Hail to Originality

Published July 11, 2008

Hail to the Chimp™ by Wideload Games operates under what may be the most happily silly premise yet on Xbox 360®. This charming and intelligent party game turned spoof on election-year politics wields droll wit, fast-paced, cleverly conceived mini-games, and a wonderfully satiric news-channel style presentation.

All hail GRR network anchor Woodchuck Chumley.

The Election Premise
You play as any number of presidential animal hopefuls doing mini-game battles in exotic locations to collect clams and earn votes in an effort to secure the primary, vanquish your political foes and earn a place in the ultimate Hail to the Chimp election showdown in Campaign mode. From hippos to polar bears, ducks, squids, walruses, and a great deal more besides, each of our political heroes boasts their own zany platform, message, hopes, and dreams for the nation.

The heaps of humor bursting at the seams of Hail to the Chimp startle the gamer more with a twinkling laughter rather than a jaundiced eye.

Covering the proceedings with speeches, interviews, advertisements, and commentary is the GRR news network anchored by the inimitable Woodchuck Chumley, with a hilarious blend of gravitas and sarcasm that so identifies this game from start to finish.

Sure, the game's play on presidential politics pokes a healthy bit of fun at the process, but it's never mean-spirited. The heaps of humor bursting at the seams of Hail to the Chimp startle the gamer more with a twinkling laughter rather than a jaundiced eye.

Watch out for the lava's rising tide.

Mini-Game Votes
Whether atop the tropical turmoil of a fast-flowing waterfall, called, what else, Watergates, or the lava-filled seams of a volcano, the vibrant steel-girded confines of Industrial Revolutions, or a number of other equally exotic and varied locations, every one of the action-filled contests revolves around the precious vote-giving clams. For example:

• Stuff the Ballot: This classic ballot-stuffing mini-game requires a mad dash from all competitors to grab hold of as many clams as possible while cramming them into their own ballot box.
• Negative Clam Plan: Here you must keep your eye out for the dubious dirty clam, secrete it away when it appears, and deliver it up to the newspapers to scandalize your political opponents.
• Character Assassin: Here you must hold on to the dirty clam to bash your opponents with a single, character-assassinating blow.
• Benefactor: Nothing says vote for me like bribery. Benefactor requires you to spread the wealth in a furious race to give away one hundred clams before your equally maniacally generous enemies.

Whatever politically charged mini-games in which you find yourself competing, a few game mechanics never change. First, you can always bash your opponent over the head with a well-timed blow or two to knock them temporarily out of the proceedings, and to separate them from their clams. Likewise, you can "Team Up" with a fellow competitor to attack the other characters in tandem and share in the rewards. Keep on the lookout for a variety of powerups littering the maps, as well as a few dynamic level-specific traps, such as a giant cage that plunges down and captures you for several seconds.

A style all its own.

It's a Party Game After All
While the Campaign mode offers hours of mini-game fun, and perhaps best of all, the ability to unlock the various interviews, advertisements, and even concession speeches that cut to the core of the game's wit and charm, this is a party game after all and is best played with friends.

Whether gathered together in your living room or on Xbox LIVE®, you can choose one, three, or five round bouts in any level you've unlocked. And you can hand-select the mini-game, or choose Random and leave it up to chance.

With its wildly original premise, stylish cartoon visuals, and Wideload Games' trademark humor, this $40 budget title deserves immediate consideration from any gamer craving creative game design with genuine hilarity.

Article by Ryan Treit