Rayman Origins

Rather old-school in its approach, Rayman Origins still remains a game that fits well with today's standards. Its gorgeous, blessed by an exceptional soundtrack, it's beyond reproach in terms of fine-tuned gameplay, for a 2D platform approach that's super rich, and intense in terms of challenge. As fun and enticing in solo play as it is in multiplayer, it has almost no shortcoming.

Origins' hours of wonderfully crafted entertainment deserve to be seen, to be played, and to be enjoyed by as wide of an audience as possible. Seek this one out.

Every nuance is positively dripping with goofy, heart-swelling joy.

Rayman Origins is a rare breed indeed. In a culture obsessed with realism and violent action and FPS titles it's great to see a major studio take a risk and release an old-school platform game for a next-gen system.

It's a shame Rayman Origins came out during the busiest time of year with all the other huge games now out, as it's sure to be overlooked, but if you love platforming games, pick this up without hesitation.

I had a blast playing Rayman Origins, and it certainly stands out as a game that developers should take notes from if they're aiming to rejuvenate 2D gaming.

The return of Rayman brings forth an excellent 2D platformer full of ideas and content that continuously pleases and excites. Its excellent controls, masterfully designed levels and beautiful presentation place it amidst the top titles of the genre.

In design, graphics, gameplay, and sound, it wins best platformer of this generation, hands down.

Inventive, original, whimsical, and fun as shit. Excepting some minor control hiccups, it's nearly the perfect platformer. If you think for one second that time has passed the platformer by, give Rayman: Origins a chance to prove you dead wrong, because it absolutely will.

It's downright gorgeous and a total blast to play alone or with friends. A truly realized vision at the top of its genre, Rayman Origins is an extravaganza with plenty of action to keep it fresh from start to finish and beyond.

Overall, Rayman Origins goes where very few games have been able to go before and has shown that it is possible to revive a classic and to make it even better. It's excellently developed and is great fun to play from start to finish. Minus a few little problems, Rayman Origins is one of the most underrated games of 2011, which is certainly worth playing through.

Best platformer I've played, experienced and ogled at in a long while.

Rayman Origins is the best platform game for the current generation of consoles. The old fashioned gameplay will be loved by many gamers, and the offline co-op mode is outstanding. Hail Rayman!

If videogames were in a museum, Rayman Origins would probably be the star of the platforming room. This game is an incredible piece of art, recommended for every gamer with no exception. A next-generation platforming game that will take your breath away.

Origins' brilliance is it keeps that simplicity on the surface, but ends up feeling incredibly varied thanks to its level design.

Rayman Origins is a breath of fresh, colourful air to the industry that sadly I think will go largely ignored by the masses. Ubisoft and Michel Ancel have managed to craft something that has clearly had a lot of love and effort gone into it, both presentation wise and gameplay wise.

Rayman Origins signifies a welcome return to form for the hovering hero, presenting a world bursting with charm and adventure. It's a title that really shouldn't be missed, but we have the sneaking suspicion that it'll be overlooked this season amongst the slew of bigger names (the strange selection of levels offered in the demo probably won't help either).

Quotation forthcoming.

Michael Ancel and Ubisoft have created an excellent and highly addictive arcade game. Rayman makes a great first impression due to a diversified gameplay and a truly artistic visual style. It has a unique atmosphere that quickly affects the player - the feeling of being part of a crazy adventure where everything depends on us is constant.

Rayman Origins is the best 2D platformer this year, one of my favourite ever made (it's up there with Yoshi's Island), and the one game out in November everyone should play. I don't care if you've got other games to play – this one will make you feel good inside.

Rayman Origins is a beautiful looking platformer with a wide variety of levels, but is marred slightly by a handful of pacing issues.

Rayman Origins is one of the best 2D platformers of this generation, a masterpiece of a game. It is a showcase for how they should be done, what can be achieved. Progress is balanced, levels are challenging without being unfair and it looks beautiful.

Great level design, glorious visuals, and a fantastic backing track come together to create a very special package indeed.

The game controls perfectly, delivers satisfying platforming and shooting experiences while also featuring underwater stages that are actually fun.

For everyone that had the question in mind about how 2D platforming would have evolved with the current technology and high production values, Rayman Origins it's the perfect answer. Ancel's game is not only a joy to play, but is excellently designed and inmensely creative, all matched with striking visuals that makes us hope UbiArt technology goes far in this industry.

A delight. Superb visuals, varied platforming and a soundtrack to fall in love with.

At a time when games seem to offer a whole lot of everything, Rayman Origins stays focused on pure platforming pleasure, and it delivers. Yes, it can be too tough for some, but we're betting even the more casual players will soon find themselves hopelessly addicted to the finely tuned challenges on offer here.

One of the best platform games of this generation: maybe it lacks Braid's innovation or Outland's challenge level, but it's got a great appeal thanks to an highly inspired artistic audio/visual production and a varied and constantly entertaining gameplay. A little gem that would be a shame to miss.

Rayman Origins is a little-big eye-candy and one of the most engaging and funny 2D platforms ever made.

There's no downside, save an easily-forgiven sense of familiarity and the absence of online co-op. You can't even resort to the usual retro-gaming caveat of high difficulty - the learning curve is perfectly judged, the checkpoints agreeably spaced. This is the year's best platformer without the faintest shadow of a doubt.

Mario just got some stiff competition, and this platforming masterpiece has amazing comic timing that's a joy to play. However, even though the multiplayer modes have been hyped, the experience is far better when played alone.

I adored my experience playing Rayman Origins and I'm certain that anybody with a love for 2D platform games will feel the same. It stands tall in the field as being one of the best of its kind in this console generation and supplies ample hope that there's not only plenty of life still in that genre, but in Rayman as a franchise.

If you like 2D platforming games you can't miss this game. Visually gorgeous and with impeccable gameplay, this is a love letter to platforming games and also a great multiplayer experience for up to four players. Rayman has returned with great strength with a very inspiring title.

A triumphant comeback for the series, Rayman Origins sees the influence of creator Michel Ancel at work once more, and a strong showing for Ubisoft's hand-drawn UbiART Framework, giving the game a unique and stunning style that's entirely its own thing. Rayman Origins is addictive, entertaining and quite possibly the best 2D platformer money can buy on Xbox 360.

For the lone bounder, however, it doesn't get much better than this. [Jan 2012, p.82]

There's a ton of content here; enough that the forced repetition of old levels could have been avoided.

2D platforming is back. [Feb 2012, p.98]

Rayman Origins is a wonderful 2D platformer whose goofy charm will have you smiling all the way through.

With platformers enjoying a big resurgence in the last few years, it makes sense that Rayman: Origins has an anachronistic feel. Challenging levels, mosquito breaks, amusing multiplayer, and a hard-as-nails reward for perfectionists assures its place in the platformer pantheon. It just lacks a little of the sparkle that could've helped battle the fatigue of coaxing out every last lum.

Rayman Origins is an undeniably beautiful game, with vibrant environments and richly defined characters. The graphical fidelity is astounding, even when you scrunch your face against the TV screen. Characters kick up eyelash-sized tufts of grass when they land, and the backgrounds are layered with loads of tiny details.

It's a funny and well developed platform, bestowed with an incredible design. It can fit both the novice and the veteran, yet it won't fully satisfy neither, and this is its biggest drawback, to witch you must consider also the vert short length.

Though far from perfect and using some very standard gameplay mechanics, Rayman Origins is easily one of the best family-friendly games in years.

While there have, and there will continue to be, complaints about not being able to play online and with other people in Rayman Origins, I feel as though this game is best left as an experience between friends and just want to mess around with odd characters in an even stranger, yet beautifully made, world.

The game is fantastic, and the art and music are beyond reproach, but the overall philosophy behind the games organization is just a little too off and it prevents it from being the landmark it could have been.

An addicting platform game that brings a fresh air of the olden days proving how much the gaming environment and the video game industry are constantly changing when compared to genres of the other rival companies. An imaginative and beautiful and witty and dynamical game… what more do we want? Just, for god's sake, can somebody explain to me why there is no internet multiplayer?

It is a game that will make you happy whenever you think back to it, one where frustration is almost immediately replaced by a smile, and most importantly, it's a game that thrives on having fun.

Rayman Origins is absolutely adorable. It's a wonderful gift to those who once set through the nights murdering their joysticks and gamepads with classic 2D platform games. [December 2011, p.76]

Quotation forthcoming.

Rayman Origins is further proof that even in 2011, expertly crafted 2D platformers still have a rightful place in any gamer's collection.

In a world whose sales charts are regularly topped by ever-more-homogenised military shooters and action games, playing Origins feels like stepping into an alternate reality in which the 16bit era evolved by increasing in fidelity, not dimensions.

Rayman Origins has an awful lot to give: it's a passionate tribute to the days when platform games ruled the Earth, but beyond that, it's also one of the best examples of the genre we've had in recent memory.

It doesn't bring much at all new to the table and can feel derivative at times, even old. Also, while rarely unfair as such, that doesn't stop it from being frustrating at times – and the shooter sections, while fun, do feel a bit overplayed.

This gorgeous game takes a little too long to crank up the difficulty for our liking. [Issue#79, p.79]