As the PC has evolved into a serious mass-market home gaming system, the games for it continue to diversify. Whether or not that's a good thing really depends on whether or not you like console-style arcade games, as this is the genre that seems to be the one that publishers think PC gamers need the most.
The latest of these conversions is Ubi Soft's Rayman, a game that shows that there is a reason for doing this û it's a fantastic game on any platform, one that's sure to please gamers of all ages. It has the gameplay, level design, graphic and character design, a unified (and unique) look and one of the most engaging soundtracks heard in recent games.
Rayman is some sort of, erm, thing that has hands but no arms and feet but no legs. He/she/it runs around, collecting blue things while running, jumping and making faces at various little thingees. At different times of the game, he/she/it can punch things, hang from ledges, sing, dance and God knows what else. Whatever it is that Rayman does, you can be sure that it's alarmingly cute.
The game doesn't really diverge from the formula set by all of those Mario games. Start a level, play it until you finish it or throw your hands up in disgust as they never allow you to save mid-level (except for certain areas). Rayman does allow you to save when you've managed to escape a world. One unique feature of the game is that you will have to revisit the worlds more than once as you receive new powers to help you release all of the little thingees, whose ultimate liberation is the ultimate goal of the game.
It may not win too many awards for originality, but those qualities are generally overrated û it's all about execution. And that's where Rayman excels. It's just an staggeringly entertaining game.
