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Rayman M

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Rayman M
European box art
Developer(s)Ubi Pictures
Ubi Soft Milan
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Director(s)Arnaud Carrette
Riccardo Lenzi
Producer(s)Sylvain Constantin
Designer(s)Philippe Blanchet
Benoit Macon
Davide Soliani
Programmer(s)François Mahieu
Artist(s)Jean-Marc Geffroy
Composer(s)Claude Samard
SeriesRayman
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Windows
Xbox
GameCube
Release
  • EU: 30 November 2001
  • NA: 24 September 2002
Genre(s)Party, racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Rayman M, known in North America as Rayman Arena, is a party video game developed and published by Ubisoft. A spin-off of the Rayman series, it features two modes in which players control one of eighteen characters.

Rayman M was released in Europe for the PlayStation 2 and Windows and in North America for the GameCube and Xbox. A remake known as Rayman Rush was released for the PlayStation in 2002. Rayman M received mixed reviews from critics, commenting on the game's lack of originality, with Nintendo World Report stating that some have labeled it as a Mario Party-style game. Its remake was criticised for not meeting the original game's quality.

Gameplay

Globox and Rayman in racing mode

Rayman M contains two modes: racing and battle. Both incorporate platformer elements.[1] In racing mode, the player races a computer player for three laps while avoiding twelve different obstacles.[1][2] Battle mode features two playstyles: Freeze Fight, where four players have to collect as many "lums" within three minutes by shooting their opponents, and Total Fight, where players can use an unlimited number of ice bullets to freeze opponents while collecting lums.[3][4]

Players can jump, glide, strafe, fire, and flip. There are twenty-nine tracks and eighteen playable characters, including Rayman, Razorbeard, Globox, Henchman 800, Teensies, Tily, New Henchman and Razorbeard Wife.[5] In the battle mode, players focused on using ice shots to freeze their opponents, and they start off facing four opponents.[6]

Development and release

Rayman M was originally separated into two projects: Rayman Tribe and Rayman Shooting Fish, which would turn into the game's modes.[7] Rayman M was announced in April 2001 for the PlayStation 2.[8] Ubisoft launched an official website for the game, containing a description of the game's characters, modes, and environments, along with galleries of screenshots from each of the game's version.[9] Danny Ruiz, the band manager of Ubisoft Entertainment, said that the game "[promised] to provide gamers a new multiplayer experience while maintaining the production value associated with the Rayman franchise."[10] In 2002, the game's producer Sylvain Constantin said that he wanted to do something serious after the game's development which Constantin was asked to lead the driving team and come up with a new idea because he was a driving game enthusiast.[11]

Rayman Rush

Rayman Rush
Developer(s)Ubi Soft Shanghai
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Designer(s)Michel Ancel
SeriesRayman
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • EU: 8 March 2002
  • NA: 26 March 2002
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Rayman Rush is a racing game developed by Ubisoft Shanghai and published by Ubisoft. It is a demake of Rayman M for the PlayStation that only features the racing mode. The game had three modes: training mode, where the player can race through levels without opponents or objectives; championship mode, where they race against an opponent; and time attack mode, where they have to finish a level within a set amount of time.[12] Due to the PlayStation's hardware limitations, the game can only support up to two players.[13]

Reception

Rayman M received "mixed or average" reviews, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[22] Eurogamer writer Tom Bramwell wrote that he best described the game as "a cross country steeplechase dodgeball simulation" and also wrote that the game seems like "a manic, amazingly enterprising adventure game against the clock", describing it as a racing game that would not make sense.[5] Nintendo World Report writer Michael Cole indicates that most video game series seems to be getting a multiplayer spin-off title which omit Rayman M and some have labeled it as a Mario Party-style game in the past however, the writer thought it isn't the solution.[23] Mike Orlando of Nintendo World Report praised the modes for being fun to play with but criticised that the game was not worthy of purchasing. He compared the racing mode to Mad Dash Racing and Running Wild.[24]

Rayman M has also heavily received criticism. GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann criticising the Windows version of the game's default controls which the player can configure the keyboard and mouse for race and battle games however, the player can also use a gamepad which he described as "the most convenient way to play the game" and the most difficult ways to configure.[6] In addition, he praised the GameCube version that the game fits in nicely with games such as Mad Dash Racing, Running Wild, and Sonic R however, the game doesn't differentiate itself from the other games and create anything new.[2] Brady Fiechter of Play criticise that the game should be call "Rayman Racing" and it was "a multiplayer game with nothing but characters from the Rayman universe running through obstacle courses."[20] IGN writer Kaiser Hwang acknowledged that it doesn't live up to its predecessor's legacy, criticised it similar to Mad Dash Racing due to the racing and platforming mix however, it sense of speed is being called out as "slow" and the level design can be "flat-out horrible."[25] Nebojsa Radakovic for GameRevolution also criticise that it does little to stimulate the kart racing/action game genres and it tracks play like any kart racing game however, she wrote that it might not be a "bad" game for a young child.[21]

Rayman Rush

Rayman Rush received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[15] Game Rant's Mark Sammut disappreciated how the game only contains the racing mode along with the game looking far worse and was less responsive than it original game.[26] GameSpot's Ryan Davis was certain that it's doesn't maintain the same level of quality as the main games such as unlike the previous games which have top-notch sound design, the music and sound effects in the game feel rushed however, it can prove to be a decent diversion for a short period of time.[12] Martyn Clayden of Games Domain praised the game's vibrantly colourful 3D graphics and the music as cheerful and manages of not becoming too irritating during a long gameplay session.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c Mirabella III, Fran (5 November 2002). "Rayman Arena". IGN. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b Gerstmann, Jeff (10 October 2002). "Rayman Arena Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Ubi Soft shows off Rayman Arena". GameSpot. 4 August 2001. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  4. ^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Rayman Arena". AllGame. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b Bramwell, Tom (19 September 2001). "Rayman M". Eurogamer. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Gerstmann, Jeff (10 October 2002). "Rayman Arena Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  7. ^ "RAYMAN M Play test Feedback - 2nd series". 10 August 2001. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  8. ^ "First Screens: Rayman M". IGN. 24 April 2001. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  9. ^ Walker, Trey (17 May 2006). "Rayman Arena site launched". GameSpot. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Ubi Soft Ships Rayman Arena". IGN. 1 October 2002. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  11. ^ Bell, Brendan (6 March 2022). "Ubisoft's forgotten attempt at making a 'gangster' Mario Kart". Inverse. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Davis, Ryan (17 May 2006). "Rayman Rush Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 1 February 2003. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  13. ^ a b Clayden, Martyn. "Rayman Rush". Games Domain. Archived from the original on 4 August 2002. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Rayman Arena for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Rayman Rush". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Rayman Arena for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  17. ^ "Rayman Arena for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Rayman Arena for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  19. ^ "Rayman Arena". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  20. ^ a b Fiechter, Brady (June 2002). Rayman Arena Review. Imagine Publishing. p. 63. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  21. ^ a b Radakovic, Nebojsa (2 October 2002). "Rayman Arena Review". GameRevolution. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Rayman Arena". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  23. ^ Cole, Michael (24 May 2002). "Rayman Arena Hands-on Preview - Hands-on Preview". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  24. ^ Orlando, Mike (23 May 2002). "Rayman Arena Hands-on Preview - Hands-on Preview". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  25. ^ Hwang, Kaiser (14 October 2002). "Rayman Arena Review". IGN. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  26. ^ Sammut, Mark (27 December 2019). "Rayman: 5 Best Games In The Series (& 5 Worst)". Game Rant. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
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