• Publisher: SCEA
  • Release Date: Jan 19, 2003
The Getaway Image
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 49 Critics What's this?

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 69 Ratings

  • Summary: It's morning in Covent Garden. A woman is shot dead in the street. In the distance, a child screams as a car disappears with a screech of tires. It is a crime that will spark a series of intense events in London and the most notorious gangs are implicated. Mark Hammond is about to be dragged into a life he vowed he'd left forever. DC Frank Carter is caught on the wrong side of London's criminal underworld. Two men separated by the law but joined in their obsession to bring down London's crime supremo. Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 49
  2. Negative: 4 out of 49
  1. It's definitely the closest video games have ever come to capturing the essence of a kick-ass action flick. [Feb 2003, p.92]
  2. The game’s full of such annoyances, but it manages to (almost) balance up its frustrating nature with the weight of its truly black heart, good looks and the questionable joy of emptying out a Soho ponce bar to the sound of an AK-47.
  3. Too much of it feels clunky and "bloody amateurish", as a certain character is fond of exclaiming. For what it's worth, however, there's really nothing quite like The Getaway in terms of a truly gripping adult gaming experience.
  4. Horribly stiff and unfriendly controls, a tedious plot with unskippable cutscenes, a graphics engine that slows down with alarming regularity and a general lack of the magic that makes a truly excellent game.

See all 49 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 55
  2. Negative: 14 out of 55
  1. PhillipS.
    9
    This game is cool but the only problem is that the cars are to slow but I think it is still better than Grantheftauto3/vice city.
  2. 8
    This game is a British version of grant theft auto. It takes place in England, it has a lot in common with GTA, it has real cars,but no bars for health and it doesn't tell you how much ammo you have left. It kinda feels more like you are playing the person and not just controlling them. The story has been used alot,but isn't bad,the driving does get a bit wacky at times, the gun play is great and has good aim. Overall its a good games. Expand
  3. Chuck76
    6
    Probably the most hyped and over-rated game of the year (in the uk anyway). The humour, graphics and superb story line are the biggest acheivment of this title. Once you've got used to the sluggish controls, slightly too realistic driving physics and the awkward but rewarding aiming system this game can be pretty cool. But as you get further you grow bored of the cut scenes, the constant repeating of the same tasks and similar missions. A word of warning, if you're the kinda guy who gets infuriated to the point where you wanna put your controller through the TV give this game a miss! The feel of a movie is what this game stes out to do and it delivers but that's also the biggest flaw. If I wanna watch a movie I will. Definitely worth playin' should take a week or less to crack. Try an take advantage of some stores 10 day return policy (oops shouldn't really say that, ha). A must if you live in London though. Expand
  4. MattY.
    4
    When you first put the game into your console your jaw will drop. The graphics are amazing, as well as the London envirement. But once you touch your controller, you'll know that The Getaway is worth a pound or a penny. The controls are unbelievably stiff. I feel as if im hooked with a ball and chain. Once you hop into a car, you cant even hit a curb without fearing that it will stall. Your car has no strength to take you half. The worst thing is the health. Theres no health meter. To regain health you must lean against a wall for a long amount of time. Aint that stupid. Rent the movie Lock Stock and Two Smoking barrels and you will have expiereced a much better London gangster simulator. Expand

See all 55 User Reviews