As much as we bang on about unoriginal platform games, it's actually pretty difficult for any new game to offer the kind of leap that made our jaws drop the first time Mario went from two dimensions to three. And even Mr Miyamoto concedes that Mario Sunshine couldn't offer the revolution many were anticipating.
Maybe all we can expect is old ideas presented in a spunky-funky new way. If that's true, then Rayman 3 qualifies as one of the saltiest new platformers around.
The first thing you'll notice is the visual splendour of your surroundings. Think Disney, but with a French twist - like a Big Mac with a side portion of frogs' legs. Yum. The game contains very few, if any, visual rough spots and if you want, you can take pictures of the action using the camera stick and marvel at them later.
FORMULAIC FUN While the wondrous visuals may surprise, the gameplay is more standard fare. The levels are fairly linear, with a few secrets hidden here and there, using a familiar formula throughout. Rescue the big-nosed wizards in one area - they give you a new power-up that you can then use to backtrack for secrets - before advancing ever onwards.
The formula is broken up between levels by racing, sky surfing, and flying sections. It's all very simple and easy to get stuck into right from the start, but isn't quite as clever as Ape Escape 2 and doesn't have quite as many off-the-wall moments as Mario's latest game. But then, this looks about a zillion times prettier than either of those.
SCORE WITH A FRENCHMAN It's not totally derivative and there are a few neat features to spice up the gameplay. While you play you'll notice that as your score increases, messages pop up telling you that you've unlocked bonuses. These come in the form of sub-games that you can access from the pause menu, a certain amount of which are exclusive to the GameCube version. Cube has the excellent Connectivity mini-games too (see Make Some Connections box).
GBA link-up aside, like other recent platform games, Rayman 3 is not a revolution in game design. However, it is challenging, polished and satisfying to play, and probably as good as it gets for now.
Rayman now has the choice of five new power-ups to help him in his colourful quest. Look out for coloured cans with smiley faces on them. The powers range from the Tornado Punch, used to wind down certain platforms and do double damage to enemies, through to the ability to turn Rayman into a rocket to destroy obstacles.
Ever wanted to turn into a rocket? No? Oh
Perfect for you people who like punching things hard
Make like an all-powerful tornado and spin away on it
// Make Some Connections
Hook up a Game Boy Advance or two to your GameCube and you can play this clever cooperative Rayman-Tetris racing hybrid. The GBA player builds tracks with the Tetris-style interface and the Cube player races as Rayman in a big shoe, while the track is built before their eyes by the GBA player. Beat your rival to the finish line to win! Great fun. What's more, if you have GBA Rayman 3 as well, you can download levels to your GBA cart from your GC! Can you say "kitchen sink"?
And we’re driving a shoe! That’s your cue to emit a loud, effeminate squeal, by the way
Look! We’re racing and our friend is making the track. How good of him
Play against people who can’t match shapes and you’re on a winning streak
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