Rayman DS (Nintendo DS) Preview

That is of course a little harsh, as this isn't just Rayman 2: the Great Escape on the DS with absolutely no extras. The new multiplayer mode that takes place in 2D and supports download play (So you only require one game cartridge for four people to play) has been given some new elements to it to benefit a repurchase of this game.

However many may be confused as to why Rayman has no limbs. The answer to this is unknown to all, although maybe it was to cut corners on development time, but nonetheless, Rayman is the hero who is set to take on Captain Razorbeard's evil pirate forces and free the good people who the captain has enslaved. The game begins with Rayman locked away in a cell, however thanks to convenient pot (Or plot cross out where necessary) hole, both he and the huge blue Globox manage to escape imprisonment and become the world's last hope.

Sadly Rayman DS falls into the trap of not using the second screen at all, (However by no means is it not an obligation to always use the second screen) simply placing the health bar, Lum tallies, prisoners freed, and a blue vortex graphic onto the touch screen. Which all in all, feels like a bit of a cop out and leaves the top screen to show all the gameplay. Although like Super Mario 64 DS, the bottom screen can also be used to control the camera which has plagued many a platformer over the years.

The 45 levels on offer vary from the usual mix of deep underwater worlds, forests full of cascading waterfalls and pirate hideouts, which will require some Splinter Cell skills to take out. The characters themselves still retain the usual definition, whether it is Murphy's amazing large grin, or Rayman's pretty huge nose. The character voices will remain in the Banjo-Kazooie scheme of thinking with strange honking and noises replacing actual words, but really it isn't Rayman without it.