GENRE
	Extreme-Sports
	DEVELOPER
	Papaya Studios
	PUBLISHER
	Vivendi Universal Games
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
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Groovy! The overly psychedelic band ‘Flipside’ -- save for the protagonist roadie -- is captured in a whirl of enigmatic sparks and radiant light. Naturally, it is your duty to head on out after them, armed only with a funked out scooter and a safe dosage of attitude. Whirl Tour attempts to splice the overly replicated Tony Hawk formula with some play mechanics from the adventure genre and a laughable, pinned-on storyline. Did something truly unique emerge, or is the basis of Whirl Tour merely a clone of Hawk’s career mode masquerading as an adventure?

visuals

Standard next generation fare at best, the visuals are comparable to that of your average Dreamcast game – hardly tapping into the GameCube’s power. The environments are bright and cartoony, corresponding directly to the silly and lighthearted pathos Vivendi and Papaya intended to give off. In addition, there are several animated cut scenes strewn throughout the game.

audio

You’ll be happy (or will you?) to hear that Whirl Tour is chock full of acceptable, theme-fitting music and adequately spoken dialogue. Most actions, including the regular wipeouts that will ensue from your initial inability to play, have some sort of sound effect to accompany them. The game also features over 30 banal music tracks that range from hip hop to punk-esque trite. In fact, you may start to feel “hip” just by listening to the game. Full of cheese – mold free.

gameplay

As mentioned in brief above, Whirl Tour attempts to disguise itself as a pseudo-adventure game by mixing Tony Hawk with action/adventure staples like boss battles, item collection, etcetera. While playing the game, it simply felt like another freakishly mutated clone of Activision’s ubiquitous extreme sports centerpiece. The trick system, the obstacles, and the placement of items in each level could easily lead one to believe they were in fact playing Tony Hawk, if it weren’t for the obvious environmental and aesthetic differences. Where as Hawk attempts to emulate reality -- Whirl Tour will instead take you on its own tour through the surrealistic -- in a whirl of funk and color.

It’s almost as if Vivendi tried too hard to make this game work, despite getting the basics down with notable attention to detail. Seven characters (each of the band members), eight levels, 12+ levels, 80+ tricks, and virtually endless combos show a surprising amount of substance. Nevertheless, there is nothing particularly special about any of these standard “features”. Compared to the father of this genre, Whirl Tour can (and most likely will) turn into a session of tedium and bore.

multiplayer

In addition to the competitive, head-to-head trick mode, Vivendi was nice enough to throw in a main game cooperative mode, which is ideal for players looking to speed up the process and have a little fun together. There is also an alternating option available for those who would prefer to play solo.

overall

When it all comes down to it, Whirl Tour is a nice effort that can be appreciated by GameCube owners who, nevertheless, would probably prefer to look elsewhere to feed their cravings. In being a somewhat admirable display of developmental effort, I suggest Papaya Studios and Vivendi try and tackle a less populated scene with their own unique ideas, as another Pro Skater clone is the last thing the world needs.

6.0/10