Wheelman (PS3)

[aruljothi]

Release Date: 03/20/2009
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
Genre: Action
Publisher: Midway
Developer: TBA

I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of Vin Diesel. My favorites of his roles include him getting sniped in Saving Private Ryan, and playing a big dumb robot in Iron Giant. Still, I do have a soft spot for the absurd stunts in xXx and The Fast and the Furious; Wheelman perfectly imbues the feel of those two movies. It's as if Dominic Toretto and Xander Cage made sweet sweet love, and the resulting bastard man-child not only inherited their "extreme" attitudes, but also looked exactly like them (at least in polygonal form).

In Wheelman, you take control of Milo Burik (obviously modeled after, and portrayed by, Diesel). Milo has recently arrived in Barcelona seeking information, and in the process becomes entangled in a city-wide gang war. Milo refers to himself as a "wheelman," an expert driver who can do the impossible. While in a car, Milo can perform some fantastic moves, such as the Airjack or the Vehicle Attack. For the former, our protagonist leaps from his moving vehicle to propel himself hundreds of feet, lands inside an enemy car, and then takes control without losing momentum. The latter is where, with a simple flick of the right analog stick, Milo smashes his car into the enemy. To further the gratuitousness, kills made with this move will also slow down time, highlighting every flying body and piece of explosive carnage.

Wheelman rewards your propensity for destruction with more gameplay mechanics. As Milo speeds up and causes mayhem, he steadily gains Focus. With a full Focus meter, the player can then take advantage of special moves. The most basic one is a quick burst of speed -- however, there are also attack skills, such as Aim Shot and Cyclone. When using both of these moves, time briefly slows down, the camera zooms in over Milo's shoulder, and the windshield turns into a shooting gallery -- with the cars becoming ducks with bull's-eyes painted on them. Shooting these bull's-eyes (which typically indicate weak spots such as the engine) usually results in the enemy vehicle instantly disintegrating from a single bullet.