Rayman 2 is an absolutely classic platformer, standing alongside Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie as one of the greats of that time. Bearing this in mind, it's hard to make a sequel that lives up to that. Rayman 3 (the last game before the Rabbids took over the franchise) is a lot prettier, features a bunch of new mechanics, stunning environments, full voice acting, an equally silly and French a take on an otherwise dark plot, quite possibly the best bonus levels *ever*... and yet somehow it still falls a bit short. There are two major design changes: one, the removal of cages and lums. instead of encouraging (or even forcing) you to go back over past levels to plumb their depths and flesh out 100%, you're rated on your score, amassed via generic pickups, and a combo system based on how much you can amass in rapid succession. Multipliers are racked up by defeating enemies, leading into the second major change: Combat. Whereas Rayman 2 threw some significant enemies at you on the odd occasion and mostly let you focus on the platforming, Rayman 3 revels in its combat. You almost never get a break from the onslaught of Hoodlums, and spend the better portion of the game dodging and weaving around their shots while throwing curved punches everywhere (because they'll block most head-on attacks). The lock-on mechanic has been greatly improved to facilitate this, but it can get wearisome. Really, those changes are why Rayman 3 doesn't quite stand up there with 2. Instead it gets by on its charm and aesthetics, and managing to do what it does quite well, even if it's a bit of a step back. For $6, I say grab a gamepad, step into Rayman's disembodied shoes one last time, and lay some smack down.
Tyrian 2000 is everything it needs to be. It is challenging, customizable, it looks and sounds fantastic, controls well, and has more levels than you can shake a stick at, including a lot of secret levels and a few silly bonus rounds. I once sat down and played it for around 6 hours a day for a week straight. I still didn't reach the end. It even has a local co-op mode where you have the ability to dock P1 and P2's ships so that one flies while the other shoots. What else could you possibly want?!
