Format: PS2
Developer: Team Soho
Publisher: Sony

The Getaway has generated an enormous amount of hype during its four-year development cycle, and in some ways it is justified. They have managed to recreate a large proportion of central London reasonably accurately, using photographs as reference both for the layout and for the textures used. And once you complete the game, you unlock Free Roam mode, which lets you drive around the modelled parts of London at will, visiting all the outside areas you have visited during the game itself.

The Getaway also has a strong story line, and comes across like a movie more than a game. You play through the game twice, once as Mark Hammond, and once as DC Carter, giving you the same story from two different points of view.

However, I cannot say that I actually like this game. Whilst it has a lot going for it, there are far too many small things that make the game play experience less than enjoyable. When you finally get to play this game, you wonder what the time has been spent on, especially when you compare it to other similar games like Grand Theft Auto, or even Project Gotham Racing.

Cut Scenes
Since the game is styled as a movie, there are story building cut scenes between each section of game play, however unless you have already completed the mission, you have to watch the cut scene every time you want to play the level. If you don't complete a level and come back to the game later, you have to watch the introductory cut scene again, even if you have already watched it. To give you an idea of just how annoying this process is, and how long these cut scenes are, after restarting mission five, the cut scene was so long I went and made a cup of tea whilst waiting for it to play through. I really had no desire to see it for the eighth time.

The same holds true if you decide to stop the game in the middle of a multi-part mission, for whatever reason – you have to go back to the very beginning of the mission, complete the various – often difficult, tedious and time-consuming – parts that lead back to where you were, whilst not being able to avoid the interminable cut scenes. And no, you cannot save mid-mission. While there are several different restart points you can obtain during missions, you cannot save your game at these points.

Within missions as well there are various things that really detract from the game play experience. Police Cars can always travel through traffic perfectly, can always accelerate quick enough to get in front of you even if you have a high powered sports car and are driving at full speed and always take corners better than is possible as a player. There is nothing that shatters the illusion of a game like this more than being overtaken by a Ford Fiesta when you're driving at top speed in a Lamborghini Testarossa. I'm not sure where they build these Fiesta's, but I want one if it can outrun and accelerate faster than one of the most powerful sports cars ever built.