23.12.2002

Well, I finally got to play The Getaway and for the most part, am quite pleased. I only played it for about 1 hour, and then took it 'round a friend's house, where we induldged in some serious playing tme with the game. General census after a few hours was that at first it's a bit hard to like, but it does start to grow on you eventually (we played into the very early hours, which is kind of testament to the game's charm). It's neither a GTA clone and doesn't try to be, but it mixes aspects of GTA and SC with driving and stealth.In the game, you're Mark. Mark's wife goes outside their house with son intact and out of nowhere some Landan (which is how it's pronounced in Cockney rhyming-slang)gang try to kidnap the kid. Wife interferes - gets shot). Mark hears the shot and out he goes. The kid's kidnapped and the cars burning off. He stupidly handles the gun used to shoot his wife and hence he is the number one suspect and accused of kidnapping his own kid. Mark tends to his wife, and then jumps in a car and the chace begins. The whole game then revolves around you getting your kid back by working for this gang and doing everything they tell you.The cars actually control quite nice. Framerate's pretty good, but studders in spots. It runs 60fps mostly but dips to 30fps on occasion. Especially when there's too much on screen/or you crash into someone and multiple cars catch fire. The streets are much more populated than the barren streets of GTA Vice for instance, there is alot of traffic, just as there always is in London. There's also a nice little touch where your indicators blink when you need to turn (in relation to your mission) and both flash when you've got to your destination. The city is also rendered very well. If any of you chaps live in London, you'd be amazed that a game could be designed so cloesly to it's real life structure. The cars are modeled extremely well, with enviroment mapping and impressive physics. All the cars are licensed from real manufactures, unlike GTA. Draw distance is also quite good. In comparison to GTA3/Vice, the Getaway looks ten times better, it really does.Controlling Mark on foot is gonna be where the game gets its criticism by some. Aiming is a bit ropey, along with controlling the camera. Control of Mark on foot is akward at first, but get's a bit easier as you play. For example, the shooting sections of the game, I discovered I'd been using the wrong button to enter shooting mode - I'd been using manual aim rather than auto-aim. With that minor correction, I was silently flitting through the warehouse MGS style, popping up over benches with a shotgun, or firing two guns round doorways. You can only carry one [set of] weapons, and walking over another one will automatically result in Mark picking it up. Whether or not you intented for him to is another matter. Though it must be said there is a nice variety of weapons in the game.The basics of what Mark can do is back up to a wall (peer around). You can point your gun around the corner and take random blasts in hope of hitting someone with the benefit of them not being able to hit you. This usually leads to mass ammo being wasted. You can crouch under small walls (waist height) and strafe around them. Also a nice little tactic is to line yourself up with someone behind the wall and press shoot to point your gun over and fire off a few rounds. Like GTA, you can take any car you want, stealing or otherwise. You can also hold people hostage at gunpoint, if the cops get too close for your liking. Also, you get to play as two different characters in the game, one is Mark, I'll keep the other as a secret. The AI is standard stuff. The cops (when in a vehicle) are lethal in trying to run you off the road when you're wanted, and makes for some pretty exiting police chases, espescially in the crowded London streets. The vehicles do take damage so if you bang up your ride too much, you'll need to ditch it and steal another one. All in all, the missions are fun and are quite varied. They take place both outdoors and indoors. You're probably asking if there is a non linear free rome mode, ala GTA, and the answer is yes, and it's a blast to play. It will definitely take you awhile to completely finish the game, and offers fairly good replay value.The cinematics/voice acting is superb. Some real nice cinematics, and some of the dialogue is L-O-L funny. Some nice product placement going on. Cans of Stella, XXXX, Sony mobile phones and most high-street stores (Burger King, McDonalds, Odeon Cinemas, etc, etc). These is some adult words used here as well, actually alot. All in all, Sony delivered on a very ambitious game and I am quite plesaed with the results. I'd give the game a 9/10 score overall and definitely recommend fans of the genre to pick this game up right away.

5.3.2004

ok, lets get things into perspective. this is not GTA3, not GTA vice city, not GTA comes to London. Not GTA full stop. The games are similar, but we are not comparing apples with apples here. GTA is a Braeburn apple, with its rich taste & texture. The Getaway is a Conference Pear. They both fruits which grows on trees sure but not the same at all.Getaway has had a lot of criticism. mainly because it seems to live in GTA's shadow. if you look at it in its own merits its actually a really good game and in some ways better than the ultimate GTA series. The emphasis on this game is realism - you wont find random weapons floating 3ft above the ground glowing pink or green,there are no medikits lying on the pavements (although you can 'up your health by leaning against a wall - took me a while to work that one out), there aren't 100 packages of uncut cocaine hidden around the city, and there aren't super-de-duper 250mph cars available from hidden car parks. Don't get me wrong - I'm not dissing GTA at all - I love those games, and those features I mentioned make the game so enjoyable. But Getaway is centred around realism. Gritty, gory, nose bleed, dirty realism. And thank goodness.You start off the game - as you all probably aware, playing a retired gangsta forced back into his gangsta ways after his wife is shot and kid kidnapped. And you have to do gangsta errands around London. around an incredibly realistic / detailed London. Missions vary through all sorts of crimes; theft / arson / buckets of killing / getaways (dah) / etc etc. When you get shot, you limp; another few times you will be dead. (there's that realism thing again). Part 2 is the cop following all this action. I wont give anymore away about the storyline than that. Half of the time as both characters you will be on foot, in and out of buildings (although note only mission buildings are enterable; approx 20) controls are a little difficult, but as with any game - a couple of hours and you're storming along. the other half time - you are in a variety of cars... less variety than GTA admitably but the cars on the roads are the cars out there on our roads! - you can see the badges of a citreon saxo, instantly recognise the rover metro (and its high pitched scream as you do a burnout pulling away), The black cabs although a shade of dark green are perfect imitations. Its almost refreshing. Even handling is accurate as anyone who has dared drive a nissan micra will know!Police tactics are again realistic (really need a thesaurus - getting bored of typing this word). Expect chases (as opposed to random battering), experience the frustration of real life criminals and those evil spiked stinger traps (driving around with no tyres - a challenge to say the least), police will shoot tyres & radiators & set up roadblocks straight out of 'The Bill' textbook. I actually found losing the police the most enjoyable part of this game. - an unexpected swerve into back alley or a dive through a narrowing gap as a bus pulls out: Brilliant!Weapons are limited to gangsta profile as opposed to out and out terrorist, and with exception of pistols, can only handle 1 at a time (where does Fido / Tommy conceal that bazooka and up to 99 molotov cocktails?!?) There is no directional map on the screen - a unique flash of indicators tells you where to go...Overall opinion. Buy it, play it & enjoy it - (its platinum now so less than a tenner). Don't get caught up comparing it & arguing over which is better.The final question - which do I prefer? I'm more of a Braeburn man myself, however I do like a good pair. er pear.

30.12.2002

Lets get this right from the start, this is the best game ever .Every part of this game is perfect.Ignore everything you've read from any other reviewers because now I am going to sort the facts form the fictionGraphics 10/10With a game that looks as beautiful as this how can a person complain about the textures or 'washed out' colours?I think you'll find that when you speed around London at 60-70mph things WILL tend to blur. The game is supposed to look 'washed out' and dull , because that is what real life looks like on the streets.When you go inside however the colours do come to life without overdoing it.This game has cutscenes which surpass ALL other games and character modelling is perfect.The lip-synch is spot on and when a game looks as good as this how can a person complain?.Sound 10/10How can a game with no in-car soundtrack or radio get 10/10 for a score you ask? Well, i'll start with the cutscenes.The voice acting is brilliant and the script is better than 98% of all the movies ever made.I can only think of less than a handful of movies with scripts this good.The game has adult language throughout which adds to the realism because lets face it, EVERYBODY swears. The cars all sound great, sound effects and gunshots too and the orchestral score is thrillingly brilliant.Gameplay 10/10The combat is NOT as fiddly as people make it out to be.It all handles smoothly and as such provides the greatest shootouts ever, in game OR most movies(with the possible exception of the matrix because you can't jump off walls....yet).All moves available to you flow smoothly from one to the other.Example:I roll into a roon and immediately duck down behind a wall,someone moves around and tries to shoot me, I roll towards them,pistol whip them, grab their shotgun and blow up a conveniently placed barrel, all without a single pause.Barrels may be convenientely placed but they aren't overdone which saves it from being a problem. Now, onto the cars, they handle brilliantly which means you should pay attention and let go of the accelarator once in while,those of you complaining. The damage is shown accurately and windows and, importantly, tyres ,yes TYRES can be shot out to make a car crash( those of you shouting "Vice City rip-off" should be informed that this game was in development since before the original GTA3, let alone Vice city,okay?)The missions may be repetitive, if by repetetive you mean driving and shooting but task-wise extremely varied.I won't reveal too much but tasks involve setting a restaurant on fire,infiltrating crack-houses etc.After 12 missions as Mark Hammond you can play a different 12 which sometimes intertwine as DC Carter, a flying squad police officer.So 10/10 for gameplayLifespan 10/10 Can be completed in a week if played non-stop but to get the full enjoyment it's wise to take your time and enjoy yourself.When these 2 character sections are completed a free-roaming mode is unlocked with 10 hidden vehicles.Free-roaming mode includes the whole of the games London and also the cops and villains trying to stop you.This game has plenty of replay value in the form of the missions AND free-roam mode.The cutscenes can be skipped in the second playing of the game by pressing down on R3 at the start of the scene.Overall 10/10 A unique gameplay experience which is solid in every department. A must buy.If you must decide between vice city and The Getaway go for the getaway for cinamatic, gritty realism , action and more.Rated 18 for Frequent strong language, strong violence and partial nudity.

29.9.2003

The Getaway is a British gangster film made playable (think Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, that kind of thing. However, unlike these movies, The Getaway contains no humour whatsoever).A lot of people might consider this game a GTA ripoff. But as you play it you realise that it is no such thing. It isn't just that the game seems to lack a lot of the extra items which make GTA such an addiction - that would imply that it's a cut down version. You wonder why you're not being told the make of car you've just entered, or where your item/weapon menu is, or how many bullets you have left. After a while you realise that the game has been designed so that the entire story is experienced through the character's eyes,with no concession to usual video game conventions whatsoever. There are no objects in the game except for guns which the character will pick up as he passes over the body of someone he shot. There are no health items, the only thing you can do to recover is lean against a wall. There is no "ITEM" menu. There is no compass, life bar, HUD, target icon or other form of "in-game" screen info. This is all to maintain the total realism of the experience. What you see is very literally what you get.The keynote for the designers of Grand Theft Auto was FUN.The keynote for the designers of The Getaway is REALISM.The game area is an impressively realisation of 40 square miles of London. You can walk or drive around real streets and see real buildings. It's an absolute tour-de-force with the whole area in a single load. The game includes real cars which take real damage when you crash them. The traffic moves so realistically that transport planners could use this game to model traffic flow. And when you get run over, there's no gag squelch, but a heartstopping thud, and you die!There are two downsides - one is that there are only 24 missions to play in all - 12 as the criminal Hammond and 12 as the policeman Carter. So it's a little on the short side, according to some. Also there are no side missions, you just get the ability to free roam through London as each character's missions are completed. The other downside is the lack of camera angles when driving - you have no in-car view and you can't even look left or right. When reversing after a few seconds the camera will swivel round to the front of the car, but that's it.Some would regard the following as a downside: The game is filled with obscene language. I think this is understandable, but it isn't a movie you're going to sit in front of for two hours in an evening, but might be playing through for hours at a time at any time of day, when swearing may be inappropriate depending on your environment. There should have been a bleep option.Cutscene dialogue creaks a bit, but the voices are at least identifiably *acted*, and acted with gusto and professionalism. Cutscene animation is high quality, with facial expressions and synchronised mouth movements, all using the in-game graphics engine. (Live action scenes you may have seen were shot solely for advertising purposes.)Buy this to experience a new kind of adventure game - the "nothing but the adventure" game. It's a distinctly different type of experience from other games which emulate reality but still contain videogame elements such as ammo displays, item lists, maps and compasses - you really have nothing to use but what you see in front of you, on the screen. It makes you think, and gives you a great feeling of self-reliance.

19.12.2002

Okay, firstly, there are too many comparisons between the Getaway and Grand Theft Auto 3. There are one or two similarities, but that's where it should end, because they are completley different games.The Getaway is more of an Interactive Movie, which has a very deep and enjoyable storyline, and unfortunately is where my only two complaints come from. Firstly, the cut scenes, which while entertaining, and make the senseless violence guilt-free, are quite long, and there is no way to 'skip' them, so everytime you load a game you have to sit through at least 5 minutes before you can play. The second complaint is that the gameplay is very linear, and while this helps the story,I would of liked to be able to make decsions, instead of being told my thoughts.Right, my complaints out of the way, simply, this is a great game, and really is split into two sections.The first is the GTA3 type, which see's you driving round a very convincing Greater London, which looks great, and is easily recognisable, with detail down to the shops and road signs. The cars are okay, varying from Black Cabs to Saab's, Lexus, MR2's, Laguna's, Corsa's, TVR's, Police Vectra's and of course, the London Buses.Each car handles differently, not always easily noticable, but enough to make it interesting. With the inclusion of Police shooting out your tires, and/or tire spikes in the road, you can experience trying to drive on the rims, which again alters the cars dynamics.The driving is less 'arcade' than GTA3, but not quite as ultra-real as Gran Turismo, they have the balance just right.The second part of the game is the 'internal' section. This is where the game really shows off, you basically have 24 levels (split between 2 characters), which are a mix of driving and internal. But instead of running around shooting, you need to use strategy, which includes sliding down walls, and shooting into doorways, hiding behind boxes, shooting over them, or jumping out and spraying your shocked victim. The most useful tactic is being able to take someone hostage, using them as a human sheild, and then disposing of them when they are no more use. The array of weaponry is impressive, but very believable, from one or two pistols, shotguns, AK-47 and H&K MP5's, which need reloading and disposing of when empty.There is no on-screen display showing health or maps, so in the car, your indicators show you the way, and your health is demonstrated by how your character is standing.The first 12 missions are with ganster Mark Hammond, and you go around London causing havoc, the second 12 are with DC Carter, which run parallel with your earlier levels, and you find yourself cleaning up after your chaos with Hammond...When you have completed all 24 levels, you get free roaming mode, where you can scream around London like a mad-man for as long as you want, and maybe even find the hidden Tank & Lotus Esprit.

11.12.2002

For those that just want a driving game, buy Gran Turismo, for those wanting a gangster shoot 'em up, buy Mafia and for those wanting excellent game play with cartoon graphics, buy GTA Vice City.Getaway is like a cross between Max Payne, with elements of GTA and Mafia all rolled into a London setting.The first thing to hit you will be the wonderful photo-realistic graphics. There is only one word for them; awesome! The car models are beautifully rendered and both the externals of the city and the internals of the buildings are very well done, with fully interactive environments.I suppose it is inevitable that Getaway will draw comparisons with the GTA series although the differences are stark.

10.12.2002

Just three words: Oh my god.I can't help feeling that some of the games around this Christmas have really raised the bar as far as quality is concerned, and this is certainly one of them. Although definately not for the faint-hearted, it's certainly one of the most gritty, realistic and above all enjoyable experiences on the PlayStation 2 to date. The level of detail in the recreation of the heart of London is breathtaking, as are the many vehicles you will get to speed, scrape, bump, crash and dangerously drive your way around it!Gameplay-wise, it's certainly very accessible and quite refreshing. The total abscence of any screen garbage (such as score, maps, health, ammo etc)

15.12.2002

Ok, this game, The Getaway, has been the underdog ever since itbecame public. This is due 2 reasons :1. The first, ahhum, 'screenshots' which were released.2. The inevitable, but unfair, straight up comparison toany GTA game. Team Soho's game's been under extreme sceptical scrutiny in it's longterm developement time just for those reasons. Unfortunately though, becuz the game really has to be judged on it's own merits. Of course it was kind of stupid of Team Soho to release renders (mind you, they were renders of the ingame engine though) as first screenshots. That will always turn out 2good 2b true. Still, the final product looks absolutely great.

11.12.2002

I brought this game unsure of the full potential this title has ensnared, I was not disapointed. I will be comparing it to grand theft auto: vice city which i have also brought recently. The reason i am doing this is because if u have grand theft auto (and like it!)then i recommend u buy this game. These games are based on the same idea (run around shoot, get in a car drive anywhere) but are aimed at a completely different atmosphere. Id also like to mention that rockstar north (creators of the grand theft auto games) have been making these games for much greater length of time then team soho (creators of the getaway), bearing this is mind id like to begin.The getaway is based on the london crime scene,

2.1.2003

Avoid the forgettable eighties designer suits seen in GTA:Vice City and get The Getaway. It's gritty with some incredible cut scenes you would expect from a film like 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' but with more swearing than 'The Osbournes' and more realistic tension than the cartoon elegance of GTA.Where GTA was awkward to control on foot, The Getaway makes up for it by providing a decent control mechanism designed for sneaky shoot em up violence rather than bash all the buttons mayhem. The difference is that you have to use your head for them to lose theirs. For example you can crawl along a box and simply point your gun and shoot the bad guys without them seeing you even though the aiming is sometimes well off.

23.1.2003

You may wonder why I gave this game a 5 star rating, but the title seems to be in the other direction. The reason why is simple: I didn't fully understand the game when I bought it. After buying a PS2 magazine, a few months before release, I only looked at the pictures. After playing games like GTA 3 and now Vice City, I thought that it was great to finally be able to drive 'real' cars, meaning for example Rover 75, Nissan Micra etc. As well as this, the police cars look identical to the ones in real life. So, I preordered this game immediately, and was really pleased when I received it. However, if I continued to read I would have read what the game is actually about.

13.10.2004

The first good thing about this game, is that its actually British, finally, something we can all relate to, rather than the usual American games about American gangs noone here knows or cares about. You mingle with the Chinese mafia (Triads) who you do occasionally see on the streets in Britain, the Rastafarian gangsters (Yardies) who also exist on a massive scale in Britain, and of course the Cockney gangs of hoodlums, so the game is believeable and makes sense to a Brit.Next thing to notice about the game is how cinematic it is, you don't have meters, dials, onboard GPS, etc etc plaguing your screen, The Getaway makes you feel like you are in the game for real. In reality,

16.1.2003

The Getaway is a really great game that will have you hooked until you have finished it.In the beginning,the controls are very awkward for the on-foot part of the game,but you soon get use to them.The driving missions are great,especially when you start recognizing roads,streets,buildings etc.If you have always wanted to take that short cut down the one-way-street in real life,well now you can!You can car-jack anything with wheels.Including a BMW Z3 if you are lucky.The on-foot missions are about taking out the Yardies or the Triads,which is cool stuff.The music really adds to the atmosphere.When you have finished the game as Mark Hammond,you then play the game as D.C Carter which ties in

1.1.2003

First and foremost this is a fantastic game, a cross between GTA3 and Lock Stock. The game takes place in central London, where the makers have recreated over 20 square miles for your enjoyment. If you know London well then you can easily find your way through the game, and if not there's a neat feature meaning that once you are in a car and don't know where to go you can just follow your car's indicators.Chances are that if you are about to get this game, you will probably already own GTA3, if not then you will most definately have played it. Despite the comparisons, they are still two very different games. Where GTA3 has an almost comic book feel,

5.1.2003

Where to start, this game is breathtaking it combines every thing Gta3 was'nt and is with a sprinkling of Gran Turismo and Max Payne and to top it all of has one of the best storylines i have ever seen in a game. The Getaway does have minor faults like people, and cars disapearing now and then and some speech over-lapping but other than that its great. The missions throw you staight in at the deep end with none of that Gta3 style, run over there and kick that blokes head in then paint a car, type missions. No the Getaway has more fast pacedmissions which all fall into the storyline perfectly and gives the game more of a twist. There are no rocket launchers lying in an allyway either all the weapons come from gang members or police.

The Getaway (PS2) - Reviews

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