At first glance, I must admit it was hard to appreciate Rayman 2 for graphics because of a really poor camera. It takes getting used to, but eventually the camera grows on you, and the beauty of this game sinks in. It’s not so much the character design that rocks; it’s the levels and backgrounds. Clean 3D is great, and we’ve all seen that effect, but Rayman 2 is like a cross between the bright backgrounds in Spyro the Dragon and the cool textured detail of Metal Gear Solid. Going through the levels, I died several times just being distracted by something cool and forgetting to jump or shoot or whatever. Really nice looking stuff here!

For music, think big. Orchestral, even... Rayman 2 just oozes character, and the music is a huge part of setting the scene. Little touches in background noise never get in the way, but every minute of every level is alive with good looking graphics, brilliant musical scoring, and subtle effects. Plus, the music has a “live” quality that sounds very different from the synthetic stuff we’re used to in most games.

Just as in the graphics department, I wasn’t sure about gameplay at first because of whacky camera angles that I couldn’t seem to work around. As the game progresses, you learn to cope and the fun starts. Rayman 2 has just about nothing you’ve come to expect from a 3D platformer. Oh, the usual tricks are all there; jumping, shooting, running, etc. But, the way Ubisoft designed it all and set the stage for this action is totally brilliant. Rayman was born in some pretty humble shoes as a 2D side-scrolling platformer with some surreal graphics and good music. He fought things like musical instruments, and swung from weird floating donuts and floated on plums. Well, they’re lums, not plums. All the good stuff from the first game was preserved, so any fan will walk in and see where Rayman 2 came from. But, the tweaking is extreme.

The story begins with Rayman imprisoned by Robot Pirates, who have plundered the world and taken it upon themselves to enslave every poor defenseless creature they can lay hands on. Rayman is pretty defenseless himself, but with the help of his friends Globox and Ly, he manages to get back on his feet and escape. From here on, he’s committed to finding four masks needed to awaken a god and save the world.

During his search for the masks, Rayman goes through four stages, each with multiple levels. There’s almost no way to pigeon-hole the style of each level, because the creative minds were really pumping at Ubisoft when Rayman 2 came together. Imagine being chased down a slippery tunnel by a monster, with the chase-view from inside the monster’s mouth, dripping fangs and all. Imagine a boss battle against a friend who’s been turned against you by a radio-controlled device strapped to his back that you have to destroy to beat him. Imagine having to swim through a deep tunnel, sucking air from the exhaled air-bubbles of the whale you’re following, while chasing off piranhas trying to do the same. It’s just too cool, and you’ll never get tired of pushing on to see what’s around the next corner.

All said, Rayman 2 feels balanced. The camera problems make certain areas frustrating, and lead to a few cheap deaths. Otherwise, Ubisoft included little helpers in the form of plaques you find that deliver messages about upcoming challenges or areas. There’s no “save anywhere” feature, so you have to get through a level entirely before saving progress. The size of the levels was just right, and the hardest ones were usually the shortest. This really helps avoid the frustration of playing through a huge level and dying. Also, even though you may get a “Game Over,” Rayman 2 lets you come back in and retry from a checkpoint rather than start over.

Although there are lots of moves and tons of action in Rayman 2, Ubisoft introduces everything gradually and paces the learning. This fits the story, since Rayman is weak in the beginning and has lost his powers. Through the course of the game, Ly grants you more power, and you’ll find special items to do the same. Much like the 2D version, Rayman uses a power punch that shoots a ball of energy. This, along with auto-lock and good jumping skills, will take care of most enemies. However, if Rayman happens to point his shot at a floating lum, he takes off swinging like Indiana Jones. Other locomotion in Rayman 2 includes riding lums through lava, speeding through underground tunnels on a snake’s back, riding an artillery shell with legs, and holding onto flaming barrels to fly. It all sounds whacky, but most of the “vehicles” control like a dream.

Moving Rayman happens with the left analog stick, and Ubisoft worked in control for the right stick to jump and shoot. Jumping and shooting can also happen on the button-pad. When not jumping for combat, Rayman jumps to gather colored lums. Some lums give power, some serve as checkpoints, and others can be used for barter to get places in the game. Running, swimming, and climbing are easily worked in and introduced, with only swimming feeling a bit sluggish at times. Rayman is constantly on the move, so good controls were essential, and Ubisoft didn’t fail us.

There aren’t too many changes from the Dreamcast version, but spoken dialog has to be one of the big ones. You can choose French or Spanish as an alternative to English, and the already cute characters sound that much cuter in French. The voice acting is good in English, too! Ubisoft threw in everything for Rayman 2 and tried new tricks in what’s often a tired genre. 3D platformers have their share of drawbacks, and the poor camera here is no exception; but, if you’re tired of the formula gameplay seen in most games of this type, Rayman 2: The Great Escape is a breath of fresh air. I don’t think there are many games like it on any platform, and even against a strong field on PlayStation, it stands in the top three.