Customer Reviews

The Getaway

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(70)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

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

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!

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!

And then there were three...

Reflections entertainment was the first to pioneer this video game genre of free roaming, realistic city driving games with "Driver" and "Driver 2". Rockstar games was the first to perfect the genre with "Grand Theft Auto III" and "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City", the best selling games in platform gaming history. Now Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) wants to get in on the fun with "The Getaway".

I say "The Getaway" is fun for fans of U.K. gangster cinema with such movies as "Snatch" because the game is treated as such, a feature film. The opening credits are spectacular and the cut scenes are voice acted very well, as well as the animator's figure actions are very convincing. The storyline is very amusing and satirical, just as the movie "Snatch" is.

However, as someone who is very use to the gameplay of "Grand Theft Auto" and "Driver", I find the gameplay of "The Getaway" to be somewhat lacking in parts. The controls are somewhat sluggish, both in the car and on foot. With only one driving viewing angle, it somewhat limits the gamer's perspective on the London streets. The camera is rigidly fixed behind the car so that you never see the doors, which makes it hard to maneuver a power slide around the sharp corners of the London streets. Also, there is no way to look behind the car or have a rear view mirror to see what or who is chasing behind. The car physics are somewhat lacking as well, the shocks very hard and the tires very sticky. I have yet been able to flip the car upside down, as the majority of the London landscape is very flat and has no fun ramps or bumps as in "GTA" or "Driver" games. The car models are very accurate though, with nameplates such as Lexus, Jaguar, and Peugeot. The damage engine is unique in "The Getaway." Safety glass shatters as it would in real life and civilian cars react to the slightest of collisions.

The main thing that hurts the driving aspect of the game is the navigation system. There is no map of the streets to refer to anything in the game world. The gamer must rely on their car's turn signal. If it is signaling left, the driver must trust that somewhere in the short or distant future there will be a left turn that needs to be taken. If it blinks fast left that means the gamer passed up the left turn. And if the emergency blinkers turn on that means you are basically lost and should just give up and buy "Grand Theft Auto." The blinkers are very sporadic, sometimes changing directions in mid drive or signaling a turn that is going to happen 5 miles down the road. As I have heard, the developers have created the London streets as exact as they are in real life. For a Mid-West American gamer like me, who has never even seen a map of London, it is very easy to get lost. Especially since everybody seems to drive on the "wrong" side of the road! What do those zigzag median lines mean anyways?

As for the on-foot gameplay, "The Getaway" gets a thumbs up. Once you figure out the controls, it can be very fun. Sneaking around corners, firing your weapon blindly over obstacles, and taking hostages as human shields is pure fun all around. The character only moves at one speed, a strong jog, and no way to sprint or jump. Unless you have been wounded, at what point you will limp and gasp for air. The healing process is unique to this game: find an area away from the action and lean up against a wall and catch your breath. Magically your wounds disappear and the blood evaporates off your suit! Weapon selection is however limited as well. It's either one or a pair of HK P8 pistols or any gun that a villain drops, at which point you sacrifice the current weapon you are holding to pick up the other gun. Auto aiming helps, there is a manual aim but you must be standing still and there is no targeting reticule.

In the end, I would suggest this game to anyone who can find it somewhat cheap (under $40) and who is a fan of both British cinema and games of this genre. I filled both requirements. However, if you have to choose between buying "The Getaway" or "Grand Theft Auto," for Pete's sake go with "Grand Theft Auto." I would even suggest the Playstation One games "Driver" and "Driver 2" over "The Getaway." Or, if you are totally strapped for cash, wait until Reflections releases "Driver 3" for PS2, which I feel (based on their test release of "Stuntman") will blow everything out of the water.

SCEA is new to this genre of video games so it is expected that they don't have all the tricks and bugs figured out. Hopefully, if they make a sequel to "The Getaway" they will have learned some lessons and may become an equal competitor to the "Driver" series and the "Grand Theft Auto" series. I'm not holding my breath.

I would give 3.5 stars if there was such a thing.

Oi!!! This game is wicked!!! Oops, the authentic british accents on this game really gets in your head. But the very second I turned the game on, my jaws was opened the whole bloody time! The graphics are top notch. The character animations are smooth and accurate. The language in this one is not for the young peeps, violence is off the charts. I have never heard so many uses for the F-word in this game anywhere. And the large detail and authentic look of London they created for the game gets high marks from me. This game has everything! And I'm talking about the demo game not the full version. Imagine how much time you will lose once the full version comes out this coming January 22nd.
The game is like this. If you got the teams of Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid 2, Splinter Cell, and Dead to Rights with Guy Ritchie directing the whole project and having the elements of the movie "Snatch", and "Locks Stocks and 2 Smoking Barrels, with a dash of Micheal Bay and the game Max Payne, mix it up and you get "The Getaway". This game is surreal!!!!!! You get so many out of this one game!!!!!!
The game is going to be compared to Grand Theft Auto automatically. So that aside, you can jack any car you want. Anytime and anywhere you want. The car explodes when you crash it too much. It smokes up and boom! You can even shoot out the tires. You can go on foot, or go the faster way by jacking one of the many licensed authentic cars in the game. The best part is that you can kill anyone you want. It even has that "Dead to Rights" hint where you can sneak up behind someone and hold them as hostage and use them as shield. You can either let them go afterwards or shoot them on the head. I usually shoot them.
This game requires stealth as well as brains to survive the onslaught on the London streets. This is where you can be like Snake in Metal Gear. Go up against the wall to sneak around the corners. Use an arsenal of machine guns, handguns, and other goodies to the mix. The cut scenes are very cinematic and well done. You can now tell why this game took such a long time to make. It is worth the wait for the visuals it produces.
The lighting in this game can compare to "Splinter Cell's" lighting. The shadows and light is well placed and realistic looking. The movements and muscle tensions are all there. You got to be tactical so you must place some well timed bullet firing to your enemies and make sure no one is around to shoot you on the back.

Now let's talk about the driving experience. WOW!!! The cars are almost as detailed as the ones in Gran Turismo 3! Really great lighting and reflections and all. The driving dynamics and feel reminds me of Gran Turismo 3. If you brake too fast and turn the corner, you will spin out of control. The damage control is really good as well.
The game has no map, no time limit, and no damage/life bar. So if your navigating your way to the destination during a mission, whatever car your driving will have its blinkers flashing to indicate what direction your suppose to go to. It takes time to get use to it but it's no big deal once you get the hang of it. But make sure your backside hasn't sustain too much damage or else your blinkers won't work. And there is no life bar to indicate what damage state your in. Instead the damage indicator relies on how much blood is on the main characters suit. To gain your health back, you have to lean against a wall to rest a bit and get some energy back. It takes about maybe 15 to 20 seconds to get back to full health after a heavy fire fight. Team Soho the makers of The Getaway wanted to let the game have a movie feeling to it by not including any icons or maps on the screen. Yes it also takes time to get used to but after a while, it actually isn't a big deal too.
The game also boast one of the best environments I have ever seen. It recreates about 30 miles of London to drive and explore around. Think of it as a game that can also be a tourist guide for you when you go to London. After playing this game for a while, you might just know the streets of London by heart. It's that accurate!
In closing, The Getaway for the PS2 is a must have and a good game to get for the beginning of this year. From the demo I have seen so many things that reminds you a lot of the great Grand Theft Auto games. It will and always be compared to GTA, but this game offers a lot more difference for a fresh playing experience. It won't be as fast paced as GTA or the cars won't be that easy to drive just like in GTA, but this game you can say is an answer to GTA in full british style. BUY THIS GAME!!!!

First off all the controls are fine. I have had this game since March because i am British and have recently moved. The oneb thing that i do find annoying is that you health yourself by leaning on a wall. This is the only unrealistic aspect of the game. People complain about the language but it is pure South London and Kent which is where i'm from. The violence is graphic but realistic, i think that GTAVC glamorises violence whilst, the Getaway portrays the nitty grity reality of gang warfare in the Eastend. The driving is better and more accurate than GTAVC. The games main strength is it's compelling storyline. It is unlike any other game out there. I would say that the game is probably not suitable for those who are easily offended, the "filth" or police and anybody under 14. the fact that you cannot skip cut scences is the games major flaw along with the leaning on the wall buisness.

BUY THIS WITHOUT DELAY THOUGH

After you beat all the missions, go to extras and you can do free roam mode where you can do whatever you want.

This game is based in london. You play the roles of Mark Hammond, a former ganster seeking revenge after his son is kidnapped, and DC Frank Carter, a dedicated member of the "Flying Squad". There are 24 missions, 12 as each character. You start as Mark. Your wife gets killed and your son is kidnapped by your ex-boss; Charlie Jolson, a murdorous crime boss in london.
The game starts and you are thrown straight into action following a red rover which the kidnapped's are escaping in. You use the indicator lights to navigate but it isn't really accurate, its more of a compass and it isn't specific. So if you have to go northwest it just points left. The cars handle o.k. They turn easily but the breaks are unreactive and the damage model isn't very good. Like other games it is possible to pop tires and shoot windows. You have a choice of cars but because they licensed them it is qite a boring selection and Jags, Aston Martins, Rolls, Bentleys etc. are not there. You end up with an abnormal amount of Alfaromeos and Lexus cars to compensate
Control is poor. You only have one view and can't look left, right or back. You can't do drive-bys either. London is not constucted like vice city. It is more like you average in town racing game like midtown madness. There is virtually no interactivity. Major landmarks are around but you lake awfully long to turn about in free look and you can't look very high either so you can't see Big Ben, London Eye, The Natwest tower or the top of any tall stucture from close range.
Graphically it's quite good although from close range the textures are very ugly. Indoors it's much better,like Max Payne.
Effects are bad, especially fires. The characters are nice but pedestrians are very boring and there are few different pedestrian models.
The missions are not bad but they have a basic stucture of going somewhere, killing people and going somewhere else like a wild goose chase. As a result you have no time to explore or relax, not that there is any incentive to roam about. There is nothing you can enter or do. On foot you can perform a variety of moves like leaning on walls or bending behind obstacles. Unfortunately you are locked in these positions so if someone comes behind you are in a mess. The controls are unreactive and the auto aim is tedious and messy. You can regain health at any time though, by leaning at walls so it ends up as a pretty easy game. You moniter your health by watching your character who shows visible signs of injury and starts leaping around. Unfortunately your character is very slow, too slow, so the missions are somewhat boring.
You have only 4 guns, namely a Glock 17, pump shotgun, Ak-47 and MP5's. You have the option of doublening the glocks and the MP5's though. The weapons are also unrealistic. By shooting through one gun you can empty the other, the Ak and MP5 have unlimited mags. Enemy A.I is none existant, they basicly stand around and fire at you after a delay in which you were supposed to shoot them first. So once you knoe where people are the missions are a breeze.
Make no mistake, this is not GTA London 3D. It's like Driver with indoor missions. Upon finishing, which I did over a weekend you unlock a useless free roam mode with 10 hidden vehicles. Only the tank is interesting as you can fire. Although this is only interesting for 5 minutes.... On the whole, Play the Getaway or buy it when it's cheaper. It is not as good as they claim and I have outlined ALL there is in the Game.

If This Is You(exaggerated or not):

1) ZOMG!1! This game is too linear!
2) Why should a game have long cutscenes? It's not a movie!!!

-and the ever popular-

3) It's like Grand Theft Auto in England!!!

DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME! You'll look, feel, and be foolish. Side effects include: turning into a fanboy, ranting, ranting on forums, ensuing in oil and water arguments, generally pissing people off.

If THIS is you:

1) I like The Transporter, Snatch, and/or Tarantino kitsch.
2) I can watch these movies again and again.
3) GTA is fun until you're forced to repeat missions over and over.

Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is, this is much MUCH easier than the controller-grinding frustration of GTA. It also conforms to the central european gangster genre(i.e. foul language mixed among Britishisms). In that sense, it also has amazing character development and a driving plot(i.e. the main character can only take so much being bullied around before he decides to take the dominant role - oops, was that the ending?!). Anywho, the bad is that it's just slightly frustrating if you can't adapt to the game's high standard of visual puzzles(i.e. blinky=turn, blinky blinky=stop, drop, and boogie). There are some nice challenges, and you WILL beat this game if you try hard enough. Whereas in GTA, it makes you physically ill to repeat a task, in Getaway, it's actually a possibility.

So hey, it's extremely linear and it's "trying to be a movie". If you can't get over that and just enjoy the good story and the neat challenges, play something else or bash your pretty little head in with GTA! Ranting won't make the hurt go away.

I don't understand most people have never heard of this game. I think this game deserves a lot more hype than it got. It is not a GTA ripoff despite what everyone says. It is a much more story-driven game, each mission ties directly to your character and the storyline, unlike GTA where most of the missions are just random errands. The storyline in this game is great and it has some of the best cutscenes I've ever seen. The voice acting is superb. The story is pretty dark and violent, think Snatch except more serious, and there's also a scene in this game with a decidedly Quentin Tarantino-esque style. The action in this game is intense, from rediculous car chases to insane gunfights in the middle of a gang war.

Like I said, this game is not a GTA ripoff. It is however very similar to Mafia, if you've played that: you get missions one after the other, instead of when you choose to take them. There is also, like Mafia, a free ride mode available once you beat the game where you can just cruise around and get in gunfights and chases as you see fit.

All in all, this game is amazing and anyone who likes story-driven action games should definitely check it out.