Whirl Tour GameCube

Crave follows up their Razor Freestyle Scooter series with Whirl Tour, a game that moves away from professional stars and licensed equipment to focus on an original story line featuring a motley group of cartoon-like street characters. The hottest band in town has been kidnapped by evil Dr. Skeezicks, so it's up to a loyal roadie named Wasa B. to rescue them. Players will race gang members and complete multiple objectives by performing such tricks as grinds, manuals, candy bars, and heel-flips in an effort to save all six musicians forming the Flipside band. Eight themed levels are available to scoot across, from a movie set and deep-water rig to a castle and theme park, each featuring objects like ramps, barrels, ledges, and benches.

Four modes of play include Arcade Mode, Story Mode, Practice Mode, and Multiplayer. Arcade Mode lets players explore each of the unlocked stages in a three-minute run, and Story Mode follows the path of Wasa B. in his attempt to save the band. Story Mode is where players can unlock additional characters (the band members) and stages. Each level has seven different objectives that must be completed in order to advance to the final showdown with Dr. Skeezicks in Tibet. Objectives include achieving a specific score, activating switches, performing a certain trick, triggering an event, locating three hidden music discs, defeating two bosses, and destroying a transmitter. Also available on each stage are a number of helpful items and power-ups.

Players can acquire temporary power-ups to jump, improve their balance on rails, and increase the number of spins while in the air. Other items include health pick-ups, scooter coins for new equipment, keys to access additional areas, and clocks to increase the allotted time. Practice Mode lets players familiarize themselves with the controls, while Multiplayer features a total of three formats playable against a friend. Players can team together in the Co-Op Story Mode, compete for high scores in Versus, and enter a contest based on the playground game of HORSE. As an added incentive to revisit past levels in Story Mode, players can unlock up to 68 character outfits and scooter designs. Game progress, unlocked features, and up to eight user profiles can be saved to memory card. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide