Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Tigon Studios
Genre: Action
Release date: Available now

There’s an old saying that goes, “borrow widely, steal wisely,” which is very fitting of the action hero in Vin Diesel’s new game, Wheelman. This mission-based driving opus takes its inspiration from two mega-franchises: Burnout and Grand Theft Auto. From Burnout, Wheelman takes a more arcade-like feel with its vehicles, and like GTA it features the freedom of sandbox gameplay. Though a promising formula, the resulting product fails to capitalize upon what made its predecessors so great: their reliance on the things that appeal most to the players. With its attention divided between car and on-foot action, Wheelman comes up short on both.

You star as driver Milo Burik (Diesel) as you travel around and take jobs of a questionable nature. If you’re looking for an intelligible reason as to why this is, Wheelman only provides an excuse: you are a mercenary of sorts and you work between the warring gang factions of Barcelona. Despite its formalities, it’s obvious Wheelman isn’t out to woo you with narrative. Rather, it’s more about burning rubber and making you feel like a god on wheels. If only it did.

Being an open-world game, Wheelman allows you to drive around and do whatever you please. To keep things moving along at a steady pace, you can choose whatever mission or event you want to play by selecting it on a map. The objectives all involve either stealing cars, racing and/or killing people—pretty much what you would expect. In a move to make Wheelman feel more action-y, you can sideswipe or ram cars to take them out by pressing the analog stick. Also, when you achieve enough focus, which you get by speeding and driving well, you can pull off specials. All of these are basically bullet-time sequences in which you aim and shoot at cars to take them out more easily.

It’s hard to say what the game does exceptionally well, but it’s not exceptionally bad. At best everything is merely adequate – playable, yet not persuasive enough to justify the attention you’re giving it. The voice acting is pretty decent, the main exception being that of Diesel, which is ironic because he is the centerpiece of the game. Maybe I just don’t like the way his guttural speech rings in my ears.

Although the driving isn’t terrible, there are only a few select parts that are truly exciting, namely the “cinematic jumps” that are scattered across the city. It can be tedious when you’re trying to make enemy cars crash, as it takes five or six hits before they tumble and burn. However, the vehicle segments are far superior to the action you find on-foot. Diesel’s acting mirrors the non-driving scenes: they’re there and you wish they would go away, or at least be better. Diesel’s far too touchy; with one careless motion of the controls he can veer you far off your intended course.

Wheelman‘s problems are more than skin deep. The role you play in the game doesn’t matter, since it struggles to maintain your attention. Wheelman is a full-priced $60 dollar game that you can easily beat in a week; so the only highway on which this game cruises is named Robbery. The idea itself isn’t bad, but it’s the execution ends up road blocking it.

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