Developer: Ubisoft Paris

Publisher: Ubisoft

Genre: Platformer

Rating: E

Platform: Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network

Release date: out now

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc was originally launched back in February 2003 for GameCube, PlayStation 3, Xbox and PC. Nine years on let’s see what the HD remastering has to offer.

First of all the HD makeover is pretty nice, but since the game uses cartoonish styled graphics it is difficult to get an overall feel of how much it has improved the look of the game. The texturing is pretty good with no noticeable issues even when standing up close to objects. Also I noticed no issues with the frame rate which is supposed to run at 60 fps. So overall the HD makeover is pretty solid.

Rayman 3 HD offers some new content not seen in the original game. New content includes leaderboads, new mini-games etc.

The plot of Rayman 3 sees trying to stop the black hoodlums who are transforming red hoodlums. It is up to Rayman to save the day.

Now let’s look at the gameplay. Which I had a love/hate relationship with in this game.

First of all I have to say I enjoyed the dialogue in the game from the beginning tutorial which had many fourth wall breaking elements to what the creatures you rescue from the cage randomly say when freed.

The combat is pretty solid if not a bit easy. You just have to get close enough to have a lock on charge up your attack and beat the enemy. The enemies for the most part are pretty simple they fire at long range and the attacks are easily side stepped, but if you get up close you are in trouble because the enemy just knocks you back.

For specific enemies and situations the game offers situational power ups which allow you to temporarily fly, fire a whirlwind to lower a platform etc. I did enjoy these mainly because of the fact they were situational based and as such there was no confusion on when to use them.

The camera controls are pretty poor by today’s standards as I found myself pretty much wrestling with the controller to change the camera angle. The camera is also very deceptive because when you think you have made a jump you might not have as the camera angle makes it difficult to tell. An example of the annoying camera in the game was when I was doing a platforming segment which saw the grappling super power needed and when swinging to grab for a hook I would sometimes miss because I went too far to the left or right which was rather annoying because the camera was fixed in a position which made it look 2D.

Back onto the combat side I enjoyed the boss fights. The boss fights required precision and work, you couldn’t just mash the attack button on them. For example one boss you had to knock a brew in a pot at the boss and transform her into a toad and attack her until she changed back. What added to challenge was a closed circular space around the pot which made movement limited.

A partial negative for the game was a little mini-game that would happen at the end of some levels which saw Rayman on a board collecting gems while jumping from one platform to another. While it was a fun mini-game the music and background made it a pain, I found myself getting a headache while playing the scene and once again due to the camera it was difficult to judge if you were going to land on a platform or not.

Overall I would say Rayman 3 HD is a game for those who love old school platformers. I found the game to be annoying at times, but I did find it enjoyable at times too. When you compare Rayman 3 HD to modern games it does show its age in the gameplay department so if you like playing old style games then this the game for you.

Score: 60%

+Bosses offer a unique and difficult challenge each time you face one.
+HD graphics are impressive
+Dialogue was pretty funny
-Camera angel and controls are a clumsy.
-Platform elements show their age.
-Collection mini-game gave me a headache.