Rayman himself

[Sabertooth]

Deleting the scrapped dialogue was a huge mistake in my opinion. They weren't simplifying the game's plot; rather, they were just making it harder to understand, which I imagine is the opposite of their intentions. I also feel it was a mistake giving him a gray wig instead of his iconic blonde hair--the only similarity between R1 Magician and RO Magician is the top hat, and even that underwent a redesign.

This is just the kind of discussion I've been itching for. Keep it coming!

[Keane]

I do likes Ales but just....I dunno, something feels lacking. I know, I can't really complain about Origins lacking something that it clearly didn't seem to go for in its final product, but damn, it would have been such a great opportunity to add more personality to it all.

Deleting the scrapped dialogue was a huge mistake in my opinion. They weren't simplifying the game's plot; rather, they were just making it harder to understand, which I imagine is the opposite of their intentions. I also feel it was a mistake giving him a gray wig instead of his iconic blonde hair--the only similarity between R1 Magician and RO Magician is the top hat, and even that underwent a redesign.

This is just the kind of discussion I've been itching for. Keep it coming!

Honestly, I'm still confused as to why the intro focuses on the livid dead only to not have them appear in the main game at all.

On the topic of scrapped material - Is there anything known about the original concept for Origins at all? I feel like the first trailer got swept under the rug real quickly even though clearly there must have been an entirely different plot in which Ales couldn't have been the villain.

[Sabertooth]

From the first trailer, I got the impression that Voodoo Mama would have a more prominent role, though perhaps they were just showing her off.

That's true about Ales's role though--in a prequel, he could not have been the villain. I believe Mister Dark was meant to be in the game too, perhaps as the main villain in a story set before R1, but that was clearly just too good to be true.

[Master]

Origins was the Origins initially, and if memory serves, official material did state that it'd delve into the origins of Mr. Dark as well. The final product, as we know, turned out to be a sequel.

[SpyroGuy]

From the first trailer, I got the impression that Voodoo Mama would have a more prominent role, though perhaps they were just showing her off.

Don't forget that Michel also showed off the "default" ending of Origins during a pre-release presentation, so things like this shouldn't come as a surprise. xD

[Bradandez]

I wondered what Mister Dark would of looked like in the original Origins. Seeing Ales' poster of his major influence has to make you wonder. For sure we know that he has limbs now.

[Sabertooth]

I imagine he would have been a Teensie. Regardless of whether Mister Dark actually returns or not, I don't ever want to see what's under his cloak. Nothing could possibly live up to the twenty-year buildup.

[PluMGMK]

I think Ancel himself said that he never wants to show us/know himself what's under the cloak.

[Sabertooth]

Really? Well that should have put a quick end to that whole "Magician = Mr Dark" theory that was floating around for a while before and after the release of Origins. I do hope the character returns and that we learn more about him, though.

Now that I think about it, one of my biggest disappointments with Origins is exactly that: no Mister Dark. I went in expecting a supervillain origin story kind of thing, but it turned out to be a jumbled mess of betrayal and stupidity. Man, that game came out in 2011 and I'm still sore about what it could have been. I need to get over it. At least the gameplay was good.

[Haruka]

Now that I think about it, one of my biggest disappointments with Origins is exactly that: no Mister Dark. I went in expecting a supervillain origin story kind of thing, but it turned out to be a jumbled mess of betrayal and stupidity. Man, that game came out in 2011 and I'm still sore about what it could have been. I need to get over it. At least the gameplay was good.

I agree with you but to the road that RO took in the end, it was the best thing to not include Mr. Dark. In fact, I got disappointed in the end because I expected the game would be quite promising to veteran fans that were looking for answers for many questions as the initial game since I remember that the story would be around the character origins' even before R1.

I guess we must keep our hopes but not until they get over the RO/RL style.

[Sabertooth]

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm worried about. The first three games are all very different in terms of tone and atmosphere, yet they all did a great job of providing a new experience that you couldn't get from the others. With the new series, it's just too...how can I put it? It's too obvious that they're part of the same series. I know that might sound like an asinine complaint to some, but I really liked how different the other games were to each other, and perhaps that's a result of the different developers behind each one. Now Michel Ancel is directing each game, which is a great thing, but perhaps this broth could use a few more cooks.

I worry that they will never grow past the Origins "wacky" style, and that this will become the new norm for the series. No more epic journeys, no more detailed 3D lands ripe for exploration. I don't want to simply run through levels anymore; I can get that from Mario. I want to explore the characters, I want to experience a brand new story, I want to go on an adventure.

Man, every time this topic comes up I just get so passionate. Michel Ancel is a knighted game developer and I trust that he knows exactly what he is doing; after all, who am I to challenge the professional game designers of Ubisoft, one of the largest video game studios in the modern world? I just can't help but feel like the new games are missing something important. Something the others had, something that Origins almost had. If this is what Mr. Ancel wants for his franchise, then he absolutely has the right to take it in that direction. I just can't shake my yearning for something more substantial, something I can't find in Mario or Donkey Kong Country. I'm sorry, I've said enough.

[spiraldoor]

I think Ancel himself said that he never wants to show us/know himself what's under the cloak.

When was this? Sounds like a great interview.

[Keane]

I don't expect Rayman to ever receive another redesign, much less come closer to the trilogy again. And hell, as of right now, I can't really tell how much of a future Ubisoft even thinks Rayman has. I know Legends didn't do too well...but at least it also doesn't seem like they're dropping him again.

I doubt another 2D platformer, but whatever they might go ahead with, it'll probably still be the wacky style

[Haruka]

@Saber I totally understand you. There are still hopes according to the L'Histoire of Rayman. Michel Ancel won't give up until there's a narrative in a Rayman game, I think it is a matter of time.

@Spiral I think if it wasn't in a website, it was in a magazine scan.

[Sabertooth]

There are still hopes according to the L'Histoire of Rayman. Michel Ancel won't give up until there's a narrative in a Rayman game, I think it is a matter of time.

Did he really say this? Obviously I can't read French so I can't find out myself, but if he really did say something like that, I'll be very encouraged. I like to think of the franchise as a blank easel upon which any style of platform game can be designed, within reason of course. Mario-esque sidescrollers are great, but there's definitely room for the series to grow in different directions.

[SpyroGuy]

I worry that they will never grow past the Origins "wacky" style, and that this will become the new norm for the series. No more epic journeys, no more detailed 3D lands ripe for exploration. I don't want to simply run through levels anymore; I can get that from Mario. I want to explore the characters, I want to experience a brand new story, I want to go on an adventure.

Man, I agree with you so much! This is exactly what's happening with Sonic since 2010! He has become this average, lame, boring wacky comedy crap, but unlike the recent Rayman games which are fun, Sonic is not and is becoming worse and lamer with each game with Sonic Boom being the rock hard bottom of it all.

[Sabertooth]

Sonic is another story I believe. Whereas Rayman has found a style that it works with and is sticking to it (for the time being), Sonic just can't seem to find its niche. Each game seems to bring a new game-changing mechanic that most players are either indifferent to or outright despise; I for one wasn't really wowed by the Wisp powerups in Sonic Colors. They definitely didn't worsen the game for me, but they also didn't improve it in a substantial way. Sonic is clearly having a very tough time finding its place in the modern gaming world, and at this point it's clearly only still going because of the nostalgia of persistent gamers. I liked Generations and Colors, sure, but the enjoyment I got from them was an enjoyment that I could have gotten from many other games. There's just nothing special about the IP anymore in my opinion.

Holy shit, why am I talking so goddamn much about Sonic? Back to Rayman. I'm glad you agree and I'd really like to have more in-depth discussions with the members of this forum concerning the future of the franchise and the direction that it seems to be going in. Does anyone, perhaps, disagree with me? I would love to hear contrasting opinions.

[Haruka]

To insert a parentisis, Michel Ancel often tried to include a narrative element during his work with the Rayman games but it had to be postponed due to different reasons and games like R4 and RO/RL were included. This might give hopes.

[DandyGuy]

Sonic is another story I believe. Whereas Rayman has found a style that it works with and is sticking to it (for the time being), Sonic just can't seem to find its niche. Each game seems to bring a new game-changing mechanic that most players are either indifferent to or outright despise; I for one wasn't really wowed by the Wisp powerups in Sonic Colors. They definitely didn't worsen the game for me, but they also didn't improve it in a substantial way. Sonic is clearly having a very tough time finding its place in the modern gaming world, and at this point it's clearly only still going because of the nostalgia of persistent gamers. I liked Generations and Colors, sure, but the enjoyment I got from them was an enjoyment that I could have gotten from many other games. There's just nothing special about the IP anymore in my opinion.

Holy shit, why am I talking so goddamn much about Sonic? Back to Rayman. I'm glad you agree and I'd really like to have more in-depth discussions with the members of this forum concerning the future of the franchise and the direction that it seems to be going in. Does anyone, perhaps, disagree with me? I would love to hear contrasting opinions.

Sonic always had a problem transitioning into the 3D realm. It was not until Sonic Adventure that he finally got it. While I did enjoy Colors and Generations, sometimes I felt they were to speed oriented and did not focus on any 3D platforming that much. Hell, Sonic Heroes had more 3D platforming then Generations. But they still were enjoyable games and top tier for that matter. I just wished Sonic Team would focus on more Sonic games done in the way Sonic Adventure was.
Anyways, Rayman works both as a 3D and 2D game, but I and a lot of other people agree that he works best in 3D. So im sure well see another 3D Rayman game sooner than later. Has anybody tried asking Ancel about it?

[Adsolution]

Has anybody tried asking Ancel about it?

Take a wild guess.