Active Reviews

Written by Edward Hankins

When I received my copy of Playboy: The Mansion I was intrigued as to just what kind of game it would be. Billed as a “life simulator” it seemed to be an X-rated version of The Sims, putting you in control of the vast Playboy empire and in the shoes of Hugh Hefner. Often games that deal in gratuitous sex and violence only sell copies because of their shock value; thankfully Playboy: the Mansion does not fall into this category. Though it is full of plenty of adult content, The Mansion is also fun and interesting game putting you in the virtual shoes of one of America’s greatest entrepreneurs.

First off this game is heavy in adult content and should not be played by minors without their parent’s permission. With that aside let’s get to the finer points of the game. As stated before The Mansion is a simulator in the style of The Sims. You start the game as Hugh Hefner with a small mansion and a limited number of acquaintances. Through the games 12 missions you will unlock more of the mansion and undress more if the women. To build the Playboy empire you must succeed at a myriad of tasks: hiring writers, throwing outlandish parties, choosing centerfolds, and even finding romance.

When starting a game you are given the choice of two types of game, empire mode and campaign mode. In empire mode you basically must build your empire from the ground up. You choose a certain goal, be it fame, money, or romance and you work to attain it. Some goals are much easier to obtain than others; often you will find yourself taking not months but years (game year’s not real years) to accomplish some of the more difficult tasks. Campaign mode is a little bit simpler than empire mode and not as in-depth. Campaign mode is more suited towards a quick game; there are dozens of campaigns to choose from so there is always something to keep you busy.

The basic plotline behind Playboy: the Mansion is establishment of your magazine and its success. You must choose the articles, the interviews, and the pictorial sections and of course you must have someone famous on the cover. But you don’t know anyone famous, so what do you do? Well you throw some lavish bunny parties at the mansion and invite prominent industry executives, athletes, and even politicians. A substantial portion of this game comes down to your social networking, and while it is not complicated it is vital to your success as a publisher.

Throwing successful parties will not only increase your fame but it will increase your bank account as well; but as we all know it takes money to make money, and to throw a successful party you will have to spend a little dough. You must also choose who you will invite and which bunnies will be providing the entertainment. By throwing parties you will meet celebrities, and by meeting celebrities you will have something or someone to write about in the magazine. Just like in real life, the more famous the celebrity the better your magazine will sell, but you can’t just invite any famous person and expect them to show up. You must first throw smaller parties and build your empire up before you can interview the “super stars.” It is kind of a catch-22, as to sell copies of the magazine you must have good content, hot centerfolds, and celebrity interviews, but to get all that you must have a successful magazine. So you must work your way up, start off slow and as you build your empire and improve your house you will find more and more options available.

The graphics in Playboy: the Mansion are decent but nothing special, just enough to get the job done. The game is played from a tilted overhead view allowing you zoom in and out at will. One problem that I had with the game was the limited number of animation routines and character styles. The girls that you photograph are essentially the same animation only with different hair colors and breast sizes. As taking pictures is a prominent theme in the game and requires a good portion of your time, you can imagine how it can become both tedious and tiresome taking pictures of the same virtual girl time and time again. Other than these few minor issues I could find nothing to complain about.

Playboy: the Mansion is definitely one of the most original games I have played in sometime, as I can honestly say I have never played anything quite like it. If you are an adult you will surely find this game entertaining, even without the virtual breasts.

Go back to the Playboy: The Mansion page.

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