Official Website

Platform: Playstation 2

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1

* Note to parents. The Getaway is DEFINITELY not a game for children. This game features scenes of explicit violence and many adult themes. There is a reason that this game has a mature rating. Those parents that insist on buying this for their children without looking into the games content have only themselves to blame for the images their child will witness during the course of playing this game. Do not place blame on either Team Soho or Sony. There is a reason there is a ratings system in place *

Over the past few years, game producers have proven time and time again that in fact, the gaming public has in fact grown up, and is more than prepared for games that are definitely more adult in theme and content. The Atari generation came of age around the time that the original Nintendo system was on its last legs. And the survivors of the first NES system are beyond driving age. As a result, games have progressed from stomping on mushrooms with your ass to picking up a gun and shooting innocent civilians dead in the street. Hot on the trail of success that Grand Theft Auto has left, Sony prepares to tale gamers to a whole new level of ultra violence.

Forget about Vice City, pretend you’ve never visited Grant City; Sony is prepared to take you to Merry Old England, London to be more precise. The Getaway places you in the role of Mark Hammond, a former criminal who has left “the life”, or so he though. Although things seem like they are picking up in his life, what with a beautiful wife and a young son, the now peaceful life that he’s used to is about to be shattered,

Shady characters from Marks past arrive at his apartment with an agenda to bring in his wife and son. Their job gets botched though when his wife is accidentally killed, and they quickly grab the boy and head for safer ground. While his wife dies in his arms, her last request is that he rescues their son, and Mark heads out after the villains. Little does he know that Charlie Jolson, a major player in the world of underground crime has a different plan in store. Mark is subdued by his sons kidnappers, and Charlie agrees to let him have the boy back, but only if he does a small favor. Little does Mark know just how big this little favor is going to get, nor does he know just how deep into the world of crime he’s going to get back into.

The Getaway has been two years in development, and now that the hype over GTA: Vice City has died down a bit; it’s the prefect time to release it on a public craving more violence. Don’t go into this thinking it’s going to be just another GTA clone though, we’ll leave that up to the competitors that can’t get their hands on GTA due to Sony’s nice move of plunking down some cash for an exclusive deal. Whereas GTA relies more on the aspect of violence, The Getaway takes that same element and adds in a quite healthy dose of story. We’ve all seen and played games that have some mild profanity in them, but The Getaway uses it so much that it would cause a sailor to blush. Be warned though, since the game does take place in London, there’s plenty of “Brit speak,” but thankfully there’s a way to counter this if you’re not fluent. The game comes with a glossary, allowing you to know just what in the hell they’re talking about, but then there are those thick accents to contend with. No problem there though. Jump into your options screen and turn on the subtitles.

The cast itself is comprised of British actors, not Americans trying to put on their best British imitation. Most of the cast are newcomers, and not just to the video game scene. This is fresh blood come into the world of voiceover work, and the cast does a fabulous job. What’s more interesting though is that these actors were used not just for the voices, but for the main characters as well in many cases, with the application of makeup where it was needed. Team Soho created what they like to call “Talking Heads” for the game, and this has nothing to do with the band. The facial animations synch almost perfectly to the speech that’s used within the game, and not just with the cut scenes. Even during the game itself, there is plenty of spoken parts, which incidentally change on occasion, but always fit with the situation.

Realism is the main key to success for the game. Approximately 40 sq. km were recreated for the game, so you can find everything from Big Ben to the Starbucks on the corner. The realistic recreation of London isn’t the only attention to detail the developers too on though. The pedestrians are a little smarter than what we’ve seen in the past. They’ll jump out of the way of speed vehicles (or try to at least), will run if they see you carrying a gun, and will immediately flee from anyplace you start a firefight in. The police are just as realistic, and they aren’t the pushovers that we’ve seen in the GTA series. In fact, the Old Bill is about relentless.

Now, if you’re driving nice and safe, and haven’t done anything to draw attention to yourself, they will leave you alone. But, get in one minor fender bender, drive on the wrong side of the road, or be seen fleeing the scene of a crime and they’re out to get you. And they don’t give up. The police are extremely brutal, and getting in another car won’t help you either. If you attempt to play the “hero” and try and kill them on the streets, they’ll call for backup. They’ll try and pit your car, attempt to blow your tires out, and even put out tire spikes when the mood strikes them. They also won’t just bludgeon you senseless either. The London police are a bit more polite, and even warn you when they are about to use force. If you’re caught though, they force you to the ground and cuff you, and I don’t think they’re going to be taking you out for a spot of tea either.

Which brings us to the driving aspect. The controls are somewhat similar to most games of this nature, but with a few other dimensions added in. To begin with, there are real cars, not some cheap knockoffs, and they handle pretty close to how they should. In fact, if you smash up the front bad enough, your car will handle terribly, veering to either side. If you have your tires blown, you’ll find a shower of sparks flying about. The windows can be shot out, and the cars even have a tendency to overheat and engines can be blown. The cars can even catch on fire, which is never a good thing. Keep in mind though; you’re in London, so you need to obey the rules of the road for Europe.

The control for the cars is simple to master. You can steal any car that you want, but the drivers don’t seem to put up the occasional struggle that the drivers of GTA put up. Instead of an on-screen map, you have to watch your blinker, which will tell you what direction you need to head. No blinkers and you’re all right. If the hazards start to flash though, you’re close to your objective, and they will flash faster as you get closer. There’s also the ever-popular e-brake, making those quick turns easier. The accelerator is pressure sensitive, which is a great touch. Of course, there’s reverse as well, and it comes in quite handy from time to time.

The controls when you’re not driving are just as easy to get a grip on. Initially, you start with just a pistol, but Mark will find other weapons. He borrows a trick from John Woo and runs around with two guns, but if he finds something better, he’ll pick that up, pocketing his other arms. You can’t stockpile weapons, and once you run out of ammo (and you will) Mark will throw the weapon down and pull his pistols out once again. You have two options when it comes to weapons fire. First off, you can auto target the closes enemy, switching to others by with simple tapes of the shoulder buttons. Or, you can switch to a free aim mode that will allow you to do such necessary things are blowing up explosive material, or busting a cap into someone’s head.

Besides heavy gunfire, Mark has a few more tricks he can do. The analog is much like the car acceleration in the sense that it’s pressure sensitive. You can walk or run, it’s all up to you. Mark can also grab someone to use as a shield, having the option of either blowing their brains out or breaking their neck. There’s also a stealth mode, allowing you to sneak across the walls and pop out for a surprise firefight. You don’t always have to stick your neck on the line though. Mark will also point only his gun around corners. It may not be the most accurate way to get the job done, but it works. Marks only other move is that he can do a diving roll, and although it seems like a waste initially, it will come in very handy later on in the game.

Mark doesn't have the luxury of using body armor, or picking up health kits along the way. He's just like you or I, and he can die pretty quickly. You'll know when he's hurting though, and he'll lip about like what we've seen in the Resident Evil games. The good thing is though, that if you give him a minute or so to rest, he'll recover and is ready to go about his business again, or Chalie's business anyway.

The gaming world itself is fairly interactive. During battle in some of the warehouses, if you shoot cans that are stacked up; you’ll see their precious contents spray out. Windows can be shot out, as can bottles and just about everything else. Thankfully, there is also plenty of cover to duck or hide behind when needed. But, Mark isn’t the only character you’ll control. Later on, you’ll assume the role of DC Carter, a suspended cop who has a vigilante streak, and his presence is important in the game.

Yes, there are gangs as well, which is a necessity in any crime game, and you’ll recognize some of the names. One of your first encounters will be with the Triads, and they’re not the most pleasant of folks. There’s also the Yardies, more nasty guys trying to run the streets of London. Once you make them mad though, they won’t just sit on the street and take pot shots at you. Oh no, they’ll get in sports cars and chase you across the streets of London. The only thing that concerns me a little about this is that the police tend to ignore them, focusing in on just you. I guess trying to shoot down motorists with a semi-automatic means nothing.

With 24 missions total and over 60 minutes of cinematic footage to view, The Getaway is a virtual masterpiece. With a smart combination of film noir and slick game play, this is certain to be a hit. Remember though, this is NOT Grand Theft Auto. The Getaway takes itself a bit more serious. The real question is, where will games like these lead? Is it possible that we may see directors from the criminal film genre in Hollywood trying their hand at creating a gaming masterpiece? Could John Woo return to his Hong Kong roots by the use of games? Maybe Quentin Tarantino could take one of his films like Reservoir Dogs or even Pulp Fiction and translate it into the next big hit. The Getaway is like the British equivalent of all those films, with a bit of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and even Good Fellas thrown in for good measure. The only thing is, you don’t have to be a made man to enjoy it.

Now get your bloody arse off the bleedin’ computer and get yourself a copy. Just don’t boost it, right?

-mike-