Random sightings from E3 2002.

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Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

Mario Sunshine

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

E3 2002: Best Platform Games

by Doug Flowe

Most gamers (young and old) got into gaming through the platform genre -- where jumping from point A to point B while avoiding hammer-throwing turtles was much more important than stealth. Doug points out three games at this years E3 that can be grouped under Best Platform Games.

Game: Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (Ubisoft)

Platform: GameCube / Playstation 2

ETA: Fall 2002

In all the hustle and bustle of the show, much like the years of Playstation 1, the follow-up to one of the greatest sleeper hits of all time was once again slept on. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is looking mighty fine on the Gamecube and PS2 – a considerable upgrade from the Dreamcast and PS2 Revolution versions of Rayman 2 promising the same enticing and interesting game play from before. The screens were beautiful, throwing in more enemies than in previous games. New features will include a power fist, super helicopter and a grapple move. For those that missed Rayman the first two times, this is an essential education in what happens when 3D platform gaming goes right.

Game: Super Mario Sunshine

Platform: GameCube

ETA: August 2002

As was expected, Super Mario Sunshine shone through like a ray of sunlight through the dark cloud of mystery it’s been shrouded in since its announcement. So many questions were answered and the game looks beautiful and solid. First off, that thing on his back is a water device – unlike Luigi’s vacuum, Mario’s backpack holds and sprays water for various uses. He can use it like a jetpack to hover and fly or as a weapon or to clear his path among other uses.

Also, thankfully, this time Mario comes backed by a realistic story adding more dimension to the plumber who seems to have endless hours to battle mushrooms and dragons. This time he went away for vacation but someone is framing him for vandalism around the island resort. Mario sets out to restore peace around the island and clean up the mess being made.

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The water physics were exquisite along with all of the visuals in the game but there wasn’t much variety in the levels shown at E3. They all took place on the beach or somewhere around the resort town leaving much to the imagination. Either way, it’s hard not to feel the anxiety of the long wait – even though it’s scheduled for August 26, I wouldn’t count on it being ready by then.

Game: Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (SONY)

Platform: Playstation2

ETA: Fall 2002

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Take a copy of Metal Gear Solid 2 and Rayman 2, chew them up and spit them out. Physically you’ll be out of $100 and your mouth will be full of plastic but theoretically you’d have Sly Cooper and the Theivius Raccoonus. With beautifully cel-shaded cartoonish graphics, Sucker Punch and Sony are doing what logic dictates should have been done a long time ago – melding the best elements of stealth gaming with the sheer simplicity of platforming. The demo I played suffered from slowdown when things picked up and the camera needed some work as it gets caught on walls when you pan it around. But the environments were lush and believable and in the short amount of time I’ve played an optimistic amount of unique game play elements popped up.

Voice acting sequences are played out much like MGS2 – with remote speaking devices, the heads in the boxes and the same “right in the middle of infiltration” smart-mouthed wit. Sly’s voice actually sounds a lot like Snake and his aide sounds like Otacon. You can even move their heads in the window by pressing the analog stick in any direction. Sly uses binoculars that zoom in and out much like in MGS2 also. He runs and sneaks like a bandit and by pressing the O button he hides behind objects or climbs pipes and ladders. My favorite part of the demo was when he needed to cross an area guarded by automatic dart shooters. Sly climbs in a barrel and walks across while darts speckle the sides. The barrel is also used to hide from enemies and cross patrol lights undetected.

As for the Rayman comparison, the game seemed to have the same smooth, intelligent feel as the Rayman series. The music doesn’t interrupt much in the game play, it serves to modify. The environments are dark and affected very much by the lighting built into the levels. I’m hoping the rest of the game will have the same thoughtful approach as the playable level. If so, we might be looking at the next big sleeper hit.


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