The original Rayman: Raving Rabbids combined a great sense of style with a somewhat hit-or-miss selection of mini-games. The sequel expands on the original with more mini-games, more screaming, deformed rabbids, and fixes for some of the more annoying problems with the original.
For starters, most of the mini-games this time around will include a simultaneous multiplayer option, meaning less standing around waiting to play at your next Rabbids party. What's more, players will no longer have to break an arbitrary high score to unlock each game -- one playthrough in the campaign mode is enough to make any minigame fully selectable. Campaign mode games can also be played with friends, meaning there's no need to ever play solo. The character customization options from the original have been greatly expanded -- you can now play dress up with the rabbids, arraying them in a range of unlockable hats, shirts and accessories.
Read on for impressions of the five mini-games shown off at the show.
Listed roughly in descending order of fun:
Football
The Ubisoft representative asked if I knew how to play American football before we played this game. When I said yes, he told me "Good, because this has nothing to with that." True to his word, the game more resembles the schoolyard game smear the queer. Basically, everyone chases whoever has the ball using the Nunchuk analog stick to move and a flick of the remote to make a diving tackle. The ball carrier runs a little slower to give everyone else a chance, but missed tackles result in long, hilarious slides on the muddy field. The action was quick and constantly shifting, making this the most fun minigame on display by far.
Dance
Building on the popular dancing minigame of the original, the new version takes a page from Rock Band's book by allowing four players to perform different parts simultaneously. Each part plays pretty much the same, though -- Nunchuks and Remote icons float down from the top of the screen; players shake the appropriate controller as they reach the bottom. When your instrument has a break, the game shows you how to do a simple dance with the Nunchuk and Remote -- do it fervently enough and you get some bonus points. A hilarious rabbid-sung version of "Smoke on the Water" was on display in the demo, and the Ubisoft representative said there would be five more in the final game.
Laundry
Endless pairs of dirty shorts greet you in this mini-game. Wash them in the river with a back and forth swishing motion of the Nunchuk and Remote, then lift them to check the cleanliness. Lift too soon and you waste precious time looking, but wait too long and the shorts will be cleaned to shreds. With practice you can supposedly get good enough to time out the cleaning exactly, but for beginners it's just another excuse to get moving.
Nine to Five Rabbid
This one was pretty simple, if a little wacky. Wave around the remote and Nunchuk as fast as possible to make your office-worker Rabbid dance while the boss is away. When the boss returns, stand absolutely still as your rabbid listlessly pretends to work. "Just like in real life," the Ubisoft representative told me. No real strategy, but again, a silly excuse to dance around like an idiot.
Swimming
A comparatively simple game. Follow the on-screen instructions and waggle the Nunchuk and Remote as fast as possible to swim laps. Speed, not form, seems to be the key here, and the constant waggling provides a good, if spastic, workout.
