"He's back to what he does best, kill bad guys and drive fast cars. Join Vin Diesel for another explosive adventure."


Vin Diesel has been going through a rough patch of sorts in recent
times. His past few movies have failed to make a significant impact at the
box office and his last movie, Babylon A.D was panned as an abject failure
in which he actually cried in the movie (what next? Starring role in a romantic
comedy?). Obviously that didn’t go down with his fans who’re used to seeing
this man disembowel aliens with ease. Thankfully, we now have the new Fast
and the Furious movie to look forward to in which Vin seems like himself
again. But Vin Diesel also loves making games. In fact his first collaboration
with Starbreeze Studios based on the character, Riddick was a phenomenal
success. He’s looking to recreate that magic with Wheelman, a game that was
to be based on the movie of the same name. The movie’s MIA at the moment
but the game’s here and that ladies and gentleman is what this review is about.





In Wheelman, Vin Diesel is an undercover cop who fi nds himself
embroiled with the shady criminal underbelly of Barcelona. As him, you’ll
interact with some shady characters, pit a few factions against each other, play
the errand boy many times and kill all of them by the end of the game. The
funny part over here is that nothing is explained to you so you don’t really know
who you’re working for. How are you in this situation in the first place? And how
in God’s name did your cover get blown so fast? The plot’s clichéd, boring and
downright confusing, so don’t bother. Voice acting is hammy and not even
Diesel’s supreme coolness can salvage the script. But once you get past the
weak plot, the game’s actually fun to play. Since the name of the game is The
Wheelman, you’ll be driving around... a lot. In fact, we would say you’ll be
behind the wheel for nearly 65-70% of the game. The rest of the time
you’ll indulge in some gunplay that’s as basic and uninspiring as it gets.




Lock onto targets with your left trigger and spray them with bullets until they
die. Release left trigger, lock onto new target and repeat same procedure till all
enemies are dead. You can’t jump in the game and the cover system isn’t what
you’d expect in an action game today. Once you’re back in your ride, things
do spice up a notch as your car in this game, is actually your weapon. You can
use it to slam enemy cars and then obliterate them in the form of slow
motion takedowns. As you progress through the game you’ll encounter
tougher vehicles that have to be smashed many times before they can
be taken out. Sometimes vehicles will be full of gun wielding thugs whose
constant barrage of bullets permit you from getting too close. In such cases
you can use two of the game’s super moves – Cyclone and Aimed shot. The
Cyclone can only be performed on vehicles behind you and in this move Vin
Diesel stylishly jacks his ride around in a 180 degree turn in slow motion while
you individually target various parts of the vehicle be it windows, the hood or
the petrol tank. Shoot the petrol tank and the vehicle bursts into a huge ball of
fl ames. Too many people present in the car? Shoot the driver and watch the car
spiral out of control. It’s an interesting mechanic that you’ll use a lot not only
because it looks cool but because it’s a great option to have during some of the
tougher stages.




In Aimed shot, time slows down once again but this time the vehicle stays
straight and the camera zooms in over Vin Diesel’s shoulder so you can pick off
enemies in front of you and at the side peacefully. It isn’t as cool as Cyclone
but it’s perfect for getting through those pesky, explosive barrel laden barricades.
Of course, you won’t have an unlimited supply of cool moves at your disposal;
you’ll have to drive like a maniac, indulge in some jumps, and take sharp turns
and so on to earn them. The fi nal super move available right from the start is Air
Jacking and it allows Diesel to leap from one car to another while both are in
motion in a cinematic sort of way. It’s not original and not realistic from any angle
but then again neither is pretty much anything in this game. It aspires to be an over
-the-top action game and it does deliver to a certain extent but sadly it’s also bogged
down by tons of issues.