Bytten

"I always tell the truth. Even when I lie." So says Tony Montana in classic movie Scarface. When new game Scarface RagingRacing first landed in Bytten's review queue, I was pretty quick to bag the review rights, after all, how could a game based on Scarface go wrong? Especially when the game also involves racing!

The blurb for developer NewCarthago's game tells of a virtual city of the 1930's, allowing for unlimited racing tracks through streets littered with interactive objects and pedestrians. Those who have played either the Midnight Club or Midtown Madness series of games will instantly recognise the play style and those unfamiliar will quickly realise that the game is essentially a checkpoint-based racing offshoot.

Loading up Scarface RagingRacing is a painful experience. Presentation from the outset is awful, giving this reviewer a headache within minutes. Graphical glitches (on two different machines) are everywhere and the user interface makes it very difficult to actually start playing.

Hoping that this was just poor presentation, I pressed on into the main mode of the game, racing. Racing takes place in large 3D environments, with you and several computer opponents. I was expecting to find myself in a Grand Theft Auto style city with authentic 1930's exteriors and cars from the same period.

My expectations were not met. The virtual city has a strange red hue throughout, poor textures, a poor refresh and in no way gives the illusion of a 1930's America. Likewise, the cars on show look nothing like their real life counterparts. As for the use of the Scarface name, if any part of that film exists in this game, I didn't see it.

I'm not even going to mention the audio aspects except to say they are no better than the visuals. The important thing to ask is, despite the poor presentation, graphics and sound, does the gameplay lift the game?

Controlling your 'authentic 1930's car' is a stilted experience with no sense of involvement. With the huge number of racing games on the market, a title like Scarface RR needs to get the basics of motion right in order to keep the gamer happy but the game gets it so wrong that you soon look for a quick exit.

The extra free roam gameplay mode adds nothing to the experience, in fact it actually detracts as it offers no objective and is an exercise in frustration. I'm afraid the only rage you'll get from Scarface RagingRacing is your own.

Keywords: scarface ragingracing review, newcarthago ltd reviews, newcarthago ltd games, scarface ragingracing scores, pc game reviews, indie game reviews, independent gaming.