If there’s a lesson to be learned from The Great Escape, it’s that escaping from a Nazi P.O.W. camp isn’t necessarily as exhilarating as it seems in the movies. Based on the classic film of the same name, this third-person action game puts you in control of four Allied military officers as they try to bust out of Stalag Luft III and travel to safety through occupied Europe.

The game more or less follows the story of the 1963 Steve McQueen movie, although some creative license is taken. (The ending is particularly different.)

Throughout The Great Escape, you’ll evade Nazi soldiers, fool them with cunning disguises, confront them head-on with a plethora of World War II weapons, and even run them over while riding a motorcycle or driving an armored personnel carrier. The mix of stealth and action is usually entertaining. The vast majority of your time will be spent sneaking around in the shadows, though, so if you’re the run-and-gun type, your patience will be tried.

Unfortunately, the engaging blend of gameplay modes is overshadowed by The Great Escape’s many flaws. For one, while the in-game graphics are pretty good, the low-res FMV sequences that precede each mission are downright crummy. But that’s just a minor quibble compared to some more serious problems.

The most annoying thing about the game is that you’re allowed only a limited number of save-games per mission — four at easy difficulty, three at medium, and two at hard. That’s inadequate for most missions, and there are never any good “clues” as to when might be best to use your saves.

The controls aren’t terribly intuitive — some buttons perform different functions depending on the context. When an enemy’s at a distance, the fire button will shoot your weapon, but when he’s close up, it’ll pistol-whip your target. This involuntary change in controls is guaranteed to screw you over a few times. Meanwhile, the motorcycles’ handling is downright awful. It’s not just us — even the computer-controlled enemies can’t seem to ride their own bikes without crashing into walls and roadblocks.

Many of the stealth missions in The Great Escape are maddeningly difficult, largely because they rely on trial-and-error — and if you’re caught, it’s Game Over, with a frustrating setback to be slogged through again. Moreover, the enemy AI is implemented very poorly. Sometimes, the slightest rustling will alert the guards to your presence, while other times you can open a loud, creaking gate two feet away from Jerry without being noticed. Escape’s train level is particularly buggy: if all German infantry were blessed with such X-ray vision, the war might have ended differently!

The action-oriented missions aren’t perfect, either. Aiming your weapon can be tough since your character often blocks your view of the crosshairs. You can strangle an enemy to death if you sneak up behind him, but if you punch him out and leave him lying in a dazed heap, you can’t choke him until he stands up and calls the guards. And to make matters worse, occasional clipping problems pop up at the most inopportune times.

The premise behind this game is solid, and there are some very entertaining moments to prove it. If not for its horrible execution, The Great Escape could’ve lived up to its fabulous movie license.
— Omeed Chandra