Memorable Gaming Moment 2002: The Getaway

The success of Grand Theft Auto III created an explosion of open-world action/crime games that varied in quality from pretty damn great to abominations of everything that is holy. One of those games that landed somewhere in the middle for most (but closer to the top for moi) was The Getaway. The game had some odd design choices and it was a bit buggy, but I think the fact that I actually visited London only a few years before its release really helped me overlook any negativity one might find with the game.

The game was beautiful when it initially came out and I loved having the ability to explore a small part of London while secluded in my little 8x8 excuse for a bedroom. The game also holds a special place in my heart for the times my brother would fly home on holiday and we’d play the game together like a couple of douchey tourists. There was a novelty to the game that obviously wouldn’t exist for many others (unless you happened to visit London as well), but I still felt like the game was actually fun for the most part. I honestly just enjoyed exploring the city while hoping to find places I remembered.

The story threw you in the role of two characters on opposite sides of the law, but they were both good guys; their stories would inevitably intertwine. The voice acting was great and the visuals really did a great job and portraying the real-life city of London. The gameplay is where most people had the problem; there were some very odd design choices. The weirdest gameplay choice that ultimately made the game more complicated was the fact that you needed to lean up against a wall in order to regain your health. It didn’t end up working out too well and just made the game more difficult than it needed to be. The camera could be a bitch at times and the shooting was hit or miss (no pun intended), but overall I still found the game enjoyable.

Sadly, the series would only go downhill from here as the sequel, Black Monday, was rather terrible and the PS3 sequel ended up getting canceled. The Getaway was not a great game by any stretch of the imagination, but I loved it regardless. I hope that a sequel somehow finds its way back into existence, but the likelihood of such a thing happening is rather low. I hope you’ve enjoyed this moment as it’s saddened me into remembering that I haven’t played a video game with my brother for years (though he kind of sucks nowadays; "too many buttons").