WelcometoExtremeGamer

Reviewed by Downtown Jimmy
July 19th 2003

Introduction:Yes this review is late, by almost a year. I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing Whacked! until now. Whacked! is one of Microsoft's most bravest, whacked (no pun intended) titles. Whacked! doesn't take itself too serious, and accomplishes its main goal... to be entertaining and funny.

The Game:Bizarre would be the best word to describe Whacked! This game is on the edge of sanity for sure. It borrows from saturday morning cartoons and cheesetastic game shows. Whacked is best enjoyed with friends, male and female. Since it has a easy control scheme anyone can gravitate to this title quite easy. I enjoyed whacked! but i'm usually more "hardcore" and need more then silly fun to love a game.

The game itself is very basic and plays like little mini-games all rolled into one package. The games consist of things like, collecting stars, doge-ball, killing chickens and simple games like that. The levels are outrageous just like the cast. One of my favorite levels is the one where you're miniature people playing the game in middle of a high speed chase. Another cool level is the Christmas Tree level where as you guessed, there is a christmas tree in the middle. The cool thing is that a toy train set is rotating around the tree which provides access to higher places and a chance to be killed or take the advantage to scope out the map.

Now to the cast, the best part of whacked, and they are for sure... whacked out. There is a rabbit, a canadian duck goose thing (is this a shot at canadians?), a mumbling orange omnivore creature, Lance the lion king, charity the pathological candy overdosed kid, otto a zombified kid and everyone's favorite girl Lucy. I don't think she needs any introduction. They all have basically the same abilities, some move faster then others, so the only factor on picking a character is personal preference.

That is Whacked! Almost, the game is very repeatable, which is the downside. You just do the same thing for 4 stages with 9 levels in each. The reward is the cut scenes and the commercials that are spit out after each round which is won. The game plays well for what it is. There are some camera angles issues, but anyone who has played a 3rd person game in the last decade is used to this. Overall, if you don't expect too much, Whacked will surprise.

Graphics & Sound:The graphics in Whacked! is a split bananas. In the one side there is the jaw dropping amazing cg scenes, and in the other side there is the actual game.. which is nothing impressive. A split decision for sure, but its all for the positive. Whacked! put the old school style of cut scenes into action. The look great, and couldn't of been accomplished using the gameplay graphics engine. Blooo Blaaa Blaaa what does its all mean... its not too shabby and at times Whacked! looks amazing.

The sound is down to the ground, its nothing special.. The effects are cool, but the game could of made more outrageous sounds. The voice overs are cool and the one liners can be funny. I dug the music, but its not winning any Grammies.

Innovation:The question is how Innovative is Whacked! Yes, it's innovative, and at the same time it isn't. We have a split banana. One thing is for sure, i have never played a game like Whacked! The gameplay is the part of the game which has been done a hundred times before, its really nothing new behind all the wackiness. The innovative part is the concept and the characters, never before has such a wild bunch been hooked up in one game together. The game isn't groundbreaking, it just does it own thing.

Mojo:Ok, I know Lucy is only a computer generated graphic, but the mojo meter is ticking on this one. Gotta love, a chick with no clothes. If that wasn't enough, and it was for me... you can kill chickens... by the hundreds. When the missile launches and the feathers fly a smile will come sneak onto your face, for sure! The commercials are cool! The break this repetition of the gameplay and offer a good laugh between stages. Mojo to the max, Downtown Jimmy approved.

Lowdown:Whacked! is fun, entertaining and will put a smile on your face. Don't expect an deep story line, or normal logic because Whacked! doesn't have it and doesn't need it. This game is one of the showcased Live titles, it's not bad on Live. This review is a year after the release and not too many peeps where on the servers playing this game. For the price you can grab Whacked! for its well worth the money. This game is original, and there is a naked chick. Isn't that enough to pick this sucka up?

Gameplay: 6, Graphics/Sound: 7, Innovation: 7, Mojo: 8. Final: 7

FEATURES:
  • Bizarre, yet appealing characters. Players meet a variety of contestants, each with their own quirky personality and unique traits, including Otto, the emaciated, narcoleptic dude who lets his recliner do all the work; and Lucy, whose sinfully attractive body is surpassed only by her cunning ability to use it.

  • Multiple gameplay modes. Players can choose from Combat Mode, in which players fight each other in a race to collect resources, Chicken mode, which pits a player against a horde of man-eating chickens in a quest to stay alive, or other modes including King of the Hill, Grab `n` Run, Fragfest and Dodgeball.

  • Highly detailed levels. Gamers can do battle in an artic pipeline or clash under a Christmas tree -- there are more than a dozen intense levels (including the kitchen sink) where players can destroy their opponents.

  • Vast array of weapons and power-ups. More than 40 weapons and power-ups are at gamers disposal. Enemies can be blasted with the circus cannon, tossed with the pitchfork, pegged with a staple gun or poked with a shish ka bob -- the choice is up to the player.





Whacked
 
Publisher
Microsoft
 
Developer
Presto
 
Genre
Action
 
Released
Oct 2002
 
ESRB
Teen

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