Wheelman

 PlayStation 3
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 79 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 79
  3. Negative: 12 out of 79
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  1. peteryxxxx
    Apr 4, 2009
    8
    While not perfect its certainly fun and worth a play if you liked the driver series of game you will almost certainly like this. This is what driver should have started to become. A movie tie in thats actually worth buying.
  2. bobg
    Apr 11, 2009
    10
    amazing is the only way 2 put it the combat is great best game EVER!!
  3. YuriL
    Jan 26, 2010
    9
    Although the storyline isn't the greatest ever and the graphics aren't top notch, this game delivers on the fun department. This game is way more fun then GTA, the whole game is great, and the gameplay feels very innovative. If you can get it for a low price, buy it.
  4. ErnestoG
    Mar 29, 2009
    10
    GTA, your reign is over. Meet Wheelman, your successor. Free roaming is one of the things that made GTA so good, but it
  5. EM
    Apr 5, 2009
    9
    Greta game, great graphics and fun, unique gameplay.
  6. CodyB
    Mar 31, 2009
    9
    Let's be real about this game. It has flaws. The graphics aren't the greatest. There are bugs. But on the other hand, I am 12 hours into the game and it is a blast and I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard and enjoyed a game as much as this. Definitely worth buying. If you were to do every mission, it would easily take 40 hours to complete. Oh, and the story is Let's be real about this game. It has flaws. The graphics aren't the greatest. There are bugs. But on the other hand, I am 12 hours into the game and it is a blast and I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard and enjoyed a game as much as this. Definitely worth buying. If you were to do every mission, it would easily take 40 hours to complete. Oh, and the story is very "popcorn movie" enjoyable.… Expand
  7. huevosbenedicto
    Jan 3, 2011
    4
    Food critics will usually review a restaurant a few days after opening as the first night will have a show put on by the owners, a method which could not be more apt for Wheelman. While the demo will suck you in, the game from then on will spit you out and desecrate you for good measure. Naturally, there are a few aspects of the game that deliver on its promise of the over the topFood critics will usually review a restaurant a few days after opening as the first night will have a show put on by the owners, a method which could not be more apt for Wheelman. While the demo will suck you in, the game from then on will spit you out and desecrate you for good measure. Naturally, there are a few aspects of the game that deliver on its promise of the over the top action we've all come accustomed to from Vin Diesel films of late. You can attack other cars with your own vehicle using the right stick, which is useful for ousting enemies and police alike. You can also "air-jack" a car, in which you hold down circle/B, and when an arrow on top of your desired car turns green, you will leap from your car and get into the other person's. While this seems incredibly ridiculous, it is actually fun. Once you've sped enough (or something similar, I haven't touched the game in the past year and a half), you get points which you can use to slow down time while driving, and you can physically aim where to shoot through the wind-sheild, which is aided by an overly simple auto-aim. A more advanced version of this turns the car 180 degrees, which is incredibly useful for taking cars out behind you. And of course, there's a heap of cheesy lines from Vin to keep you going. And those are the good aspects. All of them. There are absolutely no more.This is a GTA clone if someone mixed up the embryos with a game from 5 years ago and created some mutant offspring. You'd think that if a game is entitled "Wheelman", there would be a great emphasis on driving. Not so, unfortunately. Most of the game will be spent on foot, with truly abhorrent controls. It's difficult to aim, and the cover system is beyond clunky. There are limited weapons, which Vin magically stores on his back. They could've just gone for the old-school GTA method of switching guns out of nowhere, but an invisible adhesive is used for some reason. The game focuses too much on explosions, with exploding barrels everywhere from an abandoned metro station (understandable), to a church graveyard, which is not. And what do you do if you want a car to escape this on-foot madness? You just press triangle/Y, and the nearest car magically stops, waiting for you to steal their car. And how many cars do you have to choose from? This may be an exaggeration, but my guess is 14. For a driving game, about 14 cars. GTA is both shooting and driving, and has over 200 cars. 14 is pathetic. And I'm not a car expert, but I counted 2 licensed cars, something which GTA will never have. What are these cars? A Vauxhall/Opel Astra, the embodiment of mediocrity in cars, and the Smart Car, one of the slowest on the planet. Awful, truly. The story is instantly forgettable. You're some sort of undercover agent infiltrating the infamous underbelly of Barcelona for some sort of agency. My guess is Interpol. But you still get pulled over by the police. Anyway, you get involved with each of the three gangs that control Barcelona, one with an African-European, who is the most obese character in a game I've seen since Big Smoke, one old school mafioso family and another gang, who I don't know for the life of me who they are, although it hardly matters. You'll do missions for one gang against one of the others, yet you'll be able to continue missions for the others. I remember doing a hit against an armed convoy, and going to the family on the receiving end the next day, at which the boss knows that it was you, but he lets you continue working for him due to you saying "I'm just a Wheelman". And you continue with your business. I'll be honest, I didn't finish the story, but I doubt it mattered much. I also didn't do any of the side missions, because I wasn't pushed to do them, they meant nothing. I didn't wonder around as you do in a free roaming game, Barcelona is such a nondescript city for a video game that you'll be bored in 2 minutes. The graphics could easily have been lifted from a PS2 game, and no one would know the difference, with glitches more common than not. Apart from Vin Diesel, the voice acting is terrible, and the soundtrack is dreadful, with radio stations called "Hip-Hop" and "American". There's no replay value with the absence of multiplayer, which would be accepted if the single-player was anything close to focused. Saying that, there's not much play value, either. Gameplay: 4
    Story: 3
    Graphics: 4
    Sound: 3
    Replay Value: 1
    Verdict: If you want to, play the demo, nothing more.    … Expand
  8. Glavas89
    Oct 6, 2012
    7
    Spectacular car chases, cinematic jumps and collisions with cars and motorcycles, as well as provide exciting shootouts throughout for all the action.
  9. HSPLazerz
    Mar 25, 2015
    10
    This game is a game. It will question your intellectual social life, and today's society in general. It's a surprisingly emotional experience on subjects that is way, way deeper and focused than Bioshock Infinite (and that one is serious, by the way).

    Honestly though, this is just a fun as **** game that has the most hilarious and stupid story and gameplay, that is nothing short of a    This game is a game. It will question your intellectual social life, and today's society in general. It's a surprisingly emotional experience on subjects that is way, way deeper and focused than Bioshock Infinite (and that one is serious, by the way).

    Honestly though, this is just a fun as **** game that has the most hilarious and stupid story and gameplay, that is nothing short of a fun experience. It is a fun experience because of it's faults. I don't know if it was intentional within the game design or not, but either way it is fun.    … Expand
  10. tsakiym
    May 12, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything more. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it............................… Expand
  11. XJoseManuel10X
    Apr 28, 2018
    6
    Wheelman is a driving-focused open-world game developed by Tigon Studios and Midway Studios - Newcastle and published by Ubisoft in conjunction with Midway Games was released in 2009.

    + Vehicle Melees, Air-Jacking, Aimed Shot and Cyclone Move (make the driving fun and exciting) - Terrible On-Foot Gameplay - Empty City - Boring and Repetitive Side Missions - Poor Variety of Cars    Wheelman is a driving-focused open-world game developed by Tigon Studios and Midway Studios - Newcastle and published by Ubisoft in conjunction with Midway Games was released in 2009.

    + Vehicle Melees, Air-Jacking, Aimed Shot and Cyclone Move (make the driving fun and exciting)
    - Terrible On-Foot Gameplay
    - Empty City
    - Boring and Repetitive Side Missions
    - Poor Variety of Cars

    My Score: 6.9/10    … Expand
  12. Nathaniel224
    Aug 4, 2022
    6
    MEDICORE AT BEST.
    although it has lots of content, challenges, arcade modes the game drags on alot near the end of the game via the story. it gets tiring to play. If you dont like chase sequences, dont buy this game there is alot of chase/ escape from a gang of car sequences lool. itll drive you crazy.
    if you want a good open world experience play just cause 2 came out aorudn the same    MEDICORE AT BEST.
    although it has lots of content, challenges, arcade modes the game drags on alot near the end of the game via the story. it gets tiring to play. If you dont like chase sequences, dont buy this game there is alot of chase/ escape from a gang of car sequences lool. itll drive you crazy.
    if you want a good open world experience play just cause 2 came out aorudn the same time as this game but better in its gameplay loop. Now i will say the mini sub GTA formular wheelman has going on is not bad, the gameplay jsut drags on too much.    … Expand
  13. JoseManuel10_
    Sep 4, 2023
    6
    Wheelman is a driving-focused open-world game developed by Tigon Studios and Midway Studios - Newcastle and published by Ubisoft in conjunction with Midway Games was released in 2009.

    + Vehicle Melees, Air-Jacking, Aimed Shot and Cyclone Move (make the driving fun and exciting)
    - Terrible On-Foot Gameplay
    - Empty City
    - Boring and Repetitive Side Missions
    - Poor Variety of Car

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2009
53
#53 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 37
  3. Negative: 2 out of 37
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    60
    It was a worthwhile dig, but it just isn't a patch on genre leaders. [May 2009, p.64]
  2. GamePro
    80
    Its arcadey addictiveness and cinematic style successfully lands it in a sweet spot right between those two genres, taking players for a ride that's totally on par with the summer movie excitement it emulates.
  3. Game Informer
    85
    Wheelman has enough explosive thrills that you’ll be yelling and laughing the whole time.
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