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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Puzzle Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft |
When the Nintendo Wii was new and before the onslaught of mini games, Ubisoft released “Rayman: Raving Rabbids” and it was both
unique and entertaining. The game was an amazing success because it put together 70 mini games in an original and surprisingly
funny package. The mini games were good, some better than others, but the comedy was second to none. The real stars of the game,
the Rabbids, stole the show from Rayman, whose presence seemed secondary and totally unnecessary. Like all mini game
compilations, the game could be hilarious and addictive at one moment and boring the next, but thankfully a majority of the challenges
were at least original and amusing.
“Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2” is a predictable sequel and the developers haven’t even tried to reinvent the gaming experience from the
previous title or add to it. The latest release features several dozen new mini games, all of them original, not to mention a continued
storyline that takes the evil bunnies to Earth. The sequel feels more like a continuation of the first game than it does an all new game.
Some of these new games are fun and funny, but unlike the original, which had its share of hits, the latest releases misses more often
than not.
The 50 or more mini games in “Rayman: Raving Rabbids” are not nearly as enjoyable as those in the original game and they become
tedious after a while when they are played alone. For example, one mini game has players use the Wii Remote to balance Rayman as
he carries a platter stacked with hamburgers to a Rabbid Godfather. With three of four players, this particular mini game is a lot of fun
because each character will bump into and interact with the others. This, in addition to delivering the food and keeping balance, players
must also be careful to avoid other players who may be trying to slam into them and knock down their food. It is a lot of fun, but the
single player mode leaves players wanting more out of several of the mini games. This could have been fixed with the inclusion of AI
characters, but they have been removed from the gaming equation.
Not only does the game offer less mini games than the first title to be released, but the qualities of the games have suffered greatly.
The comedy aspect of the game is still there and is much exploited. Some situations are really funny. In one particular case, the
objective of the player is to scream and mess around, which is done by shaking the Wii Remote, when the boss leaves the room, but
they will have to quiet down and pretend to be working again before he comes back. In another situation, players might have to shake
up a can of pop and drink it for the largest possible burp. These mini games offer very little variation in control and too many times the
mechanics have been dumbed down so that players are merely shaking the Wii Remote up and down to perform different feats
surrounded by different themes. In the original game, the Wii Remote and nunchuk were used better. Players would swing the Wii
Remote to toss a cow or trace objects on-screen with the device to satisfy a hungry Rabbid chef. Rarely ever will any mini game in the
sequel require control input this advanced but the overall results is that all of the games start to feel and play the same. It is an
unfortunate side effect to create a game that anyone can pick up and play, meaning that there isn’t much to offer for those hardcore
games looking for a challenge.
The on-rails shooting segments of the game are made up of some of the game’s best moments and Ubisoft has expanded on them
for the sequel. Players are able to unlock different shooter levels that can be played freely in the arcades as they advance through the
main trips. The developers deserve some credit for trying something new with these very different stages. The real time backdrops
have been replaces with full motion settings. The studio went to different cities around the world, from Tokyo to France and New York
and filmed the settings. IT came back and rendered background and foreground objects into these environments. As a result, these
mini games look very good, but there is a notable downside, which is that the action of the game is much slower. While the original
game’s shooter segments were quick and sometimes even transpired on moving mine carts, players crawl through city environments,
stop and then the bunnies attack. The action feels much more scripted, but the game play mechanics are worsened.
“Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2” is a sequel that has more style than substance. It is unfortunate, but it is the truth. While the developer
has added 50 new mini games and offered unlockable costumes and Wi-Fi connectivity, the core games are less enjoyable than those
in the first game, which is very disappointing. For those players that plan on picking up the game to play with friends, players will still
have some fun with the game, but they shouldn’t expect a complete package as varied as the original game. As a single player game,
most players won’t want to worry too much about this game. Ubisoft still has a lot of the laughs, but it there is going to be a third game
in the series, players will hope that it will focus on the mini games that really use the Wii Remote and nunchuk in a unique and intuitive
way.
unique and entertaining. The game was an amazing success because it put together 70 mini games in an original and surprisingly
funny package. The mini games were good, some better than others, but the comedy was second to none. The real stars of the game,
the Rabbids, stole the show from Rayman, whose presence seemed secondary and totally unnecessary. Like all mini game
compilations, the game could be hilarious and addictive at one moment and boring the next, but thankfully a majority of the challenges
were at least original and amusing.
“Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2” is a predictable sequel and the developers haven’t even tried to reinvent the gaming experience from the
previous title or add to it. The latest release features several dozen new mini games, all of them original, not to mention a continued
storyline that takes the evil bunnies to Earth. The sequel feels more like a continuation of the first game than it does an all new game.
Some of these new games are fun and funny, but unlike the original, which had its share of hits, the latest releases misses more often
than not.
The 50 or more mini games in “Rayman: Raving Rabbids” are not nearly as enjoyable as those in the original game and they become
tedious after a while when they are played alone. For example, one mini game has players use the Wii Remote to balance Rayman as
he carries a platter stacked with hamburgers to a Rabbid Godfather. With three of four players, this particular mini game is a lot of fun
because each character will bump into and interact with the others. This, in addition to delivering the food and keeping balance, players
must also be careful to avoid other players who may be trying to slam into them and knock down their food. It is a lot of fun, but the
single player mode leaves players wanting more out of several of the mini games. This could have been fixed with the inclusion of AI
characters, but they have been removed from the gaming equation.
Not only does the game offer less mini games than the first title to be released, but the qualities of the games have suffered greatly.
The comedy aspect of the game is still there and is much exploited. Some situations are really funny. In one particular case, the
objective of the player is to scream and mess around, which is done by shaking the Wii Remote, when the boss leaves the room, but
they will have to quiet down and pretend to be working again before he comes back. In another situation, players might have to shake
up a can of pop and drink it for the largest possible burp. These mini games offer very little variation in control and too many times the
mechanics have been dumbed down so that players are merely shaking the Wii Remote up and down to perform different feats
surrounded by different themes. In the original game, the Wii Remote and nunchuk were used better. Players would swing the Wii
Remote to toss a cow or trace objects on-screen with the device to satisfy a hungry Rabbid chef. Rarely ever will any mini game in the
sequel require control input this advanced but the overall results is that all of the games start to feel and play the same. It is an
unfortunate side effect to create a game that anyone can pick up and play, meaning that there isn’t much to offer for those hardcore
games looking for a challenge.
The on-rails shooting segments of the game are made up of some of the game’s best moments and Ubisoft has expanded on them
for the sequel. Players are able to unlock different shooter levels that can be played freely in the arcades as they advance through the
main trips. The developers deserve some credit for trying something new with these very different stages. The real time backdrops
have been replaces with full motion settings. The studio went to different cities around the world, from Tokyo to France and New York
and filmed the settings. IT came back and rendered background and foreground objects into these environments. As a result, these
mini games look very good, but there is a notable downside, which is that the action of the game is much slower. While the original
game’s shooter segments were quick and sometimes even transpired on moving mine carts, players crawl through city environments,
stop and then the bunnies attack. The action feels much more scripted, but the game play mechanics are worsened.
“Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2” is a sequel that has more style than substance. It is unfortunate, but it is the truth. While the developer
has added 50 new mini games and offered unlockable costumes and Wi-Fi connectivity, the core games are less enjoyable than those
in the first game, which is very disappointing. For those players that plan on picking up the game to play with friends, players will still
have some fun with the game, but they shouldn’t expect a complete package as varied as the original game. As a single player game,
most players won’t want to worry too much about this game. Ubisoft still has a lot of the laughs, but it there is going to be a third game
in the series, players will hope that it will focus on the mini games that really use the Wii Remote and nunchuk in a unique and intuitive
way.
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