November 7th 2024.
Do you remember Borders? It's been over 20 years since The Getaway, a GTA-style game, was released, but it seems like the Brits are still feeling nostalgic for it. Not so much for the gameplay, but for its accurate depiction of London's high streets in 2002. It's a shame that The Getaway never really took off, despite drawing inspiration from Rockstar's popular series. It was a unique experience to have a London-based game that tried its best to recreate the bustling city with authenticity.
But now, over two decades later, The Getaway has become somewhat of a relic. Its dedication to realism has made it a strange window into the past, making anyone who grew up at the turn of the millennium feel ancient. Andy Kelly, PR manager at Devolver Digital, recently drew attention to this on X, describing The Getaway as "an explorable 3D time capsule of the British high street at the turn of the millennium." Looking at his screenshots, it's hard not to feel a sense of nostalgia and a bit of melancholy for the past.
The game's attention to detail and licensing also make it a unique experience. The London seen in The Getaway is markedly different from the city we know today. It's like taking a trip back in time, strolling through the streets and seeing the shops and brands that were once a common sight, but have now disappeared. Who remembers the Orange shops? And what happened to Topshop, which went into administration in 2020 and now only exists as an online retailer? Even a quick Google search brings up unrelated stores.
But despite these changes, there are still some recognizable landmarks in The Getaway's London. Odeon is still around, but the cinema in the game looks distinctly 2000s compared to its current appearance. And the in-game advertising is a blast from the past, with posters for shows like Mamma Mia, which is still running to this day. It's also worth noting that The Getaway technically features the only video game appearance of actor Michael Ball, who can be seen on a poster outside The Dominion Theatre.
Unfortunately, due to all the licenses that were obtained to recreate London in the game, it's unlikely that we'll ever see a remaster or re-release. Renegotiating all those licenses would be a hassle, and some would have to be replaced with generic brands. In fact, Sony was forced to remove BT vans from the game after complaints about their use in violent gameplay scenes.
For those who may not know, The Getaway was a GTA-style game set in London, developed by British studio Team Soho and published by Sony for the PlayStation 2. It had two separate storylines, one as an ex-convict and one as a police officer. Despite its ambition, it never quite reached the same level of success as the GTA series. It did, however, receive a sequel in 2004 and a PlayStation Portable spin-off, Gangs Of London, in 2006. There were even plans for another game, but they were ultimately cancelled.
Interestingly, the Gangs Of London spin-off served as the basis for the 2020 TV show of the same name on Sky. While the show is now in its third season, it hasn't exactly brought The Getaway brand back to life. In fact, many fans of the show may not even be aware that it was based on a video game.
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