Marc Ecko's Getting Up
Platform: PC, Playstation 2, Xbox
Publisher: Atari
Review Type: Touchy
Version: Retail
I'm conflicted. Part of me is enthralled by Marc Ecko's Getting Up. I powered through the game this weekend, soaking up its underground graffiti vibe one huff of aerosol at a time. It's evident that a lot of care went into the game -- it brims with gorgeous art and is almost constantly underlined by exceptional music from the likes of RJD2 and Liquid Liquid. The game's opening cut sequence is beautiful, effectively setting up Trane as an artist with a revolutionary bent.
But at the game's core, I feel like there's a key misstep that prevents me from getting completely behind it. Combat. Why does Trane fight? Why must he beat the crap out of every person he comes across before he can work his art? And I'm not just talking about beefs with rival gangs. Trane fights with cops, guards and railway workers. He even throws down with a bunch of guys who work in a meat packing plant. Is this really what it takes to be a street artist?
In Style Wars, the seminal 1982 graffiti documentary, we see the real lives of graf writers. We see them sitting around a kitchen table, sketching in their black books. We see them holding court on street corners on a lazy summer afternoon slowly painting murals. Not exactly the stuff of a thrilling game. But there's plenty of excitement in the real-life of a writer; running from guard dogs, fleeing from police and transit cops, climbing fences and abandoned buildings.
I loved exploring New Radius as Trane, scaling the lovingly detailed urban landscape in search of "heaven spots" to bomb with my art. I hated having to kick ass to do so. It didn't help that the game is only a mediocre beat 'em up. Technically, there's very little that the game does exceptionally. The Tomb Raider-style exploration is hampered by clumsy, unresponsive controls. Even painting, the game's bread and butter, feels bogged down at times. Though the time it takes to complete some of the larger pieces -- especially the Turk 182-inspired finale on the side of a bridge -- did give me a fair sense of accomplishment.
I hope that Marc Ecko's Getting Up merits a sequel -- one with refined mechanics, the ability to create your own designs and, most importantly, a truer sense of what it really is to be a graffiti artist.
Publisher: Atari
Review Type: Touchy
Version: Retail
I'm conflicted. Part of me is enthralled by Marc Ecko's Getting Up. I powered through the game this weekend, soaking up its underground graffiti vibe one huff of aerosol at a time. It's evident that a lot of care went into the game -- it brims with gorgeous art and is almost constantly underlined by exceptional music from the likes of RJD2 and Liquid Liquid. The game's opening cut sequence is beautiful, effectively setting up Trane as an artist with a revolutionary bent.But at the game's core, I feel like there's a key misstep that prevents me from getting completely behind it. Combat. Why does Trane fight? Why must he beat the crap out of every person he comes across before he can work his art? And I'm not just talking about beefs with rival gangs. Trane fights with cops, guards and railway workers. He even throws down with a bunch of guys who work in a meat packing plant. Is this really what it takes to be a street artist?
In Style Wars, the seminal 1982 graffiti documentary, we see the real lives of graf writers. We see them sitting around a kitchen table, sketching in their black books. We see them holding court on street corners on a lazy summer afternoon slowly painting murals. Not exactly the stuff of a thrilling game. But there's plenty of excitement in the real-life of a writer; running from guard dogs, fleeing from police and transit cops, climbing fences and abandoned buildings.
I loved exploring New Radius as Trane, scaling the lovingly detailed urban landscape in search of "heaven spots" to bomb with my art. I hated having to kick ass to do so. It didn't help that the game is only a mediocre beat 'em up. Technically, there's very little that the game does exceptionally. The Tomb Raider-style exploration is hampered by clumsy, unresponsive controls. Even painting, the game's bread and butter, feels bogged down at times. Though the time it takes to complete some of the larger pieces -- especially the Turk 182-inspired finale on the side of a bridge -- did give me a fair sense of accomplishment.
I hope that Marc Ecko's Getting Up merits a sequel -- one with refined mechanics, the ability to create your own designs and, most importantly, a truer sense of what it really is to be a graffiti artist.
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