The Getaway (video game series)

The Getaway
The Getaway cover art (Germany) This file may be deleted after Friday, 18 January 2008.
Developer(s)	Team SOHO
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release	'The Getaway' - December 2002 'The Getaway: Black Monday' - November 2004
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single player

The Getaway is a driving/shooting video game series, developed in the United Kingdom by London-based Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) subsidiary, Team SOHO, and released in December of 2002. Both the original game and its sequel are set in London and take their cues from British gangster movies such as Get Carter and The Long Good Friday. Unlike Guy Ritchie's Gangster films the humour is removed for a more serious and brutal tone.

Plot for The Getaway

The Getaway is particularly unique in that the game is split into two plots with various different characters. The plots run in parallel and often intersect, coming together completely towards the end of each plot and the game.

The first half of the game follows Mark Hammond (played by Don Kembry), a retired member of the Soho-based "Collins Gang", who was recently released from prison and has settled down with his wife, Susie and their son, Alex. One day, Hammond awakes to find his wife murdered and son kidnapped by members for a gang known as the "Bethnal Green Boys". Rushing to his family's aid, he picks up the murder weapon (incriminating himself - for the rest of the game, the police suspect that Mark is responsible for the murder of his wife) and witnesses his son being forcefully dragged into a nearby car. Consumed with rage, Hammond frantically tails the car to a warehouse where he is ambushed by Charlie Jolson (played by Ricky Hards), leader of the Bethnal Green boys, and a member of the National Front who is holding Hammond's son hostage. Jolson, who was once the #1 mob boss in London in years past, is seeking to return to that position while wiping out all of the rival gangs in the process. So he uses Alex to coerce Mark into his "employment", forcing him to undertake virtual suicide missions of attacking all of these rival gangs with Mark taking blame for it. Hammond's payment? The promise of his son's safe return. Charlie Jolson, explains the "game" he intends to play with Mark:

Let's play a little game. I ring you, you do the job. You don't do what I tell you, the kid dies. You don't do it when I tell you, the kid dies. You don't do it where I tell you, the kid dies. You talk to anyone, you're late, or you let me down, the kid dies! Do you get my drift?

Some of the missions Mark undertakes included burning down a restaurant owned and operated by his former colleagues the "Collins Gang, attacking the London branch of the Triads, as well as the Yardies, getting them to fight each other, ambushing a prisoner transport convoy to free Jolson's nephew, "Crazy" Jake Jolson (Dave Gold) and attacking the Snow Hill Police Station to assassinate a corrupt Police Inspector (see below) and Yasmin (played by Anna Edwards), a female assassin of Charlie's who participated in the kidnapping of Mark's son. Yasmin joins Marks side after seeing Charlie's loyalties and to help Mark get his son back. Charlie was using Mark to essentially lure the gangs to Jolson's ship, the "Sol Vita" at St. Saviour's Dock in Central London where Jolson was to wipe them all out at once along with Mark, his son and Yasmin.

The second half of the game involves Dirty Harry-esqe Flying Squad officer, DC Frank Carter (Joe Rice), as he attempts to take down Jolson and his gang. Carter's scenario takes place parallel to the events of Hammond's scenario, causing the two to come into contact on several occasions. Carter's partner, Joe Fielding (Vic Robinson), is shot by Jake Jolson at the beginning of the game, leaving Carter alone and without immediate armed assistance. He reports to several disturbances ( Those caused by Hammond, like the burning restaurant ) and due to his "Rambo ways" is suspended by his boss, a corrupt Inspector working with Charlie Jolson (whom Hammond would later assassinate), Carter sets off on his own and discovers the truth about Mark Hammond, and decides to help him. He later confronts them all at the "Sol Vita" at the conclusion of the game. At the conclusion of the game, Jolson goes mad and explodes his own ship, killing most of the gangsters, while Carter is seen jumping from the ship alive. Mark, his son, and Yasmin escape the ship alive and leave London.

After having finished the game completely, players are then able to select an additional option: "Free Roam", which gives the player the option of driving freely around London without mission objectives, time-limits or threat of attack by gangsters and/or law-enforcement officers (unless provoked by the player).

The game allows players to carry out each mission with about forty available vehicles. Unlike vehicles available in other games, such as those used in the Grand Theft Auto series, The Getaway features real vehicles, created by real manufacturers such as MG Rover, Saab, Renault, Citroën, Brabus, Lotus, Nissan, Lexus, FIAT, Optare and Mazda and takes players across a sprawling virtual representation of London. Compared to similar games, the variety of weaponry available to the player is limited. Weapons include: the Glock 17 pistol, the AK-47 assault rifle, the Remington M870 Tactical shotgun, and the Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine gun. Some of these weapons, such as the Glock 17 and the AK-47, are extremely common, whilst others, such as the MP5, are very rare. Melee weapons are also available, although said weapons are usually very ineffective in combat as the majority of opposing gang members and police officers carry firearms.

The game's soundtrack is complimented by a title song and cutscene soundtrack which can only be described as a jazzy and unmistakably "gangster" sound, performed by the London Session Orchestra. The story unfolds through the well-scripted, acted and detailed cutscenes mentioned above, with the player assuming control of currently selected character after each cutscene.

Development history

The game originally began life on the 32-bit PlayStation, off the back of Porsche Challenge. After having made an acclaimed circuit driving game, Team SOHO - like many other developers at the time - felt that a free roaming vehicle game was an interesting concept worth exploring. The title was prototyped [1] and playable missions were made, but it then evolved into a Playstation 2 project. However the original code was kept and there was talk of including it on the finished game, which would ultimately not happen. Apart from several screenshots printed in the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, the original version would never see release.

In moving over to vastly more capable hardware, the scope of the title expanded. As did its ambitions. Bizarre Creations were generating a lot attention due to their successful result in reproducing the streets of central London for their Sega Dreamcast racer Metropolis Street Racer (or MSR). As MSR was being hyped and primed for release as one of the Dreamcast's so-called "killer games", SCEE felt compelled to attempt to steal Sega's thunder by promising the creation of a PlayStation2 title which would re-create a massive 113 square kilometers (70 square miles) of London, displaying the ferocity and length at which SCEE was willing to attempt to challenge its veteran competitor. The final creation actually only yielded an area of 16 square kilometers (10 square miles).

However, re-creating even 16 kilometers proved a daunting task and a technical nightmare; factors which may have delayed the release of The Getaway by several years. In the case of the latter, the programmers had to perfect an engine that could constantly stream three dimensional geometry and texture data; of the areas of London the player was currently in close proximity to. At no point was the entire city loaded into memory, as it simply wouldn't fit. Unlike Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto III, it was not an acceptable option for the Team SOHO developers to break the city up into separate regions and impose a loading time delay when crossing between areas.

The hype surrounding the project began in earnest just before E3 2000, when a series of screenshots [2] [3] [4] [5] were published online. They revealed an amazing level of detail, clearly showing the very identifiable streets near Team SOHO's studio. Though it has been argued that these shots were actually mock-up pre-renders, it is possible they were taken from actual code. Only perhaps code which received further detailed vehicle and character models, higher resolution textures and also anti-aliased the final output.

Although the prototype game was constantly shown behind closed doors, the public was not privy to the its results for at least another year. It was only finally made playable at E3 2002. By then the project had ballooned, exceeding its development budget many times over. SCEE however had a range of other titles in development, but the decision was taken by Phil Harrison to cull many of them; perhaps to allow yet more funds to be poured into The Getaway. As a result of this, the axe was to fall on two of its studios, SCEE Manchester and SCEE Leeds.

But this "all eggs in one basket" gamble did pay off. When the game was launched in December 2002, it received rave reviews and was a huge seller across Europe; especially in the United Kingdom. Worldwide and particularly in the United States, the game received mixed reviews and sales. The fact that it was released around the same time as the hugely popular GTA: Vice City (to which the game was often compared) also hurt sales despite a large marketing campaign in the United States.

One alteration that Team SOHO did have to make was the removal of a vehicle which appeared in the initial release of the game. During one of Hammond's missions, a BT van is used in a mission in which Hammond must kill the driver and take the van to assassinate a corrupt police officer. BT was far from impressed with the role its vehicle played in this mission and the BT van was replaced with the Ford Transit. The earlier version of the game containing the BT van can still be purchased second-hand.

Some features of the game were designed to resemble that of ITV1's The Bill, in that the police station was names Snow Hill, and it's callsign was OS (Oscar Sierra), whereas the fictional police station in The Bill is known as Sun Hill, and it's callsign is SO (Sierra Oscar).

The Getaway: Black Monday

Development from 'The Getaway'

The Getaway: Black Monday was a sequel to the original released in October 2004. Despite being billed as a proper sequel to the original, the game actually has nothing to do with The Getaway from a storyline perspective as the main characters from the first Getaway do not appear in the sequel(although there are some recurring characters such as Jamahl the leader of the Yardies).

New features were added to this game such as boxing and hand to combat, while the stealth mode of the game was enhanced to include climbing up walls and crawling. Hammond and Carter have been replaced by three new playable characters that correspond with the new features: Eddie, a boxer and small-time thug; Sam, a female hacker and thief; and Mitch, a SO19 officer. These three characters have their own parallel plot lines with different twists and turns and different endings for each twist and turn the player takes. Newer cars and car brands were added as well as motorbikes, and mopeds. Mini games were added in addition to "Free Roaming" such as a Cab Driver game, racing games, and different characters for "Free Roaming" mode. Most of these mini games had to be unlocked by finding specific "keyrings" throughout the game.

Unlike the first game, this game was poorly received and reviewed by fans and critics in both the UK, and the US alike.

Plot

Black Monday starts two years after the events of the Sol Vita with Nick Collins (leader of the Collins' gang) was killed and now Jimmer Collins, Nick's little brother, has taken control of the Collins' gang. Jamahl survived the events aboard the Sol Vita, his gang thrived after the downfall of the Jolson's and the Bethnal Green gang. There is also a new mob boss in town by the name of Viktor Skobel, the Russian former head of the Latvian Communist Party who has since become an oligarch after moving to London where he is fronting as a prominent businessman. Players start out the game as a cop by the name of Sergeant Ben 'Mitch' Mitchell. Mitch is an SO19 who is put back on duty after shooting a suspect several years back. The game then switches to a small time boxer and thief Eddie and finally to a hacker and small time thief Sam Thompson. All three run afoul of Skobel through various reasons (Eddie and Sam steal from Skobel while Mitch is protecting a newspaper reporter that Skobel wants dead. Depending on which paths and actions the player takes wile playing all three of the characters, lead to different plots and endings. All of which involve a final showdown on Skobel's yacht on the Thames. One Ending is where Eddie kills Mitch. Another is where Viktor kills Sam. Another is where they both die. And there is one where they all survive.

The Getaway 3

A third Getaway title is in development (with a working title ) of The Getaway 3 or The Getaway Working Title by Team SOHO for the PlayStation 3. A technical demo featuring Piccadilly Circus was demonstrated in May 2005, but this was not directly from the game. It has been confirmed that a third game would again be set in London; however, rumours have been circulating that the game could also feature a city in Europe, more than likely Amsterdam given the most recent trailer. The game is scheduled to be released in late 2008.

Gangs of London

Main Article: Gangs of London

On March 1, 2006, it was finally announced that The Getaway would be coming to PSP and it also showed a few screenshots of the game on IGN. It is a spinoff to The Getaway and has a completely different storyline to the first two Getaway games. Set in London again, the player can decide how the story will unfold as they can play as the leader of one of the most prominent gangs in London's underworld. The player can chose between the Yardies, Cockneys, Triads, Pakistani boyz or Russians and the gang the player chooses to be leader of must gain a better reputation and own more territories than any and all of the other gangs in around 60 missions in order to become the next "Mr. Big" of the UK's capital. Each gang will have unique styles, weapons, cars, strategies and even clothes. e.g. while the Triads may be able to use the fastest import sports cars to quickly escape from the scene of a crime, the Russians may be able to use heavy, bulky Transit Vans in order to ram their enemies and police cars off the road. On the 1st of September, Gangs of London was released across Europe, and is scheduled for release on the 3rd of October in the United States for PSP. According to IGN.com, "The Getaway, Gangs of London" was an unofficial name for this game, and its real name would simply be "Gangs of London". In July 2006, an internal beta was leaked and has since become available on many torrent sites. The final name of the game in the UK is Gangs of London.

The World of The Getaway

Characters

The Getaway

• Mark Hammond - A former Collins gang member and ex con. Hammond is a night club owner who was looking to settle down and be with his family until it was interrupted by Jolson when he kidnapped his son, killed his wife, and had him perform suicide missions on rival gangs all over London. Nick Collins, the leader of the Collins' gang, spares his life at the end and tells Mark to leave London.
• Yasmin - A beautiful but cold and ruthless female assassin for hire but was working for Jolson. She was involved in the kidnapping of Mark's wife, but she did not murder her. She joins Mark's cause after he spares her life when Jolson sends Mark to kill her. Mark appreciates her help in trying to get his son back. She leaves the Sol Vita along with Mark and his son, Alex. Together they decide to leave London.
• Detective Constable (DC) Frank Carter - Hotshot detective of London's famed 'flying squad'. Carter is determined to take down the Jolson's and is the only police officer who believed Hammond was innocent. He later helps Mark get his son back while taking down Jolson.
• Charlie Jolson - Boss of the Bethnal Green mob and National Front member. He used to the be big mob boss in London, but the times changed and he fell out. Jolson is looking to be back on top again while taking out all the other rival gangs in the process, so he kidnaps Hammond's son and holds him hostage as bait to use Mark for his plans. His plans are soon ruined and revealed to the Collins' gang, the Triads and the Yardies at the end of the game.
• Harry - Charlie's right hand man. He enjoys bullying Mark along with Charlie, Jake, Eyebrows and the rest of the members of the Bethnal Green Mob. He deeply annoys Mark. He fired the gun which killed Susie but later shows Mark a little sympathy when he takes the role as his controller for Filthy Business. After Mark double-crossed Charlie, Harry wanted to be the man to finish Mark off but Mark also wanted mutual revenge. He is killed by Mark on the last mission, Aboard the Sol Vita.
• Jake Jolson - Charlie's nephew and sadistic 'side-kick' who does Charlie's dirty work. He was arrested by Frank Carter in one mission, The Bargain Basement. Was imprisoned until Mark "rescues" him. After Mark rescues him, he is taken to Charlie's warehouse and the Bethnal boys have a "Welcome home present" for him upstairs. Upstairs, Johnny Chai from the Triads gang, is tied up where Sparky is electrocuting him several times. He is nearly half dead. Jake comes along with the Bethnal boys and finishes him off with a few punches to the torso while deeply insulting him. He later sends Mark to drop Johnny off in Chinatown and lead the triads into a place where there is war between the Triads and the Yardies. He later gives a beating to Mark when Mark tricks them with a bag that contained a black cat instead of the Yardie's money and the killing of his friend, Sparky. At the end of the game Frank Carter tells Mark that Jake has been seriously dealt with.
• Eyebrows - One of Charlie's heavies. He looks the quiet type but is brutal. He is loyal towards Charlie and takes part in Charlie's dirty work. He only accompanies Mark on one mission, Aiding and Abetting, to bust Jake out of the prison van. He is known as "Brow" to most of his Bethnal Green Mob mates. At the end Yasmin of the game she tells Mark that he didn't need worry about the "Brow", meaning that she had killed him.
• Susie Hammond (wife) - Former lounge singer, Mark Hammond's wife, and mother to his child. Susie is killed when Charlie's kidnap attempt went astray. Mark rather foolishly picks up the gun that was used against her and her murder was blamed on him.
• Alex Hammond (son) - Mark's son who is kidnapped and held hostage by Charlie. At the end of the game he is rescued by Mark and Yasmin. Mark is happy to be reunited with his son.
• Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Clive McCormack - A crooked Police inspector working for Jolson. He tries to lead Carter away from the Jolson case by suspending him. He eventually crosses Charlie who sends Hammond to kill him to which he does.
• Liam Spencer - A Collins gang member and Mark's friend. He reluctantly helps Mark Hammond in his efforts to get his son back. He is seen at the end of the game drawing a gun to Charlie Jolson's head. He survives the events on the Sol Vita, only to die in the shootout at the Shoreditch Boxing Club in Black Monday.
• Nick Collins - The Collins' gang leader. He and Mark were good friends until Mark torched down the Republic Restaurant on fire in Frith Street and killed most of his mates and also invading his club, The Touch Of class, where Mark was suppose to find a dancer named Layla for Charlie, but she was killed during the crossfire when Mark shot down more of Collins' friends. He demands Mark to leave London and he never ever wants to see his face again. Although he is deeply angry with Mark for killing most of his friends, he is spared and so is his son and Yasmin.
• Shan Chu - The Triad leader.He agreed with Nick Collins to let Mark, his son, Alex and Yasmin go free at the end, even though Mark killed most of his men and a statue containg drugs that was hidden in the basement in the Reptillian Gallery in Hyde Park, that Mark stole for Charlie.
• Jamahl - The Yardie's leader. Also agreed with Nick Collins to let Mark go even though Mark killed most of his men and took the bag of money in their hideout in Riverton Street.

The Getaway: Black Monday

• Sgt Ben 'Mitch' Mitchell - A sour, pensive, ex military, now SO19 officer, who is put back on duty after shooting a suspect several years before. His time off has not improved his mood or disposition, but events in the game allow him to change and open his heart.
• Eddie O'Connor - A small time boxer who also performs robberies on the side for his manager Danny West. After robbing Viktor Skobel, who in turn, murders West, Eddie seeks revenge for his trainer's death while running from Skobel himself and protecting Sam.
• Sam Thompson - A teenage hacker and thief, she also runs afoul of Skobel after breaking into his building. She would eventually fall under the protection of Eddie and Mitch.
• Danny West - Eddie's Boxing Trainer and small time mob boss. After sending Eddie on a successful job to steal from Skobel, Skobel retaliates by killing him at his gym in Shoreditch.
• Inspector Munroe - Mitchell's superior in their SO19 unit.
• Jackie Phillips - A journalist who was writing a story on Skobel's shady dealings as a mob boss, who as a result, wants her dead. Mitch is sent to protect and in the process grows to like her and grows a sympathetic side as well.
• Viktor Skobel - The Russian former head of the Latvian Communist party, now a billionaire Oligarch based out of London. He is also London's current number one mob boss.
• Zara Beauvais - Viktor's supermodel girlfriend.
• Nadya - Skobel's Russian equivalent to Yasmin in the first game but more deadlier and ruthless.
• Jimmer Collins - The New Collins' gang leader and brother to Nick Collins. He took over the gang following the death of his brother aboard the Sol Vita incident years before. He too runs afoul of Skobel and is murdered later on in the game.
• Jamahl - The Yardie leader and the only returning character from the first Getaway. He survived the Sol Vita and was buying arms from Skobel

See also

Main article: GTA Clone

External links

• Official Getaway website
• Official Getaway: Black Monday website
• Speak Getaway
• GetawayPSP Fansite for Gangs Of London
• The Getaway series at MobyGames
• GameRankings reviews of The Getaway
• GameRankings reviews of Black Monday
• 2001 British TV piece on the team (inc. Getaway 2 producer Peter Edward) discussing the making of Dropship: UPC
• Getaway category at ODP

• IMDB Listing

• IMDB Listing for Black Monday