Rayman Legends (PS4)

Rayman genuinely has become the modern king of platforming, usurping Mario from his long held throne. Ubisoft have once again released a solid, challenging yet fun platformer with solid game mechanics. Every element of the game has been lovingly and meticulously honed to perfection. The hand drawn sprites are stunning, the level designs have been lovingly crafted and the music is a joy to behold. Enemy designs are varied and brilliantly comical, playable characters are numerous but a little less creative (many of the unlocks are the same as original characters with different colour schemes or with an additional element added, for example, a helmet on Rayman). The gibberish versions of popular songs such as Black Betty and the like never fail to raise a smile in the musical levels. Each platform, enemy and collectable has been placed with meaning and precision. All of these factors add up to a very enjoyable experience, possibly even better than the amazing Rayman Origins. The game has oodles of content. A great number of humorously named stages are available from the start and more are quickly unlocked by rescuing trapped Teensies. Each unique stage has a musical level which the player must dash through as quickly as possible leaping obstacles and smashing enemies in time to the music. These levels are fantastic fun, definitely my favourite aspect of the game. Scratch cards are earned for collecting Lums (the currency of the game similar to coins in Mario or rings in Sonic) and these can be used to unlock other rewards such as levels from older Rayman games, multiplayer elements and collectable creatures who offer you daily rewards. There are many unlockable characters that can be purchased using Lums, however, as already mentioned, many of them are very similar to each other and a little uninspiring. The Vita version is missing a handful of levels that were available in the PS3, Wii U and 360 versions on release but Ubisoft have promised to patch them in with a later update. Granted, they should have been included from the off, but with a little patience we can get them with a future update. Multiplayer fans might be disappointed by what is on offer in this version of Rayman as you cannot connect with random players via the internet, you need to have numerous friends with a Vita and the game and connect via the friends list or adhoc mode. To compensate for this, Ubisoft have included an online daily challenge mode in which you can compete against players from across the world by setting times in obstacle courses and distance challenges. This can be fun, but it is extremely difficult to reach the top of the leaderboards; there must be some cracking players out there as so far I have only been able to achieve silver medal rewards. What are the downsides? Well, they are few and far between but some do exist. The Murfy levels on the Vita have been slated for their control mechanics and I must admit that these stages are somewhat of a lowlight for the game. They grow steadily more frustrating as you progress; the use of the gyroscope, where you tilt the Vita to move things on screen, is poorly implemented and sometimes you'll die as a result of this fault. Stages within the game are littered with hidden areas and rewards and some of these can be difficult to spot on the small screen of the Vita. Although this is not a gamebreaking problem it might cause frustration for completionists who miss a hidden door or Teensy. The biggest downer, however, is the final set of Legends stages, Livid Dead Party. This section is truly horrendous, essentially forcing you to replay the brilliant musical levels blind by heavily distorting the screen. Not at all fun and you can't help but wonder how the idea ever got the okay for inclusion in the final release of the game. Overall, though, I highly recommend Rayman Legends to anyone who has ever had a love affair with the classic platformers of old. The game is ideal for playing on the go, has plenty of content and replayability and with the promised patch, there is yet more to come! Move over Mario and Sonic, we have a new platforming king!

Rayman Legends is a title that many Wii U owners will know too well at this point. Once a console exclusive, the game was pushed from its February release date as they worked on porting it to other current generation platforms. The extra wait was worth it, though, as Ubisoft have taken this time to refine what was already a solid game and add lots more content. The game's premise is simple yet it is so rewarding, so enjoyable and, sometimes, quite frustrating. The several worlds will have you running, jumping, racing and escaping from a myriad of enemies in gorgeously detailed environments. The fantastic soundtrack, too, helps bring this wonderful world to life. You will be hard pressed to find a game, past or present, that can match Rayman Legends in visual beauty. It is so refreshing to play a game that is not afraid to, literally, show off its true colours. Each world has different mechanics; one world turns you into a tiny duck, another has you hiding from enemy searchlights and waiting for the perfect time to jump over some moving lasers, lest you get burnt to a crisp. Checkpoints are liberally scattered throughout and rarely do you become frustrated when you die; when you fall to your death, it is almost always your fault and not due to lousy design. The difficulty tends to spike up unexpectedly, though this can be circumvented by going to another world (you are free to progress as you please, with some restrictions) and clearing an easier level instead. As my title suggests, if you want the best Rayman Legends experience then you most definitely want to buy it for the Wii U. Murphy, the green flying frog first seen in Rayman 2, helps Rayman progress through levels by flipping switches, tickling enemies and moving platforms. The best bit is that, unlike the PS3/360/PC versions, YOU control these actions. Team up with a friend and work together as you overcome these levels together or simply play it alone as the AI controls your character while you do your best to keep him alive. These challenging levels are spread throughout the entire game and, if you play this on a PS3/360 you'll be missing out on a huge portion of what makes this game so great. They've done a good job tweaking it for non-touch devices, though, and this shouldn't stop you from enjoying all the game has to offer. Whilst Nintendo have been churning out the now stagnant New Super Mario Bros franchise, Ubisoft shows us just how innovative and enjoyable a traditional platforming title can be in the 21st century. With musical levels (running along to a Kazoo-inspired cover of Eye of the Tiger, anyone?), intense boss battles and a near endless slew of challenging content, Rayman Legends is not only one of the best games of this year, but one of the best games of its kind.

I have played the console version of this game as well as this, the PSVITA version. This game does differ, overall, in terms of gameplay to that of it's predecessor, 'Rayman Origins' - which if you haven't played it, you must, it's an exceptional platformer. 'Rayman Legends' was originally designed exclusively for the Wii U before Ubisoft decieded to make the game for more platforms, which I'm glad they did. Due to the nature of the Wii U's hardware, there are quite a few touch-based gameplay elements. You have to press a button when playing these touch-based elements on the PS3 or Xbox 360, as there is no touchpad to play these on. However, the Wii U isn't the only console to offer touch-based controls, thankfully the PSVITA has this covered. I'm happy to say that these touch controls in 'Rayman Legends' for the PSVITA work just fine. Gameplay is smooth, and the game is really crisp and sharp on the PSVITA screen. Online features are still present within this version, so you can compete with out players on various challenges ranging in difficulty. The game as a platformer, is solid. The music is well crafted, and the levels are varied enough. Saying that, however, within this game there is a whole section where you can play levels from the previous game, 'Rayman Origins', and there are a lot of them. If you haven't played these levels before, then this won't be a negative for you. Since I did play the first game, I can't help but think they could have created ALL new levels. Overall, a great purchase and highly recommended.

I love the graphics which are colourful and well drawn. This is the perfect game to play after a returning from work. Parts of it are simple and relaxing while other parts can be intense and challenging. I just got the game yesterday and as a result I haven't gone far in the game yet, but it seems to me (from looking at the locked stages and characters) that there is a lot of content. Not only that but each stage can be played more that once in order to achieve better results. Couple that with the daily and weekly challenges (in which you compete with the rest of the world for highest score) and you can imagine the replayability of the game. A feature that I have yet to try with friends but looks really fun is the Kung Foot stage, in which you and your friends (playing locally) are split into 2 teams and try to score as many goals as they can against each other before the time runs out. Also another thing that I found to be a very nice addition is that every stage can give you a "lucky ticket" which you scratch and win various items. Those include from simply extra lums to unlocking stages and "creatures". The last part is another addition, where you can collect up to 60 "creatures" that are kept in a specific section and generate lums daily (think of it like a farm). This adds flavour to the game and will appeal to players who like collecting things. On a final note the game costs around 21 pounds which in my opinion is a very good price for such a well designed game and I believe it is worth having in your collection.

Best 2D platformer ever... ...I mean, if you play it with Wii U!!! Ubi beat Nintendo in it's home turf; New Super Mario bros has nothing on Rayman Legends (Wii U). It is baffling, how much more Ubi soft found use for the tablet controller. If only Rayman Legends was a Wii U launch game instead of NSMB! (or at least, I wish Ubi wouldn't have delayed it for over half year for waiting for the vain last gen controller dilutions for other consoles not suited for this kind of game play). The co op between the tablet controller and TV players is so much fun, and the Ubi developers REALLY went to town with the level design! They have came up with never ending stream (well, for 100-ish levels) of inventive game play situations. There are genius examples of touch screen game play, like how they combined "Cut the Rope" game play into bigger context, or how the touch screen player must draw floors for the other players to run, while also drawing ceilings to guard them from raining lava. Amazing stuff, and it never seems to repeat its self! And the platforming it self is also Mario level goodness. The levels are painstakingly made for co op, and not just playing together at the same time. Now you have to communicate with other players and use each others strengths imaginatively. The Wii U is THE CO OP CONSOLE! (among other things) It's truly a NEXT GEN console in MANY ways! (And the graphics are awesome)

This is the first review I have written on amazon for any product I have purchased. I felt it my duty to alert amazon members of how much of an EPIC game this is. I have complete this Game 100% Anyone who is accustomed to platformers knows that completing them to 100% can be tedious, i.e revisiting old levels, and finding all collectibles etc. NOT WITH THIS GAME. No other word but "perfection" can be used to describe the way the levels are designed! There is so much variation in the level designs that it never gets repetitive. Once you have ripped your teeth into 6 exciting Worlds, the game also awards you the ability to unlock levels from its predecessor "Rayman Origins". Even if you have played Rayman Origins,this does not seem boring as the levels are slightly changed,which encourages "replayablity". If your a fan of platformers, stop reading my post and buy the game. If your new to platformers, what a way to introduce yourself to the genre. This game costs within the region of £20 whereas other xbox one titles are edging close to £50. Not only is this great value for your money, but I can confidently say this is the best game on the xbox one. * I am not smiling, I am dead serious * It has been a pleasure writing this review, but an even greater pleasure playing this game.

Game arrived on time, but the disc was loose in the case and the outside packaging was damaged, but the disc was perfectly fine. overall happy with the purchase.

The only words I can use to describe this game are, a masterpiece I have been gaming since the days of the NES and i reckon this is right up there with the best platform games I have ever played. Initially this was to be released early 2013 but was delayed due to porting over to other consoles, I'd say it was definately worth the wait. Ubisoft has done a fantastic job. The graphics are absolutely stunning, the gameplay is fantastic and the soundtrack really compliments the amazing level design, the gamepad has also been well integrated. I played Rayman Origins and enjoyed it but this is such a massive leap forward. While New Super Mario Brothers is still a good game it has been pretty much the same since it was originally released on the DS years ago, Rayman has now become the king of the platform games in my opinion. Any gamer (whether casual, hardcore, young or old) should have this game in their collection. Challenge mode adds replay value by competing on online leaderboards against other players around the world. Its also refreshing to have such a colourful and feel good game in a generation dominated by war games. I would imagine the Playstation Vita version would work well, as this has also has a touch screen.