Rayman 2: Oldies But Goldies

I have no idea how or when Rayman first appeared, but I know for a fact I saw him show up in a 2d platformer that, though I loved, always thought was too hard for me.

Then came Rayman 2, full 3D graphics, a whacky story and some very intense platforming and I was hookek. Rayman 2 offers a fully 3d world, a fun story, interesting level design, some nice swinging designs and a surprisingly great sense of speed, and the usual tough platforming of the Playstation era.

The game's visuals are surprisingly great. One of the strengths Rayman has is that due to the fact that it is cartoony with whacky designs to begin with, the old school graphics do it justice. Since the designs and levels are bizarre to begin with, the blocky graphics of the Playstation era do not seem as outdated as they would in other games.

With interesting designs to begin with, colorful environments and a surprisingly fluid gameplay, this is a very good looking game. In addition there are a few levels in which you have to move fast, either by swinging from some rings or straight up surfing on some energy currents or whatever, and the feeling of speed the graphics and game deliver was, for me, never before seen in non-racing games.

The sound and music are nothing as memorable and intense as some other games of the era, like Croc, Crash or Metal Gear. However, the sound effects and systems are way above average, and the music, though not one of my favorite scores, maintains the general feel of the game, tying it in to the gameplay perfectly.

With a humorous approach and funny noises thrown in the mix, Rayman 2 is a game that is a blast both to watch and listen to

The best part of this game, hands down. Interesting platformers, actually awesome combat, varied puzzles, multiple locations to explore, this game is truly one of the hidden greats of the playstation era!

You want minigames? it has minigames. You want collectibles? you get collectibles, you want awesome platforming? it has awesome platforming! You want engaging combat? Guess what? It has engaging combat!

I was super excited to write about Rayman 2 today as I remember having an incredibly good time playing it growing up. That said however, I really realize how this game managed to not be among the better known games out there. There really is not much to say about it. It is a genuinely fun, evenly spread out game that offers a challenging, fair, fun and unique experience. But aside from that, it has nothing supreme going on about it either. It is not as unique and vibrant as Spyro, not whacky and hard as Crash, not the epic of Metal Gear.

It is just...Rayman 2. Fun, funny, interesting and simple.