Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc was released back in March 2003, and although it wasn’t quite as well received as its predecessor, it was still a shed load of fun. Taking on a slightly darker tone and look than the first two Rayman games, Hoodlum Havoc was still quirky and innovative enough to deserve to wear the Rayman name, and has now been deemed worthy of a HD release on XBLA and PSN, under the title of Rayman 3 HD.
Rayman 3 sees Rayman taking on a black Lum, made of pure evil, who has managed to get himself swallowed by Rayman’s good friend Globox. The black Lum, Andre, has transformed usually peaceful, health-giving red lums into his own army of minions, called Hoodlums (Lums in hoods. Damned hoodies!) and has a plan to turn the heart of the world evil. Guided by Murfy from the Fairy Council, Rayman sets off to get Andre out of Globox so he can stop his plans, cause Rayman’s just cool like that.
As well as his standard abilities like his fist attack and helicopter hair, Rayman can collect various power up cans throughout the game that grant him extra abilities, such as more powerful fists, a guided rocket, and a claw that can be used to swing over gaps, or attack Hoodlums. These powers only last a short amount of time, so figuring out the most efficient way to use them is essential, because if your power up runs out, and you still need to use the ability it grants, you’ll have to backtrack to the place you originally picked it up from. The power ups are used to solve puzzles to progress through the game by destroying locked doors, lowering platforms, or swinging across gaps, and can also be used to dispose of enemies more easily than Rayman’s fists can. Sometimes the power ups are placed in plain sight, other times Rayman must rescue a Teensie who will grant him the power up he needs.
As much fun as Rayman 3 is, underneath all that pretty H and the D is an almost ten year old 3D platformer that will of course inflict upon the player an annoying camera, frustratingly placed checkpoints, and many many falls to the death, or just the bottom of a room that took five minutes to climb, jump, and glide up. But for all the controller-throwing rage there is fifty times the amount of charm, shiny collectables and annoying yet adorable characters that regularly poke fun at each other and the game in general ‒ just be sure to turn the dialogue volume up if you actually want to hear what they’re saying.
If you fancy playing a Rayman game right now then get Origins (duh!) but if you’ve played Origins and fancy a wander back through the older games out of curiosity or nostalgia then you can’t go far wrong with this prettied up version of Hoodlum Havoc. It’s everything a Rayman game should be: fun, colourful, loveable, and a bit of a bastard.
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