By Rangebar Merani
Platform: PS2, also on
Xbox and PC
Publisher: Vivendi Universal Games
Developer: Radical Entertainment
ESRB Rating: Mature
Genre: Action
Everyone has seen Scarface, right? If you haven’t, well, I feel sorry for you and you must go watch it this very moment.
For those of you who have seen it, remember the scene at the end in Tony’s mansion? Suppose Tony didn’t die. Suppose he got away from Sosa’s guys and escaped. That’s what Radical Entertainment has done with this game. Scarface: The World Is Yours puts you in the role of Tony Montana, but without his empire, his drugs, his reputation and last but not least, his “balls.”
The idea of changing the story to arguably one of the most famous movies ever might anger some folks, but I think it’s a pretty cool idea. Scarface: The World Is Yours takes place in beautiful Miami. You might recall Grand Theft Auto: Vice City also took place in a Miami-style city. And you guessed it; a lot of things in Scarface are very similar to that of Vice City. The whole 1980s theme, the music, cars and clothes are all alike, but the gameplay is all that really matters. Do the games play alike? Honestly, playing Scarface feels really different than playing Vice City, let alone any other GTA game.
As you try to rebuild your empire by taking over different areas of Miami, you need to build up your reputation and “balls” meter. Accomplishments from making a drug deal to killing someone will build up your reputation. The amount of kills you get in a gun fight helps you build your “balls” meter. And you’ll get a different amount of points by shooting at your enemies in different body parts. Oh, you’re going to love this. When Tony is gunning down enemies, you’ll be able to taunt them with some of his most famous lines from the movie and gain more “balls” points.
If you’re a big fan of the movie you should check this game out. But if you’re looking for a more in-depth action game, look elsewhere. While the game does a great job of recapturing the Scarface feel, the missions and objectives of the game get a little repetitive and boring. I mean, how many drug deals can a man go through in a day? I’ll go ahead and say the game is more of a rental than a purchase. But if you’re big Scarface fan, I think you’ll enjoy it no matter what.
