Rayman Raving Rabbids Review

Written by: Steve Martin Posted: 7th January 2008

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We review Rayman Raving Rabbids for the Wii.

Rayman Raving Rabbids Details:

	Arcade
	Nintendo Wii
	Ubisoft
	Ubisoft

Out Now

N/A

Rayman: Raving Rabbids was one of the games to launch with the Wii in late 2006. So it was one of the first games to show what could be done with the new control technology of the Wii remote and nunchuck. Rayman: Raving Rabids is made up of loads and loads of mini-games that use the remote and/or nunchuck in different ways and really showcases what could be done with them.

The game is split into two simple modes the single player story mode and the multiplayer score mode. The story revolves around the kidnapping of Rayman and his friends and he is forced to take part in these mini-game challenges for the amusement of the rabbids. The story mode is split into days, each day you are taken from your cell and placed into the arena which has 4 tunnels to enter, each one contains a different mini-game to play and there is a certain criteria to fulfil to complete that challenge. For example, one of the simpler games is memory test where there are 4 rabbids, who each flash a different colour and make a different noise. You have to watch the sequence of colours and noises and then repeat it by pointing with the remote and selecting the rabbid with a button press. Each time you get it right, an extra noise/colour is added to the sequence and to complete the challenge you have to earn over 30 points and you get a point for each correct rabbid selection, but get one wrong and it’s all over.

To complete the day you must complete at least three out of the 4 challenges in that day, once this is done you can enter the main gate and take on the fifth final challenge for that day this is usually a race or a first-person shooting section. Once this is completed successfully you are taken back to your cell, but as a prize you are given a plunger, by collecting these plungers you slowly create a ladder up your cell wall to allow you to escape by going through the window but to do this you must complete all 14 days, which means that there are 70 challenges to complete in total.

The score mode allows you to play any of the mini-games you have completed in the main story game and play them with up to 3 friends. Right, now that you have been told the important aspects of the game, I can tell you how mad this game really is!

Although this is a Rayman game, the rabbids steal the show, for people who don’t know what a rabbid is (i.e. all of you!) they are stark raving mad/angry white rabbits which walk around on two legs, and tend to scream a lot and charge at you with anything they have to hand ranging form colanders to plunger guns! They also come in many different varieties including Super-Bunny, cowboy rabbids, ninja rabbids, robotic rabbids, hula rabbids, and armoured rabbids (with saucepans for protection). They are hilariously funny to watch as well, especially in the dance mini-games, which works like a normal rhythm based game, you have a conveyor belt of rabbids moving towards the centre of the screen and two pads, one on your left and one on your right, and as a bunny reaches the pad you need to flick the nunchuck or remote depending on whether it was the left or right pad respectively. Sometimes you get blue bunnies where you need to do both remote and nunchuck at the same time. But, watching rabbids dance to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (sung by what sounds like The Chipmunks!) is disturbingly funny!

The game is full of these little funny moments, and that is one of its highlights! Another example is the humorously cruel, Bunnies Don’t like Surprises game, where you guide a blind rabbid (he has a plunger over his face!) by flicking either the nunchuck to steer him left or the remote to steer him right. The rabbid is in an area littered with potential hazards such as bear traps, cactuses and fires and you earn points by causing the most amount of pain to him!

There are plenty of bonuses to unlock, if you complete all 4 of the challenges for the day in story mode, you earn a new costume for Rayman or a new song for his jukebox! In score mode, you can earn up to 1000 points for each mini-game depending on how high your score in the game is, and these points are all added together and as you reach certain amounts, you unlock extras like artwork or the hilarious TV adverts for the game in the Bonus mode.

This game doesn’t really take itself too seriously and is a very good representation of the power of the unique Wii control system. The mini-games are nicely varied but some are obviously better than others. The first person shooting sections are quite good fun, it’s basically a light-gun game but with bunnies and you’re armed with a plunger gun!

Graphically it is solid and looks ok, but it’s nothing special to look at or watch, the animation of the rabbids themselves is probably the peak of the games visual style. The arena is far too bland and some of the mini-games could do with looking a bit more polished.

With regards to the music, the tunes on the dance levels are quite good and the music overall is fair. There is no voice acting but the rabbids manage to scream and make understandable mumbles and grumbles, and this is done quite well.

There are some niggles with the game though, there are only 4 or 5 songs used for the dancing levels, but each one is used twice and the only change is they added some extra notes to hit, which is kind of annoying and makes you feel a little cheated. Also, as mentioned before some mini-games aren’t that great, I mainly had problems with the ones that involved you shaking the nunchuck constantly and aiming with the remote because your left arm gets very tired and it’s difficult to hold your right hand steady when you’re shaking your left arm with all your might! I found the story mode a little too easy and felt it was quite short and lacking challenge, but this is essentially a multiplayer/party game. Lastly, in multiplayer mode, some of the mini-games are played by taking it in turns, so player one sets a score and then player two has to beat it. This is more of a personal pet hate, because I believe that the fun of multiplayer is playing the game at the same time. This does have a positive though, because it means you can play with 4 people using just one remote and nunchuck, and save a bit of money by not having to buy new remotes to play it with your friends.

Overall, this game has definitely got a sense of humour, and the majority of the games are good fun, on your own or with friends. It is a party game and is simple enough for most people to be able to have a go and get the hang of it fairly quickly. Its good fun while it lasts but I doubt if it’s something that will keep you playing for long.