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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft |
Many players have learned to love the character of Rayman, but they will be happy to hear the “Rayman: Raving Rabbids” completely
ditches the franchise’s trademark platform background. There is no platform element at all in this Wii exclusive title. In place of those
run and jump levels are mini games designed around the Wii Remote. There is a central storyline to the game the combines the mini
games, but this is a deeper and better looking game compared to others games of this type. It won’t follow the classic Rayman
template, but this game is nevertheless a great addition to the Wii.
The limbless mascot is enjoying a picnic on a sunny afternoon when bunnies spoil all the fun. In a well animated cinematic that is
indicative of the funny storyline sequences to follow, the bunnies dig through the ground and then stare blankly at Rayman until he is
kidnapped by Serguei, a gigantic rabbit who seems to act as the muscle for the bunnies. Though the bunnies seem to be stupid, they
have been planning to take over the world for years. The story eventually leads to Rayman in prison, where he is forced to compete in a
series of games for the entertainment of the bunny captures. Only by winning these challenges will Rayman win over the bunnies and
gain access to toilet plungers, which he can use to escape his prison. If none of this makes sense, then it is time to play the game.
The bunnies take over the mini games and players are constantly invited to attack them in new and inventive ways. Players may use the
Wii Remote to hit the bunnies over the head in a whack-a-mole style game one moment, and then shake the Wii Remote and nunchuk
up and down in order to make Rayman run so that he can deliver a bomb to an unsuspecting bunny before it explodes. The number of
ways of torturing the bunnies seem limitless, and while some of the methods of delivering pain may be a little bit of a stretch, they are
nonetheless a lot of fun and often times addicting.
The number of mini games in “Rayman: Raving Rabbids” tops at 70 and is comparable to any Mario Party title, which is quite
impressive. The difference is that the games in this title are often deeper and more entertaining than other mini games offered in other
games. The developer put a lot of time into making sure that the new controllers are implemented into the game, and it shows.
For those who have played the Nintendo Wii will notice that the system isn’t about offering next generation graphics. At roughly twice the
amount of power of the Nintendo GameCube, it isn’t quite ready for the high definition era. With that noted, the team pushed the style
and art of the game in favor of cutting edge graphics techniques to give the games a look that is pleasing. The bunnies are designed
great and levels are complete with remarkably varied and mood setting backdrops. Rayman parachutes from the clouds onto a rocky
desert scene in one mini game and races through a dark and rainy swamp in another. The fluid character animations, which are
usually funny, help to bring the characters to life in the game in the unique locations that the game offers. The game generally runs very
smoothly and supports a widescreen format, but some players will notice that the game doesn’t run in progressive scan, which works
out to be a true oversight. This feature seems a little bit odd because of the fact that the game manual for the game shows that there is
an option menu where players are supposed to be able to turn on a high definition support. The problem is that the option menu doesn’
t seem to exist. The graphics are complemented by a fabulous soundtrack that features remakes of famous songs sung by the
bunnies. Some of these titles include Girls Just Want To Have Fun and La Bamba, along with others, as well as an endless supply of
bunny screams laughs, cries and burps. All of this sounds great through the games sound setup.
“Rayman: Raving Rabbids” is a gamble for Ubisoft because it is so dramatically different from its previous games in the franchise. It is
not a platform game, but that shouldn’t put off players because it is still one of the better games available for the Nintendo Wii system.
Ubisoft obviously understands that the Nintendo Wii is about new forms of playing video games and it has with this specific game,
where they created a game that utilizes the Wii Remote in nearly 70 ways. The majority of the mini games in the title are a lot of fun
whether they are playing by themselves or with friends, although there are the occasional flaws. The biggest drawback of the game is
that many of the mini games are not designed for simultaneous play; instead players will go in sequence. Even with all of that being
true, the experience is still engaging and addictive and the title’s sense of humor is in its own league. It is almost unfair to label this as
a game in the Rayman franchise because the real stars of the game are the bunnies, whose blank faces and screams will make
players laugh over and over again.
ditches the franchise’s trademark platform background. There is no platform element at all in this Wii exclusive title. In place of those
run and jump levels are mini games designed around the Wii Remote. There is a central storyline to the game the combines the mini
games, but this is a deeper and better looking game compared to others games of this type. It won’t follow the classic Rayman
template, but this game is nevertheless a great addition to the Wii.
The limbless mascot is enjoying a picnic on a sunny afternoon when bunnies spoil all the fun. In a well animated cinematic that is
indicative of the funny storyline sequences to follow, the bunnies dig through the ground and then stare blankly at Rayman until he is
kidnapped by Serguei, a gigantic rabbit who seems to act as the muscle for the bunnies. Though the bunnies seem to be stupid, they
have been planning to take over the world for years. The story eventually leads to Rayman in prison, where he is forced to compete in a
series of games for the entertainment of the bunny captures. Only by winning these challenges will Rayman win over the bunnies and
gain access to toilet plungers, which he can use to escape his prison. If none of this makes sense, then it is time to play the game.
The bunnies take over the mini games and players are constantly invited to attack them in new and inventive ways. Players may use the
Wii Remote to hit the bunnies over the head in a whack-a-mole style game one moment, and then shake the Wii Remote and nunchuk
up and down in order to make Rayman run so that he can deliver a bomb to an unsuspecting bunny before it explodes. The number of
ways of torturing the bunnies seem limitless, and while some of the methods of delivering pain may be a little bit of a stretch, they are
nonetheless a lot of fun and often times addicting.
The number of mini games in “Rayman: Raving Rabbids” tops at 70 and is comparable to any Mario Party title, which is quite
impressive. The difference is that the games in this title are often deeper and more entertaining than other mini games offered in other
games. The developer put a lot of time into making sure that the new controllers are implemented into the game, and it shows.
For those who have played the Nintendo Wii will notice that the system isn’t about offering next generation graphics. At roughly twice the
amount of power of the Nintendo GameCube, it isn’t quite ready for the high definition era. With that noted, the team pushed the style
and art of the game in favor of cutting edge graphics techniques to give the games a look that is pleasing. The bunnies are designed
great and levels are complete with remarkably varied and mood setting backdrops. Rayman parachutes from the clouds onto a rocky
desert scene in one mini game and races through a dark and rainy swamp in another. The fluid character animations, which are
usually funny, help to bring the characters to life in the game in the unique locations that the game offers. The game generally runs very
smoothly and supports a widescreen format, but some players will notice that the game doesn’t run in progressive scan, which works
out to be a true oversight. This feature seems a little bit odd because of the fact that the game manual for the game shows that there is
an option menu where players are supposed to be able to turn on a high definition support. The problem is that the option menu doesn’
t seem to exist. The graphics are complemented by a fabulous soundtrack that features remakes of famous songs sung by the
bunnies. Some of these titles include Girls Just Want To Have Fun and La Bamba, along with others, as well as an endless supply of
bunny screams laughs, cries and burps. All of this sounds great through the games sound setup.
“Rayman: Raving Rabbids” is a gamble for Ubisoft because it is so dramatically different from its previous games in the franchise. It is
not a platform game, but that shouldn’t put off players because it is still one of the better games available for the Nintendo Wii system.
Ubisoft obviously understands that the Nintendo Wii is about new forms of playing video games and it has with this specific game,
where they created a game that utilizes the Wii Remote in nearly 70 ways. The majority of the mini games in the title are a lot of fun
whether they are playing by themselves or with friends, although there are the occasional flaws. The biggest drawback of the game is
that many of the mini games are not designed for simultaneous play; instead players will go in sequence. Even with all of that being
true, the experience is still engaging and addictive and the title’s sense of humor is in its own league. It is almost unfair to label this as
a game in the Rayman franchise because the real stars of the game are the bunnies, whose blank faces and screams will make
players laugh over and over again.
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