Hail to the Chimp

When it comes to the hotly contested seat of Commander in Chief, these seemingly adorable creatures aren't pulling any punches. You literally have to smack the crap out of your opponents to win the hearts and minds of prospective voters. Collecting clams as universal currency increases campaign funds and maintaining your candidacy yard signs king-of-the-hill-style are all part of this political process - that's just a hair dirtier than our own. The single player allows you to crusade through ten different areas, mostly at your discretion, and tallying the most votes in each one will unlock a new character to be used in the multiplayer mode.

We loved the games irreverent sense of humor, but the four-player versus modes is the backbone Hail to the Chimp. Either off or online, the fifteen game types spread across the ten maps offers an almost infinite amount of multiplayer potential. Each player has unique attributes for taking the piss out of opponents while attempting to beat a specified objective.

For example, one game type saw everyone dodging an increasing rain of explosives to collect clams and be the last animal standing, while another particularly underhanded mode had us hacking voting machines (punching them to bits) to ensure victory. Each map is also strewn with attack power-ups, debilitating power-downs, and environmental hazards exclusive to each level. On the docks, we activated crab traps to ensnare our adversaries and an Asian themed board had us chucking clams at a Bear Buddha statue to execute a spell that rendered everyone on the playing field drunk as a skunk, and vulnerable to pummeling.