The Great Escape (2003 video game)

The Great Escape is an action-adventure stealth video game based on the 1963 movie of the same name. It was developed by UK-based developer Pivotal Games. The game was released on Xbox, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2.

This article is about the 2003 Eidos game. For the 1986 Ocean game, see The Great Escape (1986 video game).
The Great Escape
Developer(s)Pivotal Games
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Xbox, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2
ReleaseXbox
  • NA: 22 July 2003
  • EU: 29 August 2003
Microsoft Windows
  • NA: 22 July 2003
  • EU: 12 September 2003
PlayStation 2
  • NA: 21 October 2003
  • EU: 29 August 2003
Genre(s)Action-adventure, stealth
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

There are four playable characters, from the film, each with a special ability.

. MacDonald (Gordon Jackson's character), who can speak German to pass himself off as a guard.

. Hendley (James Garner's character), who can pick pockets to get papers, keys, etc, and must also act as guide/escort to Blythe (Donald Pleasence's character)

. Hilts (Steve McQueen's character), who can pick locks to get into buildings

. Sedgwick (James Coburn's character) , who can fix mechanical devices.


There are 18 levels in the game, most of which have fictional tasks and attacks, most of which did not happen in the movie.

Examples of this are early levels featuring the characters first captures and early escape attempts from other POW camps before they are sent to Stalag Luft III, and later levels which feature "expanded" movie plots, such as Hendley & Blythe's escape from the train and stealing the plane, or entirely fictional plot points such as Sedgwick's involvement in helping the French resistance in exchange for helping him escape to Spain.

The ending of the game is also changed to reflect a more positive player experience, where all four playable characters escape, whereas in the film, only Sedgwick escapes, whilst Hendley & Hilts are recaptured and MacDonald is executed. In the game, Sedgwick escapes as he does in the film, Hendley & Blythe manage to fly safely to Switzerland, MacDonald manages to escape on a boat to England, and Hilts succeeds in making the final jump into Switzerland.

Despite the cover showing Hilts with a gun hiding from a guard in the camp, this never occurs in the game or film. The front cover may be inspired by a scene late in the film where Hilts disguised in German uniform, holds a gun while hiding behind a shed after trying to escape a German patrol on a motorbike.

Cast information

Sound bites of Steve McQueen as Hilts were taken from the film and used in the game, famous lines such as "250", "Walking down the road" and "20 feet short" were used to recreate iconic scenes from the film. Two sounds bites of McQueen replying "Yeah" were also used to respond in the affirmative when talking to other characters.

The original film score by Elmer Bernstein is heard throughout the game and adds to the authenticity.

Reception

The Great Escape received "mixed" reviews on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[1][2][3] In Japan, where the PlayStation 2 version was ported and published by Marvelous Entertainment under the name Daidassō: The Great Escape (大脱走 THE GREAT ESCAPE, Daidassō Za Gureito Esukēpu) on 14 October 2004, Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40.[8] Edge gave the Xbox version a score of four out of ten and said that it was "saved by a few good set-pieces and the licence, but it's hard not to feel hard done by. Those willing to endure yet another stealth game could find their morale ebbing away by the end of this."[26]

References
  1. "The Great Escape (2003) for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  2. "The Great Escape for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  3. "The Great Escape for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  4. "Review: The Great Escape". Computer Games Magazine. No. 156. theGlobe.com. November 2003. p. 100.
  5. Scott, Ryan (November 2003). "The Great Escape" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 232. Ziff Davis. p. 140. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  6. EGM staff (October 2003). "The Great Escape (PS2, Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 171. Ziff Davis. p. 142. Archived from the original on 1 April 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  7. Jennings, Ronan (18 September 2003). "The Great Escape (PS2)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  8. "大脱走 THE GREAT ESCAPE [PS2]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  9. Mason, Lisa (September 2003). "[The] Great Escape (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 125. GameStop. p. 109. Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  10. Helgeson, Matt (September 2003). "[The] Great Escape (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 125. GameStop. p. 120. Archived from the original on 17 March 2005. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  11. Pong Sifu (21 July 2003). "The Great Escape Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on 7 February 2005. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  12. Silverman, Ben (August 2003). "The Great Escape Review (Xbox)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  13. Shoemaker, Brad (31 July 2003). "The Great Escape Review (PC)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  14. Shoemaker, Brad (28 July 2003). "The Great Escape Review (PS2, Xbox)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  15. Hopper, Steven (7 August 2003). "The Great Escape Review - PC". GameZone. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  16. Watkins, Rob (6 August 2003). "The Great Escape Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  17. Romano, Natalie (4 August 2003). "The Great Escape Review - Xbox". GameZone. Archived from the original on 18 March 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  18. Hwang, Kaiser (4 August 2003). "The Great Escape Review (PC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  19. Hwang, Kaiser (24 July 2003). "The Great Escape (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  20. Hwang, Kaiser (25 July 2003). "The Great Escape (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  21. Sewart, Greg (September 2003). "The Great Escape". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 72. Ziff Davis. p. 93. Archived from the original on 30 March 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  22. "The Great Escape". Official Xbox Magazine. Imagine Media. October 2003. p. 84.
  23. Chandra, Omeed (November 2003). "The Great Escape". PC Gamer. Vol. 10 no. 11. Imagine Media. p. 116. Archived from the original on 15 March 2006. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  24. Steinberg, Scott (23 July 2003). "The Great Escape (PS2, Xbox)". Maxim. Biglari Holdings. Archived from the original on 10 October 2003. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  25. "The Great Escape (PS2, Xbox)". Playboy. Playboy Enterprises. August 2003. p. 32.
  26. Edge staff (September 2003). "The Great Escape (Xbox)". Edge. No. 127. Future plc. Archived from the original on 23 October 2003. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
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