Games

Oh, just in case you're one of the two people (including myself) who actually cares what games I'm currently playing or beating, I finished Metroid: Zero Mission Thursday evening and am now currently working on The Getaway on the PS2.

The Getaway is pretty neat. The best way I can describe it is to say that it's Snatch (or Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels): The Game. From a gameplay perspective, it's probably closest to Mafia in terms of the basic layout. Drive around a realistic city, in this case, South London, arrive at a mission, shoot a bunch of people, get away in your bullet-riddled car and then watch a very well produced cut-scene advancing the story.

It also is an interesting game as it tries to do away with most of the usual game conventions. There are no health bars, ammo meters or even in-game maps. You have to watch how your character acts after getting shot a bit (limps, bloodstains on the suit) and then lean against a wall to catch your breath and heal (if only bullet wounds healed this easily in real life).

I must say that these changes to standard gameplay technique are really disconcerting at the beginning of the game. They're probably what lead to me trying the game out last year when I got it and then leaving it on the shelf until now. However, once you've finished the first mission and have a better sense of the layout of the streets and how the controls work, it just sucks you right in. It's not an easy game, but I like it!