Review No. 14 Rayman Origins - PS3 (12+)

Strong Points:
Fluid platforming
Lots of characters
Big game (100% completion is hard to get)
Nice music
Good art style

Weak Points:
Storyline is not interesting
Gets a little repetitive
The chest levels are infuriatingly difficult

In-depth Review:

Release Dates:

North America: November 15, 2011

Australia: November 24, 2011

Europe: November 25, 2011

Japan: April 12, 2012

Controls: 

Normal:

Left Analogue Stick: move

R1 Button: sprint (hold)

Square Button: hit/power hit (hold)

X button: jump/fly (hold)

Start: pause

Select (multiplayer only): press once to become a bubble/press twice to leave the game.

Mosquito:

Left Analogue Stick: move

Square Button: inhale (hold)

X Button: fire enemy or projectile (hold to autofire)

Rayman Origins is a game which had high expectations, being a Rayman game and all, and it certainly delivered. With platforming design that rivals Mario (and in some respects beats) and the fluidity of the characters making the game a real treat to play. You can play as Rayman, Globox or a Teensie with costumes for these characters being unlocked as you collect Electoons. You can play in either solo or local multiplayer (2-4 players) with abilities being unlocked as you progress through the story. When you die, you become a bubble which can be popped by another player allowing you to carry on with the game (game over if everyone is a bubble).

You travel across different levels each focusing on a different ability with a mosquito level (where you ride around on a mosquito sucking enemy then shooting them at other enemies or just plain shooting them) near the end of the world. Each world has a nymph or king which you have to rescue. By collecting Electoons (by doing a variety of things from collecting Lums to time trials) you can progress in the story and unlock treasure chest levels which in turn allow you to collect teeth which you can use to unlock the hardest levels of the game 'The Land of the Livid Dead'. 

Conclusion: overall, this is a brilliant game which reinvented Rayman (and rivalled Mario at the same time)! I just can't wait for the sequel.

Rating: 94%

Thanks for reading, Satamer.