Rayman 2: The Great Escape

To say that Rayman 2 impressed me would be a tremendous understatement. About the only blemish the game has is its lack of any multiplayer contests.

This game plays as good as it looks. Rayman himself responds perfectly to the analogue stick and it doesn’t take very long before controlling him becomes second nature, leaving you to focus your attention on the aweinspiring graphics and infinitely interesting environments. In fact, I can say with a clear conscious that Rayman 2 is absolutely THE BEST FORCED PATH 3D PLATFORMER ON ANY SYSTEM TO DATE. PERIOD.

The camera is extremely intelligent, zooming in and panning out where appropriate to give you the best view of proceedings. On the odd occasion where the camera doesn't give a perfect shot of things, the camera buttons make fixing the view very simple. Rare has got a serious rival for the title of N64 3-D adventure game supremo!

From waterskiing, to swimming alongside a whale, to riding a rocket-powered horse, to flying a flaming powder keg, Rayman 2 is full of gameplay surprises. Definitely one of the best platform games I have ever played.

Quite simply, it's a game you have to play if you like playing games. Its combination of old and new school elements make Rayman 2 a breath of fresh air in the flood of titles released this holiday season. Don't miss it.

Rayman 2 is a very traditional platformer that is executed extremely well. Every new level presents a new, clever challenge that will likely leave you saying, "Wow. That's really cool." Banjo-Kazooie has nothing on Rayman here. A deep, rich platformer that must be experienced.

From the unexpected-surprise department comes Rayman 2, an outstanding platformer. [Jan 2004, p.189]

Alone, the vivid colors and lighting effects are incredible, but pop in the expansion pak and Rayman's world comes to life in cartoonishly bright tones. We're treated to a luscious feast of sharp textures, cartoonish and colorful characters, and appealing indoor and outdoor environments. Given the limited capabilities of the N64 version of Rayman 2 compared to its PC counterpart, one simply has to marvel at the results.

While some 2D games suffer from growing pains in the process of moving to the third dimension, Rayman's world has remained tightly focused. The result is a platform game that allows for full three-dimensional movement without being bogged down with excess dead space or find-the-key "puzzles" that seem to haunt other 3D titles.

Despite the overall solid control, Rayman 2 still suffers from one of the original problems with 3D games: the erratic camera. Although it manages to keep up pretty well in wide-open areas, enclosed and semi-enclosed ones frequently cause it to misbehave.