The Italian Job Preview

The Italian Job is based on the cult-classic film of the same name. The 1969 film, starring Michael Caine and Benny Hill, centered on Caine's character Charlie Crocker - a bank robber who's fresh out of the joint and on the make again. This time Crocker is attempting to steal four million dollars in gold from under the nose of the London Mafia. The movie captures the style and humor of the late sixties, and contains the legendary Mini Cooper chase sequence - an extremely long and exciting car chase involving Mini Coopers that stretches through Italian streets, buildings, rivers, sewers, highways, and rooftops.

The video game version of the Italian Job will be a third-person, mission-based driving game that loosely follows the plot of the movie. You'll have to complete a diverse variety of tasks that set you up for the final mission - to steal the gold and make off in your Mini Cooper, all while evading authorities and the Mafia. The game will feature five different gameplay modes, including the primary "The Italian Job" mode, which is spread across four different playing areas in England, Turin, and the Alps.

Although the final chase scene will put you behind the wheel of a Mini, the game will feature 13 different vehicles, each with their own look and feel. You'll be able to drive these cars around in the huge levels that are all based on maps taken from the actual environments. This means driving around in London in The Italian Job will mirror driving around on actual London streets. Also, the game has a free feel to it - you won't be restricted to a track and will be able to drive wherever you want on a whim. SCI also says the game will feature a unique system for being caught, which will be more realistic than any other game of this type. Exactly what that will entail is yet unknown.

The Italian Job is scheduled for a Q4 release in Europe, and just may appear in the States shortly thereafter.