Its a funny number in my opinion. I got the number 410 which I think it doesn't sound bad either.
Alright. I finished to read the whole book. The last chapters talk about the world of Rayman, a brief description of the most notable characters, the future of Rayman and the fans of Rayman.
The chapter of "The world of Rayman" shows Motormike's (interesting) perspective about why the Glade is in constant transformation. The text is kinda short but it was nice to read. For the characters section there isn't anything new, except for three stuff that I am a bit in doubt about their veracity. I also sadly found several mistakes that I would like to point out:
- Some pictures have got their game identification titles wrong:
--> Page 160 - Rayman Origins (Its Rayman Legends actually)
--> Page 163 - Rayman Origins (2011) [Its Rayman Legends again)
--> Page 166 - You describe in Globox's text box that Uglette is playable in Rayman Origins and Legends under the name of Red Globox. This information is incorrect for two reasons. Uglette was indeed planned to be a playable character but she did not made it to the final version. Red Globox is actually Globox himself before his skin colour became blue because of an attack of a mosquito swarm. There's a complicated controversy inside the fan community relatively to this fact (that got explained through unlockable Mosaics in the PlayStation Vita version of Rayman Origins) since it makes a paradox with the informations given in The Knowledge of the Yellow Lums of Rayman 2 (Since Globox was suppousely already blue-coloured in his birth and the majority of his children are assumed to be blue as we can see in both Rayman 2 and Rayman Raving Rabbids). Its just a parenthisis that I am doing to this matter.
--> Page 166 - Again concerning Globox's text box. You describe Globox being playable for the first time in Rayman: Hoodlums Revenge. He was already playable in Rayman M/Arena, a game released 4 years before.
--> Page 168 - About the Lums text box. You describe the Lums having their first apparition in Rayman (1995). Their first appearance was actually done in Rayman 2 (1999).
--> Page 168 and 169 - These two pages are Lum-focused. Both own pictures of Electoons, the prink creatures with blue shoes. They shouldn't be here.
--> Page 172 - In the picture subtitle of "Rayman Origins (2011)", it actually corresponds to Rayman Legends (2013).
--> Page 174 - Ly's text box. You describe Ly to make an appearance in Rayman: Hoodlums Revenge and Rayman Raving Rabbids (Nintendo DS version). This information is false since she doesn't appear in both games.
--> Page 176 - In the picture subtitle of "Rayman 2 (1999)" is actually Rayman 3 (2003).
Those were the mistakes I found. Now for the two doubts I own:
--> Page 166 and 172 - You describe as Globox and Polokus belonging to the Glutes' specie. Was RayWiki the source or an official source of Ubisoft? I am asking this because there's also a hot discussion concerning the species' name of Globox inside the community.
--> Page 173 - You describe that Clark was planned to make a comeback in Rayman 3. Was it officially confirmed? (I have the slight feeling I did hear this because but I wanted to make sure)
--> Page 184 - You describe that André's objectif is to fill up the land with plums. Was it officially confirmed? In the game we only know that he wanted to access the Heart of the World to be able to conquer the Glade of Dreams. (Guys of the community, please correct me if I am wrong)
The chapter of Rayman's future is very short, containing only two pages. However...
- Michel Ancel still wants to create a new big 3D adventure of Rayman game with the narrative element.
- In endings of November of 2013 a new 3D Rayman project was being studied for Xbox One and PS4 consoles but the project stopped a month later. It was done a little 3D clip to show it apparently. However, the weak sellings of Rayman Legends make the Montepellier team think that the public doesn't want to see Rayman in the living room consoles anymore. [Which I personally think its not entirely true since several factors were behind the commercial failure. And I do think that what people really want to see is a new 3D adventure and not a 2D adventure.]
- Michel Ancel is considering to bring more Rayman games for the smartphones and tablettes, possibly with a narrative element
The final chapter is about the Rayman fans, which is as short as the chapter I talked about above. It is a short interview done to a Rayman fan born in 1990 that describes her experience with meeting Rayman back when Rayman 2 got released. It was a good read too since the feelings she shared are common to the community members who have R2 as their favourite title of the franchise.
For unseen things in these last chapters, there are few Rayman 1 sketches of Rayman, a Rayman Origins sketch of Rayman, a Barbara concept art to find out her design, a group Rayman Legends sketch, a battle concept of Rayman and Globox against the Armoured Toad without his armour and one background or other that seem new for me too.
And its all about the big Rayman book. Concerning the 48-pages book of the forgotten artworks, I'll be brief in what you can find inside it:
- Environmental concept arts of beaches, treasure caves, pirate ships, orient landscapes, haunted mansions, swamps, wooden forts and installations, dark trees, floating islands and other random landscapes.
- Concept arts of scrapped characters, possible enemies and possible bosses: monkeys, a sea dragon made of water, a sea monster with lots of eyes and tentacles, a whale, a giant spider, humans that seem to be based of the Huns, wooden enemies, vikings with a giant octopus-alike monster, a dragon emerging from the dephts of the soil, human king and human servants, odd creatures and cyclopycal armoured soldiers.
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And like this I finish the entire reading of the L'Histoire de Rayman: Edition Origine. And my veredict is very positive. I loved the book from the beginning to the end. There are lots of interviews that are fluent and well integrated in the texts, with detail and rhythm. It grabs you in a way you just can't stop reading and want to read more. This is a book I've been wishing to exist since years and I'm very happy it happened! The book print is of great quality too and it shipped to me in 5 exact work days after the notification of shipping. Simply excellent. I definitely recommend it to every Rayman fan and think its a must-have item. Its well worth the money. Thank you so much for having written this book, Motormike. I am very thankful for it, I did enjoy the reading. I'm looking forward for the English release!
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