Game Review: Scarface: The World Is Yours
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is a violent, profane action
game that is definitely for adults only. Players control an
aspiring drug kingpin. The gameplay involves buying and selling
drugs and killing hundreds of people. The violence is graphic
and frequently involves decapitation and other body mutilation.
The language includes an incredible amount of swearing and
plenty of coarse sexual references. The criminal world as
depicted in the game includes prostitution, corrupt police, and
gambling.
Families can talk about the lingering appeal of the Tony Montana character and gangsters in popular culture. Why has Scarface continued to hold at least part of the public's attention for more than 20 years? Is Tony's brand of hyper-aggressive self-actualization admirable or just antisocial? Why is it fun to play as an antihero? Families may also wish to discuss the way games are used to promote movies and vice-versa. If you like a movie, are you more likely to want a game based on the movie?
Common Sense Media Review
Before there was gangsta rap, there was
Scarface.
The
movie, from 1983, is a violent and profanity-laced portrait
of a Cuban immigrant's rise to the top of the Miami underworld.
It may seem a strange choice to turn into a videogame in 2006,
but the movie is arguably more popular than ever thanks to the
ubiquity of the gangsta lifestyle in popular culture.
SCARFACE: THE WORLD IS YOURS is essentially a Grand Theft Auto (GTA) clone. Like the series it is so clearly based on, Scarface lets players indulge in heaps of antisocial violence in a large virtual world populated by hookers, hustlers, and homicidal maniacs. Yet unlike the GTA games, Scarface fails to create a sense of freedom or sly satire. It is a decent third-person action game with some intense shooting and fun driving challenges. However, repetitive play undermines the entertainment value.
Fans of the movie might be alarmed that this game re-writes the end of the story. In the film, Tony Montana is shot to death in his mansion, a victim of the violent, druggy world he built. In the game, Tony makes a last-minute escape and loses everything except his life. Players control Tony as he tries to re-build his reputation, defeat rival gangs, and reclaim the turf he needs to begin selling massive amounts of drugs.
The first few hours are a profane, bloody blast. The gameworld of Scarface is huge and beautiful. The cars Tony uses to make his drug drop-offs and pick-ups handle well and give a good sense of speed. Targeting enemies is simple, and gunning down rival gangs makes players feel powerful. Tony can even taunt his dying foes or drive recklessly to earn "balls," something like style points that attract women and allow players to enter a short but powerful first-person shooting mode and regain health by killing people in battle.
But as the game progresses, players will find themselves doing little else besides driving through ever-longer delivery missions and blasting through larger crowds of enemies. As Tony rebuilds his empire, new game areas like offshore islands open up, but players will find the same type of missions there. The environments also don't provide a lot of incentive to really explore; while there are few hidden items or events in the game, most is just empty alleys and the same stock pedestrians.
In some ways, Scarface rises above many videogames based on movies: it looks great, has hours and hours of playtime, and the action is fast and thrilling. Yet the buzz ultimately wears off. If fans of the movie can get over the way it mangles the story, they may get a kick out of playing as one of their favorite antiheros. Adult gamers with a strong stomach looking for a free-roaming action game about crime would do better sticking to one of the notorious Grand Theft Auto games or the recent Saints Row .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
