Video Game Buttons Blog

September 26, 2006

Remember at the end of Scarface (the movie) when Sosa’s guys ambush Tony Montana and shot him about a thousand times?  Well, Scarface: The World Is Yours picks up here.  That tough bastard lived.  He’s pissed off and wants everything back immediately.  You play as Tony Montana, who has been recreated masterfully for this game.  The voice, though not Al Pacino’s, is dead-on, and Tony is as power-hungry and fearless as ever.  And no, this game is definitely not suited for the kiddies.

 

The game’s hidden agenda seems to be for you, as Tony, to “shoot, kill, taunt.”  After blasting through an enemy gang, hit the B button and listen to Tony unleash a profanity-laden insult.  This is the Taunt feature, which is not restricted to post-kill situations.  Press the button at any time and Tony will have something to say.   If you’re walking in the road and a car whizzes past, bumping Tony on the way, or if some slouch is looking at you the wrong way, hit B and Tony will tell set it straight.  There’s also a feature referred to as Balls Points.  Every time Tony’s mouth lets loose, you accumulate points.  The culmination of these points is Blind Rage mode, which comes in handy when your health is low and you’re in hot water.  During Blind Rage mode (not just a clever name), you assume a first-person view, you have unlimited ammo, and you go completely bananas!

 

Like that in the movie, success the game’s seedy drug underworld depends on respect, reputation, and all-around drug kingpin savvy.  The game quantifies your reputation for your drug business dealings, and playing as Tony allows you to blow cash on boats, cars, henchmen, drivers, and assassins (who refuse to kill innocent people).  And then there are the cops.  The amount of heat you draw as you rise to the top of the drug game depends on your (surprise, surprise) Cop Heat meter.  It’s important - and very pricy- to pay off the Vice to keep this meter down, as too much heat will anger the Feds, who will chase and shoot at you relentlessly, thus ending your game.  Otherwise, a cop can be bribed or run from, which will definitely raise your Cop Heat status.

 

The game also features a very cool “Mix tape” feature that lets gamers create their own music compilations.  You can listen to just the original film score by Giorgio Moroder, popular hits from the 80’s, contemporary songs, or a mix.  Pre-made mixes are by genre and time period – rock, hip-hop, reggae, reggaeton, Latin, and country.  The artists featured are awesome: Johnny Cash, Debbie Harry, Pit Bull, Rick James, Judas Priest, Grandmaster Flash, Burning Spear, Iggy Pop, Public Enemy, Run DMC, and Peter Tosh.  Lending their vocal talents to the game are James Woods, Michael Rappaport, Ice T, Oliver Platt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joy Mohr, Roma Maffia, Cheech Marin, Tonny Chong, Ricky Gervais, Tommy Lee, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara from Entourage, Bam Margera, and Cypress Hill’s Sen Dog and B. Real, among others.

 

Originally scheduled for relase yesterday, Scarface: The World Is Yours will be available on October 8 for Xbox, PS2, PSP, and PC.