Publisher: Ubi Soft
Ages: seven and up.
Parental
Advisory:
Arcade violence
Rayman, that popular gaming hero with hands and feet, but no arms and legs, and hair that doubles as helicopter blades, is back. Ubi Soft's Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc effectively resurrects the beloved character and offers a challenging and fun platform title.
It seems that Rayman's trusty sidekick Globox accidentally swallows the Lord of the Dark Lums. As a result, Rayman has to face the Hoodlums, a bumbling yet deadly army that's bent on recovering their leader and overtaking the land. Rayman's only chance? He has to find a cure for the manic Globox, scour the land for new powers, and win the allegiance of a fierce warrior tribe known as the Knaaren.
As you would expect, kids get to dive into battle with the fanatic Hoodlum Army, as well as against hordes of outlandish creatures and bosses. As platform games go, Rayman is an excellent one. The game's designers offer a creative and intriguing world that lets Rayman climb, leap, glide (using his helicopter hair), run and more. Along with simply surviving each level, our hero has to collect lums, free his friends from cages, and take out his enemies. The game is challenging, addicting and entertaining.
Rayman 3 emphasizes fighting a bit more than in past outings, and Rayman himself is better equipped for battle. He can strafe, throw different punches, including a curved punch, and lock onto the enemy. The game offers energy canisters that give Rayman capabilities such as metal fists, grappling hands, a special punch, upward helicopter lift and more. As before, Rayman is a versatile little guy and the gamemakers give him opportunities to ride energy beams, outrun lava, pilot a spaceship and more. There are also clever mini-games.
The graphics are excellent. As a platform game, the title does feature violence, but it's bloodless and mostly harmless.
In all, kids will love Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc as it offers a first rate platform game, and an offbeat character and world that is challenging and fun. It's definitely worth the look.
5/7/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
