Scarface will give you balls
by Sarah J. Gim 
{ May 13th 2006 at 3:30PM }
The Vivendi booth in South Hall didn't have anything hands-on for Scarface (or at least, not that I saw) -- just two flat panels playing clips from the movie, and a big, sweeping staircase that led to an upstairs "screening" room, where we got to watch a demo of the ugly game. Oops, did I say "ugly?" I meant fugly.
The graphics thing aside though, I can see how someone who liked the movie would like to "say hello to my little friend" in a game. The game picks up where the movie left off, with you, Tony Montana, up at the top of the staircase. Instead of getting shot and killed like in the movie, the first thing you have to do is turn around and kill the guy behind you before he kills you (otherwise, I guess you have to start over). After that, the game is all about building up your cocaine-trafficking empire, basically by using your cajones. You earn Balls points by intimidating others with the use of voice, or by doing balls-y things. Higher speed driving, more destructive shooting, and of course, being more of an a**hole as you cut deals with local shopkeepers to join your cocaine empire.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
boots (former bd (former b)) @ May 13th 2006 3:34PM
Cojones*
Eric @ May 13th 2006 3:42PM
Local Shopkeepers?...Has anyone seen the movie..Tony's empire before he got waxed went FAR beyond huslting local shopkeepers...if thats a major part of the game then this game is going to suck "balls points."
And I don't think that Tony would have much of an empire left to build...that is if you've seen the movie you'd know that everyone at his compound was killed by the incoming guerillas. His life was pretty much over because his sister (the only thing good in his life) was killed, his best friends were killed (one by his own hand). HE was killed because he screwed over a multitude of men with much larger empires than he---His empire only grew because of dealing with these men...
Frankly if this game will involve him going back to being a small fry involving typical GTA and Godfather gameplay, count me out.
mercatfat @ May 13th 2006 3:52PM
"Frankly if this game will involve him going back to being a small fry"
Er, I think the whole idea is that you have to rebuild your house of cards. Duh.
Eric @ May 13th 2006 4:02PM
"Er, I think the whole idea is that you have to rebuild your house of cards."
See previous statement "count me out".
There is nothing innovative about run n gun street hustle gameplay. Thats GTA's trademark and it was taken a step further with Godfather(with the whole hustling local shopkeepers thing).
I would be more interested in actually managing an empire. Seeking out and killing rats and informants, battling with the FBI, going to war with rival empires while allying with others...the list goes on.
Hustling local shopkeepers?:/....oooo exciting.
mercatfat @ May 13th 2006 4:10PM
I think you misinterpreted me a bit.
I'm sure that you rebuild your empire at some point; I can't imagine that you'd stay small time for more than the first 5 hours or so.
My point was that you seem to be acting surprised about something that isn't surprising at all. If you just wanted to manage a drug empire from the get-go, may I suggest Dope Wars?
The fact is, it's hard to tell a good story when you start at the top and do nothing but defend it. It'd be like playing Bowser on the bridge in the first Super Mario, staying in one place and shooting fireballs at all comers.
Wes @ May 13th 2006 4:30PM
That movie was good, and the developers are shitting all over the entire point of the movie. It was never supposed to glorify Tony Montana's badassness. It was a fucking sad movie, with a really tragic ending and a pretty clear anti-drug message. But people are idiots and just saw it as OH SHIT HE'S GOT SUCH A BIG GUN I WANT TO BE TONY MONTANA.
=( =( =(
wii man @ May 13th 2006 4:32PM
i want a star, how do u get one... the web page people think your comment is good and they award you or sum such ? and errr, scarface game....sux why not make a soprano game and i can wii my ass wiping.
mercatfat @ May 13th 2006 4:49PM
wii man:
http://www.starregistry.com/
wii man @ May 13th 2006 5:19PM
nawww, i love u
refinedsugar @ May 14th 2006 4:12PM
I've been anxiously awaiting this game since OXM did their big preview on it and yeah naturally I'm a big GTA fan. It will likely be the last game I buy for the original xbox so hearing the graphics were underwhelming isn't the least surprising. Perhaps we'll see next-gen versions at some point. In any case, I don't think it's a disservice to the movie, it's theme or story, but hey Wes you are free to read it differently.
I for one am glad they have made it a point to make it a quasi-sequel in game form. It's so 1995 to play thru a movie-based video game that directly follows the movie's plot. I mean what's the point? Executive Producer Peter Wanat even says this himself about movie tie-in games... a lot of times they suck.
Eric does make a great point however and I think it's wrong to dismiss it prematurely. If half the game or more is the task of making yourself then yeah we've been there, done that many times over. That was the whole GTA series... it was Godfather... it's even been a part of True Crime. Unless the story or atmosphere is killer treading the same territory in Scarface is going to be absolutely benign.