In a video gaming world that’s become dominated by generic first person shooters along with countless hack and slash games, it’s a much needed change of pace to come across a game that’s as gorgeous as Rayman Origins. Keeping things fresh, Rayman Origins is a platform masterpiece unlike no other!

Story

Much like your typical platformer with a low age rating, Rayman Origins has a puerile storyline that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Upon an evil old lady being disturbed by the obnoxious noises coming from the Snoring Tree, an army of dark creatures are sent into the Glade of Dreams and it’s up to Rayman and his friends to restore peace once again. Silly, yes, but Rayman’s selling point is in its captivating gameplay – not its story.

Gameplay

Whether you’re riding on the back of a giant mosquito, swinging from platform to platform using an old mans beard, or dashing through a level to free an imprisoned Nymph, Rayman Origins is definitely one of the most exciting platformers to date. With plenty of variation to keep it from becoming just another lackluster arcade game that should be shelved in the Xbox Live Marketplace, you’ll find yourself struggling to put down your joypad at times.

The aim of the game is to either single-handedly, or co-operatively go through each level to free enough Electoons so that you can then progress to another area on the map. The creative stage designs, hidden areas and the ability to play with four friends, makes what should be a laborious task feel more thrilling than most 3D Sonic games out there!

With plenty of reason to re-visit previous stages and unlock bonus content, Rayman Origins has enough replay value to live through the enthralling game play over and over again!

Graphics

Rayman Origins is a slick 2D side-scroller that’s bursting with bright colours and artistic designs. Visually, it’s one of the most impressive games on any HD console and there are virtually no bugs or frame rate issues present. Whether it’s the constantly impressive surroundings or the charming characters, it’s hard not to adore such a lighthearted platformer that doesn’t give you a headache just from looking at it.

Sound

Rayman’s soundtrack is a mixture of upbeat tribal rhythms, jazz and symphonic chipmunk sounds. Whilst it’s not got the catchiest of soundtracks and you definitely won’t be humming stage music long after completion, the music does work and fits in perfectly with games atmosphere.

Downsides

Unfortunately, Rayman Origins is far less challenging than one would like a platformer to be. Sure, you have to take into account the age rating, but Sonic Unleashed has an age rating of 7+ and just look at how challenging that can be!

Overall

Rayman Origins is one of the best platformers of 2011 and whilst it can be a little on the easy side, the endless amount of fun to be had easily puts it above the rest. The visuals and character designs are jaw dropping, the levels are fast paced and there is more than enough reason replay long after completion. Whilst Rayman games are usually distasteful and monotonous, Ubisoft really went all-out with Origins! Perhaps in the future we can expect a much more dominant Rayman presence.

If there is one thing the Xbox 360 is lacking, it’s Japanese RPG’s. Sure, there are a few great games out there, such as Lost Odyssey, Final Fantasy XIII and Magna Carta II, but for the most part the Xbox is dominated by more than enough open world RPG’s and first person shooters. A long forgotten gem in particular is the ever so charming Blue Dragon! Most avid Xbox 360 gamers would consider Blue Dragon to be a “must-have” title, but is this really the case?

Story

Despite the fact that Blue Dragon is written by the mastermind behind Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the story feels somewhat hollow. Whilst you do see a developing relationship between five friends as they pursue a tyrant known as Nene, the plot never really has that sense of urgency you would usually expect from a typical Final Fantasy, or any other JRPG for that matter! Feeling more like Eternal Sonata than a tense world threatened by a Sephiroth-type, Blue Dragon starts as three children oppose what appears to be Land Shark. Upon encountering such a mechanical monstrosity they soon discover the man behind all of the evil, Nene! The three then set out on a quest to put an end to the destruction Nene is causing in the world and along the way they encounter more likeable party members.

Blue Dragon sees you adventuring across all kinds of land as well as flying in a ship and helping a King with his assault on Nene’s robotic army. Thrilling as it may sound, it still manages to feel a little too child-like in comparison to other games in the genre.

Gameplay

Much like your average Japanese RPG, Blue Dragon will easily eat into your life as it offers around sixty hours of gameplay, spread over three discs. The combat system is turn based and instead of your characters doing the fighting for themselves, you’ll assign their ‘Shadows’ to attack for them using a time bar to determine when. Whilst this is a very fun way to fight, it’s not anything original since we’ve seen the same style of combat used in Grandia II and other classics.

You’ll often find yourself traversing the world map on foot for a large majority of the game. Usually such a task would become tiresome after the fourth or fifth battle, fortunately Blue Dragon offers you the chance to learn skills which you can use on the field. Barrier skills will allow you to instantaneously defeat opponents on contact in exchange for MP, whilst other abilities will see you scaring off weaker enemies. This is a fantastic way to cut out a chore which has plagued Japanese RPG’s for years.

Unfortunately, Blue Dragon is a game that starts off slow and repetitive and it isn’t until things start to pick up that you see a change in gameplay. From various challenging mini games to heart pumping boss battles, the more time you put into Blue Dragon, the more you’ll enjoy it.

Graphics

With Blue Dragon’s artwork produced by Mr. Dragonball himself, Akira Toriyama, you’d expect nothing less than amazing! Character designs are brilliant and Dragonball Z inspired, colours are bold and beautiful and each area is crafted in great detail. Unfortunately, the game is prone to a few frame rate issues when too many enemies appear on-screen at once, but this certainly doesn’t spoil the enjoyment the it offers.

Sound

Blue Dragon’s soundtrack was composed by Nobuo Uematsu – the genius behind most Final Fantasy games, Chrono Trigger, Romancing SaGa 2 and many other incredible soundtracks! Understandably, the boss music is something you’ll either love or hate, but for the most part Blue Dragon’s soundtrack is simply beautiful.

The voice acting on the other hand can be a little unbearable at times. With your main character feeling as obnoxious and cheesy as a Naruto episode, you constantly have to remind yourself of the games age rating. Thankfully, there is an option to change over to the Japanese voice acting or simply mute it altogether – either way will make the game a much more enjoyable experience.

Overall

Blue Dragon is a lighthearted, easy-going game that’s a nice experience but doesn’t offer much of a challenge. It’s a game that certainly won’t be remembered years from now, but it definitely deserves a rent at best – especially if you’re a modern day anime fan.