Whiplash - Xbox

If like some of us, you can't get enough of your 3D platformers then you may well want to keep an eye out for this latest romp from Eidos. Developed by Crystal Dynamics, Whiplash is a colourful, cartoon-style adventure that fuses the usual array of exploration, combat and puzzle-solving elements, but also offers a slightly unique twist to the proceedings - the two protagonists are chained together.

The game is set within a high-tech product testing facility, in which a number of questionable experiments are being conducted on animals. Two such animals are the game's shackled stars Spanx and Redmond, who decide it's high time they embarked on a quest to escape and as a bonus, wreck the place on their way out.

You take on the role of Spanx and, charged with said task, must also endeavour to free an assortment of enslaved animals, which are scattered across the game's various levels. Where Redmond comes into the picture - and also where the core element to the gameplay is to be found - is that you need to use him to pull off a variety of manoeuvres in order to progress through the game. As such, throughout the adventure you'll find yourself performing such moves as using Redmond to chain-whip attackers, as a grappling hook to swing over hazards, as a helicopter to reach inaccessible areas, and even to clog a toilet and flood the place.

A wide range of hazardous environments must be traversed along the way, including such locales as a genetic research lab, a toxic sewer system and a lavish office block. Each area is packed full of a weird and not-so-wonderful line up of baddies, such as giant syringe-toting doctors, unsanitary surgeons, corrupt rent-a-cops, and vicious guard dogs.

The general order of the day in Whiplash is to wreak havoc throughout the compound by demolishing everything in your path in order to drive the evil research facility into bankruptcy - which makes for a whole load of fun even if you're not a passionate animal rights activist.
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