Rayman 2
Score: 100% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment Developer: Ubisoft Entertainment Media: CD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Platformer
Graphics & Sound: Splendid! Rayman 2 blends brilliant colors and highly detailed backgrounds to bring players a completely immersive gaming environment. The characters are rendered nicely and in the same French animation style we have grown to love - a bouncing head, arms and legs that defy the laws of science by not being connected to the rest of Rayman. All in all, this one will knock you over graphically. Rayman 2 is a winner in the sound department as well. The intro music alone is something you will find yourself humming later on, and that goes for the in-game background music as well. There are all kinds of ambient sounds happening during gameplay, and the characters 'voices' are appropriately cute. No one actually speaks, but they have their own endearing ways of communicating (with the subtitles at the bottom of the screen, thankfully). As you can guess from the score, this game was impressive any way you slice it, but the graphics and sound make Rayman 2 a stellar title for the Dreamcast.
Gameplay: Gameplay is the crucial component of any good game, right? Well, Rayman 2 has gameplay down pat. Of course, you are Rayman, unwitting hero who is once again called upon to rescue his friends. Robo-Pirates have kidnapped all of the Teensies and it is up to Rayman to travel across the land, freeing each of his friends from captivity and collecting helpful lums (powerups) along the way. Of course, he'll encounter all sorts of memorable characters along the, my favorite being Murfy - but mainly because he whispers like a friend of mine did with tonsillitis. It's cute. Coincidentally, Murfy becomes your advisor, and you can call upon him at various times during the game for assistance. In addition to the standard Rayman-esque platform fare, there are levels where you'll call upon Rayman's your more interesting skills such as navigating a swamp at high speeds while being dragged by a friendly (but careless) sea creature. Good stuff. The requisite puzzles are there and they are appropriately challenging, and the game has scads of areas, providing plenty of gameplay. This port from PC is a top notch job by Ubisoft. Also, be aware that there are special features found only in the Sega Dreamcast version. There are multi-player mini games which can be unlocked by completing certain areas, so be on the lookout for those.
Difficulty: The level of difficulty is very good. Not too hard, but challenging enough to keep you interested and coming back for more. It starts off slowly enough for even the beginner to get their feet wet, but works its way up at a good rate. As I said earlier, the puzzles are there, but in general, there's nothing here so daunting that anyone would shy away from.
Game Mechanics: Well, Rayman has his standard abilities (for those with previous experience). He can jump, climb, do a helicopter spin, shoot, etc. In one instance, Rayman may need to jump up and monkey climb some vines across a body of water. At another time, he may find himself climbing an intricately detailed wall to proceed. I like the fact that the route you need to take isn't always so obvious. Exploring is a good thing. If you liked the first Rayman, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. It's a great addition to anyone's Dreamcast collection, even more so if you are a platformer fan.
-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications AKA Ashley Perkins
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