There are so many! I can’t review all of them!

Rayman 2, known with the subtitles The Great Escape and Revolution, was a fantastic 3D platformer from the late 90s. It had excellent controls, brilliant level design, full orchestral music, and a great world to explore.

Recently, I was replaying Tomb Raider 2 and 3, and just as I was starting to get used to the janky and blocky graphics, I decided to give Rayman 2 another try, and wow! I believe there is only one year difference between Rayman 2 and Tomb Raider 3, and the differences are astonishing (when comparing PC versions). Much higher frame rate, much smoother textures (if blurrier in Rayman 2), and a lot less jank. I was reminded that either Rayman 2 was ahead of its time, or Tomb Raider 3 was behind.

I love this game, and it was such an obsession of mine that I attempted to play every version I could get. These were, in order of play: Play Station 1, Play Station 2, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 64, Nintendo 3DS, and PC. That’s right, my first experience of the game was the (somewhat) notorious PS1 version, but we’ll get to that!

The Game Boy versions I’ll be skipping.

I also want to mention the music before I start, as it’s mostly the same in all versions. Sometimes a game soundtrack can be cinematic, but feel cold when not much is happening. After all, a film has specific moments the composer can fine tune, but in a game a cinematic score can feel empty or just lost.

At the other end, a game soundtrack can sound very bouncy and “gamey”. This sometimes leads to great soundtracks like the early Spyro games.

Somehow, magically, Rayman 2 is both cinematic and “gamey”. Eric Chevalier composed a fantastic soundtrack that is the best of both, with it sounding very tense and dramatic at times and then releasing the tension with bright, catchy music the other.

Which one should you play?

If you don’t care: The Nintendo DS Version

Poor controls ruin this otherwise good port of the N64 version (details later… and yes even the ports have ports!).

Handheld experience: The 3DS Version

The 3DS version uses a little analogue stick, making it much easier to use and a good choice for a handheld experience over the Nintendo DS version. It’s based on the Dreamcast version, with more details later. The 3D effect is not necessary, and it looks good in moments but certainly not good, in my opinion, for constant use.

It misses the Globox Village and bonus disk levels from the Dreamcast version, which is disappointing; but it’s not a huge loss.

If you want to play the original or are nostalgic for the N64: The N64 Version

It has been a while since I played this version, but I remember it looking decent. The frame rate is better than the PS1 version, though not as good as the PC or Dreamcast versions. Overall, it’s between the PS1 and PC version in terms of graphics.

I played on an emulator, so I have no idea how it fares with an original N64 controller. Those controllers looked weird!

There’s not much to say about the game itself, as it’s the base version so all of the other versions will be compared to this version. The content is on par with the PC version, with a bit less than the DC version, and much more than the PS1 version.

If you want to try something a bit different, and don’t mind the PS1’s jankiness: The PS1 Version

Most people may think that this is worth skipping completely. I’ll confess, I did try to replay it recently and the low frame rate did put me off, but there are some cool aspects to this version. It’s certainly not the best version, and looking back it may not even be that good, despite some changes that I really do like.

But if you’re an obsessive fan, and wish to see as much of Rayman 2 as possible, you just have to play this version. There are many level cuts, and the graphics are sadly not the PS1’s best, but it also makes some improvements in the process.

Here are the changes I like: (Spoiler warning!)

It seems to be more difficult in some places (which is a good thing!), such as in The Bayou the ships send more bombs at you. Or at the end of The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire, you have an additional boss fight. Whale Bay is moved about 3 levels earlier, and the relatively easy (and easy to forget) opening section of The Sanctuary of Water and Ice is replaced with it, making the learning curve steeper.

In Whale Bay, there is no longer a cutscene/level change to switch between area 1 of saving the whale, and area 2 of swimming through the tunnel. This does two things: one, the scariest part of it is having to swim down almost vertically into the depths at the start, and in the other versions the cutscene does it for you. Secondly, without a level switch, your oxygen levels don’t reset! It gets so tense! Rayman died in the walkthrough I was watching! (I was watching it to remind me of how the game looked today compared to my recent experience with the PC version.)

In the Menhir Hills level, you get chased by another walking shell! You also have to ride an additional shell to where Clark is, rather than just walking down.

This version removes some of the rubbish. I personally wasn’t keen on the roller coaster level of the original, though I will admit it was more fun to play in the PS2 version because it was added as an optional mini-game, so it felt less frustrating to complete.

I never liked the sliding levels, the controls in those sections were poor and I actually can’t remember any in the PS1 version except for on the final prison ship (feel free to correct me!) Speaking of sliding levels going…

I’ll admit that I do miss the opening of The Sanctuary of Water and Ice, which is gone. But that sliding level after was so annoying, and the build up to the first mask was disappointing. What they did was take the final mask location with boss fight, delete the rest of the level, and put it at the end of Whale Bay.

Whale Bay is a harder level than The Sanctuary of Water and Ice, making getting the mask more rewarding. On top of this, instead of just finding the entrance to the mask on the side of a sunny beach followed by a slide down some slopes, you instead find the entrance to the temple in the deep underwater caves! It feels so mysterious that this is the only way to get to this lost artefact, the first mask, especially that you haven’t picked one up before this point in the game. To top it off, I mentioned earlier that the only way to reach it is by swimming alongside a giant whale and fighting off piranhas! After swimming for what feels like ages, you finally come to the great doors that slowly open. I remember it being epic.

Each time you need to progress to the next stage of levels in the hall of doors, you don’t just disappear into a cutscene set elsewhere. Instead, the hall of doors itself has the doors physically blocking the way, and the cutscene takes place right there. Not only is it cool, each cutscene is unique, and offers some light comedy and some hints of what is to come next! Sadly, the other (non-PS2) versions simply reuse the same cutscene over and over, in a completely separate location.

Speaking of cutscenes, this version contains more of them. This includes one to introduce a new character called Ninjaws, who turns out to be a fun boss to battle throughout the game! A character with the same model appears in the other versions, but if I recall, you do not battle him the same. The attack sequence is simplified and there’s no build up to it. And these cutscenes have full voice acting! Some people may not like it, but I thought it was much better than listening to the whispers and grunts. It works in Zelda, but may have been a bit rushed in this game.

Overall, the cutscenes do help to tell the story better. The PC version I played lately actually felt a little empty, despite it having more levels. I think it was the fact there was less plot and the fact that I wasn’t as engaged in the cutscenes due to the lack of voices. Not to say that the PC version didn’t make up for it with the extra levels. An example in the non-PS1 versions is where Colossus, the second mask keeper, silently drowns in lava instead of talking to you and giving you advice on how to defeat Ninjaws… it feels depressing if anything.

In fact, without any of the guards having cutscenes, the game never explains why is anyone guarding them not just letting Rayman go through? Except Colossus, he does let you through, but of course we know what depressingly happened to him in the other versions.

And now for some things I don’t like:

The worse graphics and frame rate (though not bad for a PS1 game!).

The start of The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava (also known as Beneath depending on the version) is missing the entire swamp area. Same goes for the start of Tomb of the Ancients and various other level sections missing. A let down indeed. This is the biggest thing to prepare yourself for when playing this version, there is a lot of cut content!

The start level of The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire is missing lots of additional paths and areas. It’s a big let down compared to the other versions. The only thing I prefer from the PS1 version is that the took out one of the big bonus temples, which was quite confusing to find if you were trying to complete the level in one go (without having to restart and go back to find it). Most of this temple, minus a couple of platforming sections I did miss, were transferred into the main temple.

I preferred that change because in the other versions, that temple was almost non-stop plum riding one after the other. In this version, it’s varied a bit due to the insertion of the other traditional platforming sections in-between. Plus there’s even some additional platforming sections not seen in the other versions! Despite these things I preferred, overall I do miss a lot from the original version of the level. At least they got rid of a sliding section!

I decided to leave this until the end of my PS1 review: the ending. The boss battle in the original version sucks in my opinion. You’re flying a missile, and once it hits something you’re dead and have to restart! In the PS1 version, you’re flying down an endless tunnel dodging obstacles.

Okay, I’ll admit it’s a little simple and maybe even on the easy side, but at least I’m not restarting after smashing into walls every 10 seconds! Maybe to make it a bit harder and more varied, instead of a completely straight tunnel it could have least curved a bit and required some more complex manoeuvres. The tunnel could have come to an opening towards the end, with a third battle sequence inside a bigger arena.

Then there’s the bonus for collecting lots of lums; the other versions don’t have one at all. They might as well just say “Congrats on collecting everything you loser!” The PS1 version contains a demo of Rayman 1.5 (the original 2D Rayman 2). It’s worth playing this version just for that, if that’s your thing. If you’re on an emulator, remember to create a save state at the start of the level so you can replay it as often as you like!

For what everyone else considers the best experience: The Dreamcast Version

The best version honestly depends on which version you subjectively think you would prefer to play, and most people would consider this version to be the best. I haven’t played the Dreamcast version, so take this with a pinch of salt and maybe some vinegar, but I do know that it is mostly similar to the PC version. Also, much of the additions in the DC version were in the 3DS version that I did play, except for the Globox village and disk games.

So that I could verify some of the claims made about the Dreamcast version, I did watch a few videos of it. Obviously the videos were compressed online, and there’s a chance they were played using inaccurate emulators with glitches, so my opinion of it won’t be the most accurate. However, for the latter you’ll have to take the emulation problems I saw into consideration if you plan to use one.

It apparently has sharper textures than the PC version, though I don’t know how true this is as what I saw didn’t look much more impressive, and the PC version already has sharper textures than the N64 version. This might be due to me having just played the PC version in 1080p, where everything looks much crisper, leaving the DC version at a disadvantage. The DC also has additional 3D models and background objects, as well as additional flying insects and creatures, but it’s on the low side when compared to the vast number of graphical changes made to the PS2 version.

For those who don’t know, a lot of old games used simple 2D sprites (flat images) to represent objects, whereas more modern games use 3D models, which look a lot better.

The 2D sprites look worse than the other versions. The most noticeable examples are smoke and dust effects, as the smoke sprites I saw had black outlines and seemed noticeably low resolution. Considering how many 2D sprites are in this game, it might be distracting. The bubbles look so bad in the Whale Bay level I’m going to assume it’s an emulation glitch (the 2D sprite bubbles in the other versions look fine), as it can’t have been that bad in the original, so take this as a warning if you can’t get your hands on original hardware and software.

The DC also has a map view instead of the Hall of Doors, which I honestly thinks looks worse and is much less interesting than the original. And while this version does contain a bonus Globox Village with some “disk” mini-games, the PS2 version has instead the Globox House as a hub (which seemed more interesting to explore) and the same disk mini-games! It just requires a lot more effort to unlock them.

Feel free to try it though, as many people recommend this version the best! Personally, I’d try…

The best: The PC or the PS2 versions.

The first choice you have to make: smooth frame rate or better graphics and more content?

With a hack, the PC version runs at 60fps and can also be ran at 1080p! Unlike some old games that stretch out from a 4:3 aspect ratio to fill 16:9, the hack allows it to do real 16:9 aspect ratios! However, you will see pop-in at the edge of the screen, so if you’d rather have fully supported widescreen at a lower resolution, play the Dreamcast version.

The PC version has everything the N64 version had, but misses the bonuses from the DC version. It does support controllers, and I think it supports analogue sticks as there was the option to calibrate them in the game. I used a game-pad with custom scripting to make it act like a keyboard. Pro: custom button assignments. Con: analogue sticks on the pad are used like directional keys, making movement more limited.

Rayman moves forward based on where the camera is pointing, not him. Sounds useful, especially as for most of the game you can just leave the camera behind him and it just works. You eventually get used to controlling the camera instead of Rayman himself.

The issue is when the game won’t let you rotate the camera directly behind him, which was especially true in The Precipice. I can’t remember if the issue was in the PS2 version, as it has proper analogue support, but it was very difficult to walk straight in the PC version. I don’t know if this issue exists in the other console versions.

See, on this level Rayman was running along a small wooden path by a cliff. If the camera was behind Rayman, all I would have to do is press forward to make him go forward along the path.

Instead, the camera was facing the cliff, not the direction of the path, at various points of the level. This made it impossible to go forwards. Because the path I had to follow was at an awkward angle, I had to keep switching between up and left or up and right. At least they could have made the path run 45 degrees so it would be a perfect diagonal, but no!

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the PC version of Rayman 2. Not as many additional creatures or 3D models like the Dreamcast version, but the high resolution made the simple graphics look beautiful and crisp. For those who don’t like the problems that the PS2 version brings, I recommend the PC version.

Let’s get into the PS2 version!

Overall, I think this is by far the best. It adds new levels, hub worlds, boss battles, additional enemy types, extra music, voice acting (with the option to go back to the original noises) and additional cut scenes with more plot.

Let me start with the music: I’d say it’s worth playing this version just for the additional 18 songs. Yes, 18! It contains tracks for the new hub worlds, plus some new pirate fighting music and tracks for the new boss battles.

When I played the PC version recently and I didn’t hear The Minisaurus Plain theme, The Teensie Circle theme, or the theme for the Marshlands, it felt like so much was missing! Those are my favourite three, but the rest are still good (except a couple of overly techno mini-game ones!) These were great songs that fitted so well into the main game that it felt wrong without them.

As I explained in the PS1 section, one thing I enjoyed about that version was the additional cut scenes. This game has more, and each time you need to get to a new level, there’s always a reason explained for it.

Instead of reaching each level based on what’s next on the line, you get to go through three hub worlds! There are usually obstacles in the way of the other levels, though I do wish they’d have given the player more freedom on the order. I’ll be honest, they could have been designed better. Spyro had great hub worlds that you never got lost in, and allowed you to explore each level in (mostly) any order!

The best is Rainbow Creek, the last one, which contains a spooky Pirate Factory area. In fact, it’s almost it’s own level. It even included it’s own boss battle!

There are also new enemy types to make this version more difficult, and to add more variety. There are ones that shoot targeting missiles, ones with flame throwers, and a zombie robot type. If this game had the lock on system with curved punches of Rayman 3, with new enemy types to accommodate that, this would have been perfect.

Not having the new enemy types in the PC version I played recently made the battles feel repetitive, and I really felt the emptiness when I arrived at The Sanctuary of Rock and Lava to find no boss there. I also missed the rain dance ability given to you by Globox.

The PS2 version, as mentioned before, has replaced most of the 2D sprites with 3D models. More importantly, it also has dynamic lighting, giving Rayman a realistic shadow. 1. It makes it easier to tell where he is in relation to things. 2. It looks great! Particularly at the first Teensie circle in the first hub, which is set under some trees. You can see the light shining through the trees, and it looks so great!

However, there are some problems!

Long loading times and constant save messages. Just let me save whenever!

Consistent 30fps in the main levels (urgh!), and then it drops in the hub worlds (boo!).

Contains the sliding levels!

The hub worlds could have been much better if they had more freedom of exploration and more hidden lums to collect.

I still think it’s the best version, and if you’re obsessed just play all of them!