Scarface: The World is Yours Review

It's been a busy time of late for games with a gangster persuasion in a Miami setting; coming shortly after the PSP adaptation of Michael Mann's return to Miami Vice and before Rockstar revisit the world of Vice City, Vivendi Games and Radical Entertainment team up to provide a "What If?" sequel to Brian de Palma's 1983 contemporary classic, Scarface.

Of course there's going to be reservations about the need for a sequel when the original film was perfectly encapsulated, and the question still remains as to whether Tony Montana would actually want to survive the notorious assault on his mansion during the climax of the film, when he's lost everything that actually meant something to him. But putting this to one side, Scarface: The World is Yours allows players to ask "What if" Tony Montana survived the attack and attempted to rebuild his empire and his exorbitant collection of material items - and you're the person to answer these questions.

Beginning with that ill-fated shoot-out, Scarface: The World is Your begins at a ferocious pace. A solid if unremarkable auto-targeting system underlies a subtle element of manual targeting, providing plenty of scope for excessive violence whether it's a shot to the kidneys or a round in the nuts! Undeniably gratuitous, action, combat and violence are nonetheless a necessary part of recreating the world according to Tony Montana. Of course Montana was a man of morals (his own at least), which makes it impossible for players to kill the citizens of Miami - something that seems to have split opinions, with some bemoaning the lack of "exhilarating" action from laying waste to dozens of innocent NPC! Now I'm not about to get into the moral aspects of praising a game because of its wanton bloodshed, but there's one point that needs to be raised, Tony would never break his code of conduct and slaughter innocent people - particularly women or children - so Radical Entertainment should be applauded for taking a risky decision and paying utmost respect to the original motion picture and the character of Tony Montana.

A large part of Radical's success with Scarface: The World is Yours surrounds the virtual depiction of Al Pacino's Tony Montana; a man with extreme sociopathic tendencies, but one that you can't help but comprehend and emphasise with. Throughout the game Montana feels slightly tougher then most, happily standing in the middle of an ambush and letting hell loose with an M16. A horde of signature putdowns, taunts and one-liners play a significant role in the actual game, beyond helping to enhance the convincing recreation that radical have accomplished.

Taunting opponents after riddling them in a shower of bullets is a quick way to get a timely boost in the 'Balls' department, triggering Montana's 'Rage' . Describing the Rage mode as merely a special attack seems to be massively understating its importance, as the feature allows players to literally get inside the head of one of the most psychotic characters in movie history! Switching the action from a standard third-person to a first-person perspective, Tony momentarily becomes invincible whilst gaining a health bonus for every opponent he takes out. An essential feature for creating the invulnerable image of Tony Montana, the mechanic works well in terms of an actual gameplay element and is stylishly executed with colour drawn out of the screen, the sound slowed down and an explosion of expletives strewing forth from Tony's mouth.

Although the heavy combat effectively plays a part in paying tribute to the original movie and, more importantly, the character of Tony Montana, the premise of yet another GTA clone doesn't hold that much appeal. So it's surprising to find a game that, although undeniably rooted in the GTA genre, is structured considerably differently and feels sufficiently fresh as a result.

As the man himself said, "you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the woman." Words of wisdom when it comes to taking over a city, and the fundamental concept behind Scarface: The World is Yours and Tony Montana's struggle to reclaim his empire.

Tony's quest for revenge and to reclaim his empire starts from the very bottom. To gain new leads to source coke ("lello") from Tony will have to listen out for feeds from Felix, completing missions for various characters throughout town. Challenging Tony with a variety of objectives such as defending a character to delivering packages, these types of missions typically provide the main structure for similar titles in the genre, but are actually the weakest area of the game. Largely repetitive affairs that provide little beyond what's we've already encountered in the action genre, the missions instead provide the respite from the main appeal behind Scarface: The World is Yours - the strategy behind reclaiming Tony's empire and re-establishing 'Montana, Co.'.

Making money is the principle aspect of the game: a reward from completing tasks from certain individuals; the means to begin trading in llelo; establishing an empire; acquiring luxurious new items of material worth and much more. The system in Scarface: The World is Yours is a little different then most, splitting cash between 'Dirty Money' earned from drug transactions and clean money that has been laundered at the bank. If Tony dies or is caught up with by the police any money in the Dirty Cash fund is reduced to zero, which can be particularly tough after a major deal has been accomplished and you're just on the way to the bank.

Initially making a trade by dealing between the various street dealers in town, Tony's meteoric rise to the top advances to delivering 'keys' to the various 'fronts' owned across the town, before eventually shipping in supplies from the surrounding islands as Tony attempts to seek revenge against Sosa. Dealing and other 'negotiation techniques' such as intimidating cops and gang members or discussing a favourable commission at the bank, are handled via a mini-game that challenges you to hold onto a button to charge a circle and stopping within a designated sector. The execution is, thankfully, more suitable and satisfying then this description suggests.

There's a strong sense of reaction to Tony's actions whether it's hi-jacking a vehicle or simply laying waste to a gang in the wide open. Because of this you're inclined to think a little more about your actions; whereas an execution on the streets of Downtown Miami will be sure to attract the attention of the City of Miami Police, waging war in the backstreets of Little Havana is easy enough. 'Heat' from both the Cops and Gangs is a constant factor on Tony's attempt to rebuild his empire. Increasing based upon actions such as breaking the law, screwing up deals or taking out gang members, Tony will have to pay-off each faction to keep his profile low enough to continue unabated. This feature has a dramatic effect on the gameplay and it's one that you're in charge of, creating changeable intensities to the overall flow of the game that prevents it from ever becoming dull or repetitive. One moment you can be sitting pretty with money in the bank, cars lined up outside the mansion and a wash of luxurious items inside; but a broken major deal or a failed attempt to intimidate the cops can leave you struggling to get by.

Whilst all of this sounds as though Tony's return is a triumphant one, there are one or two elements that prevent him from rising to the top. Based upon the game engine behind The Simpsons: Hit & Run, the recreation of Miami often feels formulaic and overly structured without a sense of continuity compared to other examples in the genre. Despite the importance placed on boats and journeys from Miami and the surrounding islands, it's disappointing that water sections as a whole, whether in a boat or swimming, feel awkward, turgid and desperately in need of a few more months of work.