Wheelman

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 63 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 63
  3. Negative: 9 out of 63

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  1. [Anonymous]
    Apr 2, 2009
    9
    Regardless of what critics are saying (screw IGN btw), this game is out right FUN. it's what a video game should be like. crazy fun, not super realistic but still great graphics, a surprisingly decent story.
  2. PaulC
    Apr 20, 2009
    9
    I have to say that WHEELMAN is the surprise hit of the year for me. Perhaps the most underrated game in quite some time. This game is FUN people. The missions are truly epic in scope and varied. There were moments that I was yelling at my TV, on the edge of my seat, barely passing some of the missions. Great side missions, too!
  3. MatthewW
    May 24, 2009
    9
    This is the perfect game for playing after you and your mates have been down the pub on a weekday, had a couple of drinks and then head back at 12 and all go on this and have an absolute blast. Graphics are average, handling is poor, but who the heck cares when it's this fun?
  4. RandyJ
    Mar 25, 2009
    9
    A great choice for anyone looking for an action game. It's not perfect but it's flaws are easy to overlook as you are having so much fun playing. The driving is about the best in the genre and the vehicle combat is incredibly intense. A return to classic form for Midway this time - they've managed to bring that classic gaming feel right up to date.
  5. PhilL
    Mar 29, 2009
    10
    Between this and the upcoming Chronicles of Riddick, Vin has been pumping out some quality stuff. Chronicles looks like it
  6. ArnoF
    Mar 31, 2009
    9
    Car combat at it
  7. ToughGuy
    Mar 31, 2009
    8
    At first I thought this was going to be a pile of rubbish but having played the demo I was left with pain in my sides from laughing so much that I bought the full game on 360.....it really is a good fun. I think some folks have taken this game too seriously. The vehicle combat is a joy and the fact that Vin's character "Milo" plays it straight in every cut scene while all the other At first I thought this was going to be a pile of rubbish but having played the demo I was left with pain in my sides from laughing so much that I bought the full game on 360.....it really is a good fun. I think some folks have taken this game too seriously. The vehicle combat is a joy and the fact that Vin's character "Milo" plays it straight in every cut scene while all the other characters seem ridiculous is even better "Talk about the Steel BALLS!" Superb fun! 8/10 from me, a good post pub blast.… Expand
  8. billyj
    Apr 2, 2009
    10
    Way better than gta. more smooth gameplay, better weapons, better ... jokes. the game doesn't take itself so seriously like GTA did. in fact, because of this it comes off as more of a serious game. i would say that GTA is more comprehensive, but for what you wanna do with this kind of game, ubi has just executed rockstar, i believe. stupendously done.
  9. Petergriffin
    Dec 10, 2009
    9
    Fantastic game provides the thrills u expected from a game like. Car gameplay is one of the best while on foot gameplay is one of the worst.
  10. 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
  11. JSXero
    Apr 7, 2014
    7
    Out of nowhere comes a game full of action sequences and fun gimmicks, that it is almost possible to forgive the poor design of this 3rd person shooter/driver hybrid. Wheelman really throws some interesting stuff in front of you when you are behind the wheel. Unlike any game before it has there been so many options to take out rival cars or shake pursues off your tail, from leaping from aOut of nowhere comes a game full of action sequences and fun gimmicks, that it is almost possible to forgive the poor design of this 3rd person shooter/driver hybrid. Wheelman really throws some interesting stuff in front of you when you are behind the wheel. Unlike any game before it has there been so many options to take out rival cars or shake pursues off your tail, from leaping from a car that is about to explode it any second, to shunting a cop car into a pile of rubble, Wheelman really delivers the satisfaction when your speeding down the freeway.

    Where Wheelman stalls is the awful third person shooting sections that are average at best and at times game breakingly frustrating. Also while having some unique special moves to target pursues with your gun whilst at high speed chases, some of the missions can be awfully unforgiving when trying to navigate the road and pick off targets with your gun when you do not have said special movies locked in.

    So many cool concepts and so much average/frustrating gameplay keeps Wheelman from being the sleeper game that could of really come up from behind.    … Expand
  12. gamingisgreat
    Sep 16, 2016
    6
    Vin Diesel's Wheelman is a decent game.

    The gameplay is a mixed bag,with great in-car gameplay,but awful on-foot action. Car sections:The physics are OK,with the great skyjack mechanic of leaping between from your car to another and hijacking it.The is special moves known as the Aimed Shot and Cyclone.These are very useful in sections where you need to shoot enemy vehicles or    Vin Diesel's Wheelman is a decent game.

    The gameplay is a mixed bag,with great in-car gameplay,but awful on-foot action.

    Car sections:The physics are OK,with the great skyjack mechanic of leaping between from your car to another and hijacking it.The is special moves known as the Aimed Shot and Cyclone.These are very useful in sections where you need to shoot enemy vehicles or passengers.

    On-foot sections:Terrible shooting with an awful cover system.There are sections where you can use the environment to your advantage,which is useful as you are often significantly outnumbered.These sections are easy too,as the on-foot AI is completely braindead.

    The graphics are okay.However,some character models,particularly Vin himself,look awful.The framerate is solid though.

    Sound design and soundtrack are bad.

    Overall,Wheelman is a unique,but merely average game.    … Expand
  13. storygamer
    Oct 21, 2020
    7
    I didn´t expect anything when I got a copy of Wheelman as a present. I thought it was just another bad GTA clone. The moment I gave this game a chance, I was surprised how good it was. Yes it has many flaws like the mediocre graphics and the dump story. But the gameplay is great driving and shooting fun, the open world is well designed and the atmosphere is satisfying, just like aI didn´t expect anything when I got a copy of Wheelman as a present. I thought it was just another bad GTA clone. The moment I gave this game a chance, I was surprised how good it was. Yes it has many flaws like the mediocre graphics and the dump story. But the gameplay is great driving and shooting fun, the open world is well designed and the atmosphere is satisfying, just like a Hollywood blockbuster. Absolutely worth a look!… Expand

Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 63 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 44 out of 63
  3. Negative: 4 out of 63
  1. 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.
  2. Game Informer
    85
    Wheelman has enough explosive thrills that you’ll be yelling and laughing the whole time.
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  3. Play.tm
    82
    Much like a lot of the leading mans films, Wheelman is brainless entertainment without any pesky delusions of grandeur to trip over. Yes the plot is daft and the action as unrealistic as it comes but crucially it's also, for the most part, thoroughly enjoyable.
    Read full review
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