Rayman M

Rayman M
PAL region PlayStation 2 box art
Developer(s) Ubi Pictures
Ubi Soft Milan
Publisher(s) Ubi Soft
Director(s) Arnaud Carrette
Riccardo Lenzi
Designer(s) Philippe Blanchet
Benoit Macon
Davide Soliani
Programmer(s) François Mahieu
Artist(s) Jean-Marc Geffroy
Composer(s) Claude Samard
Series Rayman
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Microsoft Windows
GameCube
Xbox
Release PlayStation 2
  • EU: November 30, 2001
  • NA: September 24, 2002
Microsoft Windows
  • NA: August 31, 2002
GameCube, Xbox
  • NA: September 24, 2002
Genre(s) Party
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Rayman M (released in North America as Rayman Arena) is a multiplayer party game developed and published by Ubi Soft for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox. It consists of two modes: an arena fighting mode, and a racing mode, both up to four players. It is based on and serves as a prequel to Rayman 2: The Great Escape. It is also as a spin-off of the Rayman series.

In Rayman M, there are four leagues, with three race tracks and three battle arenas, (a fifth Bonus league is available via in-game progression, which consists of five race tracks and one battle arena). In the GameCube and Xbox versions of Rayman Arena, there are three levels of difficulty: Beginner, Pro, and an unlockable Master. There are four cups to be won in both the Battle and Race modes.

Release

Rayman M had been released in Europe in 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and PC, and was released in North America for the PlayStation 2 and PC in 2002 under the name Rayman Arena. Later in May 29, 2012, Rayman Arena became a downloadable game on PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3. There are very minor changes between the two versions (intro movie, load screens, etc.). The game's name was changed to avoid the M possibly being mistaken for the ESRB's Mature rating, which is commonly denoted by said letter.

As there was not a port of Rayman M to the GameCube and Xbox, the development team had made several changes to the game and released it on the GameCube and Xbox platforms. For instance, the menus had been changed; the space theme was gone and navigation was somewhat different.

  • In Rayman M, there is always four competitors in a race, one in Popolopoï and two in Lums, but varies between two and four competitors for the Battle mode. In the Gamecube and Xbox versions of Rayman Arena, in the Beginner and Master Leagues, there is only one opponent per stage regardless of which type of race or battle players are playing. In the Pro League, there are two opponents.

Rayman Rush

Rayman Rush
North American Rayman Rush game cover art
Developer(s) Ubi Soft Shanghai
Publisher(s) Ubi Soft
Designer(s) Michel Ancel
Platform(s) PlayStation
Release
  • EU: March 8, 2002
  • NA: March 26, 2002
Genre(s) On-Foot Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Rayman Rush is an on-foot racing game developed by Ubi Soft Shanghai and published by Ubi Soft, based on the Rayman universe. It features conversions of eleven race tracks, a slightly edited introduction movie, seven characters also character theme songs except for the Teensies (which was absent in this version) and one exclusive character and track not found in Rayman M. However, it lacks the battles from its predecessors. It is a 1-2 player game, with the Championship mode and Lums mode having 2 characters running and 1 in other game modes. The game was released 4 months after Rayman M.

Game modes

There are 5 game modes (only Championship Mode has multiplayer support):

  • Championship Mode: The player competes with a computer-controlled character (or a second human player if multiplayer is on), to finish 3 laps before the opponent to win. One victory in Championship Mode unlocks Lums Mode for the same track. With multiplayer, the screen is divided vertically. Player 1 is represented by yellow while player 2 or the computer is represented by blue.
  • Lums Mode: Only available once the corresponding level has been unlocked in Championship Mode. In this mode, many Yellow Lums are spread around the maps, which the player must compete with a computer-controlled character and win the 3-lap race. At the same time, collect as many Lums as possible. If the challenging player wins, the corresponding level will be unlocked in the Target Mode, Depending on the number of Lums collected, a time bonus for Target Mode will be awarded.
  • Target Mode: Only available once the corresponding level has been unlocked in Lums Mode, a single player will race alone against the clock, shooting at butterflies that are spread around the level. Each butterfly shot gives extra time.
  • Time Attack Mode: A single player will run one lap on their own. The aim is to reach the next checkpoint before the timer reaches 0.
  • Training Mode: This mode serves only as a means of familiarizing new players with the tracks, allowing them to practice and master the game controls and tricks before a real challenge.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankingsPS2: 60%[1]
PC: 47%[2]
NGC: 61%[3]
XBOX: 53%[4]
(Rush) PS: 62%[5]
MetacriticPS2: 63/100[6]
PC: 46/100[7]
NGC: 60/100[8]
XBOX: 50/100[9]
(Rush) PS: 62/100[10]

Rayman Arena has received generally mixed reviews. IGN gave the GameCube version a 4.7/10 and gave the Xbox version a 3.8/10 saying that it's not a great multiplayer game, while GameSpot gave both the GameCube and Xbox versions a 6.2 and the PS2 and PC versions mediocres saying that the four-player multiplayer has worn off. However, Rayman M has received positive reviews compared to its American version.

References

  1. ↑ "Rayman Arena for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  2. ↑ "Rayman Arena for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  3. ↑ "Rayman Arena for GameCube". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  4. ↑ "Rayman Arena for Xbox". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  5. ↑ "Rayman Rush for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  6. ↑ "Rayman Arena for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  7. ↑ "Rayman Arena for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  8. ↑ "Rayman Arena for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  9. ↑ "Rayman Arena for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  10. ↑ "Rayman Rush for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
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