Often when I review a series of games, sometimes I realise that I may have reviewed some of them quite early on. In the case of
Rayman, I have reviewed most of his games except for two of them that were part of the original trilogy before the
Raving Rabbids took over and left us wanting another true
Rayman game which we got in 2011 with
Origins. Sure it wasn't the Rayman 4 that we were promised at E3 2006 but lets be honest, its definitely better than the
Raving Rabbids game on the Wii that was released in its place. So yeah that's the history of that. So we only have two
Rayman games left to review (I know there is more, but I'm only focused on the main games but I may look at the others another time) so lets get to it:
Rayman (aka Gold on PC and Advance for the GBA)
You know when we think back to the characters that helped define the original PlayStation, Rayman would be one of those characters particularly because of the series being in the platforming genre therefore making him the
Mario of Ubisoft as it were. So the first game is a 2D side scrolling platformer in which Rayman is tasked with recovering the Great Protoon from the evil Mr. Dark while saving the inhabitants from his forces before he for lack of a better phrase, takes over the world as it were. The game is comprised of six worlds full of 2D side scrolling platforming levels. Each level has around four cages of prisoners in which Rayman must try and save before confronting Mr. Dark. Of course it won't be easy as Rayman is given a limited number of lives which are depleted as a result of getting too many hits or falls into water or pits. Then of course the "Game Over" screen appears and you can then try again. Scattered across the levels are little blue things called Tings which if Rayman collects 100 of (or 50 depending on the port you are playing) he will get another life and his HP resets, but all of these would be lost if he loses a life. They can also be used to get to a bonus stage where Rayman can get more lives. Of course we all know about his iconic fists which he gives punches with and this becomes pretty useful in this game. And at the end of every map, there is a boss to fight. Over the course of the game, Rayman will get more powers to use which can be quite handy in some situations. So while its not wholly original at the time of its release, the first
Rayman game is a pretty good platformer. Not easy mind you, but a lot of fun with plenty to do and with some pretty graphics and a great soundtrack to go with it. It has been ported to various platforms so do give it a try if you can. 9/10
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
So there are two versions of this game that exist. There is the console and PC version about Rayman (voiced by David Gasman) saving the world from the Hoodlums led by a black lum called Andre (voiced by Ken Starcevic) of which Rayman's best friend Globox (voiced by John Leguizamo) accidentally swallows and goes with Rayman to find a witch doctor to get him out. Then there is the GBA version which is an alternative story with characters and settings from
Rayman 2: The Great Escape where Globox again swallows Andre which attracts the attention of Captain Razorbeard who wants to use the black lums for his own personal gain and has Rayman go through a series of levels and worlds that are very similar to those in the second game. I believe I have reviewed the GBA game already in one of my Virtual Console reviews so if you want my opinion on that game, then go and read that review. So the console and PC version of the game plays out as a 3D platformer which unlike
Rayman 2: The Great Escape has more of a sandbox feel to it and a more simplified way to access levels than a 3D map which I guess is OK, but does kind of ruin the fun of having one. Along with the same powers as before, Rayman gets to use these cans which temporaily give him superpowers to get through various things such as a helicopter one to go up, one that lets the fist turn itself into a mini tornado, one that makes the fist use a grappling hook of sorts and even one that gives Rayman's fists more power. The overall feel of the game is intense but a lot more light hearted than before with humorous moments, pokes at the platform genre and pop culture in general as well as the return of many beloved characters though ultimately its only Rayman, Globox and the Teensies that make the most appearances in the game which may upset fans of the second game, but that's OK in a way. Despite some of the stuff in the game being toned down, there is a lot to like. Lots of levels containing shiny collectibles and enemies to beat. Lots of puzzles to do and so much more. As the last game of the original trilogy, its great fun. There is some things that people may have wanted to see more of, but overall its a good end to the original series but had it been released much later on in life, there can be a lot of things that it can improve on I'm sure. 9/10
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