Topic: IMPRESSIONS: Rayman Raving Rabbids

[Pale]

Do they have rabies or what?

Raving Rabbids is definitely not your standard Rayman game.  There isn't any consistent platforming in the entire game.  Instead players will enjoy 75 different mini games.  Developers did make it known that some of the 75 games would just be variations of each other (such as different levels or degrees of complexity).  The mini games will also vary fairly drastically in scope as well.  Some could easily be independent games of their own while others may fit well in a game like Wario Ware.    

The single player mode will play out as a series of tasks Rayman must complete in order to please the Rabbids.  These tasks are the mini games.  Once completed, each mini game can be played at will from the main menu.  Some of them will also feature multiplayer modes.  There were seven games on hand at the press event...    

• Cow Milking - Players hold the remote and the nunchuck as if they were the utters of a cow.  You then quickly move them up and down to simulate the milking motion.  The goal is to fill the bucket as fast as possible.  It can get extremely tiring.  This game had a two player mode as well.
   




• Cow Toss - The objective is to throw a cow as far as you can.  It is very similar to most shot put simulations, only replace the shot put with a cow on a chain.  You swing the remote like you would a lasso and then hit the button at the correct time so that the cow flies in the correct direction.  It wasn't hard to swing the cow at an incredible rate, but pressing the button at the right time was near impossible when it was going that fast.
   




• Close the Outhouse - Here you simply use the pointer feature of the remote to slam outhouse doors closed as fast as possible.  Inside each outhouse is a Rabbid.  It's a very strange idea.  If you don't close it fast enough you get shot with a plunger.  It was fun in small doses.
   




• Singing Rabbids Memory Game - This game was your standard Simon style memory game.  Four rabbids are on the screen and they sing in a random order.  You must use the pointer to click them in the same order afterwards.  This one could definitely make for some entertaining high score runs.
   




• Dancing Rhythm Game - In this game you use the nunchuck and the remote in a drumstick like motion.  Rayman (or whichever character is selected) stands in the center of a stage.  Rabbids come out from either side and approach him.  At the precise time they arrive you much swing the corresponding part of the remote.  The song used in the demo was “Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper.  It was fun but somewhat hard due to the techno beat that was being played in the room.  There was a two player mode for this game as well.
   




• Carrot Juice Bartender - The goal of this game is to fill up the rabbids' goggles with carrot juice before they reach the bar.  This is done in a first person view.  The pointer is used to aim the carrot juice while the nunchuck is used to pump.  Depending on how fast you move the nunchuck up and down the flow of juice will increase and decrease.  The feedback was very satisfying and realistic.
   




• Western Plunger Shooter - This was probably the most extensive mini game shown off.  It plays out as an on rails shooter.  As you approach different areas you must use the pointer feature of the remote to shoot rabbids before they attack you.  Incoming plungers can even be shot out of the air.  In order to reload your plunger gun you simply shake the nunchuck attachment.  The experience is enough fun that it could easily be fleshed out into an entire game of its own.  It had a great shooting gallery feel.  Depending on what objects you may shoot besides the rabbids, different things would happen.  This was easily the most entertaining mini game shown.

   

It's important to understand that Raving Rabbids will not be your standard Rayman game.  Those who were expecting a classic platformer may be disappointed, but that doesn't mean this game isn't any fun.

[Kairon]

Quote
Originally posted by: PGC NewsBot
It's important to understand that Raving Rabbids will not be your standard Rayman game.

Ok, we get it. It's a party game/mini-game collection.

Quote
... but that doesn't mean this game isn't any fun.

Okay... but was it fun?

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com  

[Pale]

Hah, yeah, it was fun.

[Nick DiMola]

I'm a little disappointed it isn't a standard Rayman platformer. I'm worried alot of Wii games are going to be this way, the minigame syndrome, because it is fitting with the controller. I guess we will see how it turns out. But on a more positive note, from the gameplay videos I've seen it looks like a fun game.  

[Ceric]

Rayman Raving Rabids = Feel the Magic

[Jome20]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ceric
Rayman Raving Rabids = Feel the Magic

That's good news in my opinion.  Although Feel the Magic may not be that long of a game or very deep it's a complete blast to play through.

Mr. Jack, you have an interesting point regarding the controller being used mainly for min-games and games that don't provide a whole lot of depth.  I've thought about this as well.  But I honestly wouldn't worry too much.

If you look at the DS it basically started off the exact same way.  A lot of launch games were just a lot of mini-games and didn't have a ton of depth to their gameplay.  When we are given a completely brand new approach to playing games with the DS and soon with the Wii, well the developers are given new ways to MAKE the games.  And at first they probably don't know exactly what to do or what to expect from the system.  What the system can truly pull off, etc.  But as we've seen with the DS, after the developers have a little time with the system they can really create some really amazing stuff.  

Metroid Prime Hunters and Star Fox Command certainly aren't just a bunch of mini-games or a sparkling innovation.

I believe the exact same thing will happen with the Wii.  It'll start off with it's fair share of mini-game or sparkling innovationy games, but after 6 months or a year we will really start to see some very impressive stuff.

I'll definitely be following Rayman Raving Rabbids to see how it eventually turns out.  I'm still figuring out which games I want for launch and this one could be a real fun multiplayer game to pick up.

[Hostile Creation]

Good thing I didn't have any interest in it anyway
Seriously, Wii has what, four mini-game games coming out for it already?  I might get one of those (WiiSports packed in lol).

I do want to play the cow-milking game, though.  Morbid curiosity, I suppose.

[UltimatePartyBear]

Was this game originally going to be a platformer?  The first screenshot with the gigantic spider made it look like it was.

[Viewtiful mario]

It was ment to be a platformer but when ubisoft got the dev kit they had so many ideas that hey felt a common platformer was too limiting.

I'm a bit nervous about you comments on the Dancing Rhythm Game, Close the Outhouse, and Cow Toss.  Are they still fun or do the bad outwegh the good.

And on a side note: the people behind this game are the ones behind Beond Good and Evil and King Kong (see licence game that doasn't suck)  

[IceCold]

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And on a side note: the people behind this game are the ones behind Beond Good and Evil and King Kong (see licence games that don't suck)

So you're saying that BG&E was based on Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical book?

[Viewtiful mario]

no I was talking about king kong, grammer is something I'm very bad at.

[WuTangTurtle]

If the game is nearly as fun as it is funny im sold.  I'm curious as how PS3 version and 360 version will fair, the wii version is obviously the superior version.  I should force some buddies to play this game and make it a drinking game, for every plunger in the face you have to take a shot.

.....Alcohol are for adults, drink responsibly.  LOL maybe Nintendo should have a warning screen saying "Warning playing video games and drinking can produce harm to self and others"

[Ceric]

PS3 and 360 will strip the minigames and be hard core platforming.  I can see it.  It will got right next to the Sonic Game on the shelfs.

[Smoke39]

I was expecting a platformer, and it's hard for me to get too excited about a minigame collection.  The on rails western shooter sounds fun, though.

[TheYoungerPlumber]

Agreed.  I want a good new Rayman platformer.  Don't worry about minigame syndrome, it happend near the DS launch, too.

[Svevan]

If the minigames are deep enough and offer variety, humor, and the graphical quality we see in screens (UBISOFT SCREENSHOT PHOTOSHOP ALERT), then I'm sold.

[Aussie Ben PGC]

Quote
Originally posted by: TheYoungerPlumber
Agreed.  I want a good new Rayman platformer.  Don't worry about minigame syndrome, it happend near the DS launch, too.

You'll probably be wanting the GBA version then, it's looking pretty damn sweet.  I hope it's by the guys that made Rayman 3 GBA, that was incredibly addictive.

[KDR_11k]

Rayman looks like he's smoldering with generic rage there. He always looked much happier in the original RM.

[Viewtiful mario]

Usualy GBA ports of console games just arn't the same as the console ports.  And the PS3/360  versions can't be platformers because that would mean they would have to make a compleatly new game.

[KDR_11k]

There are no PS3 or X36 versions.

Not all GBA versions suck, I've bought PoPSoT for the GBA because it was cheap and it's a decent game and difficult as hell.

[Aussie Ben PGC]

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
Rayman looks like he's smoldering with generic rage there. He always looked much happier in the original RM.

Don't worry, he still smiles.

[Michael8983]

I think this will be a much more compex set of mini-games than we're used to.
Basically you've got your Warioware which is more of less nothing but random mini-games, then something like Feel The Magic with small samplings of a story told by simple art panels leading into the mini-games.  Rayman looks like the next step. Sure the mini-games may appear as random and pointess as those in Warioware in this context but in the actual game I think they'll make more sense. They're going to be part of a larger adventure to rid the world of those damn rabbids. I think it will be feel less like a set of mini-games and more like an adventure game with a constantly changing control scheme.

[Smoke39]

Isn't the story something like "win minigames to gain popularity to save the world" though?

[Michael8983]

"Isn't the story something like "win minigames to gain popularity to save the world" though?"

The impressions are kind of confusing. It says Rayman must complete tasks to "please the rabbids" but one of the mini-games involves SHOOTING THEM and we've already seen from previous videos that there is going to be a lot of rabbid ass kicking in the game.
My guess is a few of the odd mini-games like cow milking/tossing are early in the game before Rayman gives up on the diplomatic approach and goes for all out war with the furry b*tches.  

[KDR_11k]

I think he's on a game show and the rabbids are taking the roles of the enemies (you know, people whose job it is to make the contestants fail the discipline as seen in Takeshi's Castle or American Gladiators).