Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

Having never played a Rayman game, I wasn’t sure what to expect with Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, though I had heard good things about the series. I’m not exactly sure if Rayman 3 meets and exceeds the previous two games but it turns out to be a solid platformer with some very nice graphics.

Just like the previous Rayman games, you assume the role of Rayman. Hoodlum Havoc begins as Globox swallows the evil Lord of the Dark Lums. The rest of the game is driven by Rayman’s attempts to purge the Dark Lord of the Lums from Globx’s tummy, calming him along the way with vats of plum juice… truly the kind of story any gastrointestinal specialist would have nightmares about.

The adventure sends Rayman on a linear romp through various levels connected by extremely disorientating transition sequences.

The transitions throw Rayman onto a rocketboard and tasks him with jumping from platform to platform while a psychedelic background continually morphs and flashes. It’s a trip! The skips between stages are less dramatic – usually Rayman just drops into the environment, sometimes preceded by a short in-game cutscene.

The levels themselves, although beautifully designed and filled with small touches, use the same approach as Lost Vikings or Much’s Oddysee; meaning that there are very specific events to fulfill before progress is made through the bite-sized stages. It’s not the kind of platforming action found in Banjo-Kazooie or Mario Sunshine, which present huge levels to explore in a non-linear fashion (for the most part). In Rayman 3, exploration is somewhat knee-capped by choosing the linear path. As platformers have become almost synonymous with huge explorable areas, it’s a bit of a let down; however, that doesn’t mean replay suffers.

At the conclusion of each level you’re awarded a five-star ranking. The more stars you earn (by finding secrets, taking out enemies quickly, etc.) the more points you earn at the conclusion of the level. In turn, these points go toward unlocking extra levels. The extra levels are actually mini-games and short time wasters. But back to the five-star ranking. If you think you’ve done a good job of waxing a level in record time and snagged all the secrets but finish the level with a mere two-star rating you can’t help but be a little angry and try the level again.

A bad camera will kill just about any platformer. Rayman 3’s camera is good – most of the time. Sometimes it will flip-flop or the landscape will get in the way and cause disorientation, which can in turn lead to cheap shots from enemies you can’t even see or getting stuck on an object when time is a factor. This is avoided with most boss encounters since the camera will remain static so you can concentrate on winning rather than adjusting the camera. The camera can be manipulated by using the right stick and centered with the right trigger, but when you’re facing down three or more enemies you can’t help be feel completely undone when the action gets intense.

Rayman can target specific enemies with a lock-on feature. Mostly Rayman attacks with his fists but he can also find power-ups that allow him to perform hurricane punches and grappling slings. I didn’t find any problems with the action in Rayman 3 – in fact some of confrontations are downright gripping – but when the camera suddenly whips around and you lose your bearings some face-offs are downright deadly.

As was mentioned, Rayman 3’s graphics are great. They’re packed with tons of color and have a sense of fun about them. The game also has a good snapshot feature that will be little used except for hardcore fans that want a Rayman-themed wallpaper on their computer desktop. Even then, the feature comes in handy when trying to uncover secrets or make a plan of attack.

But is Rayman 3 better than other platformers on the Xbox? Vexx? Blinx: The Time Sweeper? Really it’s the eternal question: Which game should I spend my money on? And the eternal answer: Depends. Rayman 3 continues the Rayman legacy and looks great doing it. Vexx takes its cues from the all-time classic Super Mario 64 in an attitude all its own. Blinx: The Time Sweeper has some pretty cool effects and a big smiling cat. The wimpy answer is, "They’re all special in their own way." One step above is, "Rent ‘em all and figure it out yourself." I’m told that if you’re a fan of Rayman you’ll enjoy yourself, even with the camera’s foibles. The camera and the linear fashion of the levels didn’t make me a Rayman convert but I did have fun – especially with those drug-inspired transition sections. Far out, man! (Come to think of it, Rayman 3 could just be an extended metaphor for tripping on acid – there goes the "E" rating!)

- Omni