With the wild success of the Grand Theft Auto series, it was no surprise that other developers would try to cash in on the acclaimed playstyle. One of the more notable games released, The Getaway, the British take on the series along with British gangster film inspirations.

You play Mark Hammond, a down on his luck prisoner parolee who must rescue his son from kidnappers, who also murdered his wife. In order to get your child back you have to perform a series of odd jobs for a mob boss, Charlie. Odd jobs include a vast array of infiltration and murder strung across many locations throughout greater Britian.

For the time of this release, the graphics were better than that seen on Grand Theft Auto, but everything else is dreadful. The driving mechanics are sloppy and frustrating (though they make use of turning signals) and the gunplay mechanics are even more horrendous. With such difficult gameplay, missions will usually take a few playthroughs to pass.

There's a lot of potential to be had here, but there is a lot of room for improvements. An overall enjoyable experience but a frustrating one.