DesertEagleXIX
03-28-2009, 08:19 PM
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.
Continued: http://tech-gaming.com/2009/03/28/wheelman-reviewed.aspx
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.
Continued: http://tech-gaming.com/2009/03/28/wheelman-reviewed.aspx