Despite bad on-foot controls and lack of multiplayer, the car chases, and charm of Vin Diesel brings a thrilling game.
You play as Milo Burik, an agent from an unknown agency sent to Barcelona, Spain to recover an unknown package that "could kill thousands". You also search for a women from your past, in the middle of a three way gang war. You must infiltrate each gang as a "wheelman" to earn their trust and dead chancellors. The story isn't as well developed as many would hope as the story is completely nonexistant and the characters are forgettable, but in a game like this, it won't really matter. What you WOULD do, is take Vin Diesel out for a spin in your new whip and kick butt.
Your missions vary from stealing another vehicle to escorting a target, to chase or evade being chased, and other things. You can do street races, which work out as well as you'd expect. The time spent on these activities pays you with euros you will use to purchase cars, car garages, weapons and ammo.
The vehicle controls are amazing, especially with the "vehicle melee" mechanic. You can move the vehicles you drive left, right, and forward to destroy your enemies. This system is worked out surprisingly well, and it's very enjoyable to watch your enemies be totalled in slow motion. There are also cool stunts that you can do such as the "Cyclone", which can turn the vehicle you're driving behind you, take out your enemies, and snap back forward. There is also a move called the "Air Jack", which lets you commandeer a targeted vehicle by jumping off yours in mid-air.
The driving during the last missions of the game slowly fade away as they favor the on-foot controls. Truth be told, these segments were probably only for showing off Vin Diesel's model. The on-foot gameplay is tacked on to a game like this. The shooting doesn't work like it should and the enemy AI on the ground is quite pathetic. The only redeeming quality is one thing: YOU'RE VIN DIESEL!
Barcelona, while not as alive as Liberty City, is still a big game to immerse yourself in. The game is huge and feels at some times like a Teen rated version of Grand Theft Auto IV. The sad thing is that there are very few people in Barcelona, one of the biggest cultural hubs in Europe.
The biggest flaw in this game is that it has no multiplayer. Not even local. I usually don't complain about games not have multiplayer, but a game like this desperately needs one, especially one that involves racing.
Vin Diesel really brings this game to life with superb voice acting from everyone, including his own. Vin Diesel really makes his character seem cool, just as you would expect from any of his characters.
The Wheelman proves to be a great title from an amazing actor, and if it can get past some of it's hurdles, it could be even better.