Scarface: The World Is Yours

""The World, Chico... And Everything in It""

I'm not the world's biggest "Scarface" fan, and even though I AM a self-proclaimed Hip-Hop enthusiast, I don't think the Al Pacino vehicle is the single greatest film-going experience I've ever had in my life. I will give the film credit, though; it had a vast scope, it was fairly ambitious, and above all else, it was entertaining. Some could argue that Brian De Palma's gangster epic was too over-the-top (story and acting-wise) or just overlong as a whole, but, all in all, it's one of the better modern gangster movies of this generation. Many, many years later (a good 23), Vivendi Games decided they wanted to sequelize it with, instead of another film, a video game. I had my qualms about the idea, but if it could be done successfully, I saw nothing wrong with it. Although Pacino wouldn't be lending his iconic presence to the project (only through his likeness would he be present), the supporting cast reads almost like a Hollywood checklist (some of the voice talent includes Cheech Marin, Michael Rapaport, Anthony Anderson, Tommy Chong, Robert Davi, Ice-T, Michael Rooker, and more). On top of that, the developers were going for a "Grand Theft Auto III"-style opus where you perform various missions, building up your criminal empire as the game progresses, and eventually capping the game off with one, big memorable ending. All of the ingredients were in place to make this one hell of an experience and, Vivendi, I personally thank you for taking a good movie, then turning it into a beast of a game. You have, without a doubt, managed to make THE greatest film-to-game adaptation I've ever played. Bet on it.

"Scarface: The World Is Yours" picks up not WHERE the movie left off, but actually during the ending of the now-classic film. It goes like this, folks; instead of Tony receiving that fatal shotgun blast to the back like he does in the De Palma epic, you are able to gun down the Bolivian shooter, escape from the mansion (blasting your way out, of course), and start all over again. In typical gaming fashion, you have absolutely nothing to your name at this point so you must start at the bottom rung, but this “alternate take” on a familiar story, a story so many of those who will play this game SHOULD know like the back of their hand, is presented pretty fantastically. There's more bloodletting and everything is much more stylized than it was in the film, but that's half the fun of this game. Instead of taking the more subdued route, Vivendi incorporated strategy elements with fantastic run-n-gun gameplay, perfectly varying the the gameplay and also making the story that much more interesting. "Scarface" is, at times, predictable, but the dialogue is sharp and the plot is deftly written, however.

"Scarface" consists of, for the most part, the same forms of gameplay that were present in "GTA III" and its subsequent "add-ons;" you carry out various missions to achieve one major goal, and that goal being rebuilding your empire. "Scarface" loads you down with boating missions, driving missions, protect-this-guy-and-make-it-to-the-exit-in-one-piece missions, assassination missions, and more. There's tons of variety and I don't suspect you, the gamer, will quickly tire of them. "Scarface" is the type of game that you can spend hours on, because of its variety, and not be aware of it. There is also a lot of shooting to be done. But that's just fine because the shooting mechanic is a blessing in disguise; it's one of the best I've ever used. Cars handle well, thankfully, and with the variety in cars and in their varying attributes, there's much to discover. Aside from the missions, you can also customize your mansion after you have refurbished it, buy & sell drugs (no kidding), take over businesses, distribute cocaine, buy businesses (which is essential to completing the game), and other fun little things. "Scarface" is loaded with goodies that will keep diehard fans of the film entertained and the gamer in all of us just as complacent.

"Scarface's" graphics engine looks very much like one taken from a modified "San Andreas." And, although they do look quite dated, they serve their purpose effectively. The lighting effects are decent and the locales are nicely detailed, as are the main characters, but the character skins are obviously low-res. There's no doubt that this title had to meet the "all systems" requirement. Aside from that, however, Tony's character skin does, indeed, look like Al Pacino and that is one big plus. The cars sport some fancy decals and look fairly decent despite the engine's obvious drawbacks as well. Also, we get a nice water effect and even some spectacular looking explosions. That might not sound like much, but when a an in-game engine looks as dated as this one does, you'll take what you can get. The combat, thanks in large part to great special effects, is also quite satisfying. But if your pet peeve is high quality character models, "Scarface" will, without a doubt, disappoint you.

If there is any modern game that truly sounds like a movie, this has to be it. From the various sound effects, to the music, to the top-notch voice acting, “Scarface” is one of the better sounding action/free-roam games I've ever played. In terms of voice acting, as I mentioned, this one is certainly above average. Although some may be put off by the fact that Pacino doesn't supply the character of Tony Montana with his trademark voice and charisma and, instead, it is voice actor Andre Sogliuzzo who provides the voice of Tony instead, fear not, loyal “Scarface” fans, as Mr. Sogliuzzo provides a pitch-perfect rendition of Al's performance. I honestly could not tell the two apart even if I tried. The rest of the cast, which consists mostly of (in)famous Hollywood names, is also top-notch. Even Bam Margera finds time to swing by and provide the voice of a liquor store owner. As far as sound effects are concerned, they all sound realistic enough and the sound quality is definitely reasonable. You won't need a top-of-the-line sound card to get the most out of this game audio-wise, which is also a plus, but one certainly wouldn't hurt matters. And, since the game is set in the ‘80s, expect a lot of ‘80s tunes. For those that dig that sort of thing, “Scarface” has you covered. The wide assortment of ‘80s Pop, Rock, and Rap (and that's just skimming the surface) that you can choose from is extraordinary.

For a game that is represented on three platforms, it controls surprisingly well on a mouse and keyboard. Driving is no hassle at all and - after a few test runs - you'll be barreling down busy streets, jumping bridges, and generally causing mayhem. The steering mechanics are also top-notch and, believe me, they certainly do help. The shooting mechanic, as well, is also one of the better ones I've accustomed myself to. You have the choice of either “free shooting” or locking on to a target. As odd as it may seem to have an auto-lock system on the PC platform, combining both this free-look form of gunplay AND the auto-lock aiming is perfect. The controls are intuitive and responsive and, although there is a lot to get used to, once you become accustomed to it, the game becomes that much easier to enjoy.

The AI is fairly sparse. Enemies lack any semblance of intelligence and, instead, perform cheaply programmed “tactics” to kill you off. Flanking maneuvers? Uh-huh. Working as a team? Nope. However, they WILL stand in one spot and take pot shots at you, duck behind cover while ALSO taking pot shots at you, move around a bit while STILL taking pot shots at you, etc… It's unfathomably simple. Even your AI-controlled teammates (which you get to purchase as your progress later in the game) are none too bright. But superficialities do not make a good game and this title really isn't hindered by the lackluster AI. It's still a blast to play, regardless.

“Scarface: The World Is Yours” is the game that fans of the film have been waiting for. If this was released as a sequel to the film, in movie form, 20 years ago, I would have had no problem buying into it. Needless to say, Vivendi is really onto something here. Even with average graphics, “Scarface” manages to be one of the best games of 2006. Proving that it's always gameplay over something as trivial as graphics, “Scarface” is, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played. If you are a fan of the film, or free-roam gameplay, I wholeheartedly recommend this title to you. And for those of you who have lost your faith in movie-to-game adaptations, “Scarface” should make you a believer again. It certainly did for me.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/22/07