The Getaway Review

Ok so the guys over at team soho did have the misfortune to release their run around drive around mission based game within a month of GTA Vice City, but we were promised something different, and different we get....

Where to begin, where to begin...

OK, now, we all were waiting for GTA Vice City and very few people i've spoken to were disappointed, myself included, I loved Vice City, i've completed Vice City and was left sad that there is nothing left for me to do in the city in the sun, however ever since early 2001, I've heard rumblings of a game with similar styling but set in London, (GTA london I hear you ask?) well I wondered if this game would be an americanised vision of London, full of "cor blimey Mary Poppins" Dick Van Dyke type geysers, but then I read something that stopped me in my tracks...

These guys were accurately mapping 40 Square miles of london, from the smallest takeaway to the largest monument, something I thought would prove impossible. Team Soho have taken their time but released a phenomenal game. Ill go into detail later but lets concentrate on the important things first.

( for full effect on the next two paragraphs, start humming the theme tune to Shaft, or possibly Magnum)

Mark Hammond, former gangster, on release from prison vows to go straight, until Vicious Crime Boss Charlie Jolson Kills his wife, frames him for the murder and kidnaps his son, Hammond is then left in the position on errand boy for Jolson in the hope he can buy enough time to find his son.

DC Frank Carter is a policeman intent on bringing down Jolson from the right side of the law but by bending whichever rules he has to to get it done. (my god its like a bad american cop show)

Well that's the story, the gameplay rides somewhere between the classic "Driver" and "Max Payne". Missions are split equally between driving segments and on foot 3rd Person running around. What makes this game unique for me is the lack of help you receive around levels. there's no big flashing arrow to direct you which way your going, no health meter, no ammo reading, no big flashing icons of health and weapons, everything about the game makes it real. To recover your health you walk up to a wall and lean against it. Unrealistic!! some people cried, but as it was rightly put is it less realistic than a flashing red cross floating in mid air?

handling of the cars varies from vehicle to vehicle, the cars are real here, no fake names, all models are accurate and look very much like the real counterpart. The list of vehicles range from Buses, Ford Transits, Nissan Micra's, Vauxhall Vectra Police Cars, Rover's Lexux's, Saab's, Alfa's, Range Rovers, Bedford Rascals, Peugeots.... The list goes on and on...

What is instantly striking when you begin navigating the driving levels is the lack of pointers of directions, if you lose track of the vehicle your chasing you really have to hope for the best and navigate using the only advice you have... Your indicators, its a hit and miss way but when you get used to it its ok, when they flash left, take the next left, when they flash right take the next right, if they don't flash, keep going. you catch my drift....

I was astounded by the amount of traffic that you come across in London, unlike vice city, the average vehicles on screen at any one time in Getaway is up to about 30, it really adds to the feeling of London Rushhour traffic, the Draw Distance is phenomenal, and very little framerate slowdown can be noticed unless your in huge open spaces (in front of Buckingham Palace is one noticeable one) The payback for such phenomenal in front action is that they've sacrificed the ability to look behind you and you can only drive behind your car, not inside it (i'm sure that won't please some of you..) But i Suppose the first part is again in line with their realistic feel to the game.

London really has been done well, the city is alive, lots of pedestrians, shops (again licenses are wide, burger king, Gap, British Airways, In the pubs are Fosters, John Smiths.. etc etc...) all monuments are accurate, and having spent a lot of time in london, I was able to use my own knowledge of the area to help me complete missions (knowing side streets and short cuts are so helpful to cutting off opponents) One way systems are accurate, and the AI of other Drivers is not quite on GTA's level but is very very good. They'll swerve to avoid you but won't drive off if you start shooting, they'll overtake but wont go around trashed cars.

Damage is realistic, over time your engine will naturally overheat if you thrash it, when tyres are popped, the car will veer wildly across the road, and generally makes it more difficult to control.

The running around missions are good, the characters are realistic, well animated, the range of moves is high, the ability to shoot round corners and over obstacles adds up to some very good shootouts, the ability to regenerate health by leaning against walls may sound good, but its not very often you get the chance to do it! The AI of enemies is good, they'll seek cover and pop out in the same ways you can to shoot at you, when behind objects they'll crawl along to shoot from a different angle you weren't expecting, all in all the gameplay is amazing, 10/10 guys!

The missions themselves, could have the danger of being repetitive but they're broken up nicely, generally in a driving, on foot driving on foot kind of way, it works well and the story develops well I especially like the stealth mission where timing is everything! BT recently complained and had their name and identity removed from the game as they were unhappy about Hammond Dressed in BT overalls driving a BT van walking into a Police Station and shooting Police Officers, I suppose its a fair point, but I say this to BT

You've just removed your identity from a game that's sold over half a million copies before Christmas, this is on a console that soon will go online and need a provider to use for its broadband capabilities, well done BT, well done....

Now i don't want to pick faults with this game, but i have to, there is nothing inherently wrong with it just a few niggles that I wish they'd work out for Getaway 2.

Something troubled me about the cut scenes, and it wasn't until Jenksy pointed it out to me that I realised what it was, two main things really,

1.The scenes look like PS2 characters on PS1 backgrounds, this goes for the ingame a bit as well, although well done the backgrounds can pixelate a touch from a distance, real shame but these things happen, its something they need to sort out, Vice City managed beautifully, so we know it can be done.

2.This was Jenksy's comment but i take my hat off to a valid point, the characters just don't quite fit in. They just look a little out of place, just slightly, but its enough to make it uncomfortable, Tommy Vercetti in Vice City and all the other characters, fit well together, Getaway just grinds a little...

They are only little things but little things make great games, hopefully we'll see an improvement in Getaway 2 which has to be made, there's too much potential in this game for it not to be followed up.