Wheelman - ZTGameDomain.com Preview

Wheelman - Preview

System: Xbox 360

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Midway

Release Date: 03/24/2009

Players: One

Words By: Catastrophe

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The definition of a popcorn videogame.

If there isn't enough Vin in your gaming life Wheelman is here for you, and is even more outrageous than any Diesel movie - think Diehard: With a Bourne Identity Vengeance. You play as undercover driver-for-hire Milo Burik on a mission to expose the criminal underbelly of Barcelona. In the process of taking down multiple gangs you will get to terrorize Barcelona in an open world with game-play hinging on the ability to perform belief-suspending stunts.

In order to pull off the stunts Milo's Focus Meter must be filled, generally achieved by driving recklessly. Jerking the wheel with the right stick is a basic attack that slams your car into those of your pursuers. Big jerks of the stick make for big hits and smaller tweaks mean less damage. Once your meter is full you can use special moves like Cyclone, which allows you to spin your car 180 degrees to fire on pursuing enemies. Slow motion kicks in and with a full meter gives you plenty of time to target multiple enemies in one pass. Enemy weaknesses are indicated by target-like circles on individuals, and red lights on fixed objects like barricades.

The vehicles are your primary weapon, so you will need to ammo up with a move called Air Jack. Tailgate a vehicle and when Vin Starts hanging out the window like a dog taking in the breeze release and jump, disposing of the driver. If the vehicle is operated by enemy AI you will have to disarm him as well as incapacitate any carpooling buddies. The move is executed with a button release at the appropriate time and saturates your Focus Meter. Admittedly, it is not so handy on escort missions, as your passenger will have to get out of the car and catch up with you.

Wheelman's palette is vibrant and film-brilliant. The action is compelling, and the destructibility of the environments allows you to focus on unreal vehicular combat as you bulldoze trees, street lamps and just about anything else within gaming reason (a semi is going to wield more destructive power than a motorcycle). Just one chase tearing across Barcelona means plowing through barricades, alleyways, a bull ring, and an office building. As you advance through the various techniques of getting the job done as the Wheelman, you may develop a proclivity for brute, action-packed force. This finesse-free game-play is encouraged by regenerating health, and destruction is a guilt-free enterprise in Wheelman - in the initial bank heist mission the pursuing police force were taking out more innocents than the I could count.

Wheelman's logic-defying take is conducive to fun - you can careen right into a fixed obstacle and keep on accelerating through until you spin back out and are on the road again. Not having to fuss with any sort of realistic 3 pt turn to get out of a mess is a definite positive in this world. Another thing the game gets right is that if you fail a mission you can return to the starting point with the press of a button eliminating the tedium of re-doing your travel. Completed missions turn the location into a warp point you can teleport to later. Time and even traffic patterns advance according to the story and mission, and if you are addicted to the hundred-plus available side missions this will play into the strategy of completing them. Side missions like Rampage - destroy as much as possible - are fitting, and completing them rewards the player with bonuses like health or increased damage.

You can take on the criminal world on foot but don't expect to be pulling off any cool slow-mo destruction. You are only able to carry two weapons at a time and Vin runs a little brawnily without the ability to lift himself into the slightest of hops. It shouldn't surprise that the title's action and special moves are centered around vehicles - this is Wheelman, not dedicated pedestrian. However, if licensed vehicles are your thing, Wheelman won't satisfy. With just GM's Opal Astra and a Pontiac you may see some look-alikes but no snazzy branding. Still, there is plenty of variety, especially given that vehicle nuance isn't the focus - they're just tools, not unlike picking up a sniper rifle and trading out for an RPG launcher. Keep this in mind: certain types of cars are definitely better suited to certain types of missions.

With Wheelman's cinematic gaming experience, pulling off some of the more ridiculously improbable feats is the spirit of the game so if you fancy yourself passing the time commentating on the unlikelihood of a stunt you may want to take a pass. Word of caution, however: for as much fun as it is to watch a movie with the hero pulling off the impossible, it is even more fun to play through. Wheelman has great reckless promise of a reasonably deep open world game, without all the pesky realism of GTA.

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