Scarface: The World Is Yours

"Much more involved and intense than GTA, and much less gimmicky"

Scarface has been one of my all-time favourite movies for a long time. It is possibly the most satisfying and entertaining drama to date, with one of Al Pacino's career defining performances.

Now due to the track record of movie to game conversions, I was very worried about what they would do to my favourite movie. Usually game developers look past subtleties to the film that made it special in our hearts in order just to ride the movie's famous name to a cash filled bonanza. However, in this case the developers have cared about how sacred the Scarface movie is to its fans and actually taken steps to ensure its fans would not be offended. And, in my opinion, they've succeeded, and in doing so have also surpassed all my expectations.

Story: 6/10
You are Tony Montana, "political refugee" from Castro's Cuba in the 1980's, and after starting at the bottom you have climbed the ladder to become Miami's most notorious cocaine drug lord. But after certain incidents with your supplier, Sosa, he has sent his men to destroy you and your empire. The game begins in your mansion in the infamous "say hello to my li'l friend" scene, surrounded by Sosa's men. Even though you manage to fight your way out, you have lost everything, and the aim of the game is to climb back up the ladder and take over Miami the only way you know how: selling cocaine.

This game was stepping on thin ice when it was announced that it would pick up where the movie left off, except Tony Montana would survive. When this was first announced, I was outraged. However, when you start the game from the scene where he is killed, but you have the opportunity to learn from his mistakes and fight your way out of the mess, it is far easier to suspend belief than it would be if you simply started in Miami and told you had survived the onslaught. Overall, it's done quite well, and this is coming from a fan who is easily offended by such things (don't get me started on the Silent Hill movie). The story is very overt in the game and everything you do in the game seem to make sense unlike being in GTA and running around for no reason most of the time. The only reason the story gets six out of ten is that the scripting is close to awful. The writers have made blatant attempts to try and come up with things that Tony Montana might have said in the movie, but instead come up with annoying cliches and really pathetic and not at all witty dialogue. I guess Oliver Stone was away for the weekend.

There is a ridiculous amount of swearing in this game, and quite frankly I don't know how it got past the tight gaming regulations here in Australia.

Gameplay: 10/10
This game has been criticised as merely a Grand Theft Auto rip off, and although it may appear like on first glance, you will quickly learn that this is far from the truth. There are some similar aspects to GTA such as the free roaming environments and the heavy emphasis on driving, taking out gangs, and avoiding police, but to be honest I feel they've created a unique spin on it and, quite frankly, done it better.

Whereas GTA is mission based and to break the monotony there are all kinds of gimmicky sub-games, the main aspect of Scarface is to distribute your merchandise and to manage the fronts you have established to make Montana Enterprises seem much more legit. There is a high emphasis on management and defense of your empire, distribution, earning reputation, relationships with contacts, rival gangs and police, and, most importantly, money.

The basic pattern of gameplay, to start off with at least, is to make contacts with suppliers by doing jobs for them, whether they be delivery, assassination or protection etc. Then you will make a deal with the supplier, and with the cocaine you purchase, you sell on the streets to start making money. As you make more money you will have greater access to bigger suppliers and you will also buy shops to act as a front for your cocaine empire.

True to the movie, first you get the money, then you start to get power in terms of reputation, and then, yes, you start to get scantily dressed women who hang around your mansion.

Also true to the movie, you can not kill civilians, and you can also enter a "Rage" mode where you become invincible and have infinite ammo for a short period of time. This was inspired from the moments in the movie where Scarface flipped out and just started kicking ass all around the place.

Above all things else, Scarface is fun, something that a lot of developers seem to have forgotten about lately!

Controls: 10/10
Initially I was a bit annoyed because I was used to GTA controls, but after a short while I was totally sold on the control system. It is very intuitive and allows for great control of the character, especially in the fights, which is an area that GTA falls far short. At no point did I actually feel like it was the control's fault that I died.

There is a taunt button which is a very cool addition, and very true to the Tony Montana character. Every time you run into a car or pedestrian or kill an enemy you can abuse them and you are rewarded for doing so.

Sound: 9/10
A lot of effort has gone into the sound in this game. There is something like over 40,000 lines of dialogue, and pretty much every piece of it is incredibly well voiced with celebrities such as Cheech Marin, Anthony Anderson, Ice-T, Ricky Gervais, and Scarface actors Steven Bauer and Robert Loggia. Al Pacino was not offered the role of Tony Montana under the claim that he would sound too much like an old man and not like how Tony Montana was in the 80s (but they probably just couldn't afford him). Instead, Andre Sogliuzzo, veteran videogame voice talent (True Crime, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, F.E.A.R.,...) takes up the challenge, apparently chosen by Pacino himself, and while it's not quite spot on it's very, very close and in all honesty actually probably speaks clearer than Pacino's Montana.

The sound effects are great with a wide variety of sounds and the soundtrack is also quite good. In place of the radio we have Tony's mix tapes which we can customise with our favourite tracks. Unfortunately, Universal/Sierra hasn't been able to obtain the same kind of licensing deals Rockstar seems to pull, so compared to GTA there are nowhere near as many great tracks. In fact, most of the songs are either Cuban/Latino, or rap/hip hop. A lot of the music isn't even from the 80s. This is the main downside to the music on this game. Fortunately though, all of Giorgio Moroder's amazing soundtrack is included with bonus tracks.

Graphics: 7/10
Overall, this game is very nice looking with stunning environments based very closely on Miami beach. So if this game looks great, why only seven out of ten for the graphics? There is a very noticeable glitch, and that is that the loading distances are appalling. Even traffic on the road loads at what appears to be only about 30-50 metres and is only just enough for you to get out of the way. In some instances where you are being chased, you may look behind you to see if the car is still there, only to find that you've crashed into the enemy car that has somehow morphed in front of you when you were checking your rear. Also, if you are fleeing from the cops and they have set up a spike trap, there is no way you will see it until it's too late.

Value: 10/10
At $80 AUD this was excellent value, especially since it came with a special making-of DVD with lots of interesting insights into the game. Even if it wasn't for the DVD, the gameplay of this game provides enough value for the keen gamer. Probably the best parts are the distribution runs when rival gangs start attacking your fronts, so you're frantically running about trying to defend your empire while simultaneously maximising your profits by delivering merchandise in the shortest time possible.

Overall, I would recommend that everyone at least try out this game and give it a chance. Although it looks like GTA it doesn't feel like GTA. It is a game with a lot of good ideas that have been very well executed and those of you who starting to find GTA a little tedious will enjoy the depth that the management/relationship/distribution aspects of Scarface bring.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/25/07