The Good vs Bad when it comes down to Rayman Origins.
As for the good things about Rayman Origins; the first thing everyone will (or at least should) notice upon starting the game is its unique art style. The visuals for the game are beyond beautiful and pull in anyone looking for something different and new. Along with the visuals comes a world with a strong imagination behind it that doesn't take things too far and allows everything within the game to come together perfectly.
The soundtrack for this game is brilliant and addicting as well. With the games loony and extremely catchy tunes, you may find yourself whistling or humming them as the day goes by. Some songs even fit the gameplay so well that you may not show it, but on the inside you'll feel as if your heart is swelling up with joy. I could actually see myself downloading most of these songs to my iPod and listening to them on a bad day just to brighten things up a bit or even just listen for the heck of it.
Rayman Origins plays much like the classic platfomer (ie: LittleBigPlanet, New Super Mario Bros., etc) and up to 3 of your friends can join in. However, you can only play with 3 other players locally. I was a bit skeptical when I found out that this wasn't to be an online co-op game, but after playing it for myself through the majority of my first play-through I'm kind of glad it isn't. Though for the most part the co-op is fun and runs smoothly, I find the game much more enjoyable to play alone anyways; despite the fact that playing with others makes the game slightly easier.
One of my personal favorite things about Rayman Origins is the fact that unlike most games of its kind, there are NO LIVES. This makes dying less stressful and learning from your mistakes a lot easier. Actually, when you die there is no consequence at all! You simply return to the beginning of the room you've died in (or the nearest checkpoint when there are no rooms for a while) and can continue from there.
As for the bad things about Rayman Origins; I can honestly say that there is nothing wrong with this masterpiece besides the fact that as you near the end of it, there are ridiculous difficulty spikes. You may even end up dying so many times that the game actually asks if you want to keep playing. Trust me; I love a good challenge, but in this case I thought these spikes went a bit too far.
Rayman Origins is a fantastic game that takes Rayman back to his classic platforming roots and is definitely worth the buy for anyone seeking something entertaining and different. Overall, it is getting a 9.5 out of 10 from me. Even those of you who are unfamiliar with or simply don't care for Rayman may find a spot in your heart for this title, especially if you're a fan of classic gameplay.
Anyways, thanks for reading this review. If you liked what you saw, be sure to follow me on either my Youtube Page (TrueFreakinGamers) or Twitter (thatSTERLINkid) and share your thoughts on whether you agree or disagree!