Rayman Arena

Rayman?s off and racing on the GameCube?oh yeah, and you can fight, too.

Party games may not have originated on Nintendo?s systems, but they certainly achieved fame there. Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Monkey Ball have made the ?Cube the place for four-player, family-friendly fun. Now Rayman throws his disembodied glove in the ring with decidedly mixed results.

Runaway Victory
Rayman Arena is truly two games in one?a solid, enjoyable racing game and a middling-to-bad combat experience. Playing as Rayman or one of his robot/pirate/frog/fairy friends, you compete for trophy cups in races and melee-style combats. The battle arena has two main modes: straight-up weapons fight and capture-the-lums-while-freezing-your-opponent mode?which go on too long and seem more tedious than exciting. The GameCube version lacks the grab-the-fairy-and-run mode that was frantic fun on the PS2.

The racing portion of Arena is where this game shines. The well-thought-out controls and smart camera moves enable you to explore the gorgeous, sprawling courses. Shortcuts and side paths are everywhere, making this more than your average lap-apalooza.

What a Beautiful World
Rayman Arena?s lush environments and well-integrated special effects contribute to the addictive racing gameplay. The somewhat-kooky music grows on you as you play, which is surprising since parts seem to be made up of cartoon burps set to music.

Single-player mode lets you unlock tracks and costumes for the characters? racing the frog-like Globax dressed as Beetlejuice is something to work for?but multiplayer mode opens up all the tracks, which makes this game plug-and-play for parties.

If you?re a fan of the Rayman series, you will want this. If you like character-based races, you will like this. If you want melee-style action, well?have you considered racing?

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