When you're part of a flooded industry it can be hard to stay above water especially for those of us without arms from time to time you get these enormous waves that knock everything
srcelse below the surface the Modern Warfare's the Skyrim's the Zelda's the Mario's is like a popularity tsunami that crushes everything in its wake so obviously most gamers are
understandably preoccupied at the moment but as our metaphorical ocean rages thanks to vicious winds and q4 marketing budgets there's another gem out there in open water overlooked for
sure but just as spectacular as the games overshadowing it take my advice drop anchor alongside Rayman Origins it's one of the year's best games that no one is talking about Rayman Origins
is a very special game in fact this is the kind of game that comes around once a generation for some topical context this is a platformer like mario only it's more charming it has a fantastic
art style like Zelda but it's even more stunning it's been as critically acclaimed as modern warfare 3 but personally I've never had as much fun playing army men as I have playing
Rayman Origins this isn't just a great game and the return of a character who had been on life support but it's a celebration of the very spirit of gaming a spirit so often forgotten in
the industry's self-defeating aversion to the concept of color and Rayman Origins is in many ways colorful this is a 2d platformer that brings ubisoft's limbless wonder back to his
roots throwing players into a wacky world with strange creatures surreal landscapes and a playful exuberance that would fit into a Clampett or crisp illusi cartoon as well as a video game
eyes bug out of sockets enemies explode like the overinflated whoopee cushions and Rayman reminds us why we loved video games in the first place origins does a lot of things incredibly
well but it's art design is tops on the list this is one of the most beautiful games of its generation summoning the organic and elastic spirit of 1930s and 40s animation and
throwing in very contemporary almost comic book character design it's an interesting style that not only looks beautiful but also follows that classic and sadly forgotten roll of animation
the drawings should actually be funny but the game's humor is derived from more than just its characters the levels the objectives even the gameplay itself there's an underlying sense of
humor here that defines Rayman Origins as much as its art style the game really tries to make sure you're always having fun above all else and that focus never fails in a functional sense
the approach to game design here is very old-school you're running you're jumping and you're learning new abilities as you progress there are moments that bring to mind a certain
fat plumber there are moments that make you wonder if the Ubisoft team added a little blast proccesing Rayman uses a familiar blueprint but it uses that to build a unique platforming experience
all its own for some reason games like this are often greeted with the condescending this should have been a rtunately Rayman
Origins throws enough content at the naysayers to prove the argument futile this is a massive experience well worth paying a retail price for it's colorful
and bold it's fun and joyful its familiar yet exciting Rayman Origins is everything a videogame should be and in a sea of blockbuster releases it's one of the best of the year.