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The Getaway: Black Monday

Black Monday

Developer(s):
Team SOHO
Publisher(s):
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE)
Engine:
Kinetica
Platform(s):
Playstation 2
Release date(s):
EU: 12 Novemeber 2004
US: 11 January 2005
Genre(s):
Action
Mode(s):
Single Player
Rating(s):
ESRB: Mature
PEGI: 18+
BBFC: 18
Media:
DVD

The Getaway: Black Monday is an action-adventure video game, developed by London-based Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) subsidiary, Team SOHO, and released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2. It is set in London and take its cues from British gangster movies such as Get Carter, The Long Good Friday and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It is a follow-up to The Getaway.

Gameplay[]

Unlike the Grand Theft Auto, True Crime and Driver series (Excluding Driver: San Francisco), the game features licensed vehicles from makes such as Renault, Brabus, and Vauxhall. There are about 130 playable vehicles.

Like the first game The Getaway: Black Monday has no Heads up Display, everything can be found on screen. Player Health is shown by how bloody the character is; characters may also limp and/or hold their gut. Health is restored by leaning against a wall or using a first aid kit on a wall. Vehicle damage is represented by smoke and reduced performance.

Each main playable character has unique abilities. Sergeant Mitchell, can use gas grenades to subdue enemies less lethally and can also arrest enemies. Eddie O'Connor can fight unarmed and with Melee Weapons, and Dual wield nearly every firearm. Sam Thompson has no combat ability but has the ability to climb and crawl in order to avoid enemy detection.

A small but noteble amount of changes were made between Black Monday and the original:

  • There are now multiple types of Firearms in each catagory.
  • The player can hold down L3 to avoid picking up weapons. (such as avoiding using certain weapons the game deems better by default.)
  • You can find Supressors/Brass Knuckles as permanent buffs until dying.
  • Health Regen is only around 150% percent HP, then it stops working until the player reaches a checkpoint. (forcing the player to use medkits.)
  • Instead of weapons having a fixed amount of reloads, every weapon can have a maximum ammo count of 4 full reloads and Eddie/Mitchell can pick up more weapons for extra ammo after using a decent amount of ammo.

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.

Plot[]

The game begins with a flashback sequence where Ben Mitchell, a police sergeant, is chasing down an armed teenager. Mitch orders him to the floor and the teen stops running. He aims for Mitch and then attempts to escape, earning a shot in his 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 officer Jack 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 a woman hostage in the roof. Back at the station, Mitch is taunted about the teenager incident by his colleague Paul Evans. 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 Stratov. 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. The police try and arrest the dealer, Tyler, but he escapes and is arrested afterwards. Jackie gives a phone call saying she knows the leader and the phone goes dead. When they arrive a man shoots Munroe and leaves him in a room that explodes and kills himself. Jackie left a note saying Viktor Skobel while the police know a gun trade is going down. Mitch beats the trader and extracts the info. It leads him to a warehouse.

Meanwhile Eddie O'Connor robs a bank with Sam Thompson. Eddie is caught and captured but escapes thanks to Sam rescuing him. They driver to a snooker hall where they find John dead and retrieve the stolen icon. They return to the boxing club and see Mitch enter. Sam sneaks in and sees Danny and Sleeves dead (as well asLiam 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, if no, Eddie leaves her and she sneaks in. She 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 Viktor killed Danny before he is killed by Yuri and Alexei. He follows Yuri who goes to meet with Viktor Skobel. Eddie is ambushed by Nadya who has Jackie hostage. Sergeant Mitch raids the warehouse (this is where his story ended off) and Eddie kills Yuri and escapes. He chases Viktor to his house where he kills Nadya, and if the player chooses to, Zara. If Sam hasn't been captured, she sneaks into Alexei's car. Eddie chases him to his boat and kills Alexei. Then Viktor appears, pointing a harpoon gun at Sam if she was captured. If she wasn't, then it is pointed at Eddie. If Sam isn't captured, then she damages a machine down below, presumably an engine. If she was captured, Eddie grabs a hold of the harpoon gun and it accidently fires and shoots the driver. The boat crashes. Sergeant Mitch arrives and tells Eddie to freeze. If Eddie saved Jackie then Mitch helps Eddie kill Viktor and survives. If not Mitch is angry and gets hit by Eddie. There is a fight in which Sergeant Mitch dies. Eddie regrets it but he had no choice. If Sam wasn't captured, she waits at the dock. If she was, Viktor throws Sam off a railing and she dies. Eddie kills Viktor, breaking the icon, revealing there were diamonds in it. If Mitch is still alive, he takes Eddie's guns and takes the blame for the shoot out. The last scene shows the police outside. If both are alive, then Mitch is seen giving a blanket to Sam.

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 has the ability to arrest enemies and has the police on his side. Eddie has the ability to engage in hand to hand combat and can also pick up any weapons from the ground.

Ben 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, short tempered, 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. If you chose to let Jackie fall to her death in the mission "Your Man with the Tattoo" you will have to kill Mitch in the game finale as Eddie O'Connor. Mitch appears to have had a hard life growing up. seeing as he barely talks about himself. But he mentions in some words "I've got bad memories, some parts of my life are complete blackout" explains that he might be suffering from amnesia. He has an S22 gas powered propellant gun in Free Roaming. 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, and is one of the few characters that manages to survive in this game. He, like Mitch can be very ruthless at times, depending on the situation. 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. If you chose not to help Sam in the mission "Return to the Scene of the Crime" then she is killed in the finale of the game by Viktor Skobel, who throws her off a railing and let's her fall to her death. Voiced by Jane Peachey.

Danny West[]

A boxing trainer for 20 years, Danny's concerns in his life are his gym, his boys, his 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. Danny is killed in the Shoreditch massacre by the Thieves in Law, although Viktor Skobel is the one that pulls the trigger and murder's Danny. 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. Her courage is about to be severely tested. She is kidnapped near the end of Mitch's story and later in the mission "Your Man with the Tattoo" she hangs from a ledge. As Eddie O'Connor you will have the choice to either let her fall to her death or save her. 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. A tattoo on his left hand hints at a less refined upbringing. He is killed in the finale of the game by Eddie O'Connor. Voiced byRobert 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. Zara can be found in the manor in the mission "The Vor" and you have the chance to kill her then, although she has no weapons and is considered an innocent citizen. You can also play as her in Free Roaming. 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. Jamahl was the only gang boss to survive the gang massacre aboard the Sol Vita. You never find out if he managed to escape from the warehouse or whether he died in the crossfire in the mission "Your Man with the Tattoo". Voiced by Elwin 'Chopper' David.

Alexei[]

Alexei is Viktor's right hand and is a violent character. He is known to torture his enemies, thus nicknamed "The Dentist". You also see Alexei put a lit cigarette to Eddie O'Connor's head in a cutscene. Alexei is killed in the mission "The Beginning of the End" Where he is thrown off the back of Viktor's boat by Eddie O'Connor. He falls into the River Thames and drowns to his death. Voiced by John Albasiny.

Special Features[]

In the game, there are special features that players can access through the main menu. In order to unlock more of the special features content, the player must collect hidden key rings that can be found in each mission throughout the story mode. The four special features are as follows:

Trivia[]

  • In the NTSC version of the game, an American yellow cab taxi can be found in front of the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square. It is also a Ford Crown Victoria.
  • The idea of having up to three playable protagonists would later be carried on to Grand Theft Auto V.
  • There was an official FMV movie tying into the game called the "The Getaway: Black Monday Interactive Advert", it was hosted on the official website.
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