The Getaway has been in production for nearly 4 years, and to tell the truth, I honestly expected more. Sure, they have all of the elements of a good game: gun play, auto theft, and dirty language. However, the overall plot of the game is not the most original. Staying in line with the basic nature of the game (mafia crime in London), it has outstanding character models and overall graphics. The game play simply wasn’t as good as it could have been.
Keeping with its basic theme, the game avoids the use of any onscreen displays for targeting, health, or inventory. As in real life, you’ll never know when your gun is empty until it runs out. The realism in driving sequences was as I predicted… realistic. Instead of your car exploding, it may simply die or catch afire. No drive-bys can be performed unless someone else in your car is doing the deed. However, the damage on the many licensed cars is very down-to-earth.
If only the out of car action was polished a bit. Your character runs in a rather awkward manner, the auto-targeting is not nearly as accurate as it should be, and the camera doesn’t always give you the best angle. Gun fighting can be very complicated at most times. Attempting to be “stealth” isn’t quite a walk through the park either.
As much as I took pleasure in the Getaway’s mix of mafia madness and driving sequences, I doubt it will ever become the masterpiece Grand Theft Auto III was. This is essentially because of the very basic nature of the adventure. You find yourself doing the same thing: Drive somewhere while avoiding (or running from)the cops, then get out and kill a hoard of people in a building. For all the work that went into reconstructing London, there is really no reason, or time, to explore the gorgeously designed city.