Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: The Getaway

Written by Adam Woolcott on June 26, 2002

First Impressions: If you ever wanted to steal a Mercedes, here's your chance.

The Getaway was announced even before the PlayStation 2 was released Ц and early screen shots of the game put it on many gamers' most wanted lists. The Getaway promised free-roaming missions and the ability to drive any car on the street, mixed in with some amazing visual representations of London. Then, the game disappeared. It went into hiding for around a year, with rumors that they over-spent on their budget for making the game, and the thought that the game was just too ambitious, thus was to be quietly cancelled.

But as E3 drew near, The Getaway finally showed it's face - and once again many PS2 owners have slapped this game on their most wanted lists. Those visuals are still intact and amazing, the free-roaming missions a la Grand Theft Auto 3 are in, and the cool driving engine is mixed with a promising Max Payne-ish action/adventure slant as well. It's clear all the time Team Soho kept The Getaway in hiding went to good use, as the game will certainly be one of SCEA's big releases in the busy fall/winter holiday season. The inevitable comparisons to GTA3 will show Ц but given that The Getaway has been in development for years, it's most likely been around longer than GTA3.

The Getaway tells the story of a Mark Hammond, an ex-con who's slowly moving away from his criminal past, living in peace with his wife and son. Yet one day, his wife is murdered and his son kidnapped by one of London's organized crime gangs, and Mark is forced to get back into the underground crime world to seek revenge.

Actually, Mark's story is only half of the game; another set of missions is told through the eyes of Frank Carter, a police officer. Basically, you split missions with both characters, and they both add up at the end for one big ending. It's a lot like watching a movie with 2 separate plots Ц as one reaches the peak, one is just waiting for the chance.

The actual gameplay is split between driving around in car chases and/or stealing one of the many cars, and missions that involve gunplay and stealth. Both are mixed together for some variety, which will certainly keep the game from getting old. You can jack many different cars, from BMW's to Range Rovers to even the London special, the Double Decker Bus. All in all there's 70 different cars from around 30 different makers, so there's plenty of cars to get your hands on Ц even more than Liberty City had. Some cars are available in some places, but not in others Ц going into the more affluent areas will find the moreЕluxurious vehicles like the Bentley Continental, while a trip into the Сhood will have less glamorous vehicles traveling the streets.

The foot-based parts of the missions are very similar to a Max Payne Ц there's plenty of guns a blastin and high-powered action. It also borrows some stealth tactics from Metal Gear Solid Ц missions that require you to get in and out of places without being seen or heard is something easily seen from MGS2. The balance between stealth and action hopefully will be even enough so you don't do the same thing over and over again Ц and by some of the trailers out there, it won't be repetitive at all.

20 square miles of London has been accurately recreated with all the landmarks intact Ц an amazing feat for a game that is so graphically-intensive, yet offers as much freedom as it does. Team Soho also promises a rock-solid 60 FPS, which would be quite a feat. Of course, we Americans will have to get used to one London quirk Ц driving on the left side of the road. Then again if you played GTA3 you probably did that anyway just to cause a major messЕor was that just me.

The voice acting seems to be top-notch, with good actors and plenty of cussing. Yes, it seems that Mark and company have no trouble dropping a few F-bombs here and there, something that really hasn't been heard in a video game. Given The Getaway's adult tone and nature, it's about time that a game comes off as something that not only claims is adult, but means it. And since The Getaway strives to come off as a very, very interactive movie (not cut-scene mania), all this is necessary to be taken seriously.