Video games: Wheelman (360/PS3)
14 April 2009
VIN DIESEL'S Wheelman (360/PS3) should be easy to dismiss as a cut-price GTA IV (outlaw ace-driver scurries around urban-sprawl sandbox, jacking cars and completing missions).
But, although it does have the Rockstar DNA in its veins, the designers have weaved in plenty of smart individual touches that make it worth a punt once you’ve finished The Lost And The Damned.
The gameplay is more focused on Burnout-style mad driving – side and forward-ramming, handbrake corner-turns and a joyously silly “Air Jack” move where anti-hero Milo (digitised Diesel) revs up close to a rival car and leaps from ride to ride for an on-the-fly takeover.
The Barcelona setting adds a dash of Euro-centric freshness and the clear and simple Mission Map makes the city easy to navigate. Sadly, dreadful cut-scenes (hammy acting, ropey character graphics) break the spell. But if you can gloss over the lack of polish – and your speakers can handle Vin’s comedy low-frequency growl – Wheelman is a contender for surprise hit of 2009.
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