Ah, Scarface; such a lovely film. A heartwarming story about a Cuban refugee who aspired to be the next big drug lord in America only to have his empire come crashing down around him in a bloodbath of flying bullets. Did you ever wonder what happened after that though? Apparently Tony Montana didn't bite the dust (and no that's not a cocaine reference); he made it out alive.

At least that's the story in Scarface: The World is Yours. After chugging through Reservoir Dogs recently I had fears that Scarface was going to be a simple retelling of the cult movie. Fortunately it's not.

By crafting a fresh tale that continues the life of Montana it opens up a new can of worms and really separates itself from the original tale. Once Montana's world comes crashing down around him he has to rebuild it and make it better than ever. Basically that means more drugs, more money, more cronies, and more importantly getting revenge on the son of a bitch Sosa who brought a war to his doorstep. The story stays strong the entire way through with many nods to the film that fans fill appreciate. Ironically this doesn't mean that this project is exclusive to people who have enjoyed the movie. The game plays out like a refined and inspired version of Grand Theft Auto so fans of the genre will definitely want to take notice.

Gameplay:

Well, I suppose that when I say "inspired" I should say "strongly inspired" because in many ways Scarface is a clone of GTA. From carjacking to stockpiling weapons, running around in a Miami sandbox, and dealing with the cops, Scarface goes out of its way to flatter Rockstar's franchise. Many developers have tried to incorporate the ingenuity that GTA wrought but few titles have done as well as this game does.

For starters the missions actually have a lot of continuity to them. Because of this the story flows throughout the entire game and all of the little things that you do seem to matter. Because you can pretty much do whatever you want in between being led from objective to objective never really feels linear or like you're playing with your hand being held. You're often given a map with an icon and told to go there; how you do and most of the time when you do so is totally up to you.

Targets are marked on the HUD but they also appear on screen as a pillar of light. It's kind of difficult to miss unless you're really far away but even then the game gives you arrows and points you in the right direction. Miami is a big city and you could easily get lost so be thankfully that there's a little Crazy Taxi included. You could always just hoof it though that takes a while. Montana may be a cokehead with an attitude but he isn't exactly the Flash.

As you'd imagine, jacking cars is the best way to go. You can basically walk up to any vehicle at any point and step into the driver's seat or pull someone out of one. Doing so nets you a reliable ride but it also puts you on the radar for cops to harass you. Once you jack a car you really have to book it in order to get away and it's a good idea to swap vehicles along the way. If for some reason you do get cornered by a cop you can attempt to fast talk your way out of any trouble. Because let's face it; you really don't want to get caught with 300g of cocaine on your person.

In case you didn't figure that one out you'll also be dealing drugs in Scarface. A lot. In fact that particular act has its own mini-game associated with it that involves timed button pushing while trying to score a deal. If a deal goes sour you can just beat the crap out of the buyer but keep in mind that if you kill him he might have some gang affiliation that will make your job a whole lot harder later on. I found it best to just knock them on their ass and run away towards the next buyer.

Now, if you do find yourself in gang territory or just on the receiving end of someone's bad day you'll be happy to hear that the action in Scarface is solid. GTA type games are often plagued by shoddy aiming mechanisms and clunky interfaces once the bullets start flying but this particular game embraces it. There is an auto lock feature that helps aid you in taking out the trash but there is also a manual lock that lets you target certain parts of the body. Seeing how many druggies I could plug in the nuts was a fun little mini-game that I made for myself but you can also shoot kidneys, limbs, and blow heads off.

For every kill that you get (and other minor actions) you'll be rewarded with Balls. Yes, Montana is renowned for having balls and this game proves it. Once you've collected enough by performing well you can unleash a Rage feature that makes the drug lord invincible for a short time. While Raging you also have unlimited ammo and every kill replenishes some of your health. This adds an element of strategy to fire fights because it means the difference between life and death. Sure it's as unrealistic as anything I have ever seen but this is a video game so therefore it's ok to be a little silly.

In so many ways Scarface is a lot of fun to play. The action is solid, the missions are diverse, and the gameplay entertains the whole way through. There are only a few minor gripes along the way such as the ease that comes with the Rage meter and the way the game's streets are laid out but those are very minor. This is a solid induction into the sandbox/action genre and is a game that transcends the stereotypical movie to game boundaries.

Graphics:

While I was very impressed by the gameplay and blown away by much of the audio the graphics left me under whelmed. The overall design is decent enough with fine textures and animation but there are some chunky bits here and there and some areas that lack polish. The character of Tony Montana looks strikingly similar to Pacino though with is a great thing for getting you into the mood of Scarface. The way he swaggers and the way he looks will leave no doubt who you are playing as.

Audio:

I was amazed when I heard the voice acting in Scarface. The guy that plays Montana sounded exactly like Pacino and did a perfect job on the vocals. The rest of the cast does a decent job though Montana easily outclasses them all. The soundtrack and effects are good as well though there was nothing that blew me away. A few glitches came up occasionally though with some voiceovers overlapping each other and static in the sound. These didn't occur that frequently but I encountered them multiple times.

Conclusion:

I'll be honest; I wasn't expecting much from Scarface. After all it's a movie game, and one based on a cult classic at that. So many things could have gone wrong with this title and even though it mimics GTA it brings enough fresh material to the table to stand on its own two feet. Montana's Balls and the Rage meter really added an arcade spin to the sandbox theme and the atmosphere's undeniable Scarface influence helps things out a lot. Fans of the film should check it out but gamers looking for a quality GTA-like game should definitely keep their eye on this one.