Whiplash

Review By: Eric Mortensen

System: Playstation 2, Xbox
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
ESRB Rating: Teen
Release Date: 11/18/03
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Curve: 15 minutes
 

Pros	Cons
Humor, good controls, nice story	Backtracking, repetition of sayings, unclear objectives

Rating:

Fun: 16 out of 20

Whiplash is a fun game at times but it does not always keep you hooked to want to keep playing. The platforming action is fun most of the time but it is not much different than other platforming games. There is some variety in the missions but mostly you do the same type of things. The game is fun for the most part but the backtracking really takes away from the experience.

Innovation: 5 out of 10

Whiplash is not a very innovative game. The platforming action is not really any different than any other platformer. It is a generic platformer that adds nothing new to the genre. The story is the only thing original in this game. There is no other game that involves animals that escaped from a testing facilities.

Control: 9 out of 10

The controls in Whiplash are good most of the time. The controls are responsive at most times. At times the controls aren't responsive and it will cause you to have to do some things over again. The camera also doesn't always work for your own best interest. When you try to move the camera you will not get to see everywhere you will like. You will have to jump a couple times blindly hoping that luck is on your side.

Graphics: 8 out of 10

The graphics in whiplash are good but do not use the full capacity that they could. The graphics mix a cartoony feel with a real life feel. The graphics are nice but look a little outdated. The main character have a wacky look to them but are not up to par. The worlds are very immaginative and are well designed. The locales are very different. The graphics do well enough but they are not stunning.

Sound: 6 out of 10

The sound in Whiplash is not that great. The soundtrack is not spectacular. There is no great music in the game and you will not remember any of it. The voice acting in the game is pretty good. The problem is that there were few sayings put into the game so they repeat themselves over and over again. It gets really irritating really quickly. You will get so sick of the sayings you will turn the volume down on your tv. Whiplash's sound is one of its worst features.

Replay value: 7 out of 10

Whiplash is above average for length. Whiplash takes between 15 to 20 hours to complete. That is pretty long for a platforming game. A couple of those hours are spent back tracking to find items that you couldn't get earlier. After you have beat the game you will definently not want to play it again. The game offers you nothing new if you play it another time. The gameplay will not make you want to play it again. The game is pretty long for a platformer but has no replay value at all.

Challenge:  9 out of 10

Whiplash offers a very good challenge. The game for the most part is at the perfect difficulty level. You will usually not have a hard time in the game but it will not be too easy. There is really no point in the game where it becomes too easy. Some of the platforming is pretty hard though. You will get fustrated once or twice in the game because of the difficulty. Whiplash is above average in difficulty.

Multiplayer: No multiplayer available

Story:  8 out of 10

The story in Whiplash is new and is pretty good. You control Spanx the weasel and Redmond the bunny. You have escaped from a testing facility and you are angry at the people responsible. So you decide to try and destroy the company. Your goal is to bankrupt Genron, the company that has been testing new products on you. You also want to escape and free all the other animals held captive. The story has some very good parts but other parts seem rushed and poorly done. Overall the story of Whiplash is pretty good.

Tilt:  4 out of 10

The biggest problem with this game is when it resorts to backtracking. There is no need for any game to have to backtrack. The only reason to put backtracking in is to make the game longer then it really is. Whiplash does a horrible job with the backtracking. It doesn't give you a clear direction of where to go. So you spend a couple hours going through the areas where you have already been to collect items you need. They could have at least gave you a shortcut in each level so you could bypass some of the platforming you had already did once. If you hate backtracking this game will dirve you crazy.

Overall: 72 out of 100  72%

Whiplash is an ok game. It is a generic platformer. The game is not innovative at all and follows what previous games have done. The sound is not that great either. The worst part of the game is the backtracking. The only people this game is for is avid platformer fans. I would not recommend this game to casual platformer fans because there are so many better platformers that you could play. The game has many flaws but it is still playable. If you have played all the other great platformers, it would not be that bad of choice to purchase this game. Whiplash is overall an average platformer.

Links

Gamespy Review
IGN Review
Gamespot Review
Game Rankings