Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

Rayman 2 is an absolutely classic platformer, standing alongside Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie as one of the greats of that time. Bearing this in mind, it's hard to make a sequel that lives up to that. Rayman 3 (the last game before the Rabbids took over the franchise) is a lot prettier, features a bunch of new mechanics, stunning environments, full voice acting, an equally silly and French a take on an otherwise dark plot, quite possibly the best bonus levels *ever*... and yet somehow it still falls a bit short. There are two major design changes: one, the removal of cages and lums. instead of encouraging (or even forcing) you to go back over past levels to plumb their depths and flesh out 100%, you're rated on your score, amassed via generic pickups, and a combo system based on how much you can amass in rapid succession. Multipliers are racked up by defeating enemies, leading into the second major change: Combat. Whereas Rayman 2 threw some significant enemies at you on the odd occasion and mostly let you focus on the platforming, Rayman 3 revels in its combat. You almost never get a break from the onslaught of Hoodlums, and spend the better portion of the game dodging and weaving around their shots while throwing curved punches everywhere (because they'll block most head-on attacks). The lock-on mechanic has been greatly improved to facilitate this, but it can get wearisome. Really, those changes are why Rayman 3 doesn't quite stand up there with 2. Instead it gets by on its charm and aesthetics, and managing to do what it does quite well, even if it's a bit of a step back. For $6, I say grab a gamepad, step into Rayman's disembodied shoes one last time, and lay some smack down.