Whether its the checkpoint based Midnight Club; the free-for-all Burnout; or the elephant in the room, Grand Theft Auto, open world driving games have an undeniable charm. For those of you who count yourselves among the ranks of gamers who want more than the flat tarmac of the race track, look forward to this fall because Midway is bringing its latest game, Wheelman to the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Developed by the Vin Diesel-founded Tigon Studios and starring Vin Diesel himself, the game is a collage of several vibrant elements, which if combined well, could form an exciting and memorable experience. Furthermore, in an intriguing postmodern twist, the game claims to be inspired by some of Hollywood’s most famous car chases.

Integral to the game’s success will be the rendering of the city of Barcelona and how immersive and intuitive the gameplay is. What we don’t want to see is a blatant Grand Theft Auto rip off, we already have one of those (I shall not name names).

[See also: Wheelman gallery]