Rayman Ultimate, by GameLoft,
$29.95
Reviewed October 2002
How could anyone who’s been a fan
of the Rayman and Crash Bandicoot series of console titles
not want to have one of most popular adventure games on their
handheld? It’s not the first time Ubi Soft had sent
their limbless wonder to win over the world on a handheld
gaming machine. Rayman Advance for GBA has proven that this
colorful 2D side scrolling action game can be a winner for
yet another handheld gaming machine: the Pocket PC. Ubi Soft
made the right decision by selecting the first Rayman (PlayStation
version) with its 2D over-world map for the Pocket PC, and
by selecting the experienced Pocket PC game development/publishing
house GameLoft. And in December of 2002, they added a Palm
version of the game too!
Rayman Ultimate is a straight port from
the original PSX version with some feature omissions due
to the size. The story and button control options got lost
in the port. The story might sound very corny, but it gives
you the reason why you need to hit those cages that are so
hard to find or get to, and why you want to fight Mr. Dark.
So here is the story told by Rayman Ultimate’s creator,
a somewhat shorter version of the PSX story: “Rayman’s
world used to live in peace and harmony… Until this
day, when the nasty Mister Dark decided to steal and kidnapped
all the Electoons that provide all the energy to the universe… So
it’s off for Rayman to explore the land to free the
Toons from the cages where they were imprisoned, and then
finally meet his legendary enemy, Mr. Dark…”
Like other games ported from console titles,
Rayman Ultimate offers an amazing amount of game play, a
polished and highly stylish environment and everything that
made the original title so successful. If you are a Rayman
PSX fan or Rayman Advance fan, you should be happy to know
that this version plays and feels just like its ancestor.
If you are new to this game, you should prepare to have some
serious fun with jumping, punching, flying, hovering, dodging
and other of Rayman’s signature moves. Rayman Ultimate
preserves all 6 worlds of the original Rayman with over 60
levels, though some levels are there merely for you to get
used to a new power or a new move. Throughout this distinct
environment, you will fight annoying enemies, collect crystals,
free your friends, fly on a mosquito’s back, plant
seeds and grow plants, gain special powers, and more. You
can unlock future worlds by completing enough levels, only
to meet Mr. Dark by freeing all your Toon friends from their
cages. There are bonus levels, which can be accessed by bribing
the magician. So when you see him, you’d better have
something to give him. With the rich environment and huge
scale of game play, come some frustrating replay sequences
as well. There will be levels that you will play over and
over to get everything or just to survive.
The graphics and animation in Rayman Ultimate
are so polished that they shine! Veteran eyes will not find
any colors missing from the palette or anything missing from
the environment. The pre-rendered background is Rayman’s
signature where music notes are songs of death, and dancing
flowers and mushrooms are part of your normal scenic routes.
The cartoon animation of our hero and all the moving things
around him gives life to this fairytale. The movements are
super smooth and responsive.
The controls of Rayman Ultimate combine
the hardware buttons and D-pad on your Pocket PC and on-screen
command buttons. The combination works very well, except
that you can’t change the screen orientation. The only
option is to play in landscape mode with the PDA’s
buttons on the left side. The hardware buttons are pre-defined
and the on-screen buttons are large enough to click on with
your stylus comfortably. When you gain a new power, there
is usually a short in-game instruction on how to control
and use it. The sound effects and music tracks are another
signature element in Rayman. Sound effects are not only fun
and abundant, but also integrated into the game play. Often
when you trigger something to happen there is a sound accompanying
the event, so that you will know to go back and look for
the new thing. The music style is straight out of cartoons.
You will enjoy the large selection of music tracks and the
mood they create corresponds to the environment. The game
takes 8.3MB and supports ARM and MIPS.
For the true Rayman addicts, Rayman Ultimate
offers another great journey and an adventure you can jump
in anytime and anywhere, thanks to the portable Pocket PC
gaming platform. If you’re the kind of gamer who doesn’t
like to replay a level until you make it through, this might
not be the game for you. If Ubi Soft and its partner GameLoft
see half the success with this new adventure as they did
with the first Rayman title, you can be sure that we will
see more cool console titles make their way to the Pocket
PC.
Playing Hints and Tips
You’ll be rewarded if you pay attention. Check out everything around
you and always look up and down. There are places you can’t see but you
will have hints, like the blue crystals or grapes and such. Follow the crystals
even if you can’t see where the string ends. When you see the grapes,
look for water to put the grape in and float to get special items. When you
see clouds, jump on and see where they lead you, and so on.
Every time you hear a special sound,
always look for things that have newly appeared. There
are many triggered events that you won’t see the
first time. Go back to early levels after you’ve
gained some useful powers and get the items you couldn’t
reach before. |
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