In the video game world, film adaptation is often the sincerest
form of mediocrity.
“E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” for the Atari 2600,
for example, rushed into production after only five months and the
infamous flop was allegedly so bad that, according to urban legend,
thousands of copies were buried away in the desert.
On Friday, however, video game and movie aficionados alike face
better odds.
To promote the upcoming release of Vivendi Universal
Games’ “Scarface: The World Is Yours,” Melnitz
Movies, in association with THX and Sierra Entertainment, is
hosting an event Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. that includes prizes,
giveaways and a screening of the 1983 Al Pacino-starring film that
inspired the game.
Vivendi Universal Games will also be on campus promoting the
game, and outside James Bridges Theater with playable copies.
“(Scarface: The World Is Yours) has been in development
for three years,” said Julie Thomas, Vivendi Universal Games
director of promotions and in-game marketing. “It is actually
(on) a much higher budget (than most of our titles). I would say
it’s probably considered one of the highest production
budgets out there.”
According to Melnitz Movies Director Amy Adrion, THX and Vivendi
Universal Games were already planning the event and asked if UCLA
and Melnitz Movies wanted to participate.
“So we said “˜Definitely, yes. It sounds really,
really interesting and will probably be of a lot of interest for
students,'” she said.
Penned by established Hollywood scribe David McKenna, who is
noted for having written “American History X” and
“Blow,” the game takes a few liberties with the
original film’s ending to chronicle Tony Montana’s
struggle to rebuild his empire ““ with players in control.
“You’re beginning to see that (games) are beginning
to tell stories, not (just be) interactive movies. The story aspect
of games is becoming more important and stronger, especially with
franchises,” said Mark Tuffy, THX director of advanced
technology.
In addition to the story’s pedigree, over fifty well-known
actors contributed voice work to the game including James Woods,
Ice-T, Oliver Platt and Jason Mewes.
“Scarface” is the latest in a trend of high-quality
video games based on film franchises that seek to bring the
cinematic experience home. Earlier this year, “The
Godfather” was released as a game and featured the voice
talents of Robert Duvall, James Caan and even archival audio of
Marlon Brando himself.
Technically speaking, “Scarface” also bears the
unique distinction of being THX certified, hence the
company’s involvement in putting on the event.
According to Tuffy, the THX certification program launched with
video game adaptations of well-known movie franchises such as
“Lord of the Rings” and “James Bond.”
“Scarface” is only the 24th game to receive the
certification, but more video systems are beginning to request
approval.
“We have a large contract with Sony for their first-party
games (for the upcoming PlayStation 3),” said Tuffy.
The program seeks to establish higher audio and visual standards
throughout video game production akin to those of THX certified
theaters. While still only a few years old, Tuffy foresees a
significant increase in output in the coming years, especially with
the advent of next-generation game consoles.
“We’re finding that more companies are getting
involved and interested in doing (THX certification), especially in
the transition from standard-definition to hi-def,” said
Tuffy. “That’s where they’re really looking for
expertise from a company like THX in how to increase the quality of
their games, especially as the consumer will be expecting more from
a next-generation platform with high-definition
capabilities.”
UCLA’s James Bridges Theater was chosen in part because it
is one of several dozen THX-certified theaters in the Los Angeles
area and the only one on a college campus. Not even THX founder
George Lucas’ alma mater of USC boasts one, according to THX
representatives.
Are there more games of the same scale as “Scarface”
coming in the near future?
“We will be making a big announcement at the Spike TV
Video Game Awards for a major 2007 launch based on a major film
franchise,” Taylor said.
Until then, stop by Melnitz on Friday to say hello to Tony
Montana’s little friend before the game hits shelves
nationwide.