KV
03-23-2009, 02:46 PM
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c7798829567.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=434)
Scheduled for release on the 27th of March, Wheelman is developed by Midway Studios - Newcastle Ltd in close association with Vin Diesel's video game production company Tigon Studios and is being published worldwide by Ubisoft and Midway.
About Tigon Studios
Based in Los Angeles, California, TIGON STUDIOS was founded in 2002 by Vin Diesel with the goal of breaking new ground in interactive franchise entertainment by bringing strong story, high production value and interesting and intelligent characters which can exist in multiple mediums, simultaneously to the gaming and film & television industries. TIGON focuses on creating properties that can be launched in both mediums.
The only game production company founded by a major motion picture star, TIGON combines a film industry style business model with veteran talent from the gaming industry to produce the highest quality of interactive entertainment. In its unique role, TIGON works closely with both the developer and the publisher of its games to ensure clear creative vision and quality in each title. By combining the strengths of traditional film development with the innovations of the video game world, TIGON is in an exclusive position to ensure streamlined production across various platforms.
Developed in close collaberation with the movie star Vin Diesel Wheelman is an action packed driving game which could be said to be inspired by the likes of EA`s Burnout, and Rockstars GTA series, this does not however make it a clone in any way though. The game is based in a large map portion of Barcelona which has been created with beautiful detail, featuring underground subways, backstreet alleys, stunning buildings and more nothing original there then but what else could you expect?
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c77dd388c8e.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=435)
Quite a lot of detail has gone into the game, Vin Diesel looks like him and that buidling behind him has got sublime modelling detail.
GTA inspirations
Some people accuse this game of being a "GTA wannabe" but I don`t feel Midway were setting out to do that, nor have they really tried to. Yes what you get is an open world of freedom to explore, set in the exotic location of Barcelona, Spain. This classic European city is densely populated with traffic and pedestrians that react intelligently to your actions as you roam around realistic environments filled with massively destructible objects, nothing wrong in that is there, you can also make use of your legs and explore on foot, you get weapons such as pistols, uzi`s and machine guns. You can also hijack any vehicle found in the game world, yes these are things that you can do in GTA too but doesn`t make it a GTA wannabe.
One thing to note is that Midway have actually seperated Wheelman from being a GTA wannabe by making more use if cinematics, special moves while driving and no there are no tarts to pick up, it also focuses more on action which has a somewhat loose plot.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c7833870b25.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=438)
Wheelman bosts some truly cinematic camera work in game.
You control Vin Diesel, an undercover agent who is a highly skilled driver, your aim to infiltrate the underground of Barcelona to gather intelligence regarding a covert heist. In order to do this you have to work with underground gangsters which requires you to do jobs ranging from taking out rival gangsters, to causing pure chaos and destruction on the streets.
You Survive death-defying feats and perform pulse-pounding moves to trigger extreme over-the-top Hollywood-style mobile attack maneuvers including: Aimed Shot: Drive and shoot at the same time while the rest of the world slows to an easy-to-target blur. The Air Jack: Leap from moving car to moving car to take control of a brand new ride. Cyclone Spin: Spin around 180 to take out anyone that’s behind you, and then spin back 180 again to resume your route, these are very impressive features and vital to survive and complete missions.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c786b59b747.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=440)
Make use of your focus, slow down time and take accurate shots too annihalate the opponents.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c782372fe0f.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=436)
Your wheels looking a bit knackered? No time to stop, just hijack another car in front of you while on the move!
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c782bbaf747.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=437)
Let nothing stop you, if it gets near you use your ram abilitys to smash those who cross you!
Sort of Burnout inspirations
Wheelman makes good use of the Chaos engine which provides a vast amount of destructable objects in the game world, even the damage modelling of the vehicles is impressive with all rides showing decay as they are battered, body panels fall off, gun shots at the wheels result in you grinding on rims, too much damage and vehicles burst into flames before exploding. Smashing objects and especially vehicles is great fun and thats good since most of the game is about breaking stuff with the odd mission requiring you to use more sense and avoid trouble.
When faced with enemys they are just as aggressive as you, they will ram you, shoot your car up and more, a gun is not the only weapon, you can use your vehicle too, with use of the right stick on the gamepad you can nudge your vehicle left, right and forward, this is used to shunt anything nearby essentially turning your wheels into a battering ram. Cause enough damage to an enemy vehicle and you can finish them in style, one more big smash will cause them to crash burnout style and roll before blowing up into pieces throwing the occupants all over the place. Thanks to the cinematic camera you get to enjoy this specular happening in detail.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c783948d8b9.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=439)
The bigger your ride the bigger the mayhem.
Of course the game isn`t all car smashing, some missions have you making use of your legs, and sadly to me this is where I feel Midway added this as an afterthought. The controls do work however they are limited, you cannot jump, and although you can crouch you cannot hug a surface for cover which could have given you an edge over your enemy. Also although Vin Diesel looks great and well detailed in game when it comes to controlling him on foot he seems very stiff and not so well animated.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c787cd19eaf.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=441)
On foot controls work but poor animations nad limited moves don`t make it satisfying.
Music
Of course based in Barcelona the soundtrack had to be fitting, so Midway have gone for somesort of radio with announcers speaking in spanish on most stations between music, I say somesort because unlike in GTA where it seems more realtime in presentation for example you switch to a station and its halfway through an announcement or song giving the impression the show is in realtime, with Wheelman however its like you got radio on a cd and switching to another channel is like starting a new track from the beginning. Overall most of the music found on the Classic, Rock, Dance etc radio channels seem a bit weak making you wanna turn it down or even off.
The actual score for the game itself is was composed by Rod Aberthy and Rednote Audio, "Working on Wheelman was a very rewarding experience," said composer Rod Abernethy. "My goal with Wheelman was to create a cinematic, hard-hitting score that has a traditional Spanish feel with a powerful, modern style.", in most cases I would agree and he has done a good job, shame the radio feature lets it all down.
Despite these little niggles the game still manages to be very good fun, there is plenty to do besides just following the story, with side missions such as Racing (race aggressively to be first place, smashing and shooting is allowed), Chaos (build up your multiplier by destroying objects then destroy and vehicle you see: Tip use a nice heavy vehicle for better results), Hijacking missions (simple complete the challenge by stealing the cars stated and returning them to the garage with as little damage as possible......ok not always simple since your targets are moving), there are more as well and plenty of them. These side missions have a purpose aswell, apart from simply being a nice break away from the story by completing these you get upgrades such as improved vehicle handling, increased speed, and make your vehicles stronger aswell as unlocking paint shops where you can take your car for a respray to throw cops off your tracks. They can also help unlock further sections of the map.
I recently found out that this game is indeed supposed to be online aswell, I never noticed when playing it but I haven`t been on live in a while, anyway the little details I found for online mode:
Create a unique character and join up with friends online for team based missions where you can show off your skills.I can`t verify this detail as yet since the game is not quite yet released, but it would be a nice addition.
Final thoughts
This game has many great ideas behind it, personally I love being able to smash things. If you expect realistic handling on vehicles you`ll be dissapointed as they are arcade like in the handling with the emphasis being more movie like the realistic, this to me is not a problem and I do like the controls except for on foot which I do find dissapointing. The game is well presented with very nice details, however it does have some minor flaws such as the odd distant clipping (although installing to the hdd made an improved difference here) and in some places I do feel it could have looked better particularly if it had dynamic weather and lighting.
I do recommend this game though if you love driving games as it has alot to offer and is very good fun to play, my rating:
:graphics: 9/10
Very pretty and lots of detail in smashes, but some areas lack that little final touch.
:audio: 6/10
Engines sound good, reasonable ambience and pretty good score for movie effect however the radio sucks in my opinion.
:gameplay: 8/10
Great fun and when you get into it you can loose time quickly without noticing, but unless there is a multiplayer feature you may struggle to feel the urge to play from the beginning again after completing the game, but it would be great just for the smash factor.
:overall: 8/10
Neat ideas and well thought gameplay and styling results in a very decent title which is worthy of any petrol heads collection.
YouTube - The Wheelman - Trailer (Game Traier HD)
Scheduled for release on the 27th of March, Wheelman is developed by Midway Studios - Newcastle Ltd in close association with Vin Diesel's video game production company Tigon Studios and is being published worldwide by Ubisoft and Midway.
About Tigon Studios
Based in Los Angeles, California, TIGON STUDIOS was founded in 2002 by Vin Diesel with the goal of breaking new ground in interactive franchise entertainment by bringing strong story, high production value and interesting and intelligent characters which can exist in multiple mediums, simultaneously to the gaming and film & television industries. TIGON focuses on creating properties that can be launched in both mediums.
The only game production company founded by a major motion picture star, TIGON combines a film industry style business model with veteran talent from the gaming industry to produce the highest quality of interactive entertainment. In its unique role, TIGON works closely with both the developer and the publisher of its games to ensure clear creative vision and quality in each title. By combining the strengths of traditional film development with the innovations of the video game world, TIGON is in an exclusive position to ensure streamlined production across various platforms.
Developed in close collaberation with the movie star Vin Diesel Wheelman is an action packed driving game which could be said to be inspired by the likes of EA`s Burnout, and Rockstars GTA series, this does not however make it a clone in any way though. The game is based in a large map portion of Barcelona which has been created with beautiful detail, featuring underground subways, backstreet alleys, stunning buildings and more nothing original there then but what else could you expect?
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c77dd388c8e.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=435)
Quite a lot of detail has gone into the game, Vin Diesel looks like him and that buidling behind him has got sublime modelling detail.
GTA inspirations
Some people accuse this game of being a "GTA wannabe" but I don`t feel Midway were setting out to do that, nor have they really tried to. Yes what you get is an open world of freedom to explore, set in the exotic location of Barcelona, Spain. This classic European city is densely populated with traffic and pedestrians that react intelligently to your actions as you roam around realistic environments filled with massively destructible objects, nothing wrong in that is there, you can also make use of your legs and explore on foot, you get weapons such as pistols, uzi`s and machine guns. You can also hijack any vehicle found in the game world, yes these are things that you can do in GTA too but doesn`t make it a GTA wannabe.
One thing to note is that Midway have actually seperated Wheelman from being a GTA wannabe by making more use if cinematics, special moves while driving and no there are no tarts to pick up, it also focuses more on action which has a somewhat loose plot.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c7833870b25.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=438)
Wheelman bosts some truly cinematic camera work in game.
You control Vin Diesel, an undercover agent who is a highly skilled driver, your aim to infiltrate the underground of Barcelona to gather intelligence regarding a covert heist. In order to do this you have to work with underground gangsters which requires you to do jobs ranging from taking out rival gangsters, to causing pure chaos and destruction on the streets.
You Survive death-defying feats and perform pulse-pounding moves to trigger extreme over-the-top Hollywood-style mobile attack maneuvers including: Aimed Shot: Drive and shoot at the same time while the rest of the world slows to an easy-to-target blur. The Air Jack: Leap from moving car to moving car to take control of a brand new ride. Cyclone Spin: Spin around 180 to take out anyone that’s behind you, and then spin back 180 again to resume your route, these are very impressive features and vital to survive and complete missions.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c786b59b747.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=440)
Make use of your focus, slow down time and take accurate shots too annihalate the opponents.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c782372fe0f.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=436)
Your wheels looking a bit knackered? No time to stop, just hijack another car in front of you while on the move!
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c782bbaf747.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=437)
Let nothing stop you, if it gets near you use your ram abilitys to smash those who cross you!
Sort of Burnout inspirations
Wheelman makes good use of the Chaos engine which provides a vast amount of destructable objects in the game world, even the damage modelling of the vehicles is impressive with all rides showing decay as they are battered, body panels fall off, gun shots at the wheels result in you grinding on rims, too much damage and vehicles burst into flames before exploding. Smashing objects and especially vehicles is great fun and thats good since most of the game is about breaking stuff with the odd mission requiring you to use more sense and avoid trouble.
When faced with enemys they are just as aggressive as you, they will ram you, shoot your car up and more, a gun is not the only weapon, you can use your vehicle too, with use of the right stick on the gamepad you can nudge your vehicle left, right and forward, this is used to shunt anything nearby essentially turning your wheels into a battering ram. Cause enough damage to an enemy vehicle and you can finish them in style, one more big smash will cause them to crash burnout style and roll before blowing up into pieces throwing the occupants all over the place. Thanks to the cinematic camera you get to enjoy this specular happening in detail.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c783948d8b9.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=439)
The bigger your ride the bigger the mayhem.
Of course the game isn`t all car smashing, some missions have you making use of your legs, and sadly to me this is where I feel Midway added this as an afterthought. The controls do work however they are limited, you cannot jump, and although you can crouch you cannot hug a surface for cover which could have given you an edge over your enemy. Also although Vin Diesel looks great and well detailed in game when it comes to controlling him on foot he seems very stiff and not so well animated.
http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/imagehosting/149c787cd19eaf.jpg (http://www.gamerfreakz.net/forum/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=441)
On foot controls work but poor animations nad limited moves don`t make it satisfying.
Music
Of course based in Barcelona the soundtrack had to be fitting, so Midway have gone for somesort of radio with announcers speaking in spanish on most stations between music, I say somesort because unlike in GTA where it seems more realtime in presentation for example you switch to a station and its halfway through an announcement or song giving the impression the show is in realtime, with Wheelman however its like you got radio on a cd and switching to another channel is like starting a new track from the beginning. Overall most of the music found on the Classic, Rock, Dance etc radio channels seem a bit weak making you wanna turn it down or even off.
The actual score for the game itself is was composed by Rod Aberthy and Rednote Audio, "Working on Wheelman was a very rewarding experience," said composer Rod Abernethy. "My goal with Wheelman was to create a cinematic, hard-hitting score that has a traditional Spanish feel with a powerful, modern style.", in most cases I would agree and he has done a good job, shame the radio feature lets it all down.
Despite these little niggles the game still manages to be very good fun, there is plenty to do besides just following the story, with side missions such as Racing (race aggressively to be first place, smashing and shooting is allowed), Chaos (build up your multiplier by destroying objects then destroy and vehicle you see: Tip use a nice heavy vehicle for better results), Hijacking missions (simple complete the challenge by stealing the cars stated and returning them to the garage with as little damage as possible......ok not always simple since your targets are moving), there are more as well and plenty of them. These side missions have a purpose aswell, apart from simply being a nice break away from the story by completing these you get upgrades such as improved vehicle handling, increased speed, and make your vehicles stronger aswell as unlocking paint shops where you can take your car for a respray to throw cops off your tracks. They can also help unlock further sections of the map.
I recently found out that this game is indeed supposed to be online aswell, I never noticed when playing it but I haven`t been on live in a while, anyway the little details I found for online mode:
Create a unique character and join up with friends online for team based missions where you can show off your skills.I can`t verify this detail as yet since the game is not quite yet released, but it would be a nice addition.
Final thoughts
This game has many great ideas behind it, personally I love being able to smash things. If you expect realistic handling on vehicles you`ll be dissapointed as they are arcade like in the handling with the emphasis being more movie like the realistic, this to me is not a problem and I do like the controls except for on foot which I do find dissapointing. The game is well presented with very nice details, however it does have some minor flaws such as the odd distant clipping (although installing to the hdd made an improved difference here) and in some places I do feel it could have looked better particularly if it had dynamic weather and lighting.
I do recommend this game though if you love driving games as it has alot to offer and is very good fun to play, my rating:
:graphics: 9/10
Very pretty and lots of detail in smashes, but some areas lack that little final touch.
:audio: 6/10
Engines sound good, reasonable ambience and pretty good score for movie effect however the radio sucks in my opinion.
:gameplay: 8/10
Great fun and when you get into it you can loose time quickly without noticing, but unless there is a multiplayer feature you may struggle to feel the urge to play from the beginning again after completing the game, but it would be great just for the smash factor.
:overall: 8/10
Neat ideas and well thought gameplay and styling results in a very decent title which is worthy of any petrol heads collection.
YouTube - The Wheelman - Trailer (Game Traier HD)