Game Review: Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii)
Overview: Since we first heard of the Wii (or "Revolution" in those days. Ahhh, those days) Ubisoft has praised Nintendo for creating a developer's dream system. They went nuts; developing games exclusively for the console, including a new Rayman title - this time breaking away from the platform norm and focusing on Wario Ware-style minigames. The thing that set the game apart from the multitude of copycat minigame titles, however, was the art style. Rayman Raving Rabbids features insane looking rabbit... things... with beady eyes, no nose and two teeth. Completely creepy and extremely hilarious, the Rabbids won me over instantly. I knew that any game being created by a developer so completely ecstatic to actually develop had to be worthwhile. Being one of almost 30 games at the Wii launch, is Rayman Raving Rabbids doomed for the Best Buy discount bin? Or will it get noticed by the drooling masses and sell like Wii-disk shaped hotcakes? Click past the jump for my full review. And hotcakes.
Funness: The Wii is a fun console, there's no doubt about that. Too often it seems the fun is relegated to multiplayer games such as Wii Sports but Rayman shows that is not the case. Whether you are swinging cows around, tossing them into graveyards, dancing to the beat of Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun or shooting bunnies in the face with a plunger, single player story mode is just plain excellent. The plot is simple and unobtrusive, and thankfully Ubisoft included the ability to skip cutscenes making the gameplay super fast. Rayman Raving Rabbids just throws you into the ring and tells you to figure it out. Lucky for you each game has a very cleverly animated rabbid with a Wii remote showing you how to control it. Not only are the minigames fun, they are genuinely funny. Just watching the Rabbids do their... rabbit... thing... is hilarious. Seeing the effort and care Ubisoft put into the game is half the fun, something that other games (cough Zelda Twilight Princess cough) are sorely lacking.
The minigames range from rhythm games to simple Wario Ware style button mashers (or in this case, controller shakers), whac-a-mole games to my favorite, the on-rails shooter levels. It's the little things that I love the most, like the title of one of the shooter levels: "bunnies sometimes recycle the scenery from other games". Sometimes little secret agent bunnies leap down at you, wearing Splinter Cell-style night vision masks, yelling at you and brandishing a hot dog. Aiming with the Wii remote feels just as natural (if not more natural) as using a computer mouse. The variety of games is strong and always leaves you wanting more.
Shininess: As far as Wii launch titles go, Rayman is the most graphically pleasing. There is an actual art style to the world that is instantly recognizable. It is sort of a mashup of Tim Burton with a splash of Jhonen Vasquez and a sprinkling of Rare's Banjo Kazooie. The Rabbids, as I mentioned before, are incredibly weird and cleverly designed. Their faces are expressive, in fact, most of the humor lies in their interactions with each other. They are strangely primal, cannibalistic and mean to each other. Which is awesome. The music is largely forgettable, save for the licensed rhythm mini-games featuring songs like Miserlou by Dick Dale (you know, the Pulp Fiction song?). The sound effects are perfect, especially the Rabbid's yelling. Tons of humor lies in them just yelling at you.
Worthiness: Rayman Raving Rabbids is one of those games you just have to have to show off to friends. It is so bizarre, fun and easy to pick up and play. If you enjoy titles like Wario Ware and Mario Party, Rayman is for you. Don't expect your typical platformer, however, because you'll be disappointed. Rayman doesn't claim to be anything it isn't. It's just good, clean fun with a hilarious horde of weird rabbit things with shifty eyes constantly yelling at you. What's not to like? If that's not enough to convince you, I spent more consecutive time playing Rayman for the first time than I spent playing Zelda Twilight Princess. Good enough? Good. Go grab it.
Score: 3/5 Buy it!
What say you?!