E3 2002The Getaway impressions

The Getaway was first discussed at E3 two years ago when a screen of the game made the rounds following the game's announcement, but the silence that followed the game's announcement didn't appear to bode well for its development. However, a recent trip to Europe to visit Sony's London-based Soho studio let us see that the game is coming along quite nicely. A stylistic action title in the vein of GTAIII, The Getaway sports a distinctive cinematic feel, detailed graphics, and a look into London's underworld that is quite appealing.

The game's story puts you in the role of Mark Hammond, an ex-gang member who has tried to leave his shady past behind him and go straight. But, as any film buff knows, such noble efforts almost always go wrong. In Mark's case his old life comes back to haunt him when his old boss, Charlie Jolson, decides to pull Mark back into crime. Realizing that the odds are slim that Mark would willingly return to his employ, Charlie sets events in motion to ensure his offer is one Mark can't refuse. The game's opening cinema details the kidnapping of Mark's son and the murder of his wife. Charlie's offer to Mark when the two meet is simple: If Mark does everything he's told, his son will live and will be returned to him. If he fails, his son will die. Your task as Mark is to keep up with Charlie's demands and stay alive. The latter becomes more and more difficult to do because of Charlie's unrelenting demands and disregard for the law, which end up making Mark a target for the police and other gangs.

The game will unfold in a linear fashion to accommodate the story. You'll be given assignments via cell phone calls from Charlie and then head out to do them. You'll get around the city in a car and head out on foot when necessary. The car sequences feature the hazards and obstacles you'd expect. Pedestrians that react to your driving, local traffic, and police all crop up in your travels. You'll also be able to jack cars if your current set of wheels is too banged up or if you're just in the mood for a change. When you're on foot the action is firmly rooted in the Metal Gear and Headhunter school of sneaky killing. You can run in with guns ablazing like Rambo, but don't expect too much success when the annoyingly efficient AI enemies team up and cut you down. As you make your way through the game, you'll encounter story sequences done in real-time cutscenes woven in among your missions.

Control in The Getaway is simple enough to be accessible but still manages to offer a wide range of functionality. Controlling your car is easy--you'll have access to steering, gas, brakes, and a handbrake while behind the wheel. You'll be able to hop out and move around with a single button press. Jacking cars is just as easy--the game even lets you jack cars from the passenger's- and driver's-side doors. When exploring areas and taking on various enemies, you'll have access to a move set that works well. You'll be able to sneak along walls and peer around corners, collect weapons, and lock onto enemies, as well as aim manually, duck, roll, jump, and engage in hand-to-hand combat. In an early warehouse level we were able to commandeer a forklift and zip around dispatching enemies--that is, until they got wise and aimed for the vehicle's fuel tank. The resulting explosion robbed us of a useful set of wheels and our lives. Fortunately the ability to use two handguns at the same time let us exact some John Woo-style revenge.

An interesting aspect of control that ties in to the game's overall look is the game HUD, or lack thereof, while you play. The Getaway's cinematic look is enhanced by the fact that there is next to nothing onscreen while you play to clutter your view. The driving sequences feature a small GPS blip onscreen to help you orient yourself and head in the right direction. When walking around on foot you will not see any kind of meter onscreen. Mark's health is displayed through visual cues that you must watch out for. As he takes damage you'll see bloodstains of varying sizes on his clothes and notice a change in his gait. The bloodstains will grow as he takes damage, and his walk will be noticeably labored. When he is very close to death you'll notice a distinct drop-off in his fighting skills and speed as well as his inability to do rolls. Along the same lines, you'll have to keep your eye on Mark himself when you're moving through areas. His head will often turn in the direction of an approaching enemy.

Graphically The Getaway looks quite good and features some very cool new motion-capture technology that enables very fluid animation. The game's impressive graphics engine serves up a solid stage for the game's drama to unfold. A massive chunk of London and its surrounding areas has been faithfully modeled in the game. Anyone familiar with the city should have no problem locating specific landmarks. Detail is extremely high thanks to very clean texture work that nails the minute nuances of the countless signs and billboards throughout London. Character detail is high as well, with in-game characters being modeled on the actors Team Soho has hired to do the voice work. Animation is exceptional as well thanks to the use of a new motion-capture technology that uses a magnetic field to capture motion. The new technology has allowed the development team to capture multiple people at once. The end result is some slick animation throughout the game that pushes its cinematic feel a bit further.

Another key component in the game's overall presentation is its sound. As mentioned, Team Soho has hired a cast of theater and film actors to do the voice work in the game. The casting ends up making two significant contributions to the game's sound. Obviously their training results in line readings that are on the high end of the voice-acting scale for video games. The other perk is that each of the actors brings his or her own distinctive accent to the game, resulting in a unique mix of voices.

Our time with the game left us intrigued by what we saw. While the game is treading on a path traveled by GTAIII, its story and the twists it throws at you give it a decidedly different flavor. Whereas GTAIII told its story with a slightly cartoony take, in terms of its graphics, The Getaway veers off into a far more realistic territory as evidenced by the way Mark takes damage and by its more melodramatic feel. In terms of gameplay options, The Getaway will feature multiple endings, modes, and cars to unlock, and even another character to play through the game as, which all provides a good amount of replay value. So far the game is looking quite promising. Look for more on the game from the E3 show floor this week. The Getaway is currently slated to ship this winter, exclusively for the PlayStation 2.