Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

Raving Rabbids first burst onto the DS some time ago with a rather original touch screen platformer where you used a variety of magic weapons in order to navigate a rather hostile landscape. That was in contrast to the Wii version, which was a collection of mini-games, no doubt produced to show off the Wii controller. The same thing happened when the DS was first released, with developers falling over themselves to utilise both the touch screen and microphone so it's a little strange that this second outing attempts the same. The question is - do we really need another mini-game compilation?

Gameplay

You've never really required a plot in games of this nature but the developers have at least attempted one. It seems that the Rabbids have invaded earth and in an attempt to study human behaviour they mimic everything a human does. This is all building up to world domination, which of course requires some travelling. As a result Rayman must follow the Rabbids as they 'hop' around the world to discover just how much they have learned. All of this plays out as a series of mini-games attached to various areas of the globe and once you have attained enough points you move onto the next location. The games themselves are all based on tried and tested formulae with a Raving Rabbid make over so you'll have to Graffiti Walls and play along to classic rock and pop tunes. There are also the more bizarre ones such as evacuating a bunny's gas and taunting teachers only to blame it on your classmates. This wouldn't be so bad except that you are forced to play the games repeatedly before you can escape to the next area.

There is a Multiplayer but not all of the games are designed for it. There's also a Custom Mode that allows you to clothe your Rabbid and also alter its appearance and background. A nice addition but I doubt whether gamers attracted to this type of license are interested in dressing up bunnies. I maybe wrong but what do you think?

Controls

Very little use of the traditional control system but why would there be?

Graphics

Visually the game is not too bad at all with the some of the 3D work on the top screen well designed and animated. This is especially true of the 'band sequences' featuring the Rabbids banging out a tune with a collection of instruments as they dance across the stage. Elsewhere the visuals are colourful and appealing with a simple user interface bolted onto the front of the game making getting around very easy indeed.

Sound

While there is some truly memorable sampled music in this game it is offset by the irritating Rabbids screaming whenever something happens. Don't get me wrong, this is one of the game's hallmarks and initially at least it's great fun, but spend a few hours with the game and you'll be turning the volume right down for the sake of your sanity. Elsewhere you'll be 'treated' to the Rabbids performing some pop and rock greats and if you haven't heard them before it's definitely an experience even if you should only try it once.

Dual screen

Both Microphone and Touch-Screen are used throughout the game to varying success. The biggest problem is that some of the games are a lot more difficult than intended mainly due to the input recognition so even though you may be doing all the right moves with the stylus, you may still have to replay the whole thing which can be very frustrating.

Final comments

You'd imagine that the general line of thinking with sequels is that ' the first was so successful, why not make a second'. Whether that's true or not you'd at least think that the developers would stick to the same genre rather than ditch it altogether and opt for the collection of 'touch-screen' games. No problem yet, you're probably thinking, and that would be true if this was a unique and entertaining collection of games instead of the rather bland and repetitive selection on show here. There are still a few gems to be found should you dig deep enough but overall this is a little disappointing given the originality of the first outing.

Pro: Some Fun (if a little Manic) Mini-Games.
Con: Not Entirely Original, Some Games Have Questionable Touch-Screen Interaction
Final score: 5.7

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