywood tabloid.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BUGGY
The core concept is solid gold - you're running a movie studio, hiring talent, building sets, and trying to create the next big blockbuster. The customization options are genuinely impressive, letting you tweak everything from set designs to production schedules. It's like Planet Zoo had a baby with Mad Games Tycoon, except this baby occasionally throws tantrums and breaks itself.
MONEY PRINTER GO BRRR
The game's economy is about as balanced as a drunk tightrope walker. One minute you're scraping by, the next you're swimming in millions from a random hit movie that somehow won every award despite having the production value of a high school play. The stock market system is particularly broken - you can basically become a millionaire by playing Wolf of Wall Street instead of actually making movies, which kind of defeats the whole point.
INTERFACE FROM HELL
The UI feels like it was designed by someone who's never seen a computer before. Menu items are hidden away like Easter eggs, new mechanics pop up with zero explanation, and the edge scrolling is so aggressive it makes you feel like your mouse is possessed. I had to turn it off before I threw my computer out the window.
THE VERDICT
Blockbuster Inc. is like that movie that had an amazing trailer but ended up being a mess - it's got all the right ingredients but something went wrong in the kitchen. The customization and studio management aspects show real promise, but the broken economy, buggy systems, and frustrating UI make it feel more like an early access title than a full release.
It's a 6.1/10 - Like a Hollywood reboot that's got potential but needs several rounds of reshoots.
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way. Though we might need therapy after fighting with that edge scrolling system for the hundredth time.