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nonhuman · Sep 9, 2003, 07:36 PM

So I've been playing the Getaway for PS2 a lot lately. It's a game that's somewhat similar to the Grand Theft Auto series except that the stealing and driving of cars is more incidental to the plot rather than one of the main focuses. It's set in London, and my question is, does anyone know how accurate the map of the city is? I've only been to London once when I was young and the only landmark I recognize from the game is Hyde Park. Have any Brits (especially Londoners) played this game and know if it's really London?

As a side-note, for some reason it was really difficult for me to get used to driving on the left in a video game. I have no problem switching back and forth in real life, but did in the game. Weird, eh?

Diggory Laycock · 09:40 PM

I don't actually have the game - but I know that it's very accurate. Friends say that it's uncanny. (although very small roads may be missing / blocked off)

It started development before the millennium (it was originally going to be a PS2 launch title) The mapping rather pushed the release back!

It's not the whole of London of course!

Have a look here:
http://www.realgetawaytour.com/

vs.

Apparently if you have an early UK version of the game it is mildly valuable - At one point you steal a BT van and go off and kill someone - BT weren't impressed and made them remove the BT branding in later pressings of the game.

nonhuman · Sep 9, 2003, 09:39 PM

That website's awesome. It's cool how accurate the game actually is. Thanks for the link!

Mediaman_12 · Sep 10, 2003, 05:30 AM

But the Developers where dumb. Instead of making a 'GTA' style game, where there is a liniar plot, but you can go of and explore / do side missions etc, they made it solidly liniar. i.e. you do one mission then you have to do the next, if you go wandering off you fail the mission and you have to restart (and watch the unskipable cut scene again).
The only way to be able to freely roam around and notice all the detai the developers put in to Central London is by compleating the game. Twice Once as the 'criminal' guy and once as the dectective.
It was as if they spent ages acurately re-createing a few square miles of Central London an then realised that they neaded a game to bolt on.

I bought this after Vice City, but I was very disapointed. There isn't a Action Replay code to unloack the free roam mode eather

.

There is suposed to be a followup in development with Liverpool as the City.

wulf · Sep 10, 2003, 08:06 AM

Originally posted by Mediaman_12:
There is suposed to be a followup in development with Liverpool as the City.

I can see it now...

Getaway 2: Where's Philzilla?

(clue: in the pub)

Peter · Sep 10, 2003, 01:52 PM

I have the getaway, I have the one with the BT van mission, too

.
It is actually realistic - And most of the smaller roads ARE in the game!

Dogma · Sep 11, 2003, 12:10 AM

If they do a follow up, it should soooo be set in Edinburgh - that's a bitch of a city to get in and out of unless you know your way about. Glasgow wouldn't be so good, because everyone knows that even if you know your way about, it's still a bitch to get about.

(Wouldn't mind recreating some seedy scenes down the Trongate or up Maryhill road though - straight outta Taggart! - "Sir, there's been a murder at Firhill!", "Ach, there's murder at Firhill every second Saturday..." etc)

talisker · Sep 11, 2003, 12:37 AM

Originally posted by Dogma:
If they do a follow up, it should soooo be set in Edinburgh - that's a bitch of a city to get in and out of unless you know your way about. Glasgow wouldn't be so good, because everyone knows that even if you know your way about, it's still a bitch to get about.

(Wouldn't mind recreating some seedy scenes down the Trongate or up Maryhill road though - straight outta Taggart! - "Sir, there's been a murder at Firhill!", "Ach, there's murder at Firhill every second Saturday..." etc)

Isn't there some xbox racing game coming out shortly that uses Edinburgh as a setting - looks very realistic, even the street signs and shops are accurate in the screenshots I've seen. Mind you, it's only a racing game, no enjoyable crime content. There could be a Rebus edition, although I don't recall him doing any baws-oot driving at any stage, it would more likely have to be set in the Oxford Bar.

And surely Taggart must be the only police series that continued quite successfully after the main character (ie. Taggart himself) died.

Dogma · Sep 11, 2003, 01:38 AM

Originally posted by talisker:

And surely Taggart must be the only police series that continued quite successfully after the main character (ie. Taggart himself) died.

Now that you've said that, it's got me thinking about where else could be used as a location, and there's only three other's I would go for, Liverpool, Glasgow and Newcastle. Everywhere else is just a bit too namby pamby for a crime caper.

There's never really been that much of the way of crime films/Programs out of London, but I'll have a go...

Morse - Where is that meant to be, Norfolk or something? Dull!
Miss Marple - Don't care where it is, just plain dull!
Bergerac - Hmmm, let's go to the channel islands - hardly a grimy underbelly of criminal activity, is it?
Taggart - Hey, Hey, Glasgow! My favorite!
The Plan Man - based in Glasgow - with some cool chase scenes down Wellington street ala Bullit...
The Bill - That's s'pposed to be a burb of London I think

erm...

Thin Blue Line?
Cracker?
What else is there?

Certainly Glasgow for the Murder aspect and the sheer joy of zooming down sauchiehall street on a Saturday night with a tank and taking out a few hundred neds...
Liverpool for the more covert operations and secretive meetings on the Boat.
Newcastle for the violent crime, the road system would be the best for quick getaways and into a nice big anonymous estate...

Dogma · Sep 11, 2003, 01:46 AM

Okay, so the quote had nothing to do with me having a thought...

But it got me thinking, albeit about whatever I was on about before, Soz.

But yeah, Taggart, still going. And some muggins had to do a thirteen hour security shift from two in the morning underneath the Bridge at Glagow Central where all the junkies hang out just to make sure no-one ran away with the portaloos and dressing rooms...

ANd then the next night, the same, but up the Barras. And it was raining.

Yada...

I was skint.