Rayman 2: The Great Escape

[goatzilla8463]

Rayman was always a favourite of mine. The first Rayman was the first game I ever played. I will try to remain unbiased but its a great game. There will be spoilers in this and I know that this is an old game but I feel I should warn you first. Also, I never actually finished the game and I'll admit that it was because the game was too hard for me but I got a bit further than the first boss.

[HEADING=2]Goat reviews Rayman 2[/HEADING]

[img_inline width="300" height="300" align=left]http://www.rayman-fanpage.de/allgames/g2/box_polen/rayman2_pc_box_410_front_pl.jpg[/img_inline]

Plot
The plot starts off with Rayman being trapped in a prison. He has been imprisoned by the space pirates, a group of metel, robotic creatures who, yeah you guessed it, are from space and dress like pirates. The universe that the gameplay is held in is called "The Glade of Dreams".

Soon, one of Rayman's friends, Globox, is thrown into the cell with Rayman. Rayman has given up all hope of escape but Globox gives him a silver lum (a small glowfly sort of thing) and Rayman gets his powers back. Rayman then escapes through a small hole in the side that he blasts open with his new powers. As he and Globox slide out of this hole, they fall and are separated. You then have to navigate around on a linear path to be reunited with Globox. You find a little faerie thing that gives you helpful little comments and tells you how to use your powers.

Later, you find Globox but you too are separated again due to him wanting to save his fanily from something. You are left with the information that the world spirit is dying and that you need to collect 1000 yellow lums and 4 super powerful masks to restore it. Hopefully, then the useless world spirit would then help you kick the pirates' arses.

You must then explore different terrains and encounter different enemies that Admiral Razorbeard, high commander of the space pirates pits against you. Some are just natural enemies though such as Pirahnas and poison water. In the end though, I assume that you collect all the said things and proceed to win the game. Here is a link to the wikipedia page for the ending that I never achieved: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayman_2

Graphics and level design

Do remember that this game was released in 1999. It was pretty damn revolutionary for it's genre. Most platformers had been 2D until then and Rayman 2 was the first game to make platformers the awesome 3D games that they are today. You are invited into lots of different environments that were all beautifully designed. There was a swamp level, an ice level, swimming levels and much more. The developers made use of many great concepts for creatures and made each and every challenge new and interesting. The reason I didn't complete the game was not through boredem but because the game had beaten me. It was pretty hard actually but that's what some games are for; to challenge you and to make you use your brain a little bit more.

The levels were quite linear but what can you ask for in a platformer? That's the way a platformer is usually built up around (or so I think). A good platformer should have you following a linear path riddled with some interesting objects/puzzles to hinder you. After navigating round these, there should be some sort of big-ish encounter where you are tested a bit more that usual and I think that Rayman 2 hit the nail on the head.

Summery

I think that altogether, Rayman 2 was and still is one of the best platformers around. It was new and inventive, and genuinely fun to play. It made you think of ways to get around problems and was challenging enough to keep me interested. I don't know if it is still buyable but if you could manage to get your hands on it somehow, I seriously recommend giving it a good try. Sure, the graphics aren't amazing and the voice acting is a bit dodgy but the game is still very satisfying.

Well, that idea of me not being biased went flying out the window. Hope you enjoyed the review and please comment with some constructive criticizm and/or a pat on the back.

 

[Armored Prayer]

Rayman 2 FTW.


Your review was good but you forget to mention alot of the other main characters like Ly and Clark. You also didn't give enough detail of the levels, and explain Rayman's powers. Nevertheless, it was still a good review and I glad I'm not the only Rayman 2 fanatic here.

I used to own it on the N64 and actually managed to collect all of the yellow lums.

 

[Darth Marsden]

Not a bad little review. I too am a fan of the game, and I did eventually complete the PS2 version, in which (as you rightly guess) you collect all the collectables and save the day. The ending is on YouTube, if you're interested [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GYYbPxLbZI] - it's about as weird as the rest of the game, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Few points to make. Super Mario 64 came out in 1996, beating this one by years, so your claim this Rayman 2 was the first 3D platformer of its kind isn't quite true. It was one of the first to forget about assigned missions and just have a linear path, but that's not really what you said.

Also, a good review doesn't just focus on the good, it also mentions the bad - you mention it being a bit hard, but you don't dwell on it at all. If you think it's a hard game, actually make a point of it.

Finally, you didn't mention any of the really awesome levels! How about the one where you're basically water-skiing behind the Loch Ness Monster? Or the one where a pirate ship chases you throughout the level, blowing up platforms as you cross them? Or the one where you have to float through lava on top of a giant plum? Or how about where you actually pilot a pirate ship yourself to rescue Globox's kids?

...actually, you did mention not getting very far, so you may not have seen these levels, but there's some great ones out there and, even if you can't play them yourself, at least YouTube them so you know what the rest of the game's like.

You've got potential as a reviewer, just remember to try and be impartial. Point out flaws, word your claims properly and try to play a sizeable chunk of the game so you know what to highlight.

Spoiler: And if you want to know how to beat that first boss, click me...

If I recall correctly, it's at the end of those slippy pathways, right? Well what you need to do is shoot the purple rings. Once you do, you'll start swinging. At the apex of your swing. jump off and shoot the next purple ring. Rinse and repeat until you're swinging on the final ring. Then wing up, jump off and shoot the giant stalagmite above the boss. It'll crash down and defeat him.

 

[pigeon_of_doom]

Great game, unfortunately I don't think this review is quite as good. It's not written terribly, but would have benefited from being pasted into a word processor to get rid of some of the errors. You certainly weren't unbiased, anything that makes a player give up on the game certainly cannot be brushed off like you did. It's a bit patchy, the sections you focus on aren't given enough detail imo, and you missed out a lot.

Less said about Rayman being a revolutionary 3-D game the better. It was a polished, entertaining example of the genre, but no Mario 64. A bit more attention to objectivity, a bit of editing and some more discussion of the game and you could have a reasonable review here. Judging older games can be hard, but this review is crying out for a bit of perspective, especially if you are going to be making bold claims like what you made in this review. Keep trying.

 

[D_987]

Rayman was always a favourite of mine. The first Rayman was the first game I ever played. I will try to remain unbiased but its a great game. There will be spoilers in this and I know that this is an old game but I feel I should warn you first. Also, I never actually finished the game and I'll admit that it was because the game was too hard for me but I got a bit further than the first boss. This section flow horribly. The sentances stop.and.start. and its a shame because you do well by attempting to personalize your introduction.

Plot - Don't split your review into sections; it breaks flow and I'm more inclined to skip aspects.

The plot starts off with Rayman being trapped in a prison. He has been imprisoned by the space pirates, a group of metel, robotic creatures who, yeah you guessed it, are from space and dress like pirates. The universe that the gameplay is held in is called "The Glade of Dreams". There shouldn't be a paragraph split here

Soon, one of Rayman's friends, Globox, is thrown into the cell with Rayman. Rayman has given up all hope of escape but Globox gives him a silver lum (a small glowfly sort of thing) and Rayman gets his powers back. Rayman then escapes through a small hole in the side that he blasts open with his new powers. As he and Globox slide out of this hole, they fall and are separated. You then have to navigate around on a linear path to be reunited with Globox. You find a little faerie thing that gives you helpful little comments and tells you how to use your powers. The problem with this paragraph is that you just effectively explain every single thing that occurs within the opening sequence. Its best to explain the plot and how it progresses. You don't give the reader any detail on your opinion of the plot or even give them much detail period.

Later, you find Globox but you too are separated again due to him wanting to save his family from something. You are left with the information that the world spirit is dying and that you need to collect 1000 yellow lums and 4 super powerful masks to restore it. Hopefully, then the useless world spirit would then help you kick the pirates' arses.

You must then explore different terrains and encounter different enemies that Admiral Razorbeard, high commander of the space pirates pits against you. Some are just natural enemies though such as Pirahnas and poison water. In the end though, I assume that you collect all the said things and proceed to win the game. Here is a link to the wikipedia page for the ending that I never achieved: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayman_2 Same applies to these paragraphs, but you do well to explain the various enemies you come up against. What was your opinion of them? Whats your overall opinion of the plot?

Graphics and level design

Do remember that this game was released in 1999. It was pretty damn revolutionary for it's genre. Most platformers had been 2D until then and Rayman 2 was the first game to make platformers the awesome 3D games that they are today. You are invited into lots of different environments that were all beautifully designed. There was a swamp level, an ice level, swimming levels and much more. The developers made use of many great concepts for creatures and made each and every challenge new and interesting. The reason I didn't complete the game was not through boredom but because the game had beaten me. It was pretty hard actually but that's what some games are for; to challenge you and to make you use your brain a little bit more. Again, what little detail you include is good, but there's not enough of it - try describing the art design, how the 3D view worked so well; the camera. All important points missed; the paragraph does not flow very well - there are places in which a comma would be appropriate. The music is also not mentioned.

The levels were quite linear but what can you ask for in a platformer? That's the way a platformer is usually built up around (or so I think). A good platformer should have you following a linear path riddled with some interesting objects/puzzles to hinder you. After navigating round these, there should be some sort of big-ish encounter where you are tested a bit more that usual and I think that Rayman 2 hit the nail on the head. I agree to an extent; for the time this approach was the norm. However, the recent Prince of Persia game has proven that platformers can work well in a non-linear environment.

Summery

I think that altogether, Rayman 2 was and still is one of the best platformers around. It was new and inventive, and genuinely fun to play. It made you think of ways to get around problems and was challenging enough to keep me interested. I don't know if it is still buyable but if you could manage to get your hands on it somehow, I seriously recommend giving it a good try. Sure, the graphics aren't amazing and the voice acting is a bit dodgy but the game is still very satisfying.

Well, that idea of me not being biased went flying out the window. Hope you enjoyed the review and please comment with some constructive criticizm and/or a pat on the back.

A decent ending; my only complaint being the fact you failed to discuss the voice acting in the main area of the review.

A pretty good review let down by a lack of flow and general detail. You need to include your opinions and stop simply listing points. The spelling and grammar were decent, but you re-used a number of the same phrases. The review was also rather short and the sentence flow at times poor.

Good luck, just remember to make sure you go into more detail next time.

 

[Scobie]

DELETED

 

[Tryzon]

Never finished the game? Then by what right can one review it?

Plus it isn't that hard using a controller, but I can see how the PC version would be more awkward to handle.