The game flows very smoothly, with you assuming the roles of Mark Hammond, a fugitive ex-gang member, wanted for the suspected murder of his wife and Frank Carter, a member of the Flying Squad, as they both try and take out Charlie Jolson, one of the East Ends most vicious Mob leaders. Where GTA3 had you playing the Mafia, The Getaway does things in a good old English style, with much more and swearing. Ahhh, those good old English traditions we hold so dear….

Speaking of swearing and violence, this game has it in bucket loads, not a minute passes without somebody telling you to f*** off, which helps the realism, but upsets the Daily Mail crowd… This game has been slapped with an 18 certificate, and rightly so, it is more bloody and violent then GTA3 and has a gritty element that was missing from the titles. This is not for kiddies (and GTA was? – Ed).

Speaking of notoriety, The Getaway is no stranger. In level five of the game, you assume the role of a BT engineer, in a BT van and in a BT uniform. You then proceed to a police station, where after sneaking around the evidence room, you grab a pistol. From there on in it’s a literal blood bath, reminiscent of a scene from Terminator, as you slaughter Police and SO19 special armed Police, all whilst dressed in a lovely BT uniform…. Funnily enough, BT didn’t like this very much and insisted it be removed, and it has been, leaving you in a plain van and uniform. Makes you wonder what the developers were thinking at the time though, it’s highly unlikely that any company would like to see their brand displayed in such a way! Oh well, it managed to ensure that all the copies of the game with the BT engineer in were snapped up pretty damn fast, Even if Team Soho did risk a lawsuit.

There are some problems with The Getaway though; they are only minor problems, but need mentioning. Firstly, the camera. Sometimes you just cannot see what you are doing. The camera will swing around behind you, leaving you facing a wall when you are trying to keep an eye on the door, also, it tends to shake and judder when you jump out from behind doorways, which can put your aim off somewhat.

The second problem is with the Police. If you perform some stupid traffic manoeuvre, such as going the wrong way down a one-way street, they will come after you, which is fine, but when you ditch your car they shoot at you! That’s not how Police react in London! Fine, if I had run someone over, or committed a big crime, but to shoot me for a traffic violation? No wonder no one leaves any cars parked in the game, the traffic wardens most probably have bazookas. Seriously however, these are all minor gripes and shouldn’t put you off too much.

So, what we have here is effectively GTA3, set in London, with a lot more swearing. It’s a fantastic title and one every Londoner should own, believe me, it’s a great way to relax after being cut up in Blackfriars by a black cab. Even if you have no idea what London looks like, you should own this game. It’s Lock Stock and Snatch, mixed with GTA3 mixed with real life, a medley of grit, profanities and death. Entertaining stuff.

Get ‘im! Get ‘im! Bloody hell, my Nan drives faster than this...

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By Ben Jackson