Outrageous Feats on Spanish Streets- Wheelman Reviewed

With an ever-increasing abundance of debt, and a dwindling number of successful game franchises, many industry insiders are saying Midway Entertainment is on its last legs. The house that built Joust, Mortal Kombat, and Smash T.V. could soon be dismantled and sold piece-meal to a bevy of bidders, and vying for a piece of arcade history. If the curtain is closing, then the Midway co-developed, Ubisoft published Wheelman is a fitting elegy. The title encapsulates our feeling about many recent Midway titles- while hardly revolutionary, and at times downright clunky, the game is still a shockingly fun romp. 

Fans of the Transporter films will understand the basic concept of Wheelman– the game’s thrills revolve around precise driving and physics defying mechanics. Seeing the protagonist decelerate his motorcycle, spin it on one wheel, while simultaneously shooting a mob of foes will surely remind players of Jason Statham’s cinematic  athleticism. The game has a number of features that shrewdly favor the imagined over the real: players can ‘airjack’ vehicle, leaping wildly through the air to exchange vehicles. By using the right analog stick players can engage in ‘vehicular melees’, which throw opposing cars into walls, before they explode and eject their occupants. Along with these extravagant options, all the traditional driving mechanics are integrated, from drifting, handbrake turns, to boosting.

Players take the role of Milo Burik, an undercover CIA operative spent to Barcelona to break up a ring of gangs and seedy underworld types. Players have two options: they can complete a 6-8 hours storyline, or free roam through a myriad of side missions that range from crosstown races, car wrangling, and police pursuits. Our favorite diversion was the ‘Rampage’ diversion, where players try to destroy as much municipal property in an allotted amount of time. Success in each of the alternative missions elevates Burik’s skill set, and opens use weapon caches.

Wheelman uses the Unreal engine to decidedly mixed results. While the framerate is typically fluid, only sputtering briefly during moments of extreme vehicular mayhem, texture pop-in is evident along the game’s streets. Explosions and crashes are wonderfully detailed, often momentarily pauses gameplay to allow players to bask in the carnage. Character design recalls Stranglehold’s mannequin-eyed, stiffly rendered characters; ear canal and nostrils look especially awkward.  Sonically, Vin Diesel’s voice-over work is particularly stiff; his character may be coolly detached, but there should have been some tonal range or expression to his voice. Fortunately, the game gives players a choice of seven different music genres to listen to while racing through the Spanish streets.

In an effort to diversify the game, the developers added on-foot sequences to complement the title’s automotive segments.  These sequences lack refinement, and require players to lock on to players, and switch targets with a flick of the right thumbstick. Without a cover system (although players can duck), gunplay lacked finesse, and seemed underdeveloped.