The Getaway

The Getaway is tough and nasty in both gameplay and story line.

In the world of video games, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City certainly proved that crime pays?and plays. Now The Getaway has hatched a free-roaming 3D caper that?s ready to steal the show.

Mature-Rated Mobsters
The two games share similar gameplay, but their styles are completely different. The Getaway takes itself way more seriously than GTA: Vice City, which uses a wise-guy attitude, on-target 1980s satire, and a groovy greatest-hits soundtrack to make crime ?fun? in the Miami sun. The Getaway, however, isn?t playing for laughs. It just wants to grab you by the throat with a gritty, taut story line set in the mean streets of London. You actually play intertwined, back-to-back games on both sides of the law. Your two characters are an ex-con caught in the vice-like grip of a vicious crime lord who is holding his child hostage; and a street cop looking to bring the scumbag to justice. The challenge is tough as nails, even though you don?t score any side action like Vice City?s strong-arm jobs, real estate deals, or shopping trips. Here, your characters focus on just two things: driving like a maniac and shooting like a maniac. To save the kid, you have no choice but to empty both barrels into various crime organizations, from Jamaican drug dealers to the Chinese Triads. As you might imagine, The Getaway revels in its Mature rating. It?s not trying to ?get away? with anything, and it?s definitely not for kids. It?s not so much the blow-em-away visuals, which are on par with average M-rated games like Vice City, as it is the language and some adult situations. The Brits, of course, first coined the ?F? word, and The Getaway?s characters use it like they own it. In fact, heavies, cops, and citizens alike drop enough F-bombs to make Tony Soprano duck for cover. Harry Potter?s England is covering its ears here. Thing is, the true-to-life street talk adds drama and a serious adult dimension to the tight story cinemas, which do an excellent job of telling this gangster tale.

East End Style
The Getaway puts impressive effort into telling its gangland story. If Vice City is like a crazy crime parody, then The Getaway is more like a hard-boiled crime drama. In between some breakneck driving and intense gunplay, you get plenty of tough guy angst, wicked doublecrosses, and excruciatingly brutal thuggery.

The graphics are straightforward and cool, save for some awkward (and sometimes fatal) camera movement during gunfights. The character visuals are impressively realistic (much more so than Vice City?s) with great facial expressions. The picturesque scenery seeks to re-create present day London, so you?re actually cruising the streets of the famous city. Too bad there?s no game map to aid some sightseeing. You can drive (and steal) real Euro cars, double-decker buses, and even FedEx vans; and unlike in Vice City, there?s an authentic level of urban traffic.

The sounds pull off a big score thanks in large part to outstanding voice acting. There are no big-name stars like in Vice City, but the dialogue is tight. The game features noteworthy multicultural flavor, too, with extensive East End dialect, Jamaican accents, and fluent Cantonese Chinese (with subtitles, too). Plus, the music expertly sets the mood. And while you won?t cruise to nostalgic radio tunes, you will hear the game?s effects blast out a crafty cacophony of squealing tires, ricocheting lead, police sirens, and high-impact crunches during the often frantic drive time.

Wicked Action
The Getaway?s gameplay showcases a formidable array of moves. At its heart, this game is a third-person shooter, and the controls take an ambitious stab at?er, executing some fine moves. You can lock on to a target or use free aiming as well as quickly switch targets with a single button press or advance towards a bad guy with your guns blazing.

There are great moves from behind cover, too. Maneuver close to a wall, and you can slide along it, whip around the corner, fire, and duck back. Or you can just fire blindly around a corner. You can also crouch behind an object and fire around either side or blindly over the top.

The impressive variety of actions has its drawbacks, though. Buttons have multiple uses depending on the situation. So while you can choreograph some awesome-looking combat, urgent button pressing can cause fatal mistakes during intense gunfights. A sometimes-unaccommodating game can also force you to make blind calls. Additionally, when you expose yourself from cover to shoot, the fast-as-lighting bad guys usually draw first blood. Take the time to rein in the controls?the action?s slick, but you?re going to get whacked early and often in the meantime.

The riotous, fender-mashing car chases recall classic movies like The French Connection and Bullitt. The driving controls are smooth and tight, and the accelerator and braking buttons have an excellent feel. Unlike in Vice City, there?s a separate button for backing up, which makes the driving feel more realistic and satisfying overall. Navigating the streets of London, though, can be problematic, especially when cops and gangsters are trying to run you down. In lieu of a map, your blinking taillights indicate which way you need to turn. It?s intuitive but imprecise. You might drive all over town before you find your destination or simply run out of time.

Do the Time
The Getaway is fun, compelling, and as tough as they come. Absolutely merciless challenges and a healthy learning curve mean it won?t give up its pleasures easily. While there isn?t as much variety in the gameplay as there is in Vice City, the action-packed combat and insane car chases are more than satisfying. If you?re ready to graduate from Vice City, it?d be a crime not to try this game.

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