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Rayman Origins (PS3)
by SWSt
It might sound an odd thing to say of a 2011 PS3 game, but Rayman Origin is pretty much about as retro a game as you can get.
Don't believe me? Well, let's take a look at the evidence. Get past its sumptuous visuals and stunning sound and Rayman is thoroughly unoriginal. It's basically a traditional 2D platform game that ... requires you to run from right to left, leaping on platforms to get to otherwise inaccessible areas, avoiding or killing enemies and collecting items (in this case the oddly named Yums). In other words, it's doing nothing that Mario wasn't doing 20 years ago.
Lest this be taken as a criticism, let me assure you that a total lack of originality is unimportant when a game is as good as this. At the end of the day, Rayman: Origins is successful because it remembers one essential ingredient that so many modern games forget: it's fun. Its difficulty level is well pitched so that it is instantly accessible to gamers of all ages. It's a game that pretty much anyone stands a chance of completing, but it's big enough to offer a reasonable challenge (though not a tough one) to seasoned gamers. There's lots of levels, lots to collect and plenty of extras to unlock. Each level has a number of different challenges, including a time trial mode where you have to complete it within a separate time limit. As such it has good longevity and plenty of replay value.
Rayman Origins has that elusive addictive element. When playing it, you are having so much fun that you don't want to stop. Many is the time that I have sat there thinking "I'll stop when I get to the end of this level"... and then when I get to the end, I decide that perhaps I'll just have a quick peek at the next level to see what it is like... and so on. If you are not careful you could become addicted to Rayman Origins very easily and allow it to consume too much of your life. It really is that good.
On the whole, level design is very good. Whilst it might be mostly linear, levels do offer hidden sections or difficult to acquire items that you often ignore on your first run through, so even when you have completed a level, there is a reason to go back and explore it further. Just occasionally, level design can seem slightly unfair, with unexpected hazards catching you unaware (shifting ground, for example, is a bit of a shock the first time it happens). These are pretty minor niggles, though.
Graphically, it has to be one of the best looking games on the PS3. Even Mrs SWSt, who is not a fan of computer games, looked at it and commented how pretty it was. It might be something of a cliché, but playing Rayman Origins really is like playing a cartoon. The visuals are just stunning; there is no other word for them. Cartoon-like, full of character and beautiful to look at they demonstrate to any doubters that computer graphics can be a form of artwork comparable to more traditional things like paintings.
The graphics are imaginative and come with a huge dollop of Gallic quirkiness. Rayman himself is a cute and appealing little chap with his disconnected limbs and quiff hairstyle and everything you come across radiates charm. Even the bad guys look cute, yet menacing and it almost seems a shame to squish them. Unlike some games, the cuteness doesn't feel forced but fits perfectly into the gaming world which has been created. Rayman Origins might be retro in terms of its gameplay, but in terms of the presentation, it's definitely 21st century.
Rayman's visuals just ooze quality and attention to detail. The way the enemies expand when you hit them once is funny, the way Rayman wobbles and utters a cute little moan when teetering on platform edge - it all adds to the charm. Even relatively static screens, like the map screen look fantastic, whilst the silhouetted inter-level screen (which appears whilst the next level is loading) looks so good that you don't even care when there is a pause in the action to access the disk.
Sound is of equally high quality. The sound effects of the various characters perfectly match the look and feel of the game and make them feel even more menacing/cute. Like the graphics, the sound effects would not be out of place in a cartoon and the tunes are equally jolly and appealing. Given that the number of tunes in the game are limited, they should perhaps become annoying after a while, but somehow, they don't and you'll find yourself cheerfully whistling or singing along to them whilst playing.
The controls are so intuitive that it almost seems pointless mentioning them. They have been fine-tuned to perfection so that Rayman is highly responsive to your movements or button presses. If there's a slight criticism, it's that just occasionally, jumps need to be so pixel perfect that some leaps can be a little frustrating, but the excellent controls at least go some way towards tempering that.
As you've probably guessed, I am struggling to come up with much negative to say about Rayman: Origins. The couple of minor criticisms are the small ones I have already mentioned: the occasional reliance on pixel perfect jumps, the relative ease of the title (like the Lego games, you have infinite lives) and the fact that level design can be a little sneaky. The crucial point, though, is that none of these things spoil the game - they simply make you all the more determined to do a little better next time around.
As a veteran (and sometimes slightly jaded) gamer, Rayman reminds me why I fell in love with computer games in the first place and have spent so much time playing them. There are few games on any system that I would class as "must-own" titles, but Rayman Origins is definitely one.
(c) Copyright SWSt 2012
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SSX (PS3)
by thejarofdirt882
Being a bit of an adrenaline junky, snowboarding is a sport I would really like to have a go at. SSX is a fun way to have a go - despite it being pretty unrealistic - in the comfort, and safety, of your own home. SSX is this generation of console's entry in a classic Playstation series. And it pretty much lives up to the ... expectations.
Throwing you in a little at the deep end, the movement basics are easy to master but the tricks can be a pain as the game gives you little explanation on actually executing different moves. This isn't a problem in most of the race modes, but it becomes hard when you're doing a trick event. Seeing the AI racers end up a million points ahead of you when you think you're doing okay can be a little depressing.
The game has a neat feature that nearly all other game don't; if you fail a race so many times, it gives you the option of skipping over and unlocking the next event, even the game's Boss races have this. If you aren't very good at one type of event, it doesn't stop you from progressing in the game so the game doesn't end up being frustrating. The events are all pretty fun even if you're not great at them.
The environments (from the Himalayas to Patagonia) are beautiful, although there's not enough time to enjoy them because you're always racing down them! The soundtrack is good, a large mix of artists all of which were enjoyable.
SSX instantly brought back many memories of having a party around a friend's house racing spilt screen against each other on like the SSX games on the Playstation 2 and having a laugh. However now in this incarnation the big, and pretty much only, drawback is a lack of this proper multiplayer. No offline split screen and there's no real time online multiplayer either. You can party up and talk to your friends as you play and you can see "ghosts" of each other if you're on a course and close enough to each other, but a lack of head to head racing is real disappointing.
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