The Getaway

Let's get one thing straight: You can steal cars, you perpetrate crimes and you shoot people. Lots of people. But aside from those similarities, this game bears little semblance to the GTA series. While the GTA games give you a arcade feeling, The Getaway is meant to be as real as possible. There's no screen junk like maps, health bars, ammo counter or anything. You are guided by the blinking indicators on your car and your health is gauged by the way you move and the blood on your suit. The controls are acceptable, but not as tight as they could be. Controlling the cars is much more enjoyable than GTA3 or GTA:VC. Unlike in GTA:VC and preceding games, you can only target hostile opponents, which saves ammo and frustration in a fire fight. The on foot engine has stealth. Hide against walls, pop out around corners, etc. You can take hostages and use them as a shield. Opponents may not fire if the hostage is important. Cops, however, will NEVER fire at a hostage. The weapon selection is limited, you can get pistols, a shotgun, an AK47 and MP5s. Be warned, this game definitely mature. Plenty of course language, stark violence and some other mature themes. Overall, it's a great game.

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" 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)

this game is very fun to play. the game is stylish. the story is good too. real cars are included like saab, BMW etc. First you play mark hammond whose's son is kidnapped by the jolsons after you have completed the game then you play the policeman frank carter who is also with in the story and you play with his point of view. when you have completed the game, you play play free roam where you can explore London but not whole. the game is not like other games that when you're wounded, you need to find a heart and you can carry many weapons as you like, in this game you can rest against a wall to recover yourself and you can have max two pistols and a two-hand weapon. but still the crew should have put abit more effort in it but overall: 8/10

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!