Platformers for the win
No love for the water levels, though.
It’s no secret that I’ve been playing games for a long, long time – since before the term “gamer” was coined to represent, among others, those of us glued to the screen, mesmerized by Mario’s seemingly endless quest to rescue his beloved princess. Since then, the world of games has evolved like crazy. I remember thinking that Super Mario Bros. 3 was the most graphically sophisticated game ever. Now? Not so much, even though the entertainment value remains the same.
Anyway: With the advent of the newer gaming consoles, 3D games became more and more the norm, while my beloved 2D platformers more or less faded into Oblivion (capital O intended – get it?). And I miss them, I miss them so much. Besides Wind Waker, which is probably my favourite game of all time, I prefer 2D platformers above most other games. Point in case? When the Nintendo Wii was released, I bought one on release day (purely by accident – or providence – but that’s another story), along with two games: Rayman Raving Rabbids, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I’ve finished Raving Rabbids, mostly because it’s hilarious and made up of small games, hence making it very casual. However, I’ve probably logged only about 3 hours total of Twilight Princess since its release. What I’ve used the Wii for, mostly, is purchasing old NES and SNES (and the occasional Sega Mega Drive) games and played those. And they are – you probably guessed it – platformers.
But now. Now there’s a new kid in town. Mario has already called me a blasphemer for this, but when I got The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Christmas, I exchanged it. I exchanged it for one of the most awesome and hilarious games I’ve ever played: Rayman Origins. When I first heard about it being marketed as a return to the 2D platformer, I was hooked. When I watched a gameplay video on Youtube, I was sold. I had to have it. And I have not regretted it for one second.
Yes. This actually happens in the game.
Rayman Origins is made by insane people, there can be no doubt. But insane in a good way. Like – on acid, but without in any way being a danger to themselves or others. From the moment you start the game, it is like being on an intense sugar high. It. Is. Crazy. CRAZY FUN. And it IS a return to the roots. Rayman was my first Playstation game, and it has held a special place in my heart ever since, along with the early Super Mario Bros. games, Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Wind Waker. Origins does it justice, most definitely. I especially love the zany intro movie, and the Mosquito levels.
It’s a rare thing these days that I want to sit down and play a game for hours, but that gaming joy has been rekindled with Rayman Origins. Ubisoft, I am grateful.
Your site is back up! Hi! *g* you’ve been way more productive than me. I have a theme, and nothing else because I am lazy
On my return home, I plan to get a PS3 because I have been corrupted (idk if this is good or bad…) *sigh*
Rayman Origins looks fun, I may have to check it out.
It is SO. MUCH. FUN. Fairly sure it’s out for the PS3 as well.
And it’s a good thing. When you come visit me again it will be all about the Xbox 360 though.
I love platormers too. Actually, I thoughy at some point that with today’s consoles they could do amazing platformers, but sadlu, they are very rare
Rayman Origins seems a lot of fun. I’d love to try it myself although my backlog is huge. On the other hand, Skyward Sword could very well be the greatest Zelda ever, and that’s coming from someone who can’t decide if The Legend of Zelda, Link’s Adventure, A Link To The Past, Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker is the best Zelda’s ever, with Majora’s Mask in close second.
Different type of game than Origins though.
P.S: Word of advice. Ubisoft is widely known for messing their amazing game series, so enjoy Rayman while you still can :/