*=Video
^=Music
All Caps=Recommended
Hover mouse over screenshots for commentary.
April 2012
 The opening scene. |  The main protagonists of the game, just chillin. |  Rayman has gained the ability to punch! |
|---|---|---|
 At the end of each level it tallies up how many Lums you collected. |  If you get enough Lums then you get a medal and do a little dance. |  In Rayman, one hit and you're dead. If you get a heart, then you get one extra hit. |
 Rayman caught the treasure chest! |  |  This is Globox, another playable character. He is my favorite because he looks so goofy and his animations give him a great personality. |
 When you hang from a ledge with Globox he hangs by his upper lip. |  Globox is very pleased with himself. |  |
 You find Electoons locked in cages. You just need to hit the cage a few times to free them. |  A water level. Rayman is one of very few games that have water leves that doesn't annoy me. Believe it or not, that crazy fish is actually based off of a real one! |  A particularly pretty underwater scene. |
 Globox getting ready to fight. |  |  This is a musically themed stage. |
 So close . . . |  This giant bird is a boss. |  |
 Globox has caught the treasure chest and gotten a strange red tooth. |  You can gain the ability to shrink and grow. |  Another boss. |
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 |  Another boss. |  This water level gets pretty dark. |
 A flying level, with thunderclouds. |  |  |
 A pretty zoomed-out view of one stage. |  |  |
 Just a monster with dozens of eyes, living in lava, and painting it's fingernails . . . |  |  And it's grumpy! |
 You can play around and destroy the credits. |  |  |
 |  |  That giant sea monster from before? It was just this shrimp having a bad day! |
 This is from a food-themed land. |  |  |
 Inside the belly of a beast. |  |  |
 |  Obligatory Platinum Trophy screenshot. |  The map screen. |
Rayman: Origins
I played Rayman: Origins on PS Vita but it's also on PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. It's a platformer like Mario, meaning the gameplay in on a 2D plane where you can jump around.
I thought the graphics were very fun. I especially like the character models - all of them seem so full of life and personality. I had heard prior to playing this game that Rayman was better than Mario; since I grew up playing Mario games this seemed like an absurd statement. However, after a little bit of time with Rayman Origins it's clear that this is a high-quality platforming game.
You can play as a variety of different characters, but they all function the same. As the game progresses you unlock different moves and abilities, ranging from being able to punch to being able to run up some walls. You progress through different worlds complete with their own theme and their own boss. The gist of the story is not that you are rescuing a princess, but that you are saving creatures known as Electoons.
There are a few different tasks in each level. The most basic is just to get through the level, but there are also usually 2 hidden electoons to find in each level as well. Additionally, you rescue another electoon if you collect enough Lums in each level (kind of like collecting coins in Mario). After you complete a level, you unlock a time trial mode and are tasks with racing through the level as fast as possible. I thought this was a great format because you can progress through the game at a casual pace, but more serious players can take on additional challenges.
There are also levels where you have to chase a sentient treasure chest to claim it's contents. These levels will test your platforming abilities to the max, and one false move usually resulting in failure. I thought they were very fun.
All in all, I really enjoyed Rayman Origins and it sits in the "Hall of Fame" section of my game collection. I know it might sound crazy, but I'd agree that it's probably better than Mario.