Rayman M
Rayman M | |
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PAL region PlayStation 2 box art | |
Developer(s) |
Ubi Soft Montpellier Ubi Soft Milan |
Publisher(s) | Ubi Soft Entertainment |
Platform(s) |
PlayStation 2 Microsoft Windows GameCube Xbox |
Release |
PlayStation 2
Microsoft Windows
GameCube & Xbox
|
Genre(s) | Party |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Rayman M, later released as Rayman Arena in North America, is a multiplayer party game developed and published by Ubi Soft Entertainment. It consists of two modes: an arena fighting mode, and a racing mode, both up to four players.
In Rayman M, there are four leagues, with three race tracks and three battle arenas, (a fifth Bonus league is available via in-game progression, which consists of five race tracks and one battle arena). In the GameCube and Xbox versions of Rayman Arena, there are three levels of difficulty: Beginner, Pro, and an unlockable Master. There are four cups to be won in both the Battle and Race modes.
Plot
Eight Rayman characters are fighting to go challenge the great champion of the competition in Rayman M. In the Gamecube and Xbox versions of Rayman Arena, there are nine characters fighting to win.
Release
Rayman M had been released in Europe in 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and PC, and was released in North America for the PlayStation 2 and PC in 2002 under the name Rayman Arena. There are very minor changes between the two versions (intro movie, load screens, etc.). The game's name was changed to avoid the M possibly being mistaken for the ESRB's Mature rating, which is commonly denoted by said letter.
As there was not a port of Rayman M to the GameCube and Xbox, the development team had made several changes to the game and released it on the GameCube and Xbox platforms. For instance, the menus had been changed; the space theme was gone and navigation was somewhat different.
- In Rayman M, there is always four competitors in a race, one in Popolopoï and two in Lums, but varies between two and four competitors for the Battle mode. In the Gamecube and Xbox versions of Rayman Arena, in the Beginner and Master Leagues, there is only one opponent per stage regardless of which type of race or battle players are playing. In the Pro League, there are two opponents.
Rayman Rush
Rayman Rush | |
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North American Rayman Rush game cover art | |
Developer(s) | Ubi Soft Shanghai |
Publisher(s) | Ubi Soft Entertainment |
Designer(s) | Michel Ancel |
Platform(s) | PlayStation |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | On-Foot Racing |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Rayman Rush is an on-foot racing game developed and published by Ubisoft, based on the Rayman universe. It features conversions of eleven race tracks, a slightly edited introduction movie, seven characters also character theme songs. However, it lacks the battles from its predecessors. It is a 1-2 player game, with the Championship mode and Lums mode having 2 characters running and 1 in other game modes. The game was released 4 months after Rayman M.
Game modes
There are 5 game modes (only Championship Mode has multiplayer support):
- Championship Mode: The player competes with a computer-controlled character (or a second human player if multiplayer is on), to finish 3 laps before the opponent to win. One victory in Championship Mode unlocks Lums Mode for the same track. With multiplayer, the screen is divided vertically. Player 1 is represented by yellow while player 2 or the computer is represented by blue.
- Lums Mode: Only available once the corresponding level has been unlocked in Championship Mode. In this mode, many Yellow Lums are spread around the maps, which the player must compete with a computer-controlled character and win the 3-lap race. At the same time, collect as many Lums as possible. If the challenging player wins, the corresponding level will be unlocked in the Target Mode, Depending on the number of Lums collected, a time bonus for Target Mode will be awarded.
- Target Mode: Only available once the corresponding level has been unlocked in Lums Mode, a single player will race alone against the clock, shooting at butterflies that are spread around the level. Each butterfly shot gives extra time.
- Time Attack Mode: A single player will run one lap on their own. The aim is to reach the next checkpoint before the timer reaches 0.
- Training Mode: This mode serves only as a means of familiarizing new players with the tracks, allowing them to practice and master the game controls and tricks before a real challenge.
Reception
Rayman Arena has received generally mixed reviews. IGN gave the GameCube version a 4.7/10 and gave the Xbox version a 3.8/10 saying that it's not a great multiplayer game, while GameSpot gave both the GameCube and Xbox versions a 6.2 and the PS2 and PC versions mediocres saying that the four-player multiplayer has worn off. However Rayman M has received positive reviews compared to its American version.