The Rayman Topic: Last Game - Rayman Legends

[Carbo]

3DS release confirmed!

Michel Ancel, the original creator of the Rayman series, is back with Rayman Origins set to finally come out his Holiday season on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and 3DS. The 2D adventure will see Rayman and his friends in four-player drop in and out co-op goodness as they take on the Darktoons who have overrun the Glade of Dreams.

The adventure will take place over 60 levels throughout the 12 environments in the game. Michel and company created way more levels than initially planned, hence the change from the episodic digital release to retail. Levels will have multiple layers to them, which can be fully explored after gaining new abilities through the campaign.

I saw Rayman Origins recently and the game is just mind blowingly gorgeous. The HD cartoon visuals are simply stunning and it's just so entertaining watching the characters move in the world. It reminded me a lot of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, in fact. The characters are constantly animated as they move about and give off the sense that they're all batsh*t insane. They act like crack addicts who are in desperate need of a hit. Odd to describe it like that, but you'll understand once you see Origins in motion.

What's more impressive than the visuals is how it was all made. Michel Ancel created the UBlart Framework engine that powers the graphics and gameplay which allowed for a smaller team than one would expect to work on the project.

We'll have more on Rayman Origins come E3 next week.

Edited June 3, 2011 by Carbo

[Carbo]

Triple post fnarr.

Ancel Interview with Spiegel Online.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Your current game "Rayman Origins" is developed by a pretty small team compared to your last title "King Kong". Was this a deliberate decision?

Michel Ancel: Yes, looking back at last year, we only had five to ten people working on Rayman Origins. I wanted to have only person working on backgrounds, one working on sound design/composing, another one for the characters. That way the creative process of working on a game is much more personal and intensive. Working with a small team means being able to concentrate on small surprises and the special 'touch'.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How important is adding something personal and having the opportunity to maintain control over designing the game?

Ancel: There are many personal ideas. In this title, there are various cultural elements, which are influenced by art (especially French art). We work together with artists from the best French art academies and we ensure that they have a huge influence on gameplay.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you consider games as art?

Ancel: That's hard to say, but yes, I'd say so, as we start with an empty page just as all other artists. We see games as an opportunity to express emotions and to tell a story, not only as something to beat highscores and reaching certain goals. It's a way to take a look into fantasy. You don't need to show everything in games, instead you may create noises, which players hear and then they start to use their imagination. These elements, found in movies and books, are also part of games.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: The industry as a whole looks to be taking a different direction - using large teams and immense budgets. Do you also consider these blockbuster titles as art?

Ancel: It depends. Even the largest games can be creative. Creating a movie, a lot of people are involved, but at first only the writer and the director dertermine the direction of the film. I don't see direct relation between the number of people involved and the artistic direction. If you want to achieve something, it's important to create something personal and avoid having to make compromises with marketing and similar divisions - at least at the beginning. Producing a game does not mean calculating the share of fantasy and science fiction.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: It appears as if this is exactly the production method used though.

Ancel: I don't think that this strategy will be successful in the long-term. Short-term, it might be very cool, it might work as the gaming industry didn't have that many blockbusters and that high budgets only some years ago. But the blockbusters look all the same. It's purely based on mathematics, the addition of certain elements. I belive that people will look for deep experiences instead of huge effects in the long-term.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Eight years ago, you worked on a deep gaming experience, Beyond Good & Evil, which commercially failed. Do you believe things have changed since then?

Ancel: I'm not sure whether much has changed since then, but I think that we have different opportunities with other platforms today. We could do some experiments with such a game today: Providing it on downloadable services or making it for the iPad in one way or the other.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: In the past two years Western and detective games sold well. Such games didn't have a much of a chance until then commercially.

Ancel: Nonetheless, these games place huge emphasis on weapons or a violent story. They are interesting and fine, but Beyond Good&Evil was different: The protagonist was female, she had no weapon, she was journalist. And that made potential buyers somewhat careful. The boxart did not have a weapon but a camera. In fact, we even replaced the camera with a weapon [on the boxart only, I assume] and we noticed that we could sell much more games then. It might be the same story, but with an armed male protagonist on the boxart it will sell much better. Still, I did not want to sacrifice my perception of the game for that.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How do new platforms such as the iPad change the market and the production of games?

Ancel: I like to compare it to movies. On the one hand you have huge cinemas, but then you also have TVs, and nowadays PCs and YouTube. I believe that games on HD consoles and mobile platforms will always be made. At the same time the question of content becomes more than question on which platforms we play these games.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Will creativity return with these new platforms?

Ancel: I believe that small games will become creative and that this sector got too little attention till now. There are new concepts in the gaming industry, but it's just the same as in the movie industry, these concepts don't do harm to other concepts. A game such as Rayman Origins would not work on the iPad as a huge part of the game is playing together. That's only possible on a home console [so why is it coming to 3DS and PC then?]. A Rayman title for iPad would look vastly different.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: You seem to be a unique person in the gaming industry. Your team works in an old mansion near Mediterranean sea, whereas you competitors work in large studios located in office blocks. How did you reach such independence.

Ancel: I can only talk about myself, but production of games can be very difficult, you face much pressure. On the one hand gamers want things they are familiar with, on the other hand they want to be surprised. These demands need to be aligned. That's similar to listening to the new album of your favourite band: If it sounds like the last album, it's boring. If it's sounds completely different, it's not what you expect that band to be. Thus you need to balance old and new ideas and concepts.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Which was the last game that really surprised you?

Ancel: That might have been Limbo. Right now I'm anticipating The Last Guardian. And that's what I mean: We know something about that game's world as we've played Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Still, we want to be surprised. This is the type of game I want to make.

Oh yeah, apparently this was Rayman 4 concept art.

That's right. This would perhaps be a reality if it wouldn't have been turned into a minigame collection due to strict deadlines.

[Preston]

I hate the Rabbids so much now.

[Swiss]

There's a Rayman Origins Premium Theme for all you Xbox-goers out there.

I bought it instantly, and it's beautiful.

[Carbo]

This game is just gorgeous

[Johnny Boy]

Yes!!! It's about time Rayman got some spotlight again!! Last Rayman game I played was Rayman 3.

[Blue Blood]

This game is just gorgeous grotesque

Fix'd (my opinion)

I love the way the backgrounds are drawn, but the characters are hideous and animations that are made from distortions are dreadful. It's like really just unattractive. It's like Ren and Stimpy or something. Bleh

[Conando]

Ren & Stimpy was awesome, you shut your whore mouth. But seriously, to each their own. I myself love the art style.

Edited June 13, 2011 by Hero Of Fate

[krazystitch]

I love the art style too. Everything is just so bright and colorful but so well detailed at the same time. It just looks like a ton of fun! Plus, the music in that trailer was quite awesome too

Edited June 13, 2011 by krazystitch

[Blue Blood]

Ren & Stimpy was awesome, you shut your whore mouth. But seriously, to each their own. I myself love the art style.

Naturally, each to their own. Things like this are just so off putting though:

Especially when Rayman 1 looks like this:

Edited June 13, 2011 by Blue Blood

[Eternal EX]

Naturally, each to their own. Things like this are just so off putting though:

Dead link.

[Carbo]

Rayman 1 was so incredibly French in both looks and story.

I can see where you're coming from. Me personally, I've said it before, when it's compared to Origins and latter Rayman games, it just feels way too stale and devoid of life, and I do love me a game with some fantastic visual and animation direction.

Compare any Rayman gameplay video to the Origins trailer above; the motion, the hectic nature and the expressions, it looks like the characters are having the biggest blast of their life and the designers equally so. It's just so giddy and it looks like it's so much fun to play. Obviously the new tech has helped make Origins what it is but when comparing the games in a more favorable light, I love the way Rayman has evolved over most other characters in this day and age.

It's just inspiring for me personally. Makes me want to animate again.

The funny thing is that both Rayman and Origins are extremely reliant on animation tweening, so technically you can see Origins as a major step up in both technique and style.

Edited June 13, 2011 by Carbo

[Blue Blood]

Dead link.

Doesn't look like it to me. Check that the image has loaded correctly (C&P the url into your address bar). Regardless, I'll mirror it.

EDIT: Done.

Edited June 13, 2011 by Blue Blood

[Conando]

Now, I don't know if this has been said yet...but the latest Nintendo Power fleshed out the back story a bit. It will explain the existence of Mr. Dark, yes, and the cause if the nightmares that plague Bubble Dreamer seems to be coming from parallel land called the "Land of the Dead". The Land of the Dead itself will be like the S World in Mario games, where you unlock stages by collecting special medals. Of course, this means they'll come with a stiff challenge.

As for the news on the Nintendo versions: The Wii version will not have tacked on motion control, the main way of playing is using the Classic Controller or Wii Remote NES style. The 3DS version will not see release until next year.

Edited July 2, 2011 by Hero Of Fate

[Detective Shadzter]

- The reason Rayman lacks arms/legs is going to be revealed in this title

http://www.gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=162895

Can't wait to see what the reason is.

[Tatsumaki]

This makes me even more excited for the game! Can't wait.

[Marcello]

But I don't wanna know That's like finding out the reason why Sonic runs fast..

Edited July 11, 2011 by MarcelloF

[Your Vest Friend]

A wizard called Mr Dark did it.

[ChikaBoing]

Why do Snowboard Kids look like Rayman XP

[Balding Spider]

But I don't wanna know That's like finding out the reason why Sonic runs fast..

[Detective Shadzter]

New trailer

http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/28872/new-rayman-origins-trailer/

[Detective Shadzter]

Picked up the latest issue of ONM. Here's their preview of Rayman Origins:

If anyone wants to archive the scan, it's Official Nintendo Magazine Issue 72 September 2011.

[Random Rhyme]

http://www.gonintend...y.php?id=162895

Can't wait to see what the reason is.

[Eternal EX]

Thanks for the article Shadz. I already planned on buying it but now.....I know I'm gonna have to find a way to budget it in. Already preorder Sonic gen, Battlefield 3 and Assassin's Creed R. Plus I have to get a new TV and a new 360. Oh the rest of the year is gonna be chaos.

[krazystitch]

New trailer from Gamescom 2011

No gameplay in this one, but I'm still loving the art style and animation. Very unique and colorful.

Edited August 18, 2011 by krazystitch