The Getaway

"'Why do they call him Boris the Bullet Dodger?'...Because he dodges bullets, Avi!"

This game has been in the works for about four years, and as to my anticipation, I would like to say that this epic is extremely impressive, and incredibly daring. Basically, it's an interactive British gangster gang based on Guy Richie movies like Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Both of these are great. If you loved him before he became Madonna's personal whipping post, you'll love the dialogue and action with this great video game.

The plot involves a poor sap named Mark Hammond, an ex-con who got dragged back into his old life of crime by crime syndicate leader Charlie Jolson, who is holding his son hostage in order to force Hammond to complete a series of suicide missions. It's not the most original story in the world, I'll give you that, but the tale is told with the tenacity and daring that you won't find in many games. Your head will explode from the quality of the voice acting, cinematography, and character animations. It's definitely the closest video games have ever come to capturing the essence of a kick-ass action flick. I'll tell you one thing, it's a lot better than Die Hard or Spiderman. Another thing, is that there is a great Tarantino-style twist thrown into the plot halfway through the game but I'll keep the spoilers for the game. I'm sorry if you don't know who Guy Richie or Quentin Tarantino is, because you would have no idea who I'm talking about.

Keeping with this theme, the game does not initiate the use of a HUD for targeting, health, or inventory. Like in real life, you'll never now your gun is empty until it runs out of rounds, which is great for those frantic surprises. Aiming is done by lining up the end of your barrel with the enemy. No GTA lock-on targets here. This is also a Resident Evil style health determinator. Except you can't press start and check your vital signs. Basically, you know how damaged you are by the amount of blood spewing out of you. Eventually you start to lope and drag your foot around. At least you don't have to look for health; lean against a wall or a car and eventually your vitality restores.

The realism with the gameplay comes back over into the driving sequences of the game. It offers a brilliant alternative to the traditional onscreen map used in titles like Driver and GTA III. Instead of following a street and calculating where you need to be, you car's blinker will tell you whether you should go right or left or not say anything meaning you should just go forward. It doesn't sound like much, but it's a great asset since it allows you to see all the work that Team Soho put into making a virtual simulation of London. This is another awesome aspect, since the city itself is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in a game. Nearly everything you'll see while walking the streets of London, you'll see in the Getaway. I've talked to people who live in London, and they feel nostalgic when driving down the avenues. One of the people I talked to are currently looking for a bar he went to when he was 14. Nearly everything you see walking or standing in the streets of London now, you'll see in The Getaway. From small shops and pubs to landmarks like the Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Unlike GTA III, the buildings are very unique; each one of them has a distinct character. These details also extend onto the cars, which sport the real licensed makes and models with license plates! I'm an avid fan of details and this game quenches my thirst with a big dose of ingenuity.

The streets of the city and the dense traffic all add up to a great degree of drama in the racing sequences; once you take a 90mph trip the wrong way down a narrow, busy alley, you'll know what I mean. This is not you typical GTAIII six star romp through the forest. One thing that disappoints me is the on-foot action. Hammond walks in an awkward manner and the auto-targeting isn't as accurate as it should be even though this is for realism. The camera doesn't always give you the best angle of view, which has brought a lot of good games down. Oh yeah, the AI of your friends as well as enemies? Basically crap. Sometimes worse than the easiest bot setting on Unreal Tournament.

As much as I love this game, I doubt it will became as great a game with an effect like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. This is mostly due to the linear nature of the adventure. You can't go around anywhere like you do in GTA games. Basically every mission is you drive somewhere and do something, like kill someone in a building, all the while avoiding the cops. For all the work that Team Soho pit into making London onto a DVD disk, there isn't enough time or patience in the world to explore the whole city. The gameplay is repetitive, along with the flaws in the game keep this from giving me a 9 or a 10. Thankfully, these disadvantages don't keep from making this game highly entertaining as a whole. Once you become caught up in it, like the Mob, you'll never be able to leave. You will always come back and you won't be able to stop until the bloody end of the game.

Final Verdict
Story/Plot : 8.5
Gameplay : 9
Graphics : 10
Sound : 9
Overall: 9

Cheers.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/13/03, Updated 03/13/03