Recent generations have become rather accustomed to the thrills and spills that Hollywood delivers. The fast paced action and relentless violence has become our guilty pleasure. No longer do we scream for heated battles of Pong or Space Invaders; our drug of choice in the digital world is bullets, babes and burnouts. And The Wheelman delivers it all along with a hefty helping of cheese on the side.<\/p>\n
Vin Diesel is becoming well known for taking on videogame roles of late, having starred in the likes of The Chronicles of Riddick series and now in Midway’s latest adrenaline concoction, The Wheelman. Unfortunately, the big man is not the best actor in the world, and this is all too apparent when it comes to dialogue delivery and character development. He unfortunately fails on both accounts.<\/p>\n
The majority of the game plays out in the gritty streets of Barcelona, Spain, and you control the character of undercover cop Milo Burik, a man with a supposedly tainted past, who has been appointed the task of infiltrating the harsh world of organized crime. This is where the first flaw of the game comes into play. The Wheelman is riddled with ambiguity. Absolutely plastered with it. If it wasn’t for the game manual explaining the back story, you would actually never even know there was one. One never knows which side they are fighting for, and more than a few times I killed a swarm of supposed baddies only to discover afterwards that they were actually on my side.<\/p>\n
The game stays true to its title, and most of it is spent behind the wheel, which is where it receives its saving grace. In the truest essence of movies such as xXx and The Transporter, The Wheelman is all about theatrical exploitism. Getting as much of that over-the-top flavor into every action sequence is represented rather stunningly.<\/p>\n
The aerial antics that Milo is able to execute feel fluid and appeal to the eye on all fronts, with massive explosions and vehicular stunts being the order of the day. One of these acrobatic spectacles that Milo pulls of is called the Air Jack. Milo will speed up to the back of a car, and with the push of a button, leap from his speeding vehicle into the other speeding vehicle, without ever slowing down or even faltering. In the truest sense of “in one foul swoop” he steals cars…mid “flight”. Apart from this, he still has moves like the Cyclone Spin, which is basically where your car spins around 180 degrees, slowing down time to allow you to take a precise shot at the car behind you, before spinning around again…once again, without ever slowing down for a second.<\/p>\n
This is the kind of ridiculous, over-the-top and actually-pretty-cool action that The Wheelman encapsulates. However, it isn’t enough to save it. With the lack of a cover-fire system and sub-par graphics, sound and story line, Vin is, not for the first time in his life, destined for the discount pile.<\/p>\n
Fun Factor<\/strong><\/p>\n Although at times it is fun to leap from your car into an unsuspecting victim’s car, it isn’t enough to carry the game. After a while it gets rather boring, and monotone, to the point that you actually start thinking that Stranglehold wasn’t such a bad game.<\/p>\n Visuals<\/strong><\/p>\n The game has captured the look and feel of Barcelona admittedly well, and geographically it is quite accurate. Unfortunately it all looks a bit mundane, wish bland colours and flat textures.<\/p>\n Story<\/strong><\/p>\n The worst part about The Wheelman is the story, or rather, the lack thereof. You never feel like you are following a plot or actually nearing its end. Without much warning, the credits come up and its all over, leaving you feeling empty and confused.<\/p>\n Sound<\/strong><\/p>\n The explosions are mediocre and the soundtrack consists of generic Spanish music that is likely to just irritate you as you’re trying to escape the police or a drug dealer trying to fill you with lead.<\/p>\n Originality<\/strong><\/p>\n There are many brilliant and innovative third person action titles such Gears of War, GTA 4, Just Cause and Uncharted. Unsurprisingly, Wheelman will not be joining their hallowed ranks.<\/p>\n Longevity<\/strong><\/p>\n Even though it might take you between 6 – 8 hours to finish the game, it is unlikely that you will want to.<\/p>\n