Cheap Rayman 3D - Nintendo 3DS

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Oh yes. We have a new gaming system release, which means it's time for publishers to dig through their past catalogues to release old games that won't take very long to port over. Such is the case with Rayman 3D, which is essentially Rayman 2 but with the added 3D. Here we have a port of a game that dates back to 1999 and has been ported to so many game systems (Dreamcast, N64, PS1, PS2, Game Boy, DS, iOS, etc.) that it seems a bit ridiculous to even consider reviewing the game. What's left to say? Pretty much the entire gaming population at this point has had the opportunity to play the game. I am actually one of the minority, a gamer that has never played a Rayman title, let alone Rayman 2. So I figured that since the 3DS launch titles are severely lacking, I'd take a chance and see why, exactly, the game's been ported a million times.

The gist of the story is that space pirates are invading a world called The Glade of Dreams. Led by Admirable Razorbeard, these robot pirates destroys The Heart of the World, capture Rayman and his friend Globox and generally are making a huge mess of things. Rayman escapes, is separated from Globox and sets out on a quest to locate four ancient masks, awaken some dude name Polokus and put a stop to the pirates. Somewhere in there, you also are trying to locate 1,000 Lums to give you access to new parts of the world. Not exactly the strongest story, but it does its job and takes a backseat to the action. I'd always been curious about Rayman since it was designed by Michel Ancel who would go on to create one of the better games in the Xbox/PS2/Gamecube era, Beyond Good & Evil. The framework for that game can be seen here, but Rayman's strengths lie in the gameplay.

I'm not sure if this is a compliment to the timelessness of Rayman or a critique on how little we've changed in the last ten years, but Rayman could be released today (with a fresh coat of paint, natch) and no one would probably tell that it's a game from the 90s. It's built on a strong framework of platforming, small puzzle-solving and collecting that you can still see in platforming games today. Enemies are shot at with glowing balls. You can lock on them with a press of the Left bumper and strafe while shooting at them. Platforms will be jumped on and tons of items (in this case, Lums) will be collected. Upgrades (such as the ability to swing from purple lums) will be acquired. Pretty standard stuff, even today. But Rayman has that little spark of magic that's really difficult to quantify that makes it fun. The Lums are hidden around the world and most of the time they can be very difficult to locate. If you are a completionist, Rayman 3D will keep you busy for quite some time.

The chief upgrade here comes in the graphics and 3D implementation. While you'll never mistake Rayman 3D for a new game, it does looks really good on the 3DS, especially in the little touches. Bugs will fly in the air, groups of mushrooms will reassemble themselves, butterflies will circle in the air. These little flourishes look fantastic, both on the 3DS and in 3D. This is my first game on the 3DS and the first real experience with its 3D capabilities and I have to say I'm surprised. It adds a level of depth to the game that not only looks amazing (as when the bugs fly toward the screen or when you're moving through a tunnel and the depth can be seen) but also aids in platforming, I've found. With this truly three dimensional playing field, timing jumps and knowing where to land is even easier to judge. Simply put, this definitely showcases the potential of the 3DS and I can't wait to see how games will utilize the 3D as developers have more time to devote to it and get more familiar with the hardware.

Ultimately, Rayman 3D is an excellent launch title. It's simply a port of a relatively old video game, but in some ways you wouldn't even know it. I was a little nervous, dropping my $40 on this game when it's had such an up and down history in terms of ports, but this was a very fun game that plays really well, looks pretty good for its age and showcases the potential the 3DS has in terms of 3D. If you're a fan of platformers and/or collectathons, I'd recommend Rayman 3D.

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Let me start off by saying that Rayman 2 is one of my all-time favorite childhood games. In fact, back in the day I had both the PS1 version AND the Dreamcast version, which was and still is the definitive version. It had the best graphics, and utilized the greater power that the Dreamcast held in comparison to the Playstation and N64. This is both good and bad because what you're paying a full price for in Rayman 3D, is Rayman 2: The Great Escape (the Dreamcast version), with only minimal, near non-existent additions and tweaks.

First off, Rayman 2 itself is a fantastic, classic platformer. It was and still is considered one of the greatest, most imaginative platforming experiences of the late 90's, early 00's, and rightly so. Ubisoft's beloved Rayman franchise has always been known for humor, imagination, excellent, dreamlike art design, a silly, fantastical story, and solid platforming. Rayman 2 contains the pinnacle of all of these traits and is undoubtedly the best of Rayman's adventures. Unfortunately, what was considered pretty awesome in terms of control and platforming execution in 1999, may seem pretty irritating, maybe even broken, in 2011. If you approach Rayman 3D with an open mind, however, you'll have more than enough here to entertain you. It really is a classic for a reason, it's an awesome game.

The ONLY new addition here in Rayman 3D is ... well... 3-D. It definitely isn't the best implementation of 3-D on the system, but it is adequate and actually enhances the experience, even if only by a marginal amount. Butterflies, particle effects, and just those small, very imaginative touches that are characteristic of a Rayman title, are all complimented by the 3-D.

As much as I like Rayman 3D, however, I do have quite a few qualms with it. In comparision to 3DS remakes like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D, Rayman 3D comes across as extremely lazy. There are absolutely no additions or enhancements besides a decidedly average, sometimes even mediocre, 3-D effect. There are no new graphics or audio. There are no improvements to the controls. There are no enhancements to the sound, visuals, gameplay, nothing. This is literally a 1999 Dreamcast game slapped onto a 3DS cartridge, given a 3D option, and then given a new name to pretend it's a new game, along with a new game price. That's just plain insulting to Rayman fans, and a poor treatment of loyal customers by Ubisoft, in my humble opinion. Keep in mind that I'm not like those trolls that just bash a game simply because it is a remake. I think Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D are exceptional examples of what remakes could and should be and would never hesitate to recommend those games to others. Again, Rayman 3D seems hideously lazy in comparison. There are even problems in this version that don't exist in others, like big frame-rate problems that can really mar the experience with lag, which is unfortunate.

Considering the fact you can get basically get this very same game on the PlayStation, Playstation 2, Playstation Network, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, Gameboy Color, PC, iOS, DS, and now the 3DS, it's hard to justify recommending purchasing this particular version new. Such lazy efforts by publishers should not be encouraged, in my opinion. If there were notable enhancements to the visuals, audio, and gameplay aspects, then I would say this is a definitely good purchase to make. This is a tough dilemma for me though, as it is genuinely hard not to recommend Rayman 2: The Great Escape, which is truly worthy of its place as one of the better video games of its time. If you have never played Rayman 2 and you have a 3DS, then I say get it now. If you have played it before, but don't have a copy, I'd say get this. If you're like me and love Rayman 2: The Great Escape, even then I'd recommend this game. However, I would say to all that if you do buy this, buy it used and cheap, because that is all this version is worth.

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I picked up Rayman when I got my 3DS, and have since played it. I never played the original, so I have no feel for how faithful of a port it is, but it seems pretty dang good to me. So far I love the platforming, and the 3D is amazing to me. The butterflies and the plants come at you, and you get a true feeling of depth. This is an excellent launch game for the 3DS, I'd high recommend this.

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I remember playing the game on the Nintendo 64. What I remember the most about it, is the fact I couldn't play it, because the red mist got in the way of the actual game play. I know that this possibly wasn't a problem for some of the people who played a ton of video games and were simply good at playing these games, but this made it frustrating for me, because I really wanted to play this particular game.

So then, I heard that it was coming out on the 3DS. It was the first game I got that was geared for this particular system, and I found myself playing for quite a few hours at a time. I also didn't have the red mist blocking my view, and the game sped up as I was able to determine where I needed to go and what I had to do, simply by seeing. I finally got to enjoy this game and its game play for what it is worth.

Of course, the removal of the red mist may not be favored by some of the gamers, who felt it added an actual challenge to the game. I still like that it was done. I also like the three dimentional graphics that were added into it, thanks to the system upgrades. For me, it is a replayable game, and not one that I am likely to ever trade in.

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Are they ever going to release a new Rayman game? This is just a 3DS port of Rayman DS, which is a DS port of Rayman Revolution, which is a PS2 port of the DreamCast's Rayman 2. It's just the same game ported over and over. I love the game, It's still fun to play, and despite what some others here said, I think the graphics are very nice for a DS game.

I just saw this at the game store and thought I was buying a new Rayman game.