Rayman Raving Rabbids: Bunnies and mayhem

The story of Rayman Raving Rabbids is not that new, but its premise deserves all the attention and praise.

In a nutshell, rabbids are evil bunnies that, in the story, kidnap Rayman and force our hero�??Rayman, of course�??to accomplish tasks that will amuse his abductors. Thus, the entire structure of the game revoles around these tasks: mini0games that one must perform using the Wiimote (yes, this is a Wii game) and Nunchuck. With about 70 mini-games packed into Raving Rabbids, one must expect some mayhem.

The on-rails shooter ala-Virtua Cop, but with bunnies and plungers instead of crooks and guns, is always a favorite. No one can resist the appeal of the rabbids’ rendition of Girls Just wanna Have Fun in the dancing minigame. Thankfully, there are multiple levels of these games to enjoy. Other enjoyable segments include pumping carrot juice into the mouths of rabbids, slapping rabbids who sing out of tune in a choir, and other uncalled-for tomfoolery.

Unfortunately, there are other games which are really a chore to get through. This is not to say that they’re poorly conceived. Usually they’re funny or even ingenious; however, the occasional poor implementation of the Wiimote brings the fun down considerably. Compound this with the fact that the game requires all players to use both the Wiimote and the Nunchuck attachment, then you can imagine why some games have become more complicated than necessary.

Technically, the game is no slouch. I fall Wii games looked like this, most of us would be happy campers. However, what really carries the game are the rabbids. They’re quite possibly the best designed videogame characters in recent memory.

It’s hard to justify this game as a must-buy at this point. There are some rough spots that are, frankly, a bit disappointing. But then again, this is the best version of Rayman Raving Rabbids. So even if some mini0games are the gaming equivalent of rubbing your tummy while tapping your head, there’s a good chance that you’ll still love the rabbids.