The Getaway

by Sony

Product Features

• Wild, multiple storylines and intriguing characters
• Advanced lighting modes and special effects
• Blood, drug reference, strong language and sexual content, and violence

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006Z7I3
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: January 16, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (199 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,386 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #44 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Racing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

To get it out of the way: yes, The Getaway is a by-the-book knockoff of the massively successful Grand Theft Auto series. It is, even if it was started five years ago. (Did anyone at Team Soho play the London expansion pack for the original GTA?) But Ms. Pac-Man was a clone too, and no one complained about that. Ripping off ideas is as old as the idea of gaming, period, so this fact alone is not a sin. The Getaway carries through on its mission well enough, if falling a bit in the shadow of its predecessor.

The mission of the game is this: in what's becoming a post-Sopranos, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels stereotype, you're a tough guy, with guns, of course, and a fair amount of attitude. Having formerly worked for the British Mafia, you're looking to exact some brute force/we-ain't-no-James-Bond revenge on the boss. You jump in your car (or any car, really) and the turn signals let you know the path to follow your enemies. By the next scene, you're off and shooting, throwing out and receiving British slang and curses (e.g., "Look out! This guy's a nutter"). This pattern--car and shoot, shoot and car--is repeated over and over as you complete more missions. There's clearly a great deal of technical expertise in the game's design: knock the car door and it swings open wide, altering the aerodynamics and causing drag on that side of the machine.

Is The Getaway a good game? Yes and no. If you're a die-hard fan of GTA, you'll most likely be annoyed that you have no health meter, that the famous GTA humor is missing (Getaway is pretty dour), and that the missions are fairly linear and exacting. If you're not a rabid GTAer, you may actually like the fact that there's no health meter, since the idea is, after all, authenticity. In real life you wouldn't exactly have a "low life level" meter ringing in your ears in the event of a scuffle, after all. There are no maps and no ammo counters--causes of concern to some players--but again, the idea is: "real life." The superb photorealism (40 square kilometers of London were carefully mapped out with cinematic quality) goes hand in hand with this pursuit of reality above all else. Stylish and intentionally minimalist in its game mechanics, The Getaway is likely to have more than a few die-hard supporters (otherwise known as "mates"). --Jennifer Buckendorff

Pros:

• London, looking really cool
• UK one-way streets, any which way you want
• Notable array of vehicles
• Catchy/cute Britishisms

Cons:

• Parents beware: the F word is in use
• Lo-o-o-ong cut scenes. Getaway thinks it's a movie.
• Nope, no strafing
• Enforced camera angle

Product Description

In The Getaway, you're a reformed criminal who's been blackmailed into returning to his old ways -- and he's going to do whatever it takes to stop it!

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game, but has some flaws, February 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Getaway (Video Game)

When the reviews started coming in for The Getaway, i was getting mixed feelings to buy or not to buy it. I finally decided to get the game, well aware of its flaws. It turned out to be pretty good. The story here is great, it'll keep you interested all the way. You play as Mark Hammond, a retired mobster brought back to the job by Charlie Jolson, when he kidnaps his kid and kills his wife. You'll fight through 12 missions with Hammond and 12 more missions with a cop obssesed in putting Jolson behind bars.

The game features dozens of cars to steal, with manufacturers including Lexus (SC430, IS300, LS430), Saab (93), Toyota (1990 MR2), Honda (modified 1997 Civic), Nissan (Skyline), Mercedes (E500), Land Rover, Jaguar (S-Type)and much more. Driving is realistic, the physics are very different from GTA3/VC. On foot, the game is a mix between MGS2, Hitman 2, and GTA. When your guy takes a hit, you'll regain health by leaning on a wall.

The graphics here are gorgeus. Cars are modeled nicely and the game has good lightning effects. Sure it isn't GT3 but pretty close in some aspects. The faces on the characters are well done and the city of London is brought to life in the game.

Overall, this game was quite a surprise, rent it first, if you like it buy it. If you don't like realistic stuff in games, then ditch this one.

Graphics: 9.1
Gameplay: 8.9
Sound: 9.0
Replay: 8.0
Overall: 9.0

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Getaway, December 29, 2002

By 

Yousaf Rehan - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Getaway (Video Game)

Well if youre wondering why im writing a review on a game thats supposed to be released early next year,
the reason being that ive played "The Getaway", on my PAL version which was just released lately.

You play as Mark Hammond, an Ex-Gangster, brought back into the spotlight of crime, after the kidnapping
of his son by his ex-boss. This is where the first level starts off from. "The Getaway", is a story-driven,
3rs person shooter game, very similar to "Mafia", and 'Max Payne".

The graphics are stunning. Simply superb. You can drive around London within a 40Km area, which is
highly detailed with traffic signals, pedestrians, sidewalks, real time cars(Including Rover,Lexus,
Mercedes,Range Rover,Volvo, Fiat and quite a few more), and not to forget, the Police. For your navigation
in the game, there isnt a map(which I found quite bothersome), rather you navigate throughout the
metropolis following your Car Indicators. So if youre not in a car, then theres absolutely no way of
knowing where you are, and where you need to go. Visual effects of the cars getting damaged is very
realistic, and so is the effect when you or anyone else gets shot.

The controls is where "The Getaway", loses a star. The controls are awfully sluggish and slow. As stated
before by another viewer, Hammond moves like an 90 year old man. It takes him about 5 minutes to
turn around, and 10 minutes to get from one end of the street to the other. The driving controls are
nothing different. The car moves slowly, takes ages to come to a halt and takes ages to
accelerate. There is no auto-aim, so you have to aim at the enemy yourself, which is pretty
difficult and frustrating.

The gameplay deserves some praise. Well thought out story and well executed. Levels are highly detailed,
however are pretty difficult. Player damage can effect Mark Hammond. If he gets shot too many times, then he slouches
and gasps for breath. You can increase his health by making him lean against a wall, thus there
are no Medi-paks in the game.

In conclusion, "The Getaway", is a fun game, but extremely difficult. Its not as fun GTA:Vice City
or GTA, but its still an entertaining gaming experience!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some fun gameplay but short and frustrating, February 24, 2003

By 

Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast" - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Getaway (Video Game)

For Vice City and GTA3 fans, The Getaway brings that street-gang shooting action to London, England. The result is both fun and sometimes frustrating.

Unlike just about every game out there, The Getaway doesn't give you any breaks. You start out watching your wife get killed and your son kidnapped. And then, without any training or help or 'get used to the system', you have to do a *timed* car chase.

You don't know where you're going. Even though your *character*, Mark Hammond, would of course know London, YOU don't. So you're stuck with this really annoying flashing-turn-signal system. It tells you in general which direction to go - but isn't good at exact turns. It can have you zig-zagging all over creation.

The car modelling is good, and the driving is fairly realistic. The cars seem to be very flammable and prone to skidding, though. Where a good driver could get through situations fine in real life, in this game you're constantly restarting because your car got bashed into a wall or caught on fire after a few bumps. You can't look left or right (or behind for that matter) so you're constantly getting slammed into from regular cars you didn't see.

Finally, you figure out your destination. Now you're thrown into a GIANT gunfight. Again, no getting-used-to-things here. There are no health bars, no indicators, nothing. All you have is red spots on your body and the ability to lean on the wall to gain health. I think a medkit is far more realistic actually, to stop bleeding and feel better!

That's not to say I didn't like the game. We did enjoy playing it, first 12 missions as bad-guy Mark Hammond and then 12 more as rogue-cop Frank Carter. But where other games give you a sense of satisfaction as you plow forward, this game involved a ton of replaying the same mission over and over (many times with long cut-scenes which were unskippable) and getting killed because someone broadsided you, or someone shot you 3 times (you die very quickly) or a myriad of other reasons.

The graphics are *gorgeous*. When you shoot someone on the stairs, they roll down. The car models are great. The city of London is extremely realistic, as you can tell by looking at any real life London map. There are a ton of indoor and outdoor scenes.

But the game is very stagnant. Your missions are forced down your throat, no breaks. No 'hang out' or 'drive around' time. No day/night cycles, no weather. Characters love to swear and are just nasty with each other 99% of the time - no cool dialogue. Sometimes the dialogue doesn't match up with the action, either. You only get to have 'free drive' at the very end of the game.

A good way to blow through a weekend or two, but definitely not the months-of-fun that the GTA series provides!