Introduction

It's become one of the most well known crime movies ever made and a pop culture icon. Soon Scarface will be transformed into an open world action game from developer Radical Entertainment and publisher Vivendi Games for the PS2, Xbox and PC platforms. Today we are attending a press event at Radical's offices in Vancouver to learn more about the game but before that happened FiringSquad got a chance to chat with the game's producer Ross Perez to learn more about Scarface: The World is Yours.

FiringSquad: First, why did Vivendi Games want to create a game based on the Scarface film in the first place?

Ross Perez: Scarface is a game designer’s dream come true. Tony Montana is one of the most recognized characters in modern culture today. His drug empire in Miami, his arch nemesis Sosa, and his unique style of doing business all make for great gameplay.

FiringSquad: The game differs from the film in that Tony Montana lives but has to start over again after the destructive events of the film's finale. Was it tricky to make that kind of scenario work?

Ross Perez: Empowering the player by placing him into the movie just before the climactic end allows the player to exercise his skill as Tony Montana and help him escape the ambush and ultimately rebuild his empire. The game plays and feels like a logical extension of the film.

FiringSquad: How does the player get involved in the rebuilding on Tony's empire?

Ross Perez: In the beginning, Tony reconnects with some old friends. Business gets going quickly, and before you know it you are running large amounts of yayo in from the islands and distributing it to all of the fronts you have purchased throughout Miami. The other cartel leaders take notice, and start organizing attacks on your fronts. To keep your business running, you weed out the rival gangs, install surveillance and ultimately place your own henchman to protect your fronts.

FiringSquad: Since Tony is a bad guy in the film, is there any way to play the game with Tony being a "good guy" or is the point of the game to develop Tony's drug empire at all costs?

Ross Perez: Tony Montana’s moral code keeps Tony’s revenge focused on the bad guys while keeping the women and children free from the line of fire. It’s easy to feel like the good guy as you go about your business, helping various store owners with their problems, and keeping the gunfire narrowly focused on those that deserve it.

FiringSquad: Since the game takes place in Miami, how much research was made to make the game's setting true to life?

Ross Perez: The development team spent weeks in Miami capturing the essence of the key areas within Miami that are featured in the game. Specific attention was paid to South Beach, North Beach, Downtown, and Little Havana. Following the initial reconnaissance trip, the art team went to great lengths to recreate the Miami scene made popular by Hollywood.

FiringSquad: How "open' is the game world in Scarface: The World Is Yours? Can the player play and interact with the game and ignore the main storyline altogether?

Ross Perez: The game gently coaxes the player through an interesting and compelling storyline while allowing the player tremendous freedom to go about growing Tony’s business however they see fit. Whenever you feel like you’ve done all there is to do, the game unlocks another chapter in the story giving you even more interesting things to do, places to see, and toys to play with.