If you like action/adventure games that are gorgeous, present a unique atmosphere (in this case, Indian folklore and mythology), and let you run and jump all over the place while tearing up baddies with cool weapons, then you can't go wrong with Raji. I loved the entire experience, and can't recommend it enough.
I picked up this game without any prior knowledge of the Giana Sisters (growing up Commodore-disabled), just looking for a good platformer. I was not disappointed. Everything is spot on. Your standard platforming goodness is there, but the twist is the method of changing between the sisters, which is brilliant. If you've ever played classics like Super Magnetic Neo (anyone?), you'll be right at home, as you'll be switching between 'worlds' quite frequently, and it makes for some fantastic gameplay. Black Forest did a great job of defining the game mechanics, sticking with them (while adding variation), and getting just about everything they could get out of them. The fantastic level design encourages exploration, while the hard-but-fair gameplay rewards you for getting better -- which is something that not enough games seem to do these days </crotchety_old_gamer_rant>. The three bosses in this game will definitely cause screaming and controller-throwing, but when the smoke clears and you've beaten that final, crazy-hard boss, you will stand at the top of the mountain, gamer's high flowing through your veins, knowing that you did something worth doing. In short, this is a great game!
This is easily one of my favorites in the franchise (and I've been there since the very beginning), but it's surprisingly misunderstood by a lot of gamers. From those gamers, you'll hear things like "it's too easy" or "the combat's lame." These people don't get the point. This game is all about giving you an amazing jungle gym of a world, and letting you jump and climb all over it. The level design is truly breathtaking, among the very best I've experienced. The thrill of running around and doing Prince of Persia-y things is so well captured in this one, and none of the typical frustrations (dying and restarting from checkpoints, excessive filler combat, craptacular attempts to be "edgy" (yes, I'm looking at you, Warrior Within)) get in the way of this. If you love to be placed in a fantasy world and be able to bound all around it, Prince of Persia is pure bliss.
