StarMaker given to The Movies preorders

Peter Molyneux's upcoming sim The Movies has been in development for more than three years, and while the game's PC release date is still a few months away, would-be moviemaking mavens can get a head start on their masterpieces with a new character-creation utility from publisher Activision.

Customers who preorder The Movies at major retailers will receive StarMaker, a stand-alone piece of software that lets gamers design characters that can be imported into the full retail version of The Movies. StarMaker lets gamers tinker with a character's face, age, weight, and wardrobe, and it includes an option to morph different faces together to create new looks.

StarMaker is now available for preordering customers at Best Buy and will be available at EB Games and GameStop stores on August 25. The list of retailers expands in early September, with the disc becoming available at AAFES, Amazon, Comp USA, Hollywood Video, and Musicland. It will also be available from Wal-Mart Online when The Movies premieres later this fall.

For more on The Movies, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.