Rayman Arena

"Multiplayer is awesome, but single player is a little lackluster."

Okay, last Christmas, I really wanted Rayman 3. After all, I had been a huge fan of Rayman since Rayman 2 for the Dreamcast. It was awesome and far better than its Nintendo 64 and Playstation counterparts. The Dreamcast even had some special features such as a multiplayer mode and an Internet website. I waited eagerly for Rayman 3, but it wasn't scheduled to come out until after January. I wanted something to keep me waiting, so I bought a copy of Rayman Arena to keep me waiting for awhile. It was a pretty good game and I was satisfied long enough to wait for Rayman 3.

Gameplay 8/10

There are four different games to play in Rayman Arena. You could play Obstacle Racing, Time Attack, Total Fight, and Freeze Combat. In Obstacle Racing, you simply race across tracks and try to use shortcuts and obstacles to your advantage. In Time Attack, you race against someone else and have to cross a checkpoint in the stage and get the computer four seconds behind to eliminate him from the race. The only bad things about the racing-related games are that they are on the exact same tracks.

We can't forget about the fighting games. There are two fighting games included called Total Fight and Freeze Combat. In Total Fight, you fetch weapons and use them on your opponents until the time runs out to score points. The one with the most points at the end of the game wins. In the event of a draw, the game gives you thirty more seconds to even the score. In Freeze Combat, you run through the same arenas from Total Fight to collect more lums (I don't remember lums looking like that) than any of your opponents. To stop your enemy from reaching the lums first, you are equipped with only a Freeze Ray from Time Attack that stops them. The only annoying thing is that your Freeze Ray misses 80% of the time and the computer always hits you with it.
Gameplay 8/10
Well, nothing special, but it gets the job done.

Graphics 10/10

Good and wonderfully detailed graphics. Animations in this game are never choppy at any point . What else could I say? There's nothing at all wrong here so this game gets a perfect score for nothing choppy, has no glitches or never any bland and dull graphics. Everything about the graphics are perfect and that's pretty much all there is about them.
Graphics 10/10
I don't really have any comments on the game graphics except that they are pretty nice.

Story N/A

What story? The instruction booklet has one, but it doesn't seem to be a real story. The booklet says that Rayman and his friends (and enemies) have gone "competition crazy" and decided to play games until someone was the winner.

Music and Sound 6/10

This game's music is kind of good, but has nothing truly remarkable to really love or listen to. The music is repetitive in the character themes sometimes. There is nothing else I can say about this. Some character themes sound better than some others. I liked the Teensies' theme the most. For a little while, I didn't know what to grade this, so through a highly scientific process, I gave it a 6. I was going to give it an 8, but the dart didn't stick, so I had to throw it again.

The sound is pretty much on the generic side, but it gets the job done and displayed at the correct moments. When you make a dash on a zipper, you make this weird dashing sound. When you hit the jumping circles, you make a sound like a "BOING!" The sound suits the game well and there is nothing wrong with it.

Replay value 4/10

There are lots of hidden characters and costumes (also known as skins) to unlock, but you will probably unlock all of them in around 10-20 hours. The game really falls apart here. The challenge is also low, even on expert mode.

But I saved the best for last and the only reason you should probably get this game...

MULTIPLAYER 10/10

You and three friends will have a blast in multiplayer mode.The multiplayer mode is perfect and suggested by me for slumber parties at your (friend's) house. Of course, you might have to unlock some skins and extra characters to have some serious and real fun.

Buy or rent?

If you're a loner, don't have three friends or enough controllers yet, just rent the game. You will probably beat the game before you turn it back in. If you have at least three close friends, a controller for each of your friends, throw slumber parties often or are one of those hardcore Rayman fans out there, this game is just for you! Well, what are you waiting for? Run somewhere and steal this game! Don't listen to the magazines and other Internet reviews, this game is actually pretty decent.

My Grand Total 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/12/03, Updated 06/19/04