Rayman
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Rayman is an anthropomorphic video game character, and is the official mascot of the video game publisher Ubisoft.
Rayman (pronounced 'Ray-man') was created in 1992 by graphic artist Michel Ancel, to star in a 2D platforming game for the Atari Jaguar and DOS, then for Sega Saturn and PlayStation. Although the former two consoles and their games sold poorly, the Playstation version was received very well by critics and the public, selling over 10 million copies, and providing Ubisoft with the financial foundations it needed to become a major games publisher. Rayman is voiced by David Gasman.
Ubisoft has so far released two major 3D sequels of Rayman, the first being Rayman 2: The Great Escape. Again, this game was received extremely well; IGN went as far as lauding the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2 as "without question, the most impressive feat of game design and execution the platforming genre has ever seen." However, according to Nintendo Power September 2006, the latest game, Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc was seen as being disappointing, lacking the "magic" that had gained the previous games acclaim, and instead creating a game that was satirical about the genre, and series as a whole. Ancel himself, who was not involved in making Rayman 3, commented that the game was "a bit too concrete for my tastes."
Another game, Rayman Raving Rabbids, was developed by Ubisoft and debuted as a launch title for Nintendo's Wii; other console versions followed in 2007. Unlike the other games, Rayman is more of a secondary character even though the storyline revolves around his capture; he is overshadowed by the Rabbids. Moreover, the game itself is a collection of minigames, unlike the platformer nature of the previous games. Later in 2007, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 was released.
As is often the case with video games, it is hard to establish canon between the Rayman games, mainly due to Rayman 3's and (especially) Rayman Raving Rabbids' satirical nature. However, there are various themes and characters common to the series. The Omniscient that features in Rayman 2 is the main source of information and knowledge in Rayman's world.
Mobile phone games based on the character of Rayman are developed and published by Gameloft.
There was also a short lived 4 episode animated series made called Rayman: The Animated Series with Billy West as the voice of Rayman.
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[edit] The Rayman Universe
Much of the Rayman universe is of a fantastical or abstract nature. The games all take place in one of two completely different and seemingly unconnected worlds, the first one is Rayman's home world while the second one is the world of a god named Polokus. Not much is known about the history of Rayman's home world. It is protected by the Protoon, a big orb full of energy, which is surrounded by the Electoons, small pink ball-like beings.
It seems that Polokus' world was a large space in the beginning, full of small balls of energy, named lums. At some point in the past, though, these lums focused their energy into thought, a god-like creature named Polokus came to be. His power was so great that any small thought or desire brought to mind became reality. Polokus used his powers to his advantage to create a world inhabited by people and magical beings. But this power was not without its faults. Polokus was worried he would not be able to control his creations, and his nightmares and negative thoughts also produced peculiar beasts and dangerous creatures.
Once Polokus had finished dreaming, he left his world, in order to meet with the other Gods and discuss the future. In case anything should happen to his world whilst he was away, he left four masks behind, all over the globe. To bring Polokus back, the four masks would have to be reunited.
[edit] Rayman's World
Both of Rayman's worlds have a vast variety of natural environments, including grassy plains, caves, swamps and forests. Various beings inhabit Polokus' world, namely the magical, such as the fairies (Polokus' emissaries) and teensies (guardians of passages), the people, such as Globox, Clark and Murfy, and Rayman himself. The inhabitants live in harmony with the planet, and rarely, if ever, rely on machines or technology. Darker creatures also dwell in Rayman's worlds. The ones in Polokus' world are said to have been the result of his negative thoughts and nightmares. The one's in Rayman's home world were brought by Mr. Dark.
[edit] Characters
Main article: List of characters in Rayman
- Rayman, a limbless being with strange abilities. Rayman may not have a hero's image, but he makes up for his small size and odd appearance with his personality.
- Ly, a fairy made by Polokus. She helps Rayman greatly in the second game. Not only can she top up his lifeforce a few times and again, she can also give Rayman new powers and helps Rayman indirectly by fighting the enemies independently.
- Betilla is a fairy that lives in Rayman's home world. When Rayman was saving his home it was Betilla who would grant him powers. She was captured by Mr. Dark for a short time, but Rayman has freed her since.
- Globox, one of Rayman's closest friends. Globox may be nervous and perhaps not bright, but he is kind and friendly.
- Murfy, a strange green insect-like creature who frequently appears as Rayman's advisor in Rayman 2. He wears the uniform of the Teensies. He also known as the "Flying Encyclopedia" (although according to Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, he may get all his knowledge from reading the game manual).
- The Teensies are a race of small, blue, and forgetful creatures that guard all of the world's secret passages. They love to dance, and enjoy their spare time by envying each other with their dance moves. In most games you have to free them from the enemies' clutches.
- Clark is another friend of Rayman's. He is first seen in Rayman 2. Even though he may seem it, he isn't as dumb as most people think[citation needed].
- Mr. Dark was a villain (and Rayman's arch-enemy) who captured Protoon of Rayman's home world and imprisoned all the electoons. As his name suggests, little is known about this dark and mysterious being. Rayman rescued the Electoons and chased him out of Candy Chateau, his fort. His whereabouts are unknown as of right now.
- The Knaaren, a fierce race who inhabit the Desert of the Knaaren.
- The Rabbids, raving mad bunnies who apparently come from our world. How they arrived in Rayman's world is a mystery, as the worlds are supposedly parallel. According to original idea, Rabbids were came from underground to invade Rayman's World.
- The Robo-Pirates, apparently from another world, who invade The Glade of Dreams and imprison its inhabitants.
- The Hoodlums, an army of hooded Black Lums of low intelligence who also invade the Glade of Dreams.
[edit] List of games
- Rayman
- Rayman Junior
- Amazing Learning Games With Rayman
- Rayman Gold
- Rayman Brain Games
- Rayman 2: The Great Escape
- Rayman 2: Revolution
- Rayman M
- Rayman Rush
- Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc
- Rayman Golf
- Rayman DS
- Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge
- Rayman 10th Anniversary, a compilation that was released in September 6, 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance, and August 2006 for Windows. The PS2 and Windows versions contains Rayman 2, Rayman Arena and Rayman 3. The Game Boy Advance version contains Rayman Advance and Rayman 3.
- Rayman Raving Rabbids (Mobile Version Developed and Published by Gameloft)
- Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
- Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
It is unknown if a new game of Rayman will continue with Rayman's original storyline. In the first Rayman game, Rayman and the other characters are limbless. In Rayman 2, the world is different and so are its characters (They have limbs, and Rayman uses energy spheres instead of shooting his fist.).
[edit] External links
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