Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Nintendo DS) Review

Alright, let’s get the obligatory scene-setting guff out the way before we begin. Just as its predecessor did, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 focuses on the loveable/nauseating Rabbids, an excitable rabbit-like race of creatures from the Rayman universe. In this instalment the Rabbids have discovered Earth and are causing havoc here, there and everywhere. As such, Rayman – who you never really see in the game itself – takes it upon himself to monitor the little rascals and report on their wrongdoings. Players must proceed to explore six continents and expose the shenanigans therein. These, funnily enough, take the form of mini-games and create the bulk of the game. But are they worth your time?

The short answer is “barely.” Each continent features six mini-games, making for a total of 36 mini-games (you can do the math for yourself if you don’t believe us), but not all of these are entirely unique. For example, the final mini-game for each area is a simplistic rhythm-based, Elite Beat Agents-esque affair. The format of each of these is the same: a band of Rabbids attempt to cover an old ‘classic’, such as the infinitely catchy ‘Funkytown’ and you must tap the screen at appropriate moments to help them do so. Only the song changes with each round, which sort of knocks our previous tally of mini-games down by five before we even get started. Thankfully, it’s one of the more entertaining endeavours you will be exposed to, so we can’t really complain.

The rest of the mini-games range from piss-poor right through to mildly enjoyable, but none really manage to push any further. The less enjoyable events mostly fall into two categories: spasm-inducing touch-screen scrawling and microphone-reliant shouting matches. The former challenges players to drag their stylus across the screen at ridiculous speeds, often resulting in painful cramps, whilst the second challenges them to scream at the DS, often resulting in a soar throat. Whilst the latter can be avoided with a healthy dose of blowing, it’s still not fun, and it’s certainly not something you’re going to want to try in public, nor is it something you will probably want to repeat. Most of the other mini-games are less offensive, but they still feel uninspired. If you’ve played Project Rub, Wario Ware and/or the recent Mario Party DS, you will have already experienced most of what’s on offer here, just without the wacky Rabbids screaming at you.

In terms of presentation, Raving Rabbids 2 sets the bar somewhat higher than its predecessor. The visuals won’t blow your mind, but they won’t burn your eyes either. 3D character models and environments are decent enough, and the variety of locations and objects keeps things visually interesting. Indeed, the entire game is soaked in the aura of the Rabbids – it’s brash, over the top, and downright wacky. The aforementioned Rabbid cover-songs and their Chipmunk-esque vocals are the perfect example of that. But, for all its craziness, the game itself feels surprisingly mundane. Whilst some of the scenarios are interesting and often funny – for example, having to create as much noise as possible in a cinema by using the microphone and tapping cell-phone buttons on the touch screen – the end result – having to exhale until you’re blue in the face and mindlessly tapping away – leaves rather a lot to be desired.

In terms of extras, Ubisoft offers a few different ways to approach the various mini-games. We’ve already discussed the core solo campaign, but there is also a score mode, which offers bronze, silver and gold medals to players who can beat certain scores. Those who are able to obtain these can unlock additional items – such as clothes and accessories - to customise their Rabbid with. These customisations then appear in-game, and allow players to differentiate between their own Rabbid and any others on screen. Whilst it’s not a feature that will appeal to most gamers over the age of ten, it does help separate on-screen personas in the multiplayer mode, which we will discuss now. You see, Raving Rabbids 2 does support both single- and multi-card play, but unfortunately the former is completely crippled by a lacklustre mini-game selection and appalling loading times. And whilst the latter does make certain games more enjoyable – particularly those that have been clearly designed with multiplayer in mind – it can’t make the worst mini-games any less dull than they already are.