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Honestly, there was really no reason for me to like this game. There are, like, a million
things wrong with it. And frankly, Iím not the demographicóhad no idea what was even
being said half the time. And yet...I kept playing. Iím not sure why. I think it might
have been some form of hypnosis through repetition.
Or maybe I just wanted to hit it.
Itís Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.
So this game was released to the PlayStation 2 back in 2006, and...I mean, thereís no
other way of describing it. Itís a vandalism simulator. You play as some moron who decides
to pursue his dream of being...a vandal. So you know, he moves out against his grandmotherís
wishes, and he goes to live in a f*cking abandoned school. Meanwhile, dude gets the sh*t kicked
out of him on the streets.
Sorry, this is the good guy? Those are testicles. You know that.
I guess this is where ìnot being part of the demographicî comes into play. Because
Getting Up just beats you over the head with hip hop culture. Or at least...this plastic,
commercialized form of it. It tries so hard to be street, it almost comes across like
a parody...like, to me, this is like what an old white guy thinks of hip hop culture.
Sadly, the gameplay kinda feels like a joke, too. Getting Up consists entirely of three elementsópainting,
fighting and basic platforming. The problem is...the platforming is hurt by the camera
and controls, and the fighting is a button-mashing brain drain.
Fortunately, painting is the highlight of the game. There are lots of colors and designs,
and you can basically paint anythingóbuildings, bridges, whatever you want. You earn extra
ìstreet credî for painting over a rivalís painting, you get to customize your design
loadout. You even have to spray evenly, or the paint drips...thatís pretty awesome.
But you know, the main problem with Getting Upóuh, the painting includedóis how unbelievably
repetitive it is. I mean, you are literally doing the same thing over and over. And since
a lot of the paintings are preset designs, thereís no creativity there. Itís like the
worldís longest coloring book...with the worldís worst grammar.
Were. The subways were your next canvas.
You know, there are some good ideas here. And you can play them in...much better games.
Getting Up mixes stuff like Jet Set Radio and Sideways: New York with a little Prince
Of Persia...but it also adds some irritating glitches, awkward controls and a general lack
of precision.
Thanks to our pal Lon Lon Milker from Ontario for sending it in.