Software:Whirl Tour

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game
Whirl Tour
Developer(s)Papaya Studio
Publisher(s)Vivendi Universal Games
Composer(s)Peanut Butter Wolf
Platform(s)GameCube, PlayStation 2
Release
  • NA: November 5, 2002[1]
  • EU: March 21, 2003
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Whirl Tour is a sports video game developed by Papaya Studio and published by Vivendi Universal Games for GameCube and PlayStation 2.

Story

The band Flipside is performing at a sold-out show, when suddenly, the band members are abruptly sucked into a portal. The band's roadie, Wasa B., jumps on his scooter and rides into the portal after the kidnapped musicians. He is tasked with scooting through eight levels, defeating the bosses who guard the portal's power source, and ultimately facing-off with Dr. Skeezkicks, the evil mastermind behind the abduction. Each area possesses its own challenges, and the player must refine Wasa B.'s skills to the best their ability to emerge victorious and save his friends.

Gameplay

The game finds the player's character on motorized scooters; each session has a time limit and takes place in a gridded environment. Each reminiscent of a skatepark, the player is encouraged to perform various tricks by utilizing button combinations, which earn points used to unlock customization. There are six playable game modes, eight levels, seven unlockable characters, and ten unlockable scooters. In each Story Mode and Co-op Story Mode level, there are seven objectives to finish. Objectives range from performing a trick in a certain spot, toppling over an object while grinding, or earning a set of collectibles.

Players are encouraged to earn a score within a set time frame, recover three music discs, defeat the two bosses and destroy the generator in each stage. After a set number of stages, the player accesses a racing stage in which they must place first to advance. Special Bonus Levels can be unlocked by finishing all objectives in one level.

Development

The game was originally planned to be published by Crave Entertainment. Vivendi Universal Games purchased the publishing rights in September 2002 in a partnership with Crave.[2]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
GCPS2
Game Informer7.5/10[5]N/A
GameSpot6.5/10[7]6.5/10[7]
GameSpy65%[8]StarStarStar[9]
IGN5.1/10[10]5.1/10[11]
Jeuxvideo.com10/20[12]10/20[12]
Nintendo Power3/5[13]N/A
OPM (US)N/AStarStar[14]
PSMN/A5/10[15]
X-PlayStarStar[16]StarStar[16]
Aggregate score
Metacritic61/100[3]58/100[4]

Whirl Tour received "mixed" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3][4] Many critics pointed out the game's unoriginality, comparing it unfavorably to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (1999). Some, however, praised its controls and presentation.

References

  1. ↑ Parker, Sam (November 5, 2002). "Whirl Tour ships". Fandom. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220113234159/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/whirl-tour-ships/1100-2896774/. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  2. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/09/23/vu-to-publish-whirl-tour
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Whirl Tour critic reviews (GC)". Fandom. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210203092730/https://www.metacritic.com/game/gamecube/whirl-tour. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Whirl Tour critic reviews (PS2)". Fandom. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210130052452/https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-2/whirl-tour. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  5. ↑ Leeper, Justin (November 2002). "Whirl Tour (GC)". Game Informer (GameStop) (115): 134. https://retrocdn.net/images/e/e7/GameInformer_US_115.pdf. Retrieved October 21, 2024. 
  6. ↑ Kuipers, Kévin (March 24, 2003). "Test : Whirl Tour, Tony Hawk sur trottinette (PS2)" (in fr). TF1 Group. Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210619043524/https://www.gamekult.com/jeux/whirl-tour-3010000963/test.html. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Davis, Ryan (November 20, 2002). "Whirl Tour Review". Fandom. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802225245/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/whirl-tour-review/1900-2898164/. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  8. ↑ Suciu, Peter (November 17, 2002). "Whirl Tour (GCN)". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 26, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050326115536/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/november02/whirltourgcn/. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  9. ↑ Suciu, Peter (November 17, 2002). "Whirl Tour (PS2)". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080706155142/http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/whirl-tour/571549p1.html. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  10. ↑ Roper, Chris (November 26, 2002). "Whirl Tour (GCN)". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211201182501/https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/26/whirl-tour. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  11. ↑ Roper, Chris (November 25, 2002). "Whirl Tour (PS2)". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210921093749/https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/25/whirl-tour-2. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Dinowan (April 8, 2003). "Test: Whirl Tour" (in fr). Webedia. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160831135434/https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00003015_test.htm. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  13. ↑ "Whirl Tour". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) 163: 220. December 2002. 
  14. ↑ Rybicki, Joe (December 2002). "Whirl Tour". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) (63): 174. Archived from the original on March 29, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040329070032/http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0,2053,1495353,00.asp. Retrieved October 28, 2024. 
  15. ↑ "Whirl Tour". PSM (Future US) (65): 60. December 2002. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Bub, Andrew S. (December 9, 2002). "'Whirl Tour' (PS2/GCN) Review". TechTV. Archived from the original on December 19, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021219225508/http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3409790,00.html. Retrieved October 14, 2024. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Whirl_Tour&oldid=3966945"