Rayman Origins is a great and well designed 2-D side scrolling plat former.
Presentation - The story is a bit weak because there was only a cut scene at the beginning of the game. As Rayman was relaxing and eating, strange events have happened and it's up to Rayman to save the day again. I forgot exactly what happened in this story. The 2-D side scrolling platformer reminds me of playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii an even Donkey Kong Country Returns. The formula is very similar except that Rayman doesn't have any lives, so it means that you don't necessarily get any game over's. Instead, you collect small critters called Lums. Once you collect Lum Kings (which are large Lums), they temporary change their colors to red. They sing and dance adorably. At the end of each level, there are Electoons that are trapped in cages.
Once you defeat all the enemies that surround them, the cage gets free, and you get bonus points depending on how many Lums you collect. Be careful that there are cages hidden at the middle of the level sometimes. Also, if you hit an enemy twice, Rayman gets blown up, and you have to start over from the last check point. There are hearts to collect, so he can get hurt a few times without blowing up. After you complete each maps, there a few challenges that wait for you. For example, in the Time Attack mode, you try to beat the time challenge to free an Electoon, and you can earn a speed trophy once you beat the hard time challenge. In addition, you can chase sprinting chests to keep up with them. You can also play as other characters like Bubble Dreamer, Globox, and Teensies. The difficulty levels are easy at first, but they spike up a notch as time goes on with having more obstacles and enemies in the way.
Graphics - They are well designed overall, but some of the background environments are sometimes blurry especially the lava/fire levels. They may not be uber realistic looking like Infamous 2, but this is a cartoony game and I'm trying to be fair about it. The frame rate is pretty solid, and I haven't encountered any slowdowns or glitches yet.
Sound- Although Rayman doesn't have any real voice acting except for saying whohoo when jumping, the Lum sounds are adorable and enjoyable to hear every time I collect the Lum Kings. The music fits perfectly with this type of game especially the soundtracks that are played on each level.
Game play - The controls are well implemented and only pressing a few buttons are simple for anyone to play. They are responsive and accurate like they should be.
Lasting appeal - Although this game has no online mode, the four player co-op makes this more enjoyable and exciting to play. There are over sixty levels to complete, which can last you a good while. There are three player files.
The good - the graphics and music are well designed and thought out overall, controls are accurate, lots of levels and a few challenges to complete, up to four player co-op mode
The bad - no online mode, story is weak
Presentation-8
Graphics- 8
Sound- 9
Game play- 10
Lasting appeal - 9
Overall 8.8 out of 10 Gamespot Score 9 out of 10