I HAD TO BUY A NEW MOUSE FOR THESE GAME. NO PROBLEM I CAN BUY 100 FOR A GAME LIKE MARC EKO'S. EGERLY WAITING FOR PART 2.
The game opens with some basic graffiti. The control for the graffiti is nicely done considering the controller. You use your intuition, by pressing L2, to highlight the areas of the level that you need to tag. Once you've found the spot, you move the spray can around with the analog stick until the graffiti outline is filled. You have to be careful not to get drips, and you're up against the clock. Doing graffiti will earn you Rep points, and you use Rep points to unlock more graffiti and other items. The game does a great job of feeding you new graffiti. Just about when you are getting bored, because of the slower pace of spray painting, you are given a higher pressure spray can to speed up the process. Also, you'll want to keep playing to see how wild and colorful the graffiti becomes.
You'll do plenty of fighting, climbing, and even some sneaking throughout your progress of Getting Up. The platform portion of the game is done very well, with only a couple camera issues. You can easily climb pipes, grab and shimmy along ledges, all in an effort to get to a higher area where your artwork can be appreciated by a greater audience. Where the game falters a bit is during the fighting. You need to fight through gang members and the authorities at every stage of the game. Although there is a lot of variety in the ability to grapple, pick up objects, and learn new moves, the sluggish controls make for some frustration and lots of button smashing. Sometimes you'll dispatch a few people quickly, other times you'll have a hard time getting a couple hits in. You even notice a similar delay in the menu screens. Hopefully this will prevent you from finding the Beat Down two player fighting game which appears to be an afterthought. The graphic quality of the intro movie, and menu screens are very polished. The subway station menu screens are very cool. While loading a game, and picking a level, you feel like you're entering the subway and riding to your destination. The in-game graphics and layout of the city do a good job of immersing you in the urban experience. The textures of the graffiti on the wall are decent. This game would benefit from the high texture quality of the next generation game systems, but looks great on the current generation.
The soundtrack and voice acting of Marc Ecko's Getting Up are both as good if not better than any game out there. Rapper Talib Kweli does the voice for Trane. Talib is popular in underground hip-hop, and is starting to see some mainstream success. He was in Dave Chappelle's Block Party, and has collaborated with Mos Def. Other hip hop names worth mentioning are; Notorious B.I.G, Eric B and Rakim, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Mobb Deep. Jane's Addiction is thrown in for good measure. They even include an iPod in the game menu so that you can listen to all the good music. The sounds in the game offer a good urban atmosphere, and the bass filled hits make the punches sound like they hurt. "Know your history" is the first bit of knowledge that is given to you in the game by the real life graffiti legend Futura. Other graffiti legends include Cope2, Shepard Fairley, Seen, T-kid, and more. They sign your black book where you keep all of your graffiti ideas. This game succeeded in exposing the lesser known culture of graffiti. In fact, it does it so well that the game is banned in Australia. When I see a train rolling through town, I now notice the different tags, throw-ups and pieces of graffiti. The ironic thing about this game is that graffiti is about expression, and this game doesn't allow you to customize anything. It still has a good story with great voice acting, which will keep you entertained for about 15 hours.Gameplay: 8.7
The act of spray painting your piece, and the variety of stencils, tags and posters keep the graffiti fun. The platform element is also well done. However, unresponsive controls during fighting could be improved. Graphics: 9.2
You start with a nice looking subway station for the game menu. Then the graffiti and environments get better as the story progresses.
Sound: 8.2
The excellent soundtrack, good voice acting, and urban atmosphere make the hip hop culture come alive.
Difficulty: Medium
Fighting in this game can get difficult, but the overall game offers some challenge without getting too frustrated.
Concept: 9.1
The game does a great job of growing your graffiti skills, exploring the urban city, and providing some history.
Overall: 8.8
A unique gaming experience can be hard to find these days. Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure offers some unique elements, and a fun rewarding experience even with some control issues. If you like the hip hop scene, or are interested in graffiti, you will enjoy this game.