Gameplay

Rayman 3 is fundamentally like every other platformer out there. You've got your hero (Rayman) running around and bouncing off of bad guys, collecting goodies and solving simple puzzles. What sets Rayman 3 apart from the rest of its ilk are the intermission levels, which feel a lot like mini-games. While mini-games seem to be all the rage in next-generation titles, they frequently throw the pace off and make the whole game seem disjointed. Not so with Rayman 3, as Ubi makes each intermission level/mini-game feel like a full level unto itself, which ties together the larger levels of the game and makes for a nice break from the standard "bounce, bounce, find jewels, defeat boss" gameplay. Mind you, this game isn't without it’s own amount of repetitive gameplay, but the mini-games do a great job of breaking up the platforming monotony.

The story behind Rayman 3 is your classic "buddy" story gone wrong. It all starts when Rayman’s pal Globox accidentally swallows the Lord of the Dark Lums. Globox is a cheerful goofball and a good buddy to Rayman, but now that he’s got the Dark Lord swimming around inside him, he’s starting to act a little peculiar. So it’s up to Rayman to save the day by finding a way to get the Lord of the Dark Lums out of Globox, and beat up some Dark Lums along the way.

Rayman 3 is a platformer at heart, which means each level comes with an objective such as safely navigating a level, beating up certain bad guys, finding special items or a combination of all of these. It’s not terribly original in this aspect, but Ubi did a nice job making the levels challenging enough to maintain your interest without having you pulling your hair out from spending too much time trying to find "one more stinking jewel."

As Rayman moves through the levels, he'll be attacked by Hoodlums, which are Dark Lums in disguise. Their attacks, while varied, are simple enough for you to avoid once you figure out the rhythm. It’s fairly rare that you'll die in this game, though you may need to boost your health from those moments when you do slip up. Red Lums, which you'll find throughout the game, will heal you a little for each one you collect. Along the way, Rayman will encounter various power ups, most of which are power suits, such as the one that gives you the ability to swing between rings, thus saving you from jumping across multiple platforms to clear a level. Other power suits allow you to throw tornadoes or smash through difficult obstacles, both of which are required items if you hope to finish the levels they are found in.

Intermission levels, which play like mini-games, significantly boost the gameplay. Everything from bumper cars to psychedelic space surfing are offered up as a diversion from the standard fare, and while they cause the game to feel a bit disjointed at first, they get to be pretty fun as the game progresses. I will admit that there are times when you'll scratch your head and wonder whether the developers suffered from ADD or just wanted to create something truly bizarre, but overall, you'll enjoy these short diversions from the "jump and bounce" platforming fare.

Graphics

Rayman 3 is a very good-looking game for the PlayStation 2. With gobs of bright color and fluid animation, it becomes a feast for the eyes while restraining itself from being overly distracting. Ubi did an excellent job cutting down the amount of aliasing you'll see in the game, especially considering each character has some serious curves in its design. You'll rarely see any clipping, and when you do, it’s for just a split second.

The characters and levels in Rayman 3 are really unique. Above all, you've got Rayman, the lead character, who is just a head and body with some hands and feet floating around him. This leads to some interesting motion to watch as the disconnected hands and feet bounce in time with the rest of Rayman’s motion. The standard Dark Lum isn't much to look at, just some fuzz with a face and arms, but the Hoodlums, their enhanced forms, are well done, with nice detailing and fluid movement. The level environments are excellent, filled with tons of colors and unique objects. Their only weakness is a noticeable lack of texturing, which doesn't take too much away from the game, but would have been a nice addition.

Sound

Now we're talking! When Groove Armada is providing the beats, your soundtrack is bound to rock, and rock it does in Rayman 3. If you don't catch yourself humming along or tapping your feet to the beat of this game, you must be immune to groovy beats! There are times where the soundtrack actually carries this game, especially when you hit another "bounce and jump" level.

Game sounds are your standard fare for a game of this genre, while the voice acting is top notch. It’s tough to beat John Lequizamo as the voice of goofball Globox, and the rest of the voice cast puts forth a heck of an effort. Globox really steals the show with some hilarious commentary that will keep you chuckling during and after a level loads. The only voice work that’s lacking is Rayman’s! He rarely speaks, and when he does, it’s for only a brief moment, which is odd since he’s the main character. The rest of the voice cast does great work here, and the scriptwriters did a fine job bringing each character to life with a repertoire of funny one-liners and frequently biting sarcasm. I have to say, if you don't want your kids to become a smart-Alec type, you might have to keep them away from this game since it’s pretty rare there’s anything in here you'd want your kids to repeat. Oh, for a really good laugh, have Rayman punch Globox a few times, Globox's comments are hilarious.

Replayability

Here’s the downside of pretty much any platformer, the limited replay value. Sure, you can spend hours getting through the game, and Rayman 3 is no exception to that sort of "compelling value," but once you're done, well, you're done. Unless you really want to go back through all the levels of the game and try to find every jewel and powerup, there’s little reason to come back to Rayman 3, except maybe to hear more commentary or unlock the extra mini-games. Getting to the end of this game will take you about 10-15 hours, which means you'll still get your money’s worth, even if you don't ever play it again.

Overall

The first time I played Rayman 3 it was on the Game Boy Advance, and I thought it was a pretty fun little game. Little did I realize the full-blown console version was going to be so much more so. While the mini-game intermissions can lend a feeling of "too much too fast" at times, the game as a whole gels nicely, creating one of the most enjoyable platformers around. It may not be the caliber of Ratchet and Clank, but it’s still a darned fine romp through platformer-land. This one’s a "buy" in my book.