Playboy: The Mansion
System: XBox   Publisher: Arush Entertainment/Groove Games   Developer:  Cyberlore Studios  Genre: Strategy   Release Date: 01/25/05

Pro/Con:  In order to unlock the more popular items the missions must be completed which creates a great deal of anticipation for those that are interested in decorating the mansion.  This also adds a lot of hours to the gameplay time.  However it can be a bit frustrating if all that you are interested in is the decorating and you want all of the items without having to go through all of the missions.  The missions themselves can be a bit silly and can get to be a bit monotonous, but if all you want is to veg out for the day playing a video game that takes no skill then these missions are just the thing to help you out.  Playboy: The Mansion becomes repetitive after a few hours of playing it since all of the playmates pose the same way and many of them look so similar that you cannot even tell them apart after awhile.  The missions all seem to become one giant blur because most of them feel the same as the one before.  The addictive nature of this game is what keeps most people glued to their televisions because once you start it is hard to stop.  The extras that you will find in the start menu are more of a tease than anything else.  The half naked photos of the women just leave you wanting more.  The cheats are a bit campy and really add very little to the play of the game, except a few laughs that may last a couple minutes tops.  The graphics are decent, in my opinion, they are better than the other Sims-type games.  The bodies on the women are very curvy and very silicon looking.  In other words, they are everything that I would like to be.  The camera feels natural and it is easy to use even for an inexperienced player, however; objects can obstruct your view during the photo shoots.  Before playing Playboy: The Mansion I would suggest saving some of your own music on to your game station since most of the limited music that comes with the game is not really a popular mix of the times.  The music, especially if it is your own, adds a lot of color to the game.

Playboy: The Mansion may be the perfect game for you, but then again it may not.  I would not go so far as to call it a hit, but I would not call it a bomb either, it’s simply a good game to fill up some time in your day.  If you want an addictive game that is simply mediocre then Playboy: The Mansion is the perfect game for you.

Miranda Stites, HeroesOfGaming.com, 07/21/05