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Rayman Origins |OT| The Rebirth

Brashnir

Member
Picked this up the other day, and I'm liking it so far. I really like that it's structured like a an old-style platformer, but uses some more modern ideas once you get into playing the game.

After playing (and liking) DKCR and NSMBWii, I'm really glad this game did away with the contrivance of lives. They just don't fit in today's gaming landscape (at least not in a game that isn't a score attack) and they seem especially silly in a game where a "game over" is really just a 5up.

The lack of lives, combined with the frequent checkpoints within a level (most of them, anyway) really allows this game to put in challenging sections without being completely punishing. You always feel like you can make that one or two more jumps/dodges/whatevers and make it to the next checkpoint. To a certain extent, each level almost feels like 4 or 5 Super Meat Boy levels stuck together to form one big level.

If I have a complaint, I wish they'd mix up the environments a little more early in the game. Instead of playing 6 or 8 levels in a row in the same environment, it would have been nice if you'd go back and forth between them some. I understand why they went the way they did, but I'd have preferred that they mixed it up a bit.

Still, I'm looking forward to what this game has to offer later on.
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
Just got my copy from the $20 Toys R Us sale! Will be starting as soon as I'm done with this Mass Effect 2 playthrough.
 

AniHawk

Member
Picked this up the other day, and I'm liking it so far. I really like that it's structured like a an old-style platformer, but uses some more modern ideas once you get into playing the game.

After playing (and liking) DKCR and NSMBWii, I'm really glad this game did away with the contrivance of lives. They just don't fit in today's gaming landscape (at least not in a game that isn't a score attack) and they seem especially silly in a game where a "game over" is really just a 5up.

The lack of lives, combined with the frequent checkpoints within a level (most of them, anyway) really allows this game to put in challenging sections without being completely punishing. You always feel like you can make that one or two more jumps/dodges/whatevers and make it to the next checkpoint. To a certain extent, each level almost feels like 4 or 5 Super Meat Boy levels stuck together to form one big level.

If I have a complaint, I wish they'd mix up the environments a little more early in the game. Instead of playing 6 or 8 levels in a row in the same environment, it would have been nice if you'd go back and forth between them some. I understand why they went the way they did, but I'd have preferred that they mixed it up a bit.

Still, I'm looking forward to what this game has to offer later on.

i wouldn't be surprised if the early game was basically their finished episode 1 when it was still going to be an episodic game, and then when it gets crazier, it was when development switched to make it a retail game.
 

see5harp

Member
I do think the lack of lives along with the great music (some of the water stage songs and a few of the bird level songs are better than anything in Donkey Kong Country Returns) makes this a worthy purchase. Beat the game along with the special level after getting the teeth in a few days and may end up trading for credit. I figure I can probably get $20 in credit towards something else so why not.
 

AniHawk

Member
got to the halfway point. i'm beating levels with everything in one go and then going back for the speed runs. world 5 is pretty awesome, and pretty likely the cutoff point for what episode 1 was going to be.

the treasure chest level of world 5 was considerably easier than the level preceding it too. i was surprised when it ended so quickly.

also, amir0x lied about the water levels being good. not even ancel can make a water level good, because it's a water level. the music at least eases my frustrations though.
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
got to the halfway point. i'm beating levels with everything in one go and then going back for the speed runs. world 5 is pretty awesome, and pretty likely the cutoff point for what episode 1 was going to be.

the treasure chest level of world 5 was considerably easier than the level preceding it too. i was surprised when it ended so quickly.

Only the halfway point? You must be taking your time. It gets so much better.
 

AniHawk

Member
Only the halfway point? You must be taking your time. It gets so much better.

i started a new job and i don't get home until late. i only really started the game again last night and i'm moving at a pace of a world or two a night now.

should have this and trine 2 done by timetokill's deadline. not that i'm rushing to meet it or anything.
 
Well I finally finished the game last night and have to join in with the praise. This is quite honestly one of the finest platformers I have ever played, sublime visuals, crazy music, silky smooth controls, fiendish difficulty balanced with infinite lives and far more levels than you'd expect.

The little touches - such as the "oooh"s every time you discover a secret area - are what takes it up a notch though, the game feels like it has been hand crafted with care and without any outside pressure to tick the mass market boxes. It's disappointing that the game has sold so poorly, most likely due to Rayman's long absence coupled with absolutely no marketing to push it under everyone's noses - something that sadly seems to have become a reoccurring issue with Ancel's games.
 

AniHawk

Member
Well I finally finished the game last night and have to join in with the praise. This is quite honestly one of the finest platformers I have ever played, sublime visuals, crazy music, silky smooth controls, fiendish difficulty balanced with infinite lives and far more levels than you'd expect.

The little touches - such as the "oooh"s every time you discover a secret area - are what takes it up a notch though, the game feels like it has been hand crafted with care and without any outside pressure to tick the mass market boxes. It's disappointing that the game has sold so poorly, most likely due to Rayman's long absence coupled with absolutely no marketing to push it under everyone's noses - something that sadly seems to have become a reoccurring issue with Ancel's games.

to be fair, ubisoft did make a commercial for it, and they targeted the cartoon network audience.

unfortunately the way they marketed it could have been better. for something that should have been an easy sell, they went the complete opposite direction. they tried appealing to the jaded 13 year-old gamer directly instead of their parents (who have the money and would probably prefer a fun game for the family or their kids to share over a second shooter to go with modern warfare 3).
 

Brashnir

Member
i wouldn't be surprised if the early game was basically their finished episode 1 when it was still going to be an episodic game, and then when it gets crazier, it was when development switched to make it a retail game.

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if the game up to the world 5 boss was originally episode 1 of the downloadable title.

I almost wonder if it would have done better if released as 3 $15 episodes on XBLA/PSN. Given the number of people (myself included) who waited for price drops before buying it, they may have ended up with a higher average sale price had they gone that route - especially given the sales numbers for games like Super Meat Boy and Castle Crashers. They would have certainly gotten $45 out of me.

Hopefully the game continues to sell at the reduced prices for some time and goes on to reasonable lifetime sales numbers. It's definitely a quality title.
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
should have this friday - the wait is killing me!

really curious if i can get my wife into it to play co-op. she used to play SMB back in the day and we still fire it up on her nephews NES from time to time... but shes pretty intimidated by modern gaming.
 

Jhoan

Member
I just got it yesterday after getting it from Amazon for 30 bucks with the art book which is surprisingly the size of the game case; lots of high quality artwork for sure. I love the music; it's extremely good and the idle animations. It looks gorgeous, the platforming's great, the level design's great.

Overall, fantastic game and I'm only up to the second world. I hope this game sells decently enough to make it into the six figure numbers. As everyone said, Ubisoft made a bad move releasing it next to Assassin's Creed:Revelations and would have done so much better as a digital distribution game. It's definitely one of my favorite games from last year for sure; so much love went into this game.
 
just finished Land of the Livid Dead. It....wasn't that hard. Maybe because everyone hyped it up as so hard, my uber platforming skills kicked in or something, because I finished each section of it in a handful of tries, and honestly that crappy chase sequence in the last level of the regular game annoyed me more. I liked the game a lot, but wish the platforming wasn't so scripted and rigid in the chase levels....pixel perfect platforming at exactly the moment the developer intended or DIE. Not much room for improvisation or discovery, just memorization and trial and error. They are a rush, though.
 

TripOpt55

Member
Just played the Land of the Livid Dead and thought it was quite tough. Got through it though! Going back tomorrow to finish up the rest of the medalions and time trials.
 

saunderez

Member
The last few levels of this game are much harder than anything that came before it. And I say this as a Super Meat Boy/Splosion Man veteran. I needed to muster all of the skills learned in those games. Very rewarding though, me and my co-op buddy broke out in cheers when we realised we had finally finished The Reveal.
 

ced

Member
Picked it up from the $20 TRU sale, wife and I made it to world 2.

Actually a lot of fun, and has awesome music. I don't care for the interaction between characters, way too many times we punch each other and screw something up.
 

Brashnir

Member
Picked it up from the $20 TRU sale, wife and I made it to world 2.

Actually a lot of fun, and has awesome music. I don't care for the interaction between characters, way too many times we punch each other and screw something up.

It's a double-edged sword. it is possible to mess each other up, but it's also possible to reach places by using one another as platforms from spots where it might not otherwise be possible.

hold up to let your partner use you as a platform. You can also jump and punch your partner to an even higher place than they can reach by simply jumping off of you.
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
I was told that the 360 version is also 2.0 stereo despite the box label, but this is incorrect right? Only the PS3 version is stereo.

Can someone with the 360 version confirm it plays in real, discrete 5.1? (not pro-logic ii, or 2.0)
 
This game is pretty damn long. I've had it since Black Friday, and just when I thought I was done with the worlds, the fairy tells me something and four new spots open up with multiple levels.
 

Lima

Member
I was told that the 360 version is also 2.0 stereo despite the box label, but this is incorrect right? Only the PS3 version is stereo.

Can someone with the 360 version confirm it plays in real, discrete 5.1? (not pro-logic ii, or 2.0)

The box puts out a 5.1 signal (because 2ch output is not allowed by MS) but only uses the left and right channels.

No rocket science here just use your ears. There is nothing coming out of the other speakers.

And please add this info to the OP. I'm so tired of reading that the 360 version has the advantage of 5.1 sound...
 

BeeDog

Member
I'm a pretty hairy bastard, but I still feel hair's growing in places I never knew could carry hair follicles after finishing Land of the Livid Dead.

Fucking hell.
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
The box puts out a 5.1 signal (because 2ch output is not allowed by MS) but only uses the left and right channels.

No rocket science here just use your ears. There is nothing coming out of the other speakers.

And please add this info to the OP. I'm so tired of reading that the 360 version has the advantage of 5.1 sound...
Well that's hilarious.
Ok, now I'm buying the game.
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
got the game today (a day earlier than expected!) and i'm blown away. its sooo gorgeous, i hope we see more on this engine with the same level of detail and care. definitely going to update my voting for the game of the year thread and put rayman at #2
just behind forza 4
 

Gilby

Member
I'm about 7/10ths of the way through the game, and it's great. There's a few little quirks that bug me (mostly having to re-press the jump button to hover) but the artwork and level design are great and the music is fantastic! I'm so glad 2D made a comeback this gen.
 

Brashnir

Member
Just finished the game (meaning credits rolling, not 100%)

What an incredible game. Definitely going to keep playing and see what else it has to offer. This is truly one of the great platformers of all time. They absolutely nailed the balance between challenge and encouragement to do better in a way that very few games manage.

There were a couple very rare spots (mostly in "race" sections) where I died and couldn't tell what I did wrong, but for the most part, the game nails that aspect of it too. You almost never feel like the game cheated you. It controls great and gives perfect feedback almost all of the time.

Now to go and revise my voting for the GOTY thread. I'm glad they extended the deadline.
 

Grisby

Member
10 tooths mother 'f 'er. Damn, some of them were hard.

Time to go for the final boss and what ever this "living lead" thing is.
 
Just a quick review: did you guys play with stick or D-pad?

D-pad all the way for me (PS3 version). Kinda curious how the D-pad and sticks on the Vita are going to feel, probably sticking with D-pad on the Vita version as well.
 

Alx

Member
Stick for me. I once got stuck on a difficult part and considered the D-pad, but didn't do as well and went back to the stick. Of course I'm biased since I had been using the stick for hours so it's only logical that I was better with it.
 
Just a quick review: did you guys play with stick or D-pad?

D-pad all the way for me (PS3 version). Kinda curious how the D-pad and sticks on the Vita are going to feel, probably sticking with D-pad on the Vita version as well.
I use the d-pad for the normal levels and the stick for the flying ones.
 

see5harp

Member
Just a quick review: did you guys play with stick or D-pad?

D-pad all the way for me (PS3 version). Kinda curious how the D-pad and sticks on the Vita are going to feel, probably sticking with D-pad on the Vita version as well.

I used the d-pad on PS3 which was surprising because I preferred the analog stick for Super Meat Boy on 360. I think it's because controls can be touchy here, especially when using the run button in combination with the attack. That charging attack and fast start sprint really fucked me in a lot of places.
 

Brashnir

Member
Just a quick review: did you guys play with stick or D-pad?

D-pad all the way for me (PS3 version). Kinda curious how the D-pad and sticks on the Vita are going to feel, probably sticking with D-pad on the Vita version as well.

Stick. I tried both out a little when first starting the game, but the analog stick felt more natural.

I was really glad I made this choice when I reached the water levels later in the game.
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
I was really glad I made this choice when I reached the water levels later in the game.

The water levels control surprisingly well with the pad. Probably the best underwater controls I've ever experienced in a game. Rayman always went where I wanted him to, even when I was navigating narrow spikey alleyways to snag coins and such.
 
Just a quick review: did you guys play with stick or D-pad?

D-pad all the way for me (PS3 version). Kinda curious how the D-pad and sticks on the Vita are going to feel, probably sticking with D-pad on the Vita version as well.
D-Pad for the regular levels, analog stick for the water and flying levels - I can't comprehend how anyone could complete a mosquito level using the D-Pad.
 

Pharoah

Member
This game is pure, unaltered, joy.

Perfect 1080p, 60 frames per second on the 360 too. Amazingly crafted designs, and very good level design. On top of that, one of the best soundtrack I have heard in quite a while.

They even made me find out my kids (4 and 7) could find new ways to laugh hysterically.

Congrats Ubi Montpellier, congrats Messieurs Michel Ancel and Christophe Heral, and vive la France :)
 
Stick. I tried both out a little when first starting the game, but the analog stick felt more natural.

I was really glad I made this choice when I reached the water levels later in the game.
I just switch to stick when in water and use the D-pad for the rest of the game.
 

madmackem

Member
Is this the same on both 360 and ps3 then, does it run 1080p on ps3. I think i might prefer the ps3 version due to the better dpad.
 
Picked this up yesterday at local TrU. There was prominent $19.99 signage on both 360 and PS3 shelves. Test drove the demo in co-op with nephew before picking it up. Beautiful game which I would have picked up later anyway whenever it hit $20 at Amazon (to use credit) but ready availability at local TrU hastened things.
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
sorry for the lttp question, as i'm sure its been addressed ad nauseum somewhere in this thread, but is there a "fix" of sorts to pass the pirate's treasure chase level?
 

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
sorry for the lttp question, as i'm sure its been addressed ad nauseum somewhere in this thread, but is there a "fix" of sorts to pass the pirate's treasure chase level?

From what I have read, the only way is to quit the level then start it over again.
 
For 360, does this game play better with say a MadCatz fightpad? For better dpad, of course. I'm just worried that'll mess up other controls, such as triggers, etc.
 
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