Rayman 2

[mrpule56]

Actually that's one of the things I love about the Rayman series, is how the art style and direction is significantly changed up from each installment, but it always feels inherently Rayman. I think of it like Zelda in this sense, but all within the same continuity.

[rolesfamily]

I'll be carrying on with our shared file on Rayman Revolution with my friend today! We're getting quite close to the end, just finished tomb of the ancients! That's hard during the day when the sun is on the TV! Trust me!

[Master]

I can understand why Rayman 2 isn't everyone's cuppa, and vice versa. I've always preferred the R2-3 Glade over the R1 Valley or the RO-L Glade. I'm not saying the other two are worse, it's a matter of taste.

I think my favourite locale in the first game is probably the Blue Mountains. I think the reason why is because it doesn't feel out there like Band Land or Candy Chateau, but it still feels alien with the odd shape, colour and aurorae. I guess that's probably one of the reasons why I'm more fond of the R2-3 Glade, it takes more natural locales, but gives them an otherworldly feel, without seeming completely fantastical and out there.

Another thing I've always been fond of, is the Knowledge of the World. I've never realised it until I played the Metroid Prime series and got acquainted with its scan visor, but I love the world-building. I feel the R2-3 Glade is far more defined and understood than any of the other locales in the series, and I like how it's consistent within itself.

That's not to say that having areas like Band Land, Candy Chateau and so on is bad. I think some work pretty well, such as Picture City and Fiesta De Los Muertos. But then you get locales like the Desert of Dijiridoos and the Ice part of the Gourmand Land which feel as if you've just taken a natural locale, and tacked some wacky thematic on top of it. It doesn't feel right.

As for continuity, well, I don't think about it as heavily. While the series is supposed to be one after the other, as you've probably seen above, I've internally split them into groups now, there is some consistency in the series, but not as a whole.

[Razorbeard]

I mean, I like a diverse cast of characters, but...

Would you say it's a little too diverse, then?

[THEdragon]

I suppose so. or maybe it's just a lack of 'common ground' between characters. For instance, you could take Globox and Ly and if you were to compare them they could be from entirely different games.

[Shrooblord]

In lore, though, that makes sense. Globox and Ly are supposed to be from two completely different casts, almost. Ly is one of the higher beings, the Fairies, in close contact to Polokus, one of the shapers of powers and one who communicates with the world and its spirits as much as she does with its inhabitants. Globox is, bluntly put, a family man of average intelligence and the sweetest of characters. It's only natural they feel worlds apart; they are. Everyone that appeared in Rayman 2 came from completely different places. It's like a covenant of freedom fighters who coalesced only in the dire circumstance they were in; even the craftsman of the world, the shaper of mountains, the carver of seas, Clark, joins this crew in its desperate attempt to fight the onslaught of ruthless machines, who, again, seem to come from a different planet entirely (which is literally true of course). There's even Jano, who is basically the Devil - or at least the Gatekeeper to the Underworld -, who ends up helping out (reluctantly, or better put, somewhat mysteriously as if afraid or too proud to admit that he wants to aid the heroes in their quest).

What I like about it is that how all of these different people have been meshed into one world, moulded into one story, and that it somehow works. They're a bunch of cooky characters that indeed share no relation, but a common past, one common ideal, one goal: to save their home from the invaders!

[THEdragon]

I see what you mean. I guess it just comes down to personal opinion. I found I just couldn't really connect with the cast of Rayman 2 for some reason.

[Windblade]

i understand what you people mean but, take it this way
you are a kid, and everything in your favorite game(yes, rayman really was my favorite game) lives in this weird limbless world, there is that betilla fairy that gives you all the powers, and such, and there are other MAN people (tarayzan, and from what i know joe) then the next game just DELETES EVERYTHING ELSE but rayman, new POWER GIVER FAIRY(ly) suddenly everything but rayman have limbs, everything is so different it is an spinoff itself, and then every single other game is based on that one instead of the original
i really felt dissapointed, sad, even betrayed
origins combined that world with the ORIGINAL by using again some of the original characters, thats why i love that game, but still, if R2 had not broken it, RO wouldnt have to FIX it in the first place -_- at least, thats how i feel about it

[Shrooblord]

Take it this way. You are a kid. You love Rayman 1. Then you see Rayman 2 and you love it even more. It becomes your favourite game of all time ever.

Opinions differ.

[Adsolution]

Shrooblord's reaction was akin to mine. I played Rayman first in 1998, and then played Rayman 2 in 2000, and I loved it even more.

I mean, I was three and then five respectively, so I probably wouldn't have felt as betrayed as I might've if I were older, but I didn't even feel that way in the slightest.

That said, my favourite Rayman game is still the first one, 2 being a Planck length away. If you asked me to describe why, it might even sound like I was praising Rayman 2 more than the first game.

[Rayfist]

I played Rayman first in 1998, and then played Rayman 2 in 2000, and I loved it even more.

Differs for me a bit here, I progressively loved the Rayman series more and more growing up, when first playing Rayman 2 when I was young I just looked at it as "Another platformer, but cool", playing the games more and more eventually lead to me believing it was way more than just a cool platformer, but a brilliant experience, the series truly isn't like any other.

[Master]

Pretty much Shroobie here too. Rayman 1 was the first game of the series I played, Rayman 2 was the second.

[rolesfamily]

The first Rayman game I ever played was Rayman M!

[Haruka]

I'm in agreement with Shrooblord's words too. Also, the argument of "you love it because it was the first game you've played" is totally irrelevant. I met Rayman first in 2000 with Rayman 1 for PS1, where I became a fan, but my favourite game is Rayman 2 where I played an year later. What really saddned me was Rayman Origins: a game that had lots of potential for a lot of things that in the end was scrapped in near totality. Its a game full of issues for me, but like it was said before it is only a matter of tastes. Rayman 1 is my second favourite game for a tiny difference and Rayman 3 is my neutral game.

There's even Jano, who is basically the Devil - or at least the Gatekeeper to the Underworld -, who ends up helping out (reluctantly, or better put, somewhat mysteriously as if afraid or too proud to admit that he wants to aid the heroes in their quest).

My theory is that he wanted to test Rayman as if it was a worthy person to keep the Elixir of Life, since afterall it isn't something you can get in Aeropolis' market for example!

[THEdragon]

My first Rayman game was Rayman 3 for GBA. Classy. That began my first Rayman 'phase'. Believe it or not, during my first Rayman phase I actually favoured his R3 design and the universe of that game, even after discovering and playing Rayman Advance. It wasn't until I rediscovered Rayman in 2011 that I inexplicably began to prefer the classic Rayman universe. Still no idea why that happened, to be honest.

I did enjoy playing Rayman 2, and its art and environments are lovely, but I think I might always hold a slight grudge against it for replacing the R1 universe and trying to claim that the original cast actually didn't exist.

[Haruka]

Its possible they still exist. I remember that during the RO development, Tarayzan was gonna be a playable character.

[THEdragon]

That is true. Though it seems like in Rayman 2 they tried extra hard to make sure this wasn't the case. I recall one piece of Official text for R2 directly stating that Rayman is the only one of his species. In RO, it's like they considered adding in Tarayzan but were like "nah, Rayman's the only one, remember?" so that's why the Rayman skins are all clones/alternate versions of Rayman. But then there was that thing with Rayman's partner in that relic thing, so, uh. But now, In RL, it seems like even Ubisoft is confused as to whether or not there are other members of Rayman's species or not!

I'm sort of hoping that the History of Rayman book clears this up a bit. Until then, I'll hang onto the belief that the rest of the raypeople do exist, and that they're just chillin' over in the Valley away from the spotlight.

[Haruka]

Ubisoft has got a problem when it comes to continuity in the Rayman franchise. Again, this is other personal theory but the explanation I could give is that the R1 events happen in those seven small islands (where the Valley might be) and the continental inhabitants aren't really used to see a limbless being. The fact that Bzzit and Livingstones suddenly earn arms makes this even more complicated.

It gives me the will to ask Ubisoft to do a reboot to Rayman 1 but at the same time this is a quite dangerous request knowing that the trend seems to be slapstick humour...

[THEdragon]

I agree entirely. I have that explanations as one of my main headcanons and it kinda makes me wish Ubisoft didn't try to incorporate R1 characters into RO by giving them limbs.

I'd honestly rather the rest of the R1 cast never return to light than be brought back as something else than what they originally were. I mean, some art style changes, sure, but not an entire species change.

[Shrooblord]

Yeah, no, that would be terrible. I think Rayman 1 is fine as it is. We don't need to remake every single game that's a couple of years older so it lives up to current technological standards, or worse, the current market.

I recall one piece of Official text for R2 directly stating that Rayman is the only one of his species.

I think it said that the people of the Glade had no idea where Rayman came from and that nobody had seen anything like him before. As we're still completely in the Dark about how the Valley and the Glade connect in the world (if at all), there's no real saying where the people from R1 are hanging out as of the events of Rayman 2.

For all we know, Rayman travelled from a completely different plane of existence between the two games. Or perhaps he fell into a Time Hole and wound up on the Glade several millennia later. Who knows!