The PlayStation Vita’s big claim to fame is that it’s a handheld PlayStation 3. It’s a pretty big claim, and what better way to test it than with Rayman Origins, a port of one of the best PlayStation 3 releases of late-2011?
We already reviewed the console version. For those that haven’t played it, Origins takes the series back to its roots. Gone is all that Raving Rabbids crap, the focus is back on platforming. And as if being a joyful (and at times, punishingly difficult) old-school sidescroller isn’t enough, Origins is also stunningly beautiful. Built using nothing but layered 2D vector graphics, the game looks like a Saturday morning cartoon. In one fell swoop, it reminded the industry of what it was before it got caught up in its gritty gloominess: fun (and at times, punishingly difficult – I can’t stress the random difficulty spikes enough).
The question of this review isn’t how awesome the game is, Matt’s already covered that, it’s: how does Rayman Origins fair in its transition to the handheld? Having grown up with Nintendo rereleasing past-gen games on their handhelds with varying degrees of success, I wasn’t expecting much. But Rayman Origins blew me away.
It was the game I played on my PlayStation 3 months earlier. The same fluid gameplay. The same stunning visuals. Only… on the bus.
The console experience isn’t completely replicated, though. On its way to the handheld, the game has lost its two- to four-player multiplayer mode. While some might be disappointed, I’m not all that fussed. Four-player co-op was interesting for a short while in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but really, nobody buys a platformer to play it with their friends.
In the place of multiplayer is a new, Vita-exclusive ghost system that lets you share your best speed-run times with, and race against those from, your friends. This seems more in line with what platformers are supposed to be about: honing your skills, not laughing when your teammate dies in a really funny way.
If you own a Vita and haven’t played Rayman Origins yet, I cannot recommend it enough. If you don’t want to shell out a truckload of coin for a new handheld, then go out and grab it for your console. It doesn’t disappoint.
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