Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Wii) Review
When the Wii was released, Rayman Raving Rabbids was one of the better games to purchase among a lot of ports and generally poor titles. Though it was a far cry from the Rayman platformers weve been used to, Rayman Raving Rabbids offered a solid multiplayer title that made good use of the Wiis abilities and had a certain charm and craziness that made it a joy to play. Since then, the number of mini-game centered Wii titles has only continued to grow, and with a genre that is fast becoming stale, it now takes something special to stand out in the crowd. At the moment, Wii Sports and Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games are perhaps the standout games in the genre. Unfortunately, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (RRR2) doesnt quite cut it this time around as the game takes a backwards step from the original. Read on to find out why RRR2 fails to impress.
The original RRR made use of a very simplistic and seemingly pointless story line about Rayman saving a planet by being forced to complete a number of games by a race of crazy Rabbids. After saving the planet, Rayman must now defend planet Earth from these zany Rabbids. Theres very little story line in this game, which is more of a good thing then a bad thing. Youre thrown straight into the action and its mini-games ahoy as Rayman (or the Rabbids) do their thing. The game is divided up into a couple of different modes. The main mode is Trip mode, whereby you take a trip to some part of the Earth (e.g., Africa, Asia) and complete a number of mini-games. Each trip is made up of around about half a dozen mini-games totalling 45 in all. Many games are designed to loosely reflect the part of the world in which you are exploring. You can also design your own custom trip ensuring you only play the games you enjoy. Other modes include Freeplay which allows you and any mates to play a mini-game of your choosing. Aside from this, there isnt really any other play modes. You can dress up the Rabbids using a range of clothing, many of which is opened by playing the main mode. Theres also a selection of 5 shooting games that can be played. These are pretty much identical to the shooting games found in the original RRR, albeit using real world footage. This is a nice touch and its certainly interesting to be travelling in real world locations shooting a bunch of psychopathic rabbids.
With a mini-game focused game, the most important determinant of the games overall worth is the quality of the mini-game. And this is where RRR2 falls short. Firstly, 45 games is less then what was offered originally, and many of them are recycled to some degree. Furthermore, whilst some new thought has gone into the use of the Wii-mote and Nunchuk, a lot of ideas (e.g., the running motion seen in most games of this type) are once again used. More original uses of the Wiis controls would be welcomed. Thankfully, the mini-games in RRR2 are more suited to multiple players, which was one of the problems with RRR. The vast majority of games are designed for four simultaneous players, which is one of the few improvements from RRR. Whilst some of the games are entertaining, many of them are simply boring or uninspiring leaving little motivation to come back and play. Beyond trying to achieve a gold medal, which is thankfully much easier compared to the first RRR, youll find yourself not playing many of the games more then a handful of times.
Criticisms aside, there are some games which both entertain and offer original ideas. One game, for example, has you holding the Wii-mote up to your ear whilst your character sits in a cinema. Holding the phone up accumulates points but you must put the Wii-mote down before the cinema attendant turns the light on to see who is talking. Once this happens, you quickly tap the A button to send a text message to other players, causing them to lose points. Its game like this that both entertain and bring a smile to the player. However, this quality isnt consistent throughout the game, and with only 45 games (plus the five shooting games) in RRR2, youll quickly become bored of the experience. The custom trips do allow you to play your favourite games, and for a quick multi-player session, RRR2 is ok. Beyond this, the game doesnt have the depth or quality for prolonged play and questions over the games value for money come into play.
Graphically, the game looks like a carbon copy of the original game, which is again a disappointment. I dont know what it is, but it seems like sequels almost always take a step back from the original. It happens as often in games as it does in the movies. This is not to saying that the game is visually bad, which isnt the case. The game actually looks nice enough, with decent character models and generally smooth animation. Its colourful and vibrant and the Rabbids are hilarious in their various costumes, many inspired by other characters such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Ken from Streetfighter. Sound is impressive enough, with a suitable soundtrack and adequate sound effects. Its not a brilliant package on the sound and visual front, but it does the job well enough.
The replay value is a mixed bag really. If you loved the original RRR, youre bound to enjoy RRR2, though perhaps not as much as the original. Fewer games and recycled ideas really do dampen the overall experience. On top of this, better mini-game focused titles on the market make it harder to recommend RRR2. It wont take more than a few hours to play through all the mini-games in RRR2, and once youve done that, there isnt a lot to come back too. Ironically, whilst the game is more multiplayer focused, youll probably even find playing with mates becomes thin after a while. Theres certainly some quality mini-games in the collection, but probably too few to warrant a purchase.
In all, RRR2 is a step back from the original, which is a disappointment considered the quality we are used to with Ubisoft. The original RRR was one of the first to succeed in bringing a mini-game focused title to the Wii. With RRR2, however, theres an abundance of similar titles on the market and thus standing out in the crowd is harder. For both fans of the original and fans of this type of game, a rent is well worth your money. Play it for a few days and thatll allow you to gauge whats on offer and see if its worth adding to your library. RRR2 certainly deserves some attention, but for most, just a few days of play and youll quickly find the experience becomes tiresome. Perhaps its time to retire the RRR series and allow Rayman to return to what he does best – platforming. Infact, a platform game that incorporates the Rabbids would be welcomed with open arms to my gaming library. Both Rayman and the Rabbids have had enough time with the mini-games, its time for a bigger and badder adventure.
+ Those crazy Rabbids
+ Some clever and entertaining mini-games
+ More multiplayer orientated
– It’s not even really a Rayman game
– Not enough games
– Recycled ideas/games
– Graphically and aurally unimproved from RRR
