 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Wheelman
- Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows
- Price: $49.99 (PC), $59.99 (consoles)
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Common Sense Media says
Gangster driver-for-hire; violent but less graphic than GTA.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a "Teen"-rated game about underworld crime that it doesn't push the envelope the way the Grand Theft Auto series does. Players can shoot other gang members and thugs as well as police officers (the act will cause cruisers to chase you, which serves as a deterrent as opposed to an incentive) But the game is far less graphic than the likes of the Grand Theft Auto series because there is no blood or extremely violent scenes. Some swearing can be heard and the portrayal of some women is questionable.
What's it about?
In WHEELMAN, gamers play as Milo Burik, an beefy undercover agent and skilled driver-for-hire who arrives in Barcelona, Spain, to infiltrate three crime syndicates and stop a major deal from going down involving a mysterious briefcase. Not unlike a game like Grand Theft Auto, Burik begins taking on missions for seedy characters to win their trust. Most of these will take place behind the wheel of vehicles -- such as retrieving stolen cars, ramming a rival gang leader, evading a certain group, or driving someone to safety in a cab -- but many will also take place on foot, where Burik must use cover, and weapons, to take down thugs.
While racing throughout the digitally recreated city of Barcelona at top-speed, players will master a handful of tricks, such as racing over ramps, nitro boosts, and earning "focus power" to slow down time for more precise gun shots. Two of the more fun driving moves are "melee" attacks and "air jacking" where Burik can hop from one vehicle to another, if timed correctly, to steal the car he's pursuing. Great fun. Players can access their PDA to see a map of the city, accept the more than 30 missions (and 100 or so side-missions), and head to the garage to repair and re-paint vehicles to help evade the cops.
Is it any good?
Wheelman sounds like a winning combination for a successful video game: over-the-top driving action in an open-ended city, Hollywood-style special effects, and film star Vin Diesel who assumes the role of the lead character. However, it doesn't live up to its potential. The story is truly awful, as is the dialogue and delivery. Even Vin Diesel's cheesy lines are read without any feeling whatever, as if the actor was handed the script minutes before the microphone was turned on.
But the game isn't terrible: the high-speed shoot-outs and vehicular combat is quite rewarding, controls are intuitive, and the graphics are impressive (despite some odd bugs). But Wheelman could've been much more if any thought was given to the story, characters, and dialogue. Plus, the game doesn't offer any multiplayer modes at all, either on the same television or via the Net. Wheelman appears to draw heavy inspiration from the Grand Theft Auto games, but is less graphic. And while not as good of a game, It delivers an entertaining joyride for fans of open-world, run-and-gun-and-drive-like-mad adventures.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Vin Diesel's performance in this video game. And for a game that allegedly has Hollywood writers, do you think the story, dialog, and characters are similar to those found in movies? Do those things matter with a game like this?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Uhh...Teen?
Violence isnt that bad, enemies just die without showin blood in the air or on the gound/walls. Language is strong for a teen rated game, and should be used with coution. Sexual ladies in strip joints are used and shown. No nudity.
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AGE
3 Thumbs Up!
This is a great and really fun game. I love playing it, and it is very enjoyable. Easy to learn controlls, amazing abilities, and many differnet kinds of missions, including freeroam. It isn't neary as bad as Grand Theft Auto. One bad scene, but no nudity. A couple of swears can be heard in the background, and if you have a very large disliking for word choice, just tell your kids to skip the Cut-Scenes. This is a great, timeless game.
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AGE
Just fine
Game is just fine. More of a burnout game than gta and those two games are better than wheelman.
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AGE
wheelman reveiw
Like Grand Theft Auto you are paid to shoot people and jack cars.With the vilonce you shoot three types of people.One cops.Two enimies.And three inocent people.As far as sex goes there is kissing and a few scenes with strip clubs and exotic dancers.There are also words like he**,da**,bit** and son of a bit**.There is also alcohol and ciggaretise.And thats what i think about Wheelman
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AGE
great game that is good for kids 12 and up
This game isn't really bad at all, when you shoot someone all they do is fall on the floor, absolutely no blood! There is explosions but there is no intense violence. pedestrians ill jump out of the way of your car so it is virtually impossible for the player to hit them. Another reason i think this game is fine for any kid 12 and up is that there is no nudity.
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Kid, 12 years old
March 29, 2009
AGE
Best Action Game
Violent But Fun Gta Style. you can't kill cops but shot at them and destroy their cars. Best Game Made
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AGE
Very fun, But very unrealistic
Start off with the unrealistic. Hopping from car to car is stupid and the sliding jolts across the road is terrible. Turning right and left by just moving the right stick without braking. Just jolt the steering wheel and he flys to the side. The violence is only running people over and shooting the odd policeman. Sex is no where near as bad as GTA IV. Language is moderate, But still some language.
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AGE
I'm jsut going to come out and say that this was probably one of the worst games I've ever played. I had high expectations for this game. If you played the demo of the game and your thinkning of going out and buying it hold on. Rent it first then make a final decission on whether or not to get it. The only upside from my perspective about this game was the graphics. Gameplay difficult and hard to follow. The violence is as bad a some other T games out there. You can throw people from cars and shoot people in cars and on motorcycles. My final conclusion is that I wasted $60 on this game when I could have gotten something better.
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AGE
Perfect for anyone 14 and over
First off I'm going to make a comparison here. If you are a parent of a kid under 17 who asked for a Grand Theft Auto title and you said no... get him/her this game. This game has the same free open racing/walking world of GTA... only with good morals and characters. As opposed to playing a criminal like you do in GTA... you play as Vin Diesel who is an undercover special agent. He pretends to be a criminal yes... but he really is not. Most of the game centers around car combat and such with some gun play thrown in. The shooting in this game is not graphic at all. No blood, no gore, no violent death animations. Also, in response to part of the above info given about the game: you can shoot civilians and the police... but no matter what... they can't die. You can walk right up to them and shoot them with a shot gun and they don't even fall over. They literally can't die. And if you shoot the police or civilians the squad cars show up to arrest you. Even when the police have their squad cars blow up... if you look carefully you can see them flying from the car... and if you look behind you they actually get up and start trying to shoot at ya. The only people that can die are the character and the gang member bad guys. The only iffy thing about this game is the fact that you can steal any car at any time. While that is wrong, Vin doesn't kill the person he steals the car from ever (unless he steals it from a gang banger in which it is player optional to "try" to do so) and he's doing it to bring down the criminal underworld that is holding Barcelona (where the game is set). Overall... it's a beautiful game with a great story and lots of fun things to do.
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| Platforms: | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Developer: | UbiSoft |
| Release date: | March 24, 2009 |
| Price: | $49.99 (PC), $59.99 (consoles) |
| ESRB rating: | T for Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence |
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