Should the Rayman Saga be more like Rayman 2?

[Master]

I would strongly disagree that Rayman 2 came out after the 3D platformer hype had died down, Rayman 2's release is around the same time as games such as DK64, Banjo-Tooiee, Sonic Adventure (although with the benefit of hindsight...maybe not quite as acclaimed) and Conker's Bad Fur Day. While the initial wave of 3D platformers had passed, there still was very much a genuine interest and immense hype to the genre. Hell, I'd argue that fascination was still there in 2001, Jak & Daxter was still a game that was turning heads and that was very much continuing the evolution of mascot platformers at the time. In fact take a look at this review

Next to Rayman 2, Jak and Daxter is the best 3D platformer available for the PlayStation 2.

Honestly, using Jak as a point of reference, I'd say Jak 2 points at a good time when things were starting to change, seeing as it was dramatic shift tonally and (somewhat) in gameplay, since it went from the collectathon 3d platforming style of TPL to a mission-based style based on GTA3 in 2003. Although I did have a quick look at sales numbers and funnily enough it seems like TPL was actually the best selling in the series, so whether that tonal shift worked in their favour....

[Greengoop]

Wow, that article should be put in a museum! Definitely shows a lot about the age of 3D hype. I wouldn’t say it was still at popular as it was in 1996 5 years later though, although I wasn’t really around then that’s just what I infer

[Hugo]

3D wasn't some sort of gimmick like the glasses you watch Avatar at the cinema with. I saw Crash Bandicoot when I was 5 years old and it blew my mind that the character was moving into the screen.

I remember seeing a Rayman 2 trailer on YT, that might have been how I discovered it. It shows Rayman moving along that hanging section at the beginning of the Fairy Glade. It's hard to express how exciting it was to see that kind of freedom of movement for the first time, with the organic windy branch.

It's true that I returned to Rayman 2 as part of a larger nostalgia trip exploring games from my past. But the results of this trip had me completely reverse on some games.

With Spyro, for example, my appreciation of the first game deepened, but I felt Spyro 2 and 3 completely destroy the entire mechanic he is built on and constrain him to these missions that, while varied, are often finnicky and frustrating.

What I found with Rayman 2 was special. It's rather futile for me to keep trying to explain it. Those who have experienced it know.

[Greengoop]

I think I know what you mean, it just feels a certain way. Obviously I haven’t felt immersed like you and many others would’ve, but I do feel like they maybe got someone to work on the psychology of the game

[Sabertooth]

Every day I go back and forth between which is better- Rayman 2 or 3. Today it's 3. Tomorrow it might be 2. It's a neverending battle. I would do absolutely anything for a game that combines the best of both games.

[Hunchman801]

Every day I go back and forth between which is better- Rayman 2 or 3. Today it's 3. Tomorrow it might be 2. It's a neverending battle. I would do absolutely anything for a game that combines the best of both games.

While Rayman 2 is probably my favorite Rayman game, I think Rayman 3 is objectively better. But I recognize myself a lot in your message: it's sometimes really hard to pick one, and combining the best aspects of the two would be the recipe for the ideal Rayman game. Imagine visiting the mysterious and immersive ancient temples of Rayman 2, only with the visuals and gameplay of Rayman 3. And of course, its layered humor: maybe tone it down in places to feel a bit less edgy, and don't use it all over the place, like in those mysterious levels, but instead alternate between serious and lighthearted phases.

One can dream.