Review

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"The Getaway," is an interesting game which can best be described as a cross between Max Payne and Grand Theft Auto (III and Vice City). You play the first half of the game as Mark Hammond, an ex-con who was just released from prison only to find out that his wife has just been murdered and his son, taken hostage. In order to get your son back, you have to do various tasks for some local crime bosses. The second half of the game is played as cop, Frank Carter. The two stories are parallel and makes for an interesting dual perspective.

The missions usually include both a driving segment, and a third person shoot 'em up segment. The drivng segment is much like that of Grand Theft Auto (III or Vice City). You drive through a digitally rendered London (and boy is it pretty) and can switch cars at any time by carjacking another vehicle. All of the vehicles in the game are real cars: Saab, Lexus, London double-decker tour busses, etc. Also, during the driving segments, when you exit your car, you can wreak havoc on the many pedestrians and cops/gangs chasing after you.

The third person shoot 'em up part of the game is very reminiscent of Max Payne and other such third person action games. There are really no puzzles to solve, or worrying about where to go, you just enter a place and start shooting everything that you see. There are, to be fair, several missions where you have to use stealth, instead of brute force. These missions are a nice break from all shooting all the time. To cause all of this damage you have several weapons at your disposal: your trusty pistols, AK47s, shotguns, and, of course, the ability to break someone's neck.

Despite the similarities between this game and others that have come before, there are several key differences. The most notable is the lack of any "meter" of any sort. There is no health meter, no weapons info (ammo left, what gun), no map, etc. The goal here, we believe, is an attempt at total immersion. You have to notice when you're hurt (your character limps), and, when you are, lean up against a wall to regain health. When a weapon is used up, it leaves your hands. No messing with weapon switching. When you're driving, there is no map. You have to watch your car's turn signals. They tell you which way to go. When they both flash, you've reached your destination. All in all, we both found this to be a fun way to play a game, and, appeals to the lazy man in everybody. That is, there isn't a whole lot of extraneous stuff in this game. It's nice and straightforward.

The "total immersion" aspect of this game is supplemented by a long and twisting story line. You can't fast-forward through the movie sequences, even if you've already seen them, which is quite annoying. The auto-aim is sufficient, but feels a little slow to acquire a target sometimes. The manual aim takes some getting used to as there are no crosshairs to aid you in your aiming. The graphics are still a little rough around the edges for a next-gen game, but, the detail in this game is quite impressive.

In summary, "The Getaway," is a good game which combines popular aspects of games you've probably already played. It is well thought out, moderately entertaining, and annoying only because of the long movie sequences. This one will make a nice weekend rental if you plan on playing all day. If you plan on visiting it every so often, give it a buy.

-Jeremy

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