Much like Feel the Magic: XY/XX on DS, you could probably write off Rayman Raving Rabbids as a 3rd party mini-game collection that, while serving as a nice tutorial on the new controls the system has to offer, could be quickly discarded once the "real" games start to come out.
And you'd almost be right! Humor, honest-to-God laugh-out-loud humor, saves the day—mostly in the form of the Rabbids themselves. A cross between a rabbit and Homer Simpson with a vocabulary limited to the single phrase "Daaah!", the Rabbids would be right at home in a classic Looney Tunes short. Even after you've beaten the game, you probably won't mind playing again just to spend more time with the silly cretins.
Great graphics, art direction and music round out the package. The mini-games themselves are varied—some are easy and some are quite tricky. There were a few too many dance levels for my taste, but I usually had fun anyway. The on rails "Plunger Shooter" stages were definitely the highlight of the game and what I replayed most during the score attack mode.
Recommended, particularly if you can find an inexpensive copy. Avoid the lackluster sequel though.
2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.