Whiplash (video game)

Last updated
Whiplash
Whiplash Coverart.png
US box art for PS2 version
Developer(s) Crystal Dynamics [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Eidos Interactive
Director(s) Noah Hughes
Producer(s) Alex Jones
Programmer(s) Paul Taylor
Artist(s) Scott Anderson
Writer(s) Richard Gaubert
Composer(s) Kurt Harland [2]
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release
  • NA: November 18, 2003
  • EU: March 5, 2004
Genre(s) Platform, action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Whiplash is a 2003 platform video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox where a long-tailed weasel named Spanx and a rabbit called Redmond find themselves chained to one another and follows their adventures as the pair endeavor to find a way out of the warehouse of the product testing corporation known as Genron, run by the animal-hating CEO Franklin D. Mann. The game is a 3D platformer, with Spanx being controlled by the player for the majority of the game, and Redmond used more in combat or as a means of traversing the world. [3]

Contents

The game was featured on the cover of PSE2.[ citation needed ] There was also some controversy over the game's depiction of animal cruelty. [4]

Gameplay

The chain can be used in a variety of ways. Whiplash Pic.PNG
The chain can be used in a variety of ways.

Although Redmond (the rabbit) and Spanx (the weasel) are two animals chained together, the gameplay is much like any other platformer. The player controls only Spanx, using Redmond as a weapon or tool as the situation requires. Spanx has most standard platforming abilities, while Redmond is completely indestructible as a result of cosmetics testing conducted upon him by Genron. Redmond can be hurled into security guards, jammed into machinery, and used as a grappling hook, among other uses. Redmond can also be inserted into special "Fusion Outlets" to be set on fire, frozen, electrified, inflated with helium, or drenched in radioactive waste. [3]

Defeating human enemies found in the levels allows special "Hypersnacks" to be looted that the team can eat to increase both animals' levels, which increases Spanx' health or Redmond's rage. The player is also rewarded for freeing the other animals trapped and caged by Genron. [3]

Many objects are breakable and are assigned a dollar amount; if the player completes the game with more than $6 million in damage, Genron will be bankrupted and special content will be unlocked. [3]

Development

Spanx the Weasel first appeared in the game Mad Dash Racing in 2001. The music for Whiplash was composed by Kurt Harland of Information Society. [2] The music features a unique interactivity scheme: it responds to player input on the controller; the more input received through the controller buttons, the more the music does. The music also expands in response to successful hits of breakable objects and enemies.

Reception

Whiplash received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [6] [5]

Before the game was released in the United Kingdom, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the Research Defence Society, the chairman of the British House of Commons and the Police Federation of England and Wales were deeply shocked at the level of cartoonish cruelty in animal product testing, despite the whole premise of the game as being against this. They thought it condoned violence and made a joke of animal suffering, but Eidos claimed that it would raise positive awareness among children with this issue. [4]

Notes

  1. Additional work by Nixxes Software. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Madden NFL 2004</i> 2003 video game

Madden NFL 2004 is the 15th installment of the Madden NFL series of American football video games. Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is on the cover.

<i>Need for Speed: Underground</i> 2003 racing video game

Need for Speed: Underground is a 2003 racing video game and the seventh installment in the Need for Speed series. It was developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. Three different versions of the game were produced: one for consoles and Microsoft Windows, and another for the Game Boy Advance. An arcade version was additionally developed by Global VR, and was published by Konami with assistance from Electronic Arts.

<i>Project Snowblind</i> 2005 video game

Project: Snowblind is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. The game follows soldier Nathan Frost, who is enhanced with nanotechnology following injuries on a mission and sent against a military regime known as the Republic. Players control Frost through a series of linear levels, using enhancements both in combat and to manipulate security devices such as cameras. The online multiplayer allows up to sixteen players to take part in modes ranging from team-based to solo battles.

<i>SSX 3</i> 2003 snowboarding video game by EA Canada

SSX 3 is a snowboarding video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label. The game was originally released on October 21, 2003, for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. It was later ported to the Game Boy Advance by Visual Impact on November 11, 2003, and to the Gizmondo by Exient Entertainment on August 31, 2005, as a launch title. It is the third installment in the SSX series.

<i>Madden NFL 2003</i> 2002 video game

Madden NFL 2003 is an American football simulation video game based on the NFL that was developed by EA Tiburon and Budcat Creations and published by EA Sports. The 14th installment of the Madden NFL series, the game features former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk on the cover. This edition of Madden was the first to have EA Trax, the Mini Camp mode, and to feature Al Michaels as play-by-play announcer, who took over for Pat Summerall. Although it featured the expansion Houston Texans and the relocation of the Seattle Seahawks to the NFC, it was actually the second to do so. The game was released on August 12, 2002 for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The PlayStation version also includes the Sega Genesis version of John Madden Football 93.

<i>NBA Live 2003</i> 2002 video game

NBA Live 2003 is the 2002 installment of the NBA Live video games series. The cover features Jason Kidd as a member of the New Jersey Nets. The game was developed by EA Canada and released on October 8, 2002 for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube consoles and November 14, 2002 for Microsoft Windows. It was the last NBA Live game to be released on the original PlayStation. The game includes a soundtrack, which is the first video game soundtrack in history to be certified Platinum by the RIAA, selling over 1,300,000 copies worldwide.

<i>NBA Live 2004</i> 2003 video game

NBA Live 2004 is the 2004 installment of the NBA Live sports video game series. The game was developed by EA Canada and released in 2003. It is graphically similar to NCAA March Madness 2004 and has the same create-a-player models. It was the last EA game to include Michael Jordan. The cover shows Vince Carter as a member of the Toronto Raptors; in Spain it is Raul Lopez instead. This was also the first game to feature the Charlotte Bobcats, who would play their first season of basketball in the fall of 2004. Since the game's rosters were finalized before the Bobcats would host their expansion draft, the Bobcats' lineup consisted of players named after their specific positions; for example, the point guard was named "Point Guard".

<i>Spawn: Armageddon</i> 2003 video game

Spawn: Armageddon is an action-adventure hack and slash video game released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube video game consoles. It is inspired by issues 1 through 99 of the Spawn comic book series.

<i>Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004</i> 2003 video game

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 is a sports video game developed by EA Redwood Shores for the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions, Headgate Studios for the Microsoft Windows version, and Backbone Emeryville for the Game Boy Advance and N-Gage versions, and published by EA Sports for GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance and N-Gage.

<i>State of Emergency</i> (video game) 2002 video game

State of Emergency is a beat 'em up/shoot 'em up video game developed by VIS Entertainment and published by Rockstar Games for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and by Global Star Software for Microsoft Windows.

<i>NASCAR Thunder 2003</i> 2003 Racing simulator video game developed by EA Sports and Budcat Creations

NASCAR Thunder 2003 is the sixth edition of the EA Sports' NASCAR racing simulator series. Developed by EA Tiburon and Budcat Creations and published by EA Sports. It was released for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox on September 19, 2002, and for Microsoft Windows on October 16. The product features Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the cover. It was the first time the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award recipient was featured on the cover, although he did not win the award for the first time until the following year. Dale Earnhardt appeared in the game as a driver as a result of entering his name as a Create-A-Car driver's name; he did not appear in the previous game due to his death. He appeared as a legend in subsequent games.

<i>Secret Weapons Over Normandy</i> 2003 video game

Secret Weapons Over Normandy is a World War II-based arcade video game. Published by LucasArts and developed by Totally Games, the game is composed of 15 objective-based missions set in 1940s European, North African, and the Pacific theatres of war. The story was written by Derek Chester. The music was composed by Michael Giacchino.

<i>NHL 2002</i> 2001 video game

NHL 2002 is a video game released by EA Sports in 2001. It is the predecessor to NHL 2003. The game's cover man is Pittsburgh Penguins superstar and owner Mario Lemieux, who had just made a comeback after being retired for three and a half years. It was the first installment of the NHL series to be released on Xbox.

<i>FIFA Football 2004</i> 2003 video game

FIFA Football 2004, also known as FIFA Soccer 2004 in North America, is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in October 2003 with the tagline "Create Brilliance".

<i>NASCAR Thunder 2002</i> 2001 video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports

NASCAR Thunder 2002 is a racing simulator video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports that came out for the Sony PlayStation, Sony PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The theme song for the game on the six-generation systems is "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is the fifth game in the EA Sports NASCAR series of video games, and is the first of the series to have a new title. Notably, it is the first NASCAR game to feature alternate paint schemes on the cars. It featured the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon on its cover and 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Bobby Labonte on the disc.

<i>NCAA Football 2003</i> 2002 video game

NCAA Football 2003 is a video game of the sports genre released in 2002 by EA Tiburon. Its cover athlete is former Oregon Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington.

<i>NCAA Football 2004</i> 2003 video game

NCAA Football 2004 is an American football video game released in 2003 by Tiburon. It is the successor to NCAA Football 2003 in the NCAA Football series. The player on the cover is former USC quarterback Carson Palmer. The game is available for play with the N-Gage. Commentators are Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso. The game is an EA Sports Bio game, and is compatible with other games with the feature.

<i>NHL 2K3</i> 2002 video game

NHL 2K3 is an ice hockey video game developed for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox by Treyarch and published by Sega. Jeremy Roenick is on the cover. It is the only game in the NHL 2K series to be released for GameCube. NHL 2K3 uses ESPN's presentation and was the first hockey game with support for PS2 Online and Xbox Live online services. The rosters are from the 2002–2003 NHL season.

References

  1. "Whiplash". www.nixxes.com. Utrecht, The Netherlands: Nixxes. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 Harland, Kurt. "Kurt Harland Larson - Audio director, Game audio". Soundlister.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Whiplash Instruction Manual (PS2 version). Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Interactive (published 5 February 2007). 2003. pp. 4–22. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022 via replacementdocs.com.
  4. 1 2 McComb, Richard; Mickleburgh, Renee (15 February 2004). "Free the animals, smash up the lab and chain-whip policemen - this is the latest video game for children" . The Daily Telegraph . London, England. ISSN   0307-1235. OCLC   49632006. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Whiplash for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic . OCLC   911795326. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Whiplash for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic . OCLC   911795326. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  7. "Whiplash (PS2)". Edge . No. 134. Bath, England: Future Publishing. March 2004. p. 109. ISSN   1350-1593.
  8. 1 2 "Whiplash". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 174. Lombard, Illinois, USA: EGM Media (published 11 June 2021). January 2004. p. 128. ISSN   1058-918X . Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  9. Bramwell, Tom (8 March 2004) [updated 16 March 2004]. "Whiplash (PS2)". Eurogamer . Brighton, England. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  10. Mason, Lisa (January 2004). "Whiplash (PS2)". Game Informer . No. 129. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: GameStop. p. 134. ISSN   1067-6392. Archived from the original on 1 November 2005. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  11. Zoss, Jeremy (January 2004). "Whiplash (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 129. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: GameStop. p. 151. ISSN   1067-6392. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  12. THED-PADDESTROYER (17 November 2003). "Review: Whiplash". GamePro . Oakland, California, USA: International Data Group. ISSN   1042-8658. Archived from the original on 18 October 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  13. 1 2 Dodson, Joe (January 2004). "Whiplash Review". Game Revolution . Berkeley, California, USA. Archived from the original on 19 February 2004. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  14. Davis, Ryan (26 November 2003). "Whiplash Review (PS2)". GameSpot . San Francisco, California, USA. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  15. Davis, Ryan (November 26, 2003). "Whiplash Review (Xbox)". GameSpot . San Francisco, California, USA. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  16. Freeman, Matthew (30 November 2003). "GameSpy: Whiplash (PS2)". GameSpy . Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  17. Freeman, Matthew (November 30, 2003). "GameSpy: Whiplash (Xbox)". GameSpy . Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  18. Bedigian, Louis (December 2, 2003). "Whiplash - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  19. Zacarias, Eduardo (6 December 2003). "Whiplash - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 24 May 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  20. 1 2 Lewis, Ed (November 19, 2003). "Whiplash". IGN . San Francisco, California, USA. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  21. Steinman, Gary (January 2004). "Whiplash". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . San Francisco, California, USA: Ziff Davis Media. p. 113. Archived from the original on 19 December 2003. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  22. Lopez, Vincent (January 2004). "Whiplash". Official Xbox Magazine . No. 27. Future plc. p. 74. ISSN   1534-7850.
  23. "Whiplash (PS2)" . The Times . London, England. 10 April 2004. ISSN   0140-0460. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2015.