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> Results: Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
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If you need proof video games are fusing with the music, film and fashion industries, look no further than Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.
Designed by Marc Ecko, the visionary behind one of today's most successful youth clothing and accessories brands, Getting Up combines graffiti art with street fighting, and fueled by a hip-hop soundtrack and Hollywood voice talent. This ambitious title isn't without its problems, but the end result is a fresh and fun adventure that should satisfy mature gamers. Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, which could very well be the longest name for a video game besides Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Video Game of the Movie, stars a hoodie-clad Trane, an up-and-coming graffiti artist in a futuristic city called New Radius. This New York City-like metropolis is run by an oppressive, Neo-Fascist government. By accomplishing dozens of missions, the goal of the game is to gain respect and recognition by spray-painting vehicles, brick walls, skyscrapers and billboards, all the while evading authorities, rival crews and street thugs. The more vertical you can climb to wield your aerosol can, the greater your reputation grows as you evolve from "Toy" to "Writer" to "King." Trane also vows to expose the corrupt mayor and set New Radius free from its tyrannical government.  You're awarded with extrasﾗsuch as unlockable music or new artwork to sprayﾗby finding secret items hidden throughout the mainly outdoor levels, or by accomplishing one of the mini-games such as covering the side of a van with eight "tags" without getting caught. You also solve puzzles, such as finding a way out of an alleyway. The solution might be to climb up a pole and shimmy across a ledge to reach an open window. The game features the work of more than 65 celebrated "graf artists," six of whom play as characters in the game, such as Cope 2, Futura and Obey: Shepard Fairey. Other characters come to life with the help of well-known talent such as Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Adam West (Batman), Rosario Dawson (Rent), Brittany Murphy (Sin City), Giovanni Ribisi (Cold Mountain), Andy Dick (Zoolander) and Charlie Murphy (Jungle Fever). Hip-hop artist Talib Kweli lends his voice to Trane, and provides one of the main soundtrack songs. Other hip-hop tunes are from the likes of Pack FM, Pharoahe Monch and an exclusive remix of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya" by Serj from the band System of a Down. Until you get the hang of it, controlling Trane can be a difficult task. For example, spray-painting on a surface requires you to simultaneously press down on the left and right shoulder buttons, then press a button to ready the paint can, followed by moving the controller's left analog stick back and forth to tag the area. Mastering the fighting moves, such as punching, kicking and grappling, also requires some patience. Another issue: you are limited on where you can go in New Radius. Even though you see a huge and bustling city, you can't roam wherever you like as you can in open-ended video games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. If you try to venture off the block, you run into an invisible wall. Overall, however, this action-heavy adventure, which serves as an homage to graffiti's rich cultureﾗand perhaps a nod to fighting games, popular music and urban fashionﾗshould provide many memorable hours of non-repetitive game-play.  
Getting Up earns a GamerDad Adult rating almost immediately, as you are thrust into the violent world of New Radius. While obviously fantasy, the world is depicted semi-realistically. You are rewarded for criminal behavior. The whole point of the game is to improve your standing as a graffiti writer, painting on private property without permission. Whether you appreciate the artistry or not, it's illegal, and you are frequently encouraged to just cover a wall with angry, scrawled tags, not just big, colorful murals.
Emulating Trane's antics would also be dangerous, possibly fatal. Law enforcement is very definitely portrayed in a negative light, as part of the whole anti-establishment theme. The fightingﾗof which there is a lot ﾖis quite brutal, as the Pain Trane (sorry) will be coming with hands, feet, and various weapons such as planks of wood and spiked baseball bats and there are some blood effects when you tee off on The Man. There are no gruesome death scenes from the rank and file bad guys. They just fade away with a groan once dispatched, even when they're pushed into the path of an oncoming subway train. In addition, you get plenty of the F word, either from Trane, other characters, or from the mostly hip-hop soundtrack. You also see quite a few curse words in tags, stickers, and (juvenile, but amusing) disrespectful murals. Finally, there's a woman involved, and she is treated in the way you'd expect from this kind of game, as a prize. It all combines to make a title that is great for any adult who enjoys the "urban" genre of games or the subject matter, but shouldn't be played by or around the kids, despite its youthful rebellion appeal. Those teens who are not old enough for Getting Up could be pointed to Jet Set Radio Future on the Xbox, which presents much the same scenario but without the "gritty realism" of Getting Up. Kid Factor by Simon Windmill This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "Marc Ecko, fashion, tagging, graffiti" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure |
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