With perfect timing considering the American election is only a few short months away, Hail to the Chimp is a game in which individuals have to participate in a number of mini-games to view for their place as the top of the animal kingdom. The variety and types of party games that are present will easily remind individuals of a Mario Party or similar type of game, while the fact that there is online play will ensure that even those individuals that cannot cull together three of their friends will be able to strive for dominance against human players.
The general premise of the game is that the lion, the traditional “King of the Jungle†has disappeared, leaving the other animals of the forest with a chance to show their dominance. Players can choose a number of characters, be it a hippopotamus, monkey, walrus, armadillo, polar bear, or even a yak. The general purpose of a number of the mini-games during Hail To The Chimp is to get a higher amount of clams that all other players; the idea of clams here is interesting, considering that the term is colloquial slang for money, as well as being a food (proving to lesser creatures that “your†creature can provide for them. Of course, the fun comes in with the interaction that individuals can have with each other, knocking the clams out of each other’s hands and generally making the requirements of each stage all the harder.
While the game itself is solid, the AI at points is a little on the shaky side. For example, each reviewer had a distinct advantage in the “Ring of Fire†level, because the AI characters were not doing anything to get out of the way of the lava. However, this is a minimal complaint, considering that most the time that an individual will be playing, they will be playing against a number of human (instead of computer) opponents.
Each animal has been given a cartoon treatment to make them more attractive to players. Hail to the Chimp also enjoyed a release on the Xbox 360 platform, so make sure to pick up the game if you have either of the next-generation of platforms. If you are looking for the next thing that you can stick in your PS3 (or Xbox 360), invite some friends over, and have a hell of a night playing, it would have to be Hail To The Chimp.
Rating: 7.3/10
Hail To The Chimp (PS3) / 2008 Gamecock / http://www.gamecockmedia.com /