Rayman 2: Revolution

Review

by Jon Thompson

The revolution has come to the new darling of the next-generation age, with Rayman making his first appearance on the PS2. But he doesn't come to the thin black beast with a completely new offering. Rather, the little French... uh... something-or-other and his friends are starring in a game that is more or less Rayman 2: The Great Escape with some extra graphic flourishes and a few new levels tossed into the mix.

The levels themselves are also in a slightly different order, but beyond this, the main change to the game is its name, and while the title of Revolution might be a touch presumptuous of Ubi Soft, considering the relative lack of competition on the PS2 and the overall quality of what amounts to a two-year old game, Rayman 2 nonetheless comes through for weary gamers hungry for a clever, engaging experience.

While a number of 3D platform games have come and gone, few have really lived up to the potential of what the genre can be. Many have followed in similar fashion to the greats: strange locales, giant bosses, object collection... and while that's all well and good, the visual style and flair that is possible with such a unique presentation is a rare occurrence.

Rayman has a bit of everything in the above categories, although it is a rather straightforward and linear game compared to others in the genre. It also has something else, something as important as the above qualities if not more so. Rayman has a consistent, charming design. Every level and every character oozes with a fanciful whimsy, which is delivered in the way the world and its inhabitants look. It is this attention to detail from the folks at Ubi Soft that has garnered the respect of so many gamers the world over, and it is not in short supply in this version.

The gameplay itself sticks to the fairly traditional style of the genre, although in a good way. That is to say, it employs nearly all of the traditional aspects from quality titles, and while it doesn't do much in the way of new or different things, all of the things it does accomplish are top notch.

Moving Rayman around his world is a wholly enjoyable experience, and the controls are tight whether you're running, walking, climbing, or hopping about. And the powers that Rayman acquires over the progression of the game keep adding new aspects to play that are a welcome treat. Fighting is smooth and easy to get the hang of, employing a lock-on system similar to the one introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

The levels are quite a treat as well, basking in the light and airy personality of the game itself. You've seen many of these types of levels before in previous games, but again, the Rayman world being what it is, a fully realized beast, you haven't seen them look or behave this way. Ditto with the many interesting and colorful characters that Rayman will meet along the way. From your big pal Golbox to the hilarious Teensies to the vile and wicked Admiral Razorbeard himself, these characters are extremely endearing and serve only to flesh the game out even more.

While the visuals are probably not the most profound we'll see from the PlayStation 2, that fact is almost made up by the game's overall design. While this version does have many graphical features that go above the previous console entries of Rayman 2, the game's strongest asset is its colorful and realized world. The music and sound effects are memorable as well. The orchestration is wonderful, with a soundtrack that features many catchy and beautiful songs, and the sounds are great, from the general noises of gameplay to the odd gibberish voices of the world's creatures.

All in all, it may not be the most advanced game to appear on the PS2, but Rayman 2 is certainly one of the best. It is creative, beautiful, and most importantly, it is a great deal of fun from the very beginning to the very end. Fans of 3D platform games would be doing themselves a great disservice by skipping over this title, as would everyone else who just loves a well-crafted game.