Rayman 3

The limbless hero, Rayman, has appeared on many consoles since his humble beginnings. The sad thing about this series, is that even though the games are solid, they never really “hit it big” like other platform games. To continue the Rayman trend, Gameloft has recreated Rayman 3 for the Nokia N-Gage. The thing that is different from the N-Gage game compared to its console brethren is that this game is in the classic 2D perspective (the reason I say “classic” is because the original Rayman on the Playstation was 2D.).

The story starts off when the bumbling Globox, Rayman’s best friend, accidentally swallows the Lord of the Dark Lums. Since Globox did this, Rayman must face hordes of Hoodlums, an army of evil, who are doing their best to save their leader and try to conquer the land. Rayman must now find a way to save the world and his best friend from this new adversary. As Rayman travels the world he will find new powers and friends that will help him on this quest.

Even though the game is now confined in a 2D perspective that does not mean that Rayman doesn’t have a varied variety of moves at his disposal. At the beginning of the game he can run, climb, jump, and use his fist as projectiles. As gamers progress though the game, they will collect new powers that will help make Rayman unstoppable against the onslaught of enemies he must face.

Like most platform characters, Rayman also has interesting powers. Instead of jumping on top of his enemies Rayman must use his fists, launching them like a rocket, to decimate anyone who comes in his path. To help get over big gaps Rayman uses his hair as a helicopter so he can glide over to the other side with ease.
The game plays really nicely. Even though the vertical screen layout does cause some unfortunate accidents at times, but it is easily overcome. There are over 50 different levels that Rayman must transverse, and level designs are nicely done and very fun to play. There is also a little variety thrown in each of the levels that help prevent any repetition.

Even though this game is not in 3D, Rayman 3 has some of the best graphics that I have seen on the N-Gage. The backgrounds are full of animation and vivid colors. There is also enough variety in all of the levels that help prevent any repetition. Rayman is nicely animated as well. He has a full arsenal of moves, and they all look really nice, from his sliding down hills to hovering over gorges.

The music for this game is just like its console counterparts. The music is lively and vivid and really fits all of the environments that Rayman must transverse. The sound effects that are in this game also sound very crisp and pleasant to the ears.

Rayman 3 is rated E for everyone.

Concept: 8.1
I really like how the Rayman series tries to take a different approach to the platforming genre. Unlike most platforming games, which follow the popular trends, Rayman does something different. An example of this is the way he defeats his enemies, instead of stomping on them, he hurls his fists towards the enemies like a pitcher throwing a baseball. It is the little things like this that make the Rayman games stand out above the others.

Multiplayer: N/A
Rayman 3 supports up to four players using the Bluetooth technology. At the time of this review I didn’t get a chance to review this aspect of the game.

Overall: 8.4
Rayman 3 is one of the best games that is available for this system. One of the biggest complaints anyone might have is when they are in the middle of a game and they hear the low battery signal. If you have an N-Gage I suggest you pick up this game.