Rayman 10th Anniversary GBA

Ubisoft's most loveable and enduring character is 10 years-old in 2005, and here's a bargain priced celebration of that fact in the shape of Rayman Advance and Rayman 3 in a limited edition double pack. Rayman Advance was one of the best 2D platformers to come along for a long time way back when. In 2005, it still looks pretty good. Each of the four layers of parallax scrolling are brightly coloured and extremely detailed. The animation of Rayman and the other characters is smooth and the whole game looks polished. Most importantly, Rayman Advance plays well. The level design is superb and new ideas are always being introduced to increase the challenge. Some levels permanently scroll and other levels feature nasty puzzles. Learning how to punch and float is helpful for dealing with the baddies. Rayman Advance, then - an oldie, but still a goodie. Rayman 3 is another side-on scrolling extravaganza, players once again assume control of protagonist Rayman as he faces an all-new threat - Globox. It's a typical Rayman premise, and largely Rayman 3 is more of the same with bells and whistles attached. But is that really a bad thing? We say no. The game world itself takes place in several lush environments littered with the usual collectibles, evil minions and bosses you might expect. It looks fabulous, and the foregrounds, backgrounds and characters of the game blend together almost seamlessly. The autonomous fist makes a welcome return too, as do a few familiar faces and several power-ups. Gameplay is well-paced, and access to certain areas is limited until specific criteria have been met. It's a formula that has been used many times in these types of games, but it works very well, and consequently makes Rayman 3 a faithful sequel to the series' only previous 2D venture.