The Getaway: Black Monday

The Getaway: Black Monday
Developer(s)	SCE London Studio Additional work by: Team Soho
Publisher(s)	EU SCEE NA SCEA JP Sega
Series	The Getaway
Engine	Kinetica
Platforms	PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	EU 12 November 2004 NA 11 January 2005 JP 9 November 2005
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, Grand Theft Auto clone
Mode(s)	Single-player

The Getaway: Black Monday is an action-adventure open world video game developed by SCE London Studio and Team Soho, and released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2. It is a sequel to The Getaway.

Gameplay

Unlike the Grand Theft Auto, True Crime and Driver series(with the exception of 2011's Driver: San Francisco), the game features licensed vehicles such as Rover, Brabus, and ll. There are about 130 playable vehicles.

Differences between American version and European version

In the American version of the game, there are two extra vehicles. Those vehicles are a generic orange sports car and a New York City taxi. The taxi is a current generation Ford Crown Victoria. In the European version of the game, these vehicles are absent.

Plot

The game begins with a flashback sequence where Sergeant Ben Mitchell is chasing down an armed teenage robber. Mitch orders him to the floor and the teen stops running, instead aiming for Mitch. Mitch fires, however the teen chooses then to try to turn around and escape, making it seem like Mitch shot him in the back. One year later, Mitch is on his first day back on the team. The team heads towards an East London housing estate where they believe the Collin's Crew is storing drugs in a flat. The team breaks into the flat, but finds it empty (With only two Collins members), but PC Harvey and another SO19 officer find a door that leads to the flat next door, and find tons of drugs. They soon chase them down in the apartment complex and PC Harvey is injured in the leg. Mitch single-handedly hunts down the remaining suspects who take an old woman hostage in the roof. Back at the station, Mitch is taunted about the teenager incident and Mitch almost loses his temper when Inspector Munroe informs them of a shooting at a boxing club in Shoreditch. After arriving at the scene, Mitch chases Jimmer Collins who manages to escape.

Munroe suspects a Latvian Gang is responsible and assigns Mitch and Stoppard to join a unit of SO19 who are preparing to raid a scrapyard in Lambeth to detain the suspect, Levi. Levi is immediately bailed out and leads Mitch to Jackie Philips. She informs them of a deal going down at Holborn tube station on platform 4 and Mitchell attempts to arrest the trader, but he escapes and is arrested afterwards. Jackie gives a phone call saying she knows the leader as the phone goes dead. When they arrive a man shoots Munroe and leaves him in Jackie's apartment that explodes, killing himself. Jackie left a note saying "Skobel" while the police know a gun trade is going down. Mitch beats the trader and extracts the info. It leads the team to a warehouse. The game shifts to Eddie's story. Nick and Jimmer Collins had originally planned to steal credit card codes and print their own cards. When Danny owes a gambling debt to Jimmer, he forces Danny to get people to steal the credit card codes from the "Skobel Group", and steal "The Icon" (a small religious artifact, which in the end is revealed to be a case in which diamonds are hidden), so that no one realizes the card codes were stolen. Eddie, along with others, raid the Skobel group's bank to retrieve the icon, but everyone, except Eddie who is tortured, Sam who escapes through a vent, and John, who double-crosses and runs off with the icon, is killed. Eddie and Sam escape and find John dead at a bar, but Eddie manages to retrieve the icon. They return to the boxing club and see Mitch enter. Sam sneaks in and sees Danny and a young boy, presumably Errol's son, dead, as well as Liam Spencer from the first game. Sam left a laptop at the bank and wants to return. If Eddie says yes, they shoot their ways in, but if no, Eddie leaves her and she sneaks in. Sam retrieves the laptop. If Eddie escorts her she doesn't get caught but if he doesn't then she gets caught. Eddie tracks down Jimmer, who mentions that Viktor Skobel, the CEO of the Skobel Group, killed Danny. Yuri shoots Jimmer's right hand three times before finishing him with a shot in the head. Eddie follows Yuri to lead to Viktor. He is ambushed by Nadiya who has Jackie. Sergeant Mitch raids the warehouse (this is where his story ended off) and Eddie kills Yuri. He then either saves Jackie Philips or lets her fall to her death. Either way, Eddie escapes and chases Viktor to his house where he kills Nadiya, and if the player chooses to, Zara. If Sam hasn't been captured, she sneaks into Alexi's car. Eddie chases Viktor to his yacht and kills Alexi.

Ending A is the most positive ending. This ending happens if Eddie has driven Sam to the Skobel building and has saved Jackie Philips. Viktor Skobel, who has just witnessed the killing of Alexi, takes Eddie hostage. Sam, meanwhile, who has sneaked onto the boat, disables the engine. Mitch, who has been tailing the boat, tells them to stop, distracting the driver, and Eddie and Viktor fight while the boat crashes, knocking Eddie out. He is woken by Sam and they start to chase Viktor, but Eddie is told to freeze by Mitch. Eddie tells him he is not the one he is looking for. Eddie says goodbye to Sam, and the two men go after Viktor. Eddie kills Viktor and shatters the icon, revealing it to be full of diamonds. Mitch takes Eddie's weapons and allows him to escape, taking the blame for the shootout.

Ending B happens if Eddie has not driven Sam to the Skobel building but has saved Jackie Philips. Viktor is using Sam as the hostage, and plans to use Eddie as a scapegoat. The sudden arrival of Mitch allows Eddie to attack, and the harpoon gun Viktor is holding goes off, shooting the driver. The boat crashes as they fight, and Eddie is knocked unconscious. He starts to chase Viktor, but is told to freeze by Mitch. Eddie tells him he is not the one he is looking for. The two men go after Viktor. Viktor throws Sam off a ledge, killing her, and Eddie remarks that Viktor has killed all the people he has ever loved. Eddie kills Viktor and shatters the icon, revealing it to be full of diamonds. Mitch takes Eddie's weapons and allows him to escape, taking the blame for the shootout. Eddie takes a final look at Sam's body before escaping.

Ending C happens if Eddie has driven Sam to the Skobel building but has not saved Jackie Philips. Viktor Skobel, who has just witnessed the killing of Alexi, takes Eddie hostage. Sam, meanwhile, who has sneaked onto the boat, disables the engine. Mitch, who has been tailing the boat, tells them to stop, distracting the driver, and Eddie and Viktor fight while the boat crashes, knocking Eddie out. He is woken by Sam and they start to chase Viktor, but Eddie is told to freeze by Mitch. An angry Mitch starts to arrest Eddie, while Eddie prepares to shoot Mitch. Sam arrives and yells at Eddie not to, distracting Mitch. Eddie hits Mitch and runs off. Sam starts to follow, but is forced by Mitch at gunpoint to stay there. Eddie and Mitch engage in a shootout and Eddie finishes Mitch with a shot to the head. Eddie, as he enters the building, is upset he had to do that. Eddie kills Viktor and shatters the icon, revealing it to be full of diamonds. Eddie flees as he hears Mitch's team mourning his death.

Ending D is the most negative ending. This ending happens if Eddie has not driven Sam to the Skobel building and has not saved Jackie Philips. Viktor is using Sam as the hostage, and plans to use Eddie as a scapegoat. The sudden arrival of Mitch allows Eddie to attack, and the harpoon gun Viktor is holding goes off, shooting the driver. The boat crashes as they fight, and Eddie is knocked unconscious. He starts to chase Viktor, but is told to freeze by Mitch. An angry Mitch starts to arrest Eddie. Eddie looks to the boat, and Mitch follows his line of sight. As he does so, Eddie hits Mitch and Mitch chases him. Eddie and Mitch engage in a shootout and Eddie finishes Mitch with a shot to the head. Eddie, as he enters the building, is upset he had to do that. Viktor throws Sam off a ledge, killing her, and Eddie remarks that Viktor has killed all the people he has ever loved. Eddie kills Viktor and shatters the icon, revealing it to be full of diamonds. Eddie flees as he hears Mitch's team mourning his death, taking a final look at Sam’s body before escaping.

The final scene shows the outside of the pumping station, the police are standing by, and Sam and Mitch stand there, if they are alive.

Characters

The game is set in London and concerns the lives of three playable characters - a policeman, a boxer and a scam artist — with different abilities. For example, Sam can crawl on ceiling vents but cannot engage in hand-to-hand combat. Mitch can arrest enemies and has the police on his side. Eddie can engage in hand-to-hand combat and pick up any weapons from the ground.

Sgt. Ben 'Mitch' Mitchell

Quiet yet dangerous, Mitch has been accused of being trigger-happy. As an operative in the Organised Crime Squad of the Metropolitan Police, his sudden mood swings and foreboding silences may unnerve his colleagues, but his commanding officer, Inspector Munroe, respects and trusts his methods of operation. Athletic, powerful and focused on the job in hand, his army training has prepared him for policing the city's streets. To Mitch, an order is an order, but sometimes his own judgment takes control. Depending on Eddie's actions, he is either an ally in two of the endings, or an antagonist and is killed. Voiced by Bob Cryer.

Eddie O'Connor

Uncomplicated and down-to-earth, with Eddie, what you see is what you get. Born and Raised in Bethnal Green, Eddie has inherited the old East End values of family and loyalty. Having boxed at Danny West's Gym since he was eleven, Eddie is now a star amateur boxer and something of a local celebrity. Danny taught Eddie everything he knows, and Eddie would do anything for his mentor - no questions asked. Eddie is the main character of the game. He is the only protagonist to survive all endings. Voiced by Dave Legeno.

Sam Thompson

Slight, agile and as hard as nails, Sam is ready and willing to prove herself. A born scam artist, her obsession with computer hacking has drawn the attention of the local criminal fraternity, however, time inside a juvenile unit left her with little but gymnastics training. Now that she is out, she can access the buildings and security systems she hacks and having been approached by Danny and his Crew, she's about to prove that, at age nineteen, her intelligence and ambition are well beyond her years. She dies in two of the endings. Voiced by Jane Peachey.

Danny West

A boxing trainer for 20 years, Dannys concerns in his life are his gym, his boys, gambling habit and making enough money to support all these things. He has got his hands in just about every pie - from debt collecting to nightclub security from racketeering to protection schemes. His habit has landed him in trouble and now that the Collins Crew are calling the debt. Danny is one throw of the dice away from gambling his last. He is personally killed by Viktor Skobel, searching for his icon. Voiced by Denis Gilmore.

Jackie Philips

Beautiful and quick-witted crime journalist Jackie Philips has been investigating the rise of European organized crime in London for several years. Gathering information for a book, in which she will expose the identities of an elusive Eastern bloc mafia based in London, Jackie has put her life in danger for the cause of journalism. She dies in two of the storylines. Voiced by Kerry Ann Smith.

Viktor Skobel

The main antagonist. A former Russian statesman, Viktor was driven out of Estonia in '92. Since then he has become an eminent figure in London's finance industry. He is a complex individual whose charming smile conceals a ruthless core. He has a passion for fine art, fine culture and fine women whom he treats like second-class citizens. He is killed at the end of the game in retaliation for killing Danny West and Sam (in two endings) Voiced by Robert Jezek.

Zara Beauvais

Zara commands all the power that her beauty allows. Her looks are her commodity: she uses them to get what she desires. Providing she keeps her mouth shut, Zara makes the perfect accessory for Viktor: a fate she can handle as long as the price is right. She can be killed or spared by the player. Voiced by Jo Lawden.

Jimmer Collins

Since the death of Nick Collins, his little brother Jimmer has assumed control of the much feared Collins Crew. But with little experience in managing such a business, Jimmer is struggling for support from his gang and is running his dead brothers firm into the ground. Backed into a corner and without his brother to guide him, Jimmers empire is about to crumble. Killed by Yuri at the end of the mission "Jimmer Collins". Voiced by Glenn Doherty.

Jamahl

Jamahl and his Yardies were least affected by the gang war of 2002, in fact they thrived after Jolson's downfall. Jamahl's turf has grown but his operations have streamlined. Moving away from drugs, he's now focused on guns, which he always preferred anyway. Finally Jamahl's a main player. Voiced by Elwin "Chopper" David.

Alexei "The Dentist"

Alexei is Viktor's right hand and is a violent character. He is known to torture his enemies, thus nicknamed "The Dentist". He is killed by Eddie. Voiced by John Albasiny.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 61.59% Metacritic 57/100 Review score Publication Score IGN 6.5/10

The Getaway: Black Monday received average reviews, applauding the graphics, sound and story. However it was criticised for a number of glitches and design flaws, and having gameplay that was not only unimproved from but in fact worse than its predecessor.