The Getaway

"Fun but lacks originality and replay value..."

The Getaway's release date has been put off many times. But I'm thinking that maybe the producers shouldn't have rushed it for Christmas. The Getaway is a game filled with non-stop action, high-speed chases, and missions that are pretty fun. After being in production for 4 years. The Getaway has finally arrived. The Getaway is like a double-edged sword, it has its pros and its cons. However, you'll probably wind up hurting yourself more then the enemy.

Graphics - 9/10
The visuals in this game are amazing. Every building and street are detailed. I'm not from the UK cause my copy is an import. However, lots of pretty good visuals of the variety of buildings London has to offer. The cinematics are pretty good but in my honest opinion I think Team Soho tried way to hard to make this game seem like a movie. However, I do commend Team Soho for its good job on the graphics.

Gameplay - 6/10
The gameplay is decent. Rivals Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. But like Vice City it has its share of flaws. You can perform various moves. You can do various rolling maneuvers, lean against walls and shoot, shoot sideways from a wall, etc. There are many nifty tricks including silently breaking the neck of an enemy, taking a hostage to evade police gunfire, handcuffing anyone you want, shooting canisters of fuel to blow up your enemies, and setting your enemies on fire. You can drive various cars and shoot various weapons. The cars and weapons are detailed but they lack variety. The missions are overall fun and you will probably beat the game at least one or two times before the missions get repetitive. Another thing that brought down the score was that driving around in cars and shooting people has already been revolutionized in the newest editions of GTA. The gameplay here kind of lacks originality. Also, there are some hypocrites who state how The Getaway is very realistic. I don't see how realistic it is when you are leaning against a wall and magically gaining back health compared to obtaining some health packs.

Oh yeah, one thing that may be entertaining to some UK players is the cussing. My opinion is that the gameplay is very deteriorated from the game because of the fact that there is a lot of meaningless swears and offensive phrases.

Interesting Notes: The game has no bars or maps to clutter the screen. This gets frustrating sometimes but it is ok. You can't pick up health packs or anything and you can only see the amount of health you have by the way your character acts. From blood splotches to decreased stamina, etc. You also don't know how much ammunition you have because there is no ammo counter. You just have to deal with it when your favorite gun has just lost all its ammo. This feature can make things more challenging or make things more frustrating.

Controls - 8/10
The controls are somewhat decent and alright. The controls feel awkward and hard to get used to. However, within a day or two of playing it then you should get the hang of it. I like that you can manual aim and/or auto aim on all guns and the controls make them pretty easy to maneuver through.

Replay - 6/10
The replay value is kind of lackluster. You can get a lot out of this game by renting it for 7 days maximum. You can play your favorite missions through finding different ways to beat it. However, after a while, this starts collecting dust. This is very similar to Vice City when it comes to replay because the truth is, there is none.

Sound - 5/10
The audio in this game is ok. Not that great but not that bad. You have cinematics which are acted out brilliantly by the voice actors. However, the cinematics may be good but the repetitiveness of the pedestrian phrases and other minor ear-annoyers in the streets of London can tick you off. And one question. Doesn't the cars in London have radios?

Story - 8/10
You are Mark Hammond, an ex-bankrobber who wants vengeance for his wife's murder and his son's kidnapping. You are also Frank Carter, a cop determined to bring down a large crime syndicate and all associated with them. You play Mark Hammond first then Frank Carter later in the game. Their stories join together perfectly. I like the realistic feel to this game and although this type of story has been done to death the dual characters make it up.

My Opinion On This Game - 6/10
The Getaway is a great game but although the producers are different. I get a GTA type of feel to this game which is kinda disappointing because I was hoping for something different. The point of this section is to either tilt the review up or down. I've seen many people complain how Vice City is better and how The Getaway is better. In my honest opinion, I have to say Vice City is better because it came out before The Getaway and has already revolutionized gameplay of action adventure video games. If The Getaway had come out first before Grand Theft Auto Vice City and GTA3 then the odds would tilt in The Getaway's favor. This is not a revolutionizing game which I sort of hoped for but it is still a good game and worth playing through.

Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 6/10
Controls: 8/10
Replay: 6/10
Sound: 5/10
Story: 8/10
My Opinion On This Game: 6/10

After adding and dividing. The final score estimated is 6/10. The Getaway is an awesome game but, it isn't the best. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an awesome game but, it isn't the best. I have yet to see an action game that will be the best. But I will be looking forward to Rockstar's creations than Team Soho's.

P.S. Rent or Buy? I would say to rent it. Better to rent and treasure the somewhat good experience then to buy the game and regret buying it after a month.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/21/02, Updated 03/01/03