Whacked!

Xbox review by Chris Lamanna - Thursday 24th July 2003

When talk of Xbox Live reached Xbox headquarters, Billy G. realised he would need a kick ass game to launch the online service. Shooting games, racers, and sports were all lined up for contact with the online community, but something was still missing. Pressing pause on his VCR, Billy G. turned around and said "I like supermarket sweep. Lets make a game just like it. Err, without the gay host, of course." So he did just that. Fans were unsure whether this was a sick joke, but early demos showed this was the real deal. It was also quite good. Well, it had to be, Bill Gates is the 7th richest country in the world (technically) so it had to. Whacked! was born!



Now most games usually have some crappy theme tune to urge us to press the button to start. Whacked! on the other hand is... well... umm... yea, you get where I'm going... really frickin' addictive! Remember Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3? Well, our own staff member Jim does. He told us stories about how he was jumping all around the room playing air guitar whilst wailing "ACE OF SPADES! ACE OF SPADES!" A true gamer, definitely! A psycho, that's another story. Back to my life now. Whacked!'s theme tune stuck to me like a fly to a bagle as I played NFL 2K3, and even going to my granny's in the car. Amazing? Or just plain weird?

Whacked! features two modes to choose from. The first is called Gameshow mode, but this may not be what you expect from your normal celebrity feasts. Remember, this is the wackiest show around. Providing fun and challenging rounds with frag fests, chicken shooting and egg fights this is what The Generation Game should have been. And didn't they do well?. As you progress the wacky stages challenges will become much more stupid and pointless. Getting broadband to sample the delights of online madness is definetly the best way to enjoy Whacked!.



The contestants in Whacked! are far too bizarre to even explain. You are given seven to put up with. Each one has their own unique attacks, strengths, and weaknesses. The characters seem like a bunch of lunatics that were being sent to hell. You got a rabbit with no feet, a green canadian penguin (eh!), a girl with a severe case of A.D.D., and don't forget Lucy, a.k.a Naked Girl.

Now to the second game mode. This will probably be the favorite of most gamers, especially if you like to play system link, or you have Xbox Live. Battle mode puts you against 3 other opponents. There are only 13 weird levels to choose from. In battle mode you can choose between several gametypes. They include frag fest, combat, king of the hill, and many more. It will start to get repetitive and boring once and a while, but you will still find some fun here and there.



The gameplay in Whacked! is fun, but has its flaws. Whilst fun and unique, hell you may spend a few nights sleepless as you create mayhem, live on national TV the camera angle is appawling. The camera is right behind you, making it very hard to see what's going on to the left and right of you. Also, you will notice that it often zooms in and out for no apparent reason, creating misery for you while trying to control your character. However the controls are very easy to learn and your chosen maniac contestant reacts smoothly and accurately to your commands. There are more then 30 weapons and power-ups to choose from as you rampage throughout each level but the simplisity of the gameplay may scare off those over 16 years of age. Once again a game which oozes potential is let down big time by a simple camera mistake. Bummer.

The graphics in Whacked! are a little disapointing considering what Microsoft could offer. Whilst some levels will make your jaw drop many are small sketchy with not enough detail and effort put in which again lets down the overall presentation of the game. Meanwhile characters are well detailed and have some great facial expressions. This makes familiarising with your dude or dude-ess alot easier and you'll find yourself and friends coming back to the same ones time and time again.



As I stated in the opening paragraph, Whacked! was a game that was made for Xbox Live. Live play was fully integrated into this game. There is nothing like talking trash to your opponent over your communicator while smashing a guy from Uruguay over the head with a virtual hammer. It is very easy to invite friends to your game, but sadly, you have to leave your game to check your friends list, which is a big bummer. I was also disappointed to see that their was no leaderboard or stat system. The best thing is that every match is competitive, and each is different from the last. That is why people will keep coming back for more Xbox Live action.

For those intrigued by the words 'gameshow', this game is one of a kind. For some people who demand fast paced action, this is for you. If you don't like the comedy and the exploding rubber duckies, then maybe this isn't meant for your Xbox. Although the graphics are sub-par, the gameplay is addictive and if you have Live, the replay value increases greatly. Some may hate this because it's pretty korny and childish, and some may love its funny game style. The bottom line is that it's a good game that had the potential to be so much better.

Thunderbolt score: seven out of ten

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