From the Sept Nintendo Power:
Michel Ancel on Rayman Raving Rabbids and Wii: “(Wii) It’s so different from the other consoles that we decided to reconsider everything…We believe in the Wii and building gameplay around the controller. So now we are designing Raving Rabbids specifically (It’s an EXCLUSIVE!) for the Wii. It’s not just an adaptation. It’s a very special project, because this is really a revolution for us. Now we have to focus on one version - the Wii version.â€
That cinches it. If Ubi contributes a character to SSBB, it's going to be Rayman.
In the interest of this news, I rented Rayman 3 and I have to say it ain't bad at all.
I have no IDEA how the hell it got an "E" rating because not only are some of the characters making off-color jokes but there's some blatant sexual innuendo to boot. The game is loaded with voices, with every character having something to say, and it's there that you'll find these jokes.
The game is relatively fun, as well, though the plot hangs together a bit on the loose side. It was an all-console release which would explain why it lacks some polish, but there have been a few gameplay segments which make me sit forward on the couch and grin with excitement (like the between level warps were you jump rapidly from track to track on a snowboard and when you take control of a "mech" of sorts and press the A button to stop on enemies).
The camera is pretty loose, as is the control scheme, but overall, it's a pretty fun game thus far. Now that I know a bit more of Rayman's story and his abilities, I wouldn't mind seeing him in SSBB, especially if Ubi is willing to make Rabids a Wii exclusive.
Rayman has always seemed like a background mascot to me: I never knew much about him, only that he was kinda "there". Now that I've tried one of his games, he seems like he'd fit right into SSBB and he'd likely give SSB fans more of a reason to pick up Rabids (which I'm guessing will be quite good as well).
I have more faith in games which are single console. Aside from the fact that Rabids being designed for the Wii will no doubt control better overall, I've never seen a game be all console and not have it's quality suffer from it somewhat. It's only logical: having to spread your resources over three different architectures cannot help but divert resources from polishing the game.
It's this lack of polish I see in Rayman 3. Not only would Rabids likely be better graphically if it's exclusive, but I'm betting we'll see an overall better quality to the game.
Also, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the inclusion of Rayman in SSBB which would push Ansel and Ubi over the edge when it came to making it a Wii exclusive. Nintendo knew that adding Marth and Roy to SSBM would garner interest in FE in the states (and it did).
I should have seen this coming, honestly. Not too long ago, I was pointing out that Nintendo is making more of an effort to reach out to 3rd parties when it comes to supporting their consoles, with Iwata being the diplomat that he is. At E3 press conferences past, it would have been highly unlikely that Nintendo would have a 3rd party (Ubi) up on stage presenting a game.
No doubt, putting Rayman into SSBB would have enough of an effect that hardcore Nintendo fans would be more likely to pick up Rabids. It's kind of Nintendo's way of saying "These guys are our friends, too. Try their games." and continues to bolster 3rd party support on the Wii.