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I have to admit, I was never a huge fan of Rayman. I don't know…maybe it was his weird jointless body. I'm not sure. So I was one of the many who kinda ignored the Rayman series, at least until Raving Rabbids. Have to say I really enjoyed that one. But this article's not about Raving Rabbids. It's about a far superior title in the Rayman franchise. See, I recently picked up Rayman 2: The Great Escape for Dreamcast. I wasn't really expecting much of it (see, I didn't look at the reviews until after I started playing), but what I got amazed me. Pure platforming bliss. I was shocked to find out how "under the radar" Rayman 2 was when it was released, despite the heaps of critical praise it got.
Rayman 2 was released for the PC and N64 in 1999, and the Dreamcast in 2000. A PS1 version was also produced by Ubisoft Shanghai, which had quite a few radical changes from the other versions. The plot revolves around an band of pirates who take over Rayman's world, and enslave it's inhabitants. Rayman is initially captured, but with the help of his friend Globox, he escapes and begins a quest to save his world. The game features some of the best platforming action ever seen, and is regarded by many as one of the best 3D platformers of all time. Huge worlds, great art direction, wonderful music and sound effects, and great controls are just a few of the things that make Rayman 2 great.
So that begs the question…Why didn't Rayman 2 sell as well as it should have? Rayman has never really been a household name, like Mario or even Crash Bandicoot (who, around the time Rayman 2 was released, was pretty much Sony's mascot). Part of that may have something to do with Rayman's strange appearance. I mean really…what IS Rayman, anyway? There were also several other platformers featuring more well known characters on the market around the time that Rayman 2 was released. Sonic, Spyro, and Crash were all on the shelves and in gamer's hands at that time.
Rayman 2 is simply a game that must be played to really understand how great it is. Gamers that want to get ahold of the game today can look for it at the usual places. Used game stores, eBay, ect. Or, DS owners can pick up Rayman DS, which is essentially Rayman 2, with stylus controls much like Super Mario 64 DS. Regardless of how you play it, just be sure to play it. Rayman 2 should not be missed by any fan of platformers.
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5 Responses to “Undersold, but not underloved: Rayman 2”
September 2nd, 2007 at 6:07 pm
I’ve been thinking of getting the first one for saturn since forever, and yes, rayman 2 rocked
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:35 pm
rayman was my first ps1 game. i nearly cried after trading in my snes and genesis with truckloads of games for my 300 dollar ps1. see, as good as rayman was, it had tons fo slowdown. that foolish young me learned that more powerful hardware meant nothing as what looked like a particularly colorful snes title slowed to a crawl on a regular basis. i still enjoyed the game, and i played the sequel on dc. i loved rayman 2, but skipped out on 3. i’d be very happy to see a 4th. 360 could use a platformer or two.
September 3rd, 2007 at 12:34 am
Well, Rayman games ARE classic. For example the 2D Raymans - games of my childhood. The first titles were great, but oh so hard (well, at least for a ~7 year old).
And yeah, Rayman 2 rocks, I’ve got it while it was still hot for christmas and completed it in like 3-4 days.
September 3rd, 2007 at 7:03 am
Rayman for the PS1 is still breath taking. The graphics or gorgeous, and the music is excellent. I have Rayman 2 for N64, though I’ve never really played much of it, I should really get back to it!
I’m hoping with the success of Raving Rabids that Ancel and Ubisoft will decide to bring out another Rayman platform game. The Rabid games are fun, but that’s not what I’m thinking of when I think Rayman!
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September 2nd, 2007 at 5:31 pm
You should play the first rayman, get it on playstation, great music, pretty 2d graphics and great gameplay, IMHO R2 doesnt hold a candl against R1.