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Almost simultaneously with the conversion "kinectiana" cousins ​​of the Raving Rabbids, now become the most lovable characters from existing party games, including Rayman is back strongly on the scene, six years after Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge for Game Boy Advance. For the occasion, series creator Michel Ancel, who was not involved actively in the days of the appealing aubergine Rayman 2: The Great Escape , has opted for a return to 2D platforming, Rayman Origins realizing with a real act of ' love for the genre and the beginnings of the series of mid-'90s, before the conversion to 3D with the second episode.

Even apart from the gameplay and level design that we will see later, this love for the tradition of Ancel will immediately notice a visual and audible. Xbox 360 Rayman Origins is a true gem platform 2D graphics and the most beautiful, colorful and imaginative ever seen on a HD console. A little 'for native 1080p and 60 frames per second for fixed, a little' cartoonish look for the Disney-Pixar's Pre, the visual impact of the game is amazing, and if we think that this is the first experiment with the ' Owner UbiArt Framework engine, there is definitely still room for future enhancements and improvements. Ancel is reconfirmed as one of the most talented game designers of the last twenty years and is in good company with Christophe Heral, after a legendary soundtrack like Beyond Good & Evil has pulled out of the hat another soundtrack by chills, constantly changing themes, genres and sounds, and mixing music and sound effects in a kind of symphony this unique platform.

In short, if you do not go mad on platforms, jump and bosses, Rayman Origins should be tested just to see how, in late 2011, a title may be present 2D and spectacular, although on this side of the indie scene we have already reserved Several surprises (think only Braid or Limbo ). In a sort of mix between modern and traditional, Rayman Origins shows immediately a platform linked to the origins for the immediacy and effectiveness of controls. -Smooth, precise movements, to use only three buttons (jump, attack, stroke), some special power and a very gentle difficulty curve make it a very suitable platform for everyone, with a particular eye on the family level, from But slavery is not meant as a concession to the casual market.

The great thing about Rayman Origins is in fact also the freedom to interpret it as you see fit. You can deal safely with no deal and taking the highest scores and bonuses, depending on levels, as long as you want, but the most hardcore players can approach it with the opposite tendency, engaging in races such time, in recovery of all Lum (the game currency), the release of the costumes or the discovery of secret areas. In this way the same longevity varies greatly, from a minimum of six / seven hours until almost doubled, partly because each level (and there are about sixty) can be replayed as many times as you want to search for the perfect score. In general, however, is not a platformer Rayman Origins particularly challenging, or at least not like the first episodes of the series. Not that they lack passages to the limit of frustration, but it is quite rare peaks and in any case, infinite lives, the weakness of the enemies and the relative brevity of the individual layers (for the benefit of the checkpoints) actually help to create a platform suitable for all.

How can we not appreciate the variety of levels: forests, deserts "music", spicy Mexican cuisine, deep sea and ice make up a slippery game world to see not only beautiful, but full of inventions and different challenges, with steps to envy of Sonic (the hyperkinetic 2D), surf more reasoned and a unique balance between jumps, platforms, collecting "coin", boss, bubbles to blow up (reminds you something?) and all the paraphernalia typical of the genre. The single player game you can also address not only in the role of Rayman Globox but also in those of teen and two, do not change the gameplay and controls, but this is more of a variant, which finds its fulfillment in multiplayer locally. On the same console we can in fact address all levels with a maximum of four players, using a simple drop-in drop-outs. The game mechanics can not fail to remember those New Super Mario Bros. Wii , or a mixture of cooperation and competition but also a very funny little 'irritating, especially when all four characters on the screen generate confusion and threaten to take a tangent as "loud one" than anything else. An addition, however, pleasant but not very rich experience in single already extraordinary and visually refreshing.