The Getaway

For the first time, a game like this actually has a point, has suspense, and keeps you entertained with hard as hell missions. this game is truly unique, and I suggest people either play it or read up on it. I mean, if you like crime movies or crime novels, you will most certainly enjoy this game. Long live the ultra-violent crime games!

"The Getaway" is not a video game version of the Sam Peckinpah heist flick or even of the Walter Hill remake. It's a British gangster movie in the vein of Guy Ritchie's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". Or is it a video game? It certainly seems like a movie, but it's not.

For years, game developers have been wanting to create a so-called "interactive movie". A product with the look and feel of a motion picture, but one where the viewer is totally in control of. For the most part, they've failed miserably, as is the case of the horrible FMV titles from the Sega CD days.

However, most recently, programmers have come close to such a thing, just play "Max Payne" and you'll realize how much game makers have evolved the concept. Still, I've never played one such as "The Getaway", a gritty, in-your-face gangster opus with characters that use the "F" word so many times that you would think Quentin Tarantino had something to with the script.

In fact, like Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction", the story of "The Getaway" is structured in a very nonlinear way. The two central characters, an ex-gangster who's been pulled back into the "life" and a rogue cop share the spotlight in telling the tale from their own different perspective.

It's us, the players, who could use some help controlling these characters in putting them to good use. As great as the "movie" is, it's the game's controls that need to be polished. Moving these two characters around is, for the most part, a chore. In the name of "realism", the makers have decided to get rid of the usual standard for video games.

There are no health bars (you look tired as you get shot), no maps of the city (London) you constantly drive in or even direction indicators (you have to rely on your turn signals). This is a bold move on part of the makers, because we gamers love games because of the very reason that they get us away from realism. We don't really care for realism in video games. At least the way it's played out in this product. It makes for a very frustrating game expierence.

The reason the "Grand Theft Auto" games are so fun and addicting is the way it constantly relys on a "virtual" world. "The Getaway" is the opposite, I know most players will look at this as a "Grand Theft Auto" ripoff, but it's far from the truth. "GTA" is a parody of recent American gangster pictures, "The Getaway" is a dark, unnerving action game that isn't comical in any way. Its a step in the right direction in bringing the "interactive movie" to life. In that way, it works, but there still is room for improvement.

I'd give it *** out of **** (Good)

Let's start this off by me saying that you should not go into this game thinking it's GTA made by Sony and placed in a real city, rather look at it as a British Mob movie similar to the scenarios of Lock, Stock and Snatch. The game isn't as vast or as non-linear as GTA but it does have it's strong points. The sound is top-notch, with great voices and music for the game; graphics are top notch, with realistic looking locations of London and real-life European cars, many of which are not offered on this side of the Atlantic. Although the game is fairly linear, the story-line is rich enough to warrant a full play through. The only real downside is the controls that can be a bit of a pain at times, but it's something that is easily learned. The guys who made this game (Team SOHO) are already planning on releasing a sequel to the game, which would take place probably in New York, and seeing how well they recreated London, their next game will be even better.

The Getaway, says Sony, is a perfect combination of both movie and game. You, the player, have to complete missions implemented in a storyline told by several cut-scenes. On-screen information like health bars, hints and directions simply don't exist: you have to rely on your car's turn signals to find your way through the faithfully remodeled city of London. Realism is the keyword here.

And it's the realism that makes this game hell to play. I am a big fan of the 'cartoon' approach that Rockstar uses in its brilliant GTA games. Unlike Grand Theft Auto, The Getaway wants to be taken seriously. Example: killing pedestrians in GTA is fun. You get money for doing so and if you wait a few seconds, an ambulance will arrive to undo the damage you've done. Whereas driving over pedestrians with your vehicle is ludicrous in GTA, it's a rather uncomfortable business in The Getaway. The sickening thud and the screaming of the person you just hit make this quite horrible. And you'll have to kill a few peds in this game, believe me. London folks appear to be suicidal, which means they'll regularly walk into your car. Same goes for the innocent people who get killed when they walk stupidly into your line of fire.

Telling the entire world that your game is ultra-realistic sheds expectations. People don't expect crappy animation, cheesy controls and abysmally behaving cars in a 'realistic' game, and neither did I. This game should have set a benchmark, and it did: The Getaway is the world's first ánd worst movie-game combo ever! A brilliant idea, good storyline and seedy atmosphere are worth nothing thanks to the ruddy gameplay. Games shouldn't be realistic, they should be fun. Ironically, The Getaway is neither realistic nor entertaining. A lousy 5.5/10 is even more than they actually deserve.

I really liked this one for starters. It was well worth the wait and well worth the attention as well.

• The graphics in the game, in my opinion, were very good. I can see how the game makers and designers at Sony Computer Entertainment America and Team Soho made the levels very unique and challenging because you have to reach your destination by following the indicators on the tail lights of your car, and then when they both flash, that means you've reached your destination. I think that this was a very nice touch because it feels so real and all the places you go to are all real as well, and not in some kind of "made-up" place that the game makers and designers thought up of.

• The controls in the game, in my opinion, are pretty good. I know that it can be a bit irritating at most times, because you never know when you're gonna run out of ammo because, again, they don't have a display for that. But, then I realized that you'll know when you're running low after you've been firing the pistol, shotgun or assault rifle a lot of times, and then you feel the controller vibrate. That's when you know it's time to reload. The driving controls for the game were also good as well.

• The voice-acting in the game, in my opinion, was very good. I can see now why it said on the back of the case, "Cast of professional actors", because every single actor and actress gave a really good performance in the entire game right up 'til the end. Just amazing.

• The dialogue in the game, in my opinion, was also very good. There's no scenes of empty dialogue anywhere throughout the entire game and I think that the dialogue was very detailed and very well-written.

• The cars in the game, in my opinion, were very good as well. Just make sure that you don't go flying at a rapid speed, then what happens is that your car would catch smoke and if a front or a rear tire is flat, then you'd be swerving around all over the place, which is kind of annoying at most times, but other than that, the cars are very good to handle and get around with.

• The gameplay in the game, lastly, in my opinion, was really good, too. I find that the idea of you having to drive to a certain place and it takes you a little while to get there and then you can shoot up different people there for a little while too, whether you were Mark Hammond or Frank Carter, it was fun, and nothing but fun.

Some action-driving players may feel unusual about the idea of a game that has no map or a bullet screen or an arrow to show you where to go next, but, I have to say that this game is definitely one of the best driving/shooting adventure games I've played in a long time, right up there with Grand Theft Auto.

I definitely would recommend this to anyone who's looking for a real fun challenge in a really fun game.

With all of that said, I give "The Getaway",

9 stars out of 10.